In Disney’s 1998 animated film Mulan, “Reflection” was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
The song is Mulan’s introspective solo, performed in the film by Lea Salonga. Its lyrics describe the conflict between the person Mulan feels herself to be and the socially acceptable image she is expected to present. The song appears after her failed matchmaker appointment and becomes the film’s clearest musical expression of identity and self-knowledge.
“Reflection” was written by composer Matthew Wilder and lyricist David Zippel. It was nominated at the 71st Academy Awards, which honored films released in 1998. The award went to “When You Believe” from The Prince of Egypt, written by Stephen Schwartz, so “Reflection” did not win.
Lea Salonga supplied Mulan’s singing voice, while Ming-Na Wen supplied the character’s speaking voice. Christina Aguilera later recorded a pop version connected with the film’s soundtrack and helped introduce the song to a wider radio audience. The nomination belongs to the song itself, not to the voice performers.