For which Academy Award was Mulan nominated?

Mulan was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score. The nomination recognized the combined musical work of Matthew Wilder, David Zippel, and Jerry Goldsmith—not just one individual song.

Wilder wrote the film’s songs’ music, Zippel wrote their lyrics, and Goldsmith composed the orchestral score. This category was unusual because it combined a movie’s original songs and instrumental underscore in one musical or comedy-score nomination. Mulan’s nomination therefore covered the film’s overall musical design, including songs such as “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” and “Reflection.”

The nomination came at the 71st Academy Awards, honoring films released in 1998. Mulan lost to Shakespeare in Love, whose score was written by Stephen Warbeck. The film was not nominated for Best Picture or Best Animated Feature; the latter category did not yet exist at the Oscars in 1998. “Best Original Song” is another plausible-sounding mix-up, especially because “Reflection” received attention elsewhere, but Mulan’s Oscar nomination was specifically for its musical or comedy score.