In Disney’s 1998 animated film Mulan, who performs “I’ll Make a Man Out of You”?

Donny Osmond performs “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” in Disney’s 1998 animated film Mulan.

The song plays during Captain Li Shang’s demanding training sequence, as the newly recruited soldiers struggle to become an effective military unit. Osmond’s polished pop vocal gives the number a strong, energetic sound that contrasts with the recruits’ early failures.

The film’s principal singing voices were not always the same as its speaking voices. Lea Salonga provides the singing voice for Mulan, while Osmond supplies Shang’s singing voice. This arrangement was common in animated musicals when a character’s dialogue and musical performance required different vocal qualities.

“I’ll Make a Man Out of You” was written by Matthew Wilder, who composed the music, and David Zippel, who wrote the lyrics. Osmond’s performance is therefore distinct from Wilder’s songwriting credit and from the actors who voice the characters in dialogue.