'Moana' Clip: Watch All of 'Shiny,' the Undersea David Bowie Tribute
Not only is Moana one of the year’s best films, it also contains one of the year’s best David Bowie tributes. Sung by Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement as the greedy crab Tamatoa, “Shiny” is a knockout glam-rock number that takes the Disney film into Ziggy Stardust territory. And now the whole sequence is available online for your viewing pleasure. Watch it above.
“Shiny” was written by Hamilton composer Lin-Manuel Miranda with Clements’ impeccable Bowie voice in mind. “If you hear Lin’s demo [of “Shiny”], which is on the soundtrack, you can tell that he’s doing an impression of my impression of David Bowie,” Clement said in a November interview with Yahoo Movies. The song is a favorite of Miranda’s, who co-wrote the film’s tunes with Opetaia Foa’i and Mark Mancina. Diabolical as it is, the New Zealand actor’s performance as Tamatoa did leave at least one person disgruntled: Clements’ eight-year-old son, who’s tired of his dad playing animated villains in films like Rio and The BFG. “He’s a little offended at this point,” Clements told Yahoo Movies. “Like, ‘You’re not bad, Dad! Why are you always a bad guy?’ I’m not sure what to tell him about that!”
Related: ‘Moana’ Directors Explain Why the Film’s Ending Was Important (Spoilers)
