In Disney’s 1998 animated film Mulan, who wrote the lyrics for the film’s songs?

In Disney’s 1998 animated film Mulan, David Zippel wrote the lyrics for the film’s songs.

Zippel collaborated with composer Matthew Wilder on the songs, including “Reflection” and “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.” Their work helped give the film its combination of personal introspection, comic energy, and military-training momentum.

This credit is often confused with the film’s instrumental score. Jerry Goldsmith composed the orchestral score, while Zippel handled the song lyrics and Wilder supplied the song music.

Zippel was already known for writing lyrics for musical theatre and film. In Mulan, his words helped express the heroine’s conflict between family expectations and her emerging sense of identity.