"Mulan 2" Soundtrack Lyrics

"Mulan II: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack" – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Overview

Can a sequel soundtrack sell arranged marriage, road-movie hijinks, and a meddling dragon as one coherent musical idea? Mulan II tries, staging the arc as arrival → adaptation → rebellion → collapse and then stitching it with bright songs and tight score cues.

The film sends Mulan and Shang escorting three princesses to political marriages; the album follows suit. New numbers — “Lesson Number One,” “Like Other Girls,” and a quick “A Girl Worth Fighting For (Redux)” — sketch duty vs. choice. Joel McNeely’s score supplies momentum and romance cues (“The Journey Begins,” “In Love and in Trouble,” “Shang Lives!”). The end-credit ballad “Here Beside Me” closes the circle in pop terms.

What distinguishes this disc: a compact, 31-minute program that mixes cast vocals with score and one pop single. The songs speak plainly (Jeanine Tesori/Alexa Junge on the new pieces; Wilder/Zippel on the reprise), while McNeely keeps the sequel’s smaller canvas feeling big. According to AllMusic’s album page, the release runs 31:47 and was issued January 25, 2005 — short, focused, no filler.

Genre map by phase: musical-theatre pastiche for teaching and etiquette (order) → buoyant trio song for desire/freedom (adaptation) → comic reprise for the soldiers’ stalled love lives (rebellion) → orchestral set-pieces for peril and reconciliation (collapse) → credits pop (resolution).

How It Was Made

The score is by Joel McNeely; songs are by Jeanine Tesori (music) & Alexa Junge (lyrics) with the returning reprise by Matthew Wilder & David Zippel, and end-title lyrics by poet Kate Light set by McNeely. Key cast vocals include Lea Salonga (Mulan), Judy Kuhn/Beth Blankenship/Mandy Gonzalez (the princesses), and Hayley Westenra on the closing song. A separate pop cut of “(I Wanna Be) Like Other Girls” was recorded by Atomic Kitten for the album.

Recording took place in London — EMI Abbey Road listed as the studio on album metadata — and the soundtrack was released by Walt Disney Records to accompany the direct-to-video rollout (international late 2004; U.S. early 2005). Producers credited on the album package include Brian Rawling and Graham Stack on the Atomic Kitten track; McNeely composed and conducted the score cues.

The film itself is a DisneyToon Studios sequel directed by Darrell Rooney and Lynne Southerland; much of the original voice cast returned, with some replacements. The album mirrors the movie’s lean runtime by favoring exact film versions over extended arrangements; edits are tight, and the score cues are modular, designed to turn on a dime between comedy and peril.

Tracks & Scenes

Times are approximate within the 79-minute cut. Song placements are described; album-only variants are noted separately.

“Lesson Number One” — Mulan (Lea Salonga) & children
Where it plays: Opening act (~00:05–00:08). In a village training yard, Mulan teaches farmers’ kids about balance — soft vs. hard, speed vs. thought. The staging is half-lesson, half-chorus number; Mushu hovers, proud and pesky. It’s an in-world song with choreographed action beats.
Why it matters: It declares the sequel’s thesis in plain language: harmony comes from mixing opposites. That idea returns every time duty collides with choice.

“(I Wanna Be) Like Other Girls” — Princesses Ting-Ting, Su, Mei (Judy Kuhn, Beth Blankenship, Mandy Gonzalez)
Where it plays: Mid-journey (~00:30–00:35). Camped near a market at night, the princesses peel off from the caravan, drop court protocol, and imagine ordinary lives — dirty feet, bad singing, no chaperones. The number moves through alleys and makeshift stalls, ending in giggles and a pact to choose for themselves.
Why it matters: It flips the franchise’s “honor” theme toward autonomy. Musically light, narratively decisive — their will becomes the mission’s real problem.

“A Girl Worth Fighting For (Redux)” — Ling, Yao, Chien-Po (Gedde Watanabe, Harvey Fierstein, Jerry Tondo)
Where it plays: Early comedy beat (~00:12). After the Matchmaker ejects the trio, they grouse and swagger-sing a shorter reprise about being heroes back from war…and still striking out in love. Mulan and Shang rope them into escort duty moments later.
Why it matters: It reintroduces the guys with a wink and sets up the soldier-meets-princess cross-currents that pay off later.

“Here Beside Me” — Hayley Westenra
Where it plays: End credits (~01:17 onward). After rescues and reconciliations, a romantic ballad rolls over the scroll, voice and strings foregrounded. It’s a clean, radio-ready closer with a melody McNeely threads instrumentally in the score.
Why it matters: It’s the emotional exhale — a modern pop lens for a story that just argued for love over arrangements.

Album cut: “(I Wanna Be) Like Other Girls” — Atomic Kitten
Where it plays: Not in the film’s body; this is a soundtrack-only pop version that supported international marketing and some regional issues.
Why it matters: It gave the album a contemporary hook outside the movie’s diegesis.

Key score cues — Joel McNeely
Where they play: “The Journey Begins” (caravan departure and travel montage); “In Love and in Trouble” (soldiers and princesses fall for each other; consequences brew); “The Attack” (ambush and carriage disaster — percussion and low brass dominate); “Shang Lives!” (late reveal and rescue — triumphant horn release); “Here Beside Me (Instrumental)” (closing reprise of the love theme).
Why they matter: They carry most of the narrative weight. Short, motif-driven writing keeps comic beats nimble and action beats clear.

Notes & Trivia

• All score cues are composed and conducted by Joel McNeely; the album mixes cast songs with five score tracks.
• Jeanine Tesori (music) and Alexa Junge (lyrics) wrote the two new diegetic songs; the reprise credits stay with Wilder & Zippel.
• Hayley Westenra sings the end-credits ballad; an instrumental reprise appears as the album’s closer.
• Atomic Kitten recorded a separate pop version of “Like Other Girls” for the disc; some international pressings highlight it heavily.
• The album’s listed studio is EMI Abbey Road (London) — uncommon but not unheard-of for DisneyToon sequels.

Music–Story Links

“Lesson Number One” plants the balance motif; later choices test it. The princesses’ “Like Other Girls” reframes honor as agency, not obedience. The soldiers’ “Redux” riffs on old bravado while admitting post-war emptiness; pairing them with the princesses turns that joke into growth. McNeely’s cues then argue for feeling over decree: travel pulses for duty, love theme for choice, triumphant brass when the couple (and country) get both.

Reception & Quotes

The film drew poor reviews; the album fared better with soundtrack outlets, which praised McNeely’s concise writing and the clean integration of songs and score. AllMusic lists a mid-tier rating; specialty reviewers note respectful nods to Goldsmith without imitation.

“McNeely has crafted a superb score…with occasional nods to Goldsmith.” Movie Wave review (summary)

“A compact program where the songs sit comfortably beside lyrical action writing.” score-review consensus (summary)

“Release date: January 25, 2005; duration: 31:47; recorded at Abbey Road.” album metadata

Interesting Facts

• The official album carries 11 tracks — five score cues, four cast songs (including the reprise), one pop single, and an instrumental.
• The princess-trio vocalists (Kuhn/Blankenship/Gonzalez) are Broadway-seasoned; the blend helps the song land as character, not novelty.
• Gedde Watanabe sings his own lines in this sequel; no separate singing double.
• Some regions list the album year as 2004 due to earlier international disc shipments, despite the January 2005 U.S. date.
• Abbey Road credit hints at London sessions for choir and strings, giving the small production real scale.
• Atomic Kitten’s version credits pop producers Brian Rawling & Graham Stack; the cast version remains the one heard on screen.
• McNeely’s “Shang Lives!” cue is the album’s longest narrative payoff — release after sustained tension.

Technical Info

• Title: Mulan II: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack
• Year: 2005 U.S. album release (some international 2004 pressings)
• Type: Animated sequel soundtrack — songs + original score
• Composers/Lyricists: Songs by Jeanine Tesori (music) & Alexa Junge (lyrics); reprise by Matthew Wilder & David Zippel; end-title by Kate Light (lyrics) & Joel McNeely (music); score by Joel McNeely
• Principal vocals: Lea Salonga; Judy Kuhn; Beth Blankenship; Mandy Gonzalez; Gedde Watanabe; Harvey Fierstein; Jerry Tondo; Hayley Westenra; Atomic Kitten (album pop cut)
• Label: Walt Disney Records — release date January 25, 2005 (U.S.)
• Recording: EMI Abbey Road Studios, London (album credit)
• Track count / length: 11 tracks / ~31:47
• Selected placements: “Lesson Number One” (village lesson); “Like Other Girls” (night camp/market); “A Girl Worth Fighting For (Redux)” (post-Matchmaker gag); “Here Beside Me” (end credits); score cues for departure, ambush, rescue.
• Availability: Digital services worldwide; CD common; no widely documented official vinyl.

Questions & Answers

Is the Atomic Kitten version used in the movie?

No — their “(I Wanna Be) Like Other Girls” is an album pop version; the film uses the princess-trio performance.

Who sings the end-credits ballad?

Hayley Westenra performs “Here Beside Me”; Joel McNeely reprises its melody instrumentally on the album’s final track.

Does the soundtrack include much score?

Yes — five cues (“The Journey Begins,” “In Love and in Trouble,” “The Attack,” “Shang Lives!,” “Here Beside Me” instrumental) anchor the back half.

Where was the album recorded?

Album credits list EMI Abbey Road Studios, London.

How closely does McNeely follow Goldsmith’s original style?

He nods to it (pentatonic touches, brass shapes) but writes in his own, more compact, modular voice for this sequel.

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: AllMusic album entry; Mulan II (film) and franchise pages; IMDb soundtrack credits; Disney Wiki entries for songs and soundtrack; Joel McNeely’s official site; streaming service listings.

November, 16th 2025