Lin-Manuel Miranda brushes off potential Oscars showdown with Taylor Swift

"I love Taylor, and I love that song. I thought her song for Toy Story 5 was really fun," Miranda said

Lin-Manuel Miranda isn't worried about the prospect of competing against Taylor Swift at next year's Academy Awards, saying his focus has always been on telling an authentic story rather than chasing trophies.

The award-winning songwriter and Hamilton creator could find himself in contention for the Best Original Song Oscar alongside Swift. Miranda penned Along the Way for Disney's live-action Moana, while Swift wrote I Knew It, I Knew You for Pixar's Toy Story 5. Both songs are considered early contenders for the prestigious award.

Speaking to People at the Moana premiere in Los Angeles, Miranda had nothing but praise for Swift and her contribution to Toy Story 5.

"I love Taylor, and I love that song. I thought her song for Toy Story 5 was really fun," he said. "When you're writing for characters, you're not thinking about the Oscars. You're thinking, 'How on earth do I pull this off? How can it feel honest and true?' And I think she did a wonderful job doing that in Toy Story 5, and I was really proud to do that for our film."

Miranda previously earned an Academy Award nomination for "How Far I'll Go" from the original 2016 animated Moana. Although he did not work on Moana 2, he returned for the live-action remake, writing the new original song "Along the Way," performed by stars Catherine Laga'aia and Dwayne Johnson, alongside original Moana voice actor and executive producer Auli'i Cravalho.

The 46-year-old also shared the moment he realised the song had connected with audiences, starting with his own family.

"When I caught them singing it on their own, I realised, 'Okay, this is catchy enough that it can live alongside the other songs I wrote all those years ago,'" Miranda said, referring to his sons Sebastian, 11, and Francisco, 8.

Swift's I Knew It, I Knew You marked her first new recording since the release of The Life of a Showgirl last year. Inspired by Toy Story character Jessie, the emotional ballad broke multiple streaming records following its June release and has quickly emerged as one of the year's most talked-about film songs.

With both Disney films generating awards buzz, Miranda and Swift could ultimately face off in the Best Original Song category at the 2027 Oscars. If that happens, Miranda has made it clear there will be no rivalry from his side, only admiration for a fellow songwriter focused on serving the story first.