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What is the Menken Rule and why is it affecting Moana 2’s Oscar song choices?

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What is the Menken Rule and why is it affecting Moana 2's Oscar song choices?

As a longtime Disney enthusiast who has been enchanted by their magical tunes since my childhood, I can’t help but feel a mix of anticipation and nostalgia upon hearing about Moana 2’s Oscar-submitted songs. The “Menken Rule” has certainly added an interesting twist to the race, making us fans wonder which song will make it big this time around.

The upcoming film Moana 2 has disclosed the songs it’s submitting for Oscar nomination, and these selections emphasize a peculiar Oscar rule that Disney initiated!

Since the 1990s, it’s become common for a tune from a newly released Disney animated film to be in contention for an Oscar, and frequently, these songs take home the award. This trend has resulted in some thought-provoking nominations and victories.

In 2016, it came as no surprise that Lin-Manuel Miranda, a Tony Award-winning writer and composer, delivered fantastic songs for the movie Moana. One of these, “You’re Welcome,” was even nominated for an Oscar but ultimately lost to “City of Stars” from La La Land.

In the upcoming movie “Moana 2,” Miranda will not be responsible for the writing of the lyrics. Instead, the musical numbers will originate from Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, who are recognized for their exceptional work on the renowned unofficial “Bridgerton: The Musical” and have secured a significant opportunity with this film due to it.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the two songs up for consideration at the Oscars are “Beyond” and “Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” It’s said that “Beyond” is reminiscent of the classic Disney “I want” ballad, similar to the original film’s “How Far I’ll Go,” sung by Auli’i Cravalho. On the other hand, “Chee Hoo” is more like “You’re Welcome,” a humorous tune that Dwayne Johnson reprises as Maui.

The reason why only two songs are being considered for the Oscar is interesting as a rule Disney forced the Academy to make. 

What is the Menken rule?

Disney’s impressive collection of Oscar-winning songs, particularly those from animated films, has been truly remarkable. For instance, “The Little Mermaid” garnered two nominations and took home the award for “Under the Sea.” Similarly, “Beauty and the Beast” received three nods and clinched the title song as its victory. In a similar vein, “Aladdin” also earned two awards, with “A Whole New World” being one of them. Furthermore, “Pocahontas” won for “Colors of the Wind,” while “Hercules” received one nomination and “Enchanted” had three.

Due to all of the nominated songs being penned by the same writer, Alan Menken, who is well-known in Disney circles for his exceptional skill, other songwriters started voicing their concerns that Menken was receiving an excessive number of nominations, leading to an unbalanced situation. Although no one disputes Menken’s talent, they felt it wasn’t fair for a single composer to have such a strong presence at the Oscars. The Academy ultimately acknowledged these complaints and implemented what came to be known as “The Menken Rule” in 2008. This rule set limitations on submissions: only three songs from one film could be entered, no more than two songs by the same songwriters could make the shortlist, and no more than two songs from the same film could be nominated.

Disney had to carefully select which songs to submit for Oscar consideration, given that they only had a limited number of submissions. “Let It Go” from Frozen was an obvious choice, as it became an immediate hit and eventually won the award. On the other hand, Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” despite its popularity, wasn’t nominated. This is because Disney and the film producers felt that “Dos Oruguitas” would be a stronger submission since “Bruno” was integral to the movie’s plot. They made these submissions before the movie’s release, so they didn’t anticipate how much audiences would embrace “Bruno.” Without the “Menken Rule,” there’s a chance that “Bruno” might have been submitted and possibly won the award.

Now, just because a song is submitted doesn’t mean it will get an Oscar nomination (last year saw no nominations for either Disney’s Wish or the hit musical Wonka), as there’s plenty of competition. There’s also the question of whether Moana 2 is a big enough hit to break out of the pack. Still, the chances of Barlow and Bear ending up on the Oscar stage next year are out there as they have two songs to push to add to Disney’s classic slate. 

Moana 2 premieres in theaters November 27. 

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2024-10-27 19:57

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