It might be easy to assume that there aren’t any big awards left for Lin-Manuel Miranda to fill his shelves with, as the songwriting playwright and actor has amassed a wide variety of accolades over the past 20 years, including a Pulitzer and a Kennedy Center Honor. But the ever-elusive EGOT achievement remains just beyond his grasp, and it’s a legitimate concern that the live-action Moana’s lower-than-expected box office success could negatively impact Miranda’s next shot at joining the ranks of famed EGOT winners.
Before we jump into talking out the entertainer’s upcoming shot at winning any Oscars during the March 2027 ceremony, let’s take a look at the EGOT-centric awards that he has brought in over the years, as well as the Academy Award nominations that he did not land wins for.
Lin-Manuel Miranda's EGOT-Specific Award Wins And Oscar Noms
- Emmy Wins
- 2014 Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics - The 67th Annual Tony Awards ("Bigger!")
- 2021 Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) - Hamilton
- Grammy Wins
- 2009 Best Musical Show Album - In the Heights
- 2016 Best Musical Theater Album - Hamilton
- 2018 Best Song Written For Visual Media - Moana ("How Far I'll Go")
- 2023 Best Song Written For Visual Media - Encanto ("We Don't Talk About Bruno")
- 2023 Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media - Encanto
- Tony Wins
- 2008 Best Original Score - In the Heights
- 2016 Best Book of a Musical - Hamilton
- 2016 Best Original Score - Hamilton
- Oscar Nominations
- 2017 Best Original Song - "How Far I'll Go" (Moana)
- 2022 Best Original Song - "Dos Oruguitas" (Encanto)
Will Moana's Critical And Box Office Woes Doom Lin-Manuel Miranda's EGOT Chances?
It'd be one thing if Moana drew in fewer moviegoers than expected despite universal praise from any and all critics, or if the movie crushed at the box office despite terrible reviews. But neither of those are the case here. Many critics reviews have been rough, outside of the rare breath of positive air, with general audiences questioning the timing of this remake happening so soon after the animated original. So it's kind of the worst of both worlds by way of positive awards momentum.
However, despite such clear setbacks, the film's key song — "Along the Way," as performed by Catherine Laga'aia, Dwayne Johnson, and Auli'i Cravalho — has earned quite a bit of praise all on its own. It was already on the shortlist of assumed Best Original Song nominations as soon as its existence was revealed, given Miranda's status, but it will be interesting to see if the song can remain a conversational high point not only as the 2026 release continues its theatrical run, but also throughout the many months until the 2027 Academy Awards arrive.
A pessimist might point to "How Far I'll Go" not winning back in 2017, despite the original animated film being beloved in all the ways that the live-action version isn't, and then assume that "Along the Way" can't possibly take home the gold. (That song had a solid live performance as well during that telecast.)
That same pessimist also might point to another Disney release's key track as being a frontrunner for this year's Oscars: Taylor Swift's "I Knew It, I Knew You" from Toy Story 5.
But there's also some hope for the optimists out there! Rotten Tomatoes certainly isn't the most foolproof basis for Oscar predictions, but the are patterns and details that can be gleaned from it. Such as the idea that it's 38% RT score isn't an automatic elimination. As pointed out by Gold Derby, two films in the past 26 years have won Best Original Song despite scoring 70% or lower on Rotten Tomatoes: 2015's Spectre (63%) for "Writing's on the Wall," and 2024's Emilia Pérez (70%) for "El Mal." Both of those are obviously much higher than 38%, but a precedent is a precedent.
Lin-Manuel Miranda has written enough high-quality bops that he inspired a Top 10 Best Lin-Manuel Miranda Movie Songs list, but I guess CinemaBlend rankings don't help a movie's Oscar chances all that much either.
Moana is currently in theaters, with the next Academy Awards ceremony set for March 14, 2027, on ABC.
