Lin-Manuel Miranda is “still amazed” that “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” was the big hit Encanto. That’s why he’s hesitant to guess what the fans’ favorite song might be Mufasa: The Lion King… although his sons have an idea.
“I can’t predict that, because I thought everyone was going to leave singing ‘Surface Pressure’ or ‘Colombia, Mi Encanto,’ and then ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ took the world by storm,” Miranda said to Yahoo. Entertainment. ‘I’m still surprised by it. All I know is that I know nothing.”
When asked that we were betting on “I’ve always wanted a brother,” Miranda replied, “That’s the one that suits my kids the most.” Okay, to be honest, they’re brothers.’
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Mufasa tells the origin story of the beloved character The Lion King and how he came to rule Pride Rock. Miranda, who directed the songs, joked that he “has a favorite child, and I have a favorite song too.”
“The fun thing about this movie was the things I wouldn’t have been able to do in another movie. So to write a romantic ballad for Disney, where you know Moana didn’t have time for romance, and neither did Mirabel.” It was a lot of fun to write as a romantic duet with ‘Tell Me It’s You,'” Miranda said. “I would have the nerve to even put that on a bucket list. But I actually had to do that for this movie.”
‘Tell Me It’s You’ is on the Oscars shortlist for Best Original Song. It was one of 15 songs to move forward, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday. Eighty-nine songs qualified for the category.
Aaron Pierre, who voices Mufasa in the prequel and sings the romantic ballad with Tiffany Boone, said he was “very nervous” about the song and credits Miranda with helping him finish it.
“Lin is so much fun,” he told Yahoo. “I’m so grateful to him and his team because I was very nervous about singing. I didn’t know if I had the capacity to do it, but they taught me how to have the capacity. Lin, when I was in that studio and I was nervous, Lin said, ‘Listen man, this is an R&B hit, let’s do it.’ He really gave me a boost at a time when I needed a boost. I’m struggling to hit those notes, I’m struggling to hit the duration of those notes. I love Lin.
Mufasa: The Lion King can be seen in cinemas from December 20.
