#6 - Ming-Na and Lea Salonga as Fa Mulan - Mulan (1998)
Best Song: Reflection (duh)
I think this is the biggest gap in "quality of movie" to "quality of entry in this list". I've always thought of Mulan as a movie that's so-so at best, so it's difficult for me to put something from it this high on any list. Well, unless I was doing "best soundtrack moments", and then the music that plays when Mulan cuts her hair would easily make the Top 5. But the titular vocal performances from it are more than deserving, and in a way, I wish this had fit in the Top 5.
First of all, this has something very basic that the other two-voice teams on this list seem to lack: a speaking voice and a singing voice that match up almost perfectly. I've heard Lea Salonga speak (as she seems to for several minutes in all of her live performance videos on YouTube), and actually her speaking voice matches up fairly well to Ming-Na's, except the latter's is slightly less harsh, which makes her a better fit for the character. But really, unlike Jasmine, Pocahontas, Esmeralda, Anastasia, etc., it's never distracted me when Lea Salonga starts singing "Reflection", despite the fact that I know her voice so well. It's practically seamless, and there's no moment of "wait, that's totally not her voice". Maybe I just have a better ear than most, but that's no mean feat.
Now, in lieu of going on and on about Broadway stuff like I did in the last entry, I'll just say that even though Lea Salonga isn't my favorite, "Reflection" is a song that's practically tailor-made to her voice. It is the perfect song for her. In fact, for any of you who haven't ever heard her singing the full version of the song, here it is: It's quite the performance, and it's absolutely perfect for her.
But Ming-Na is really the best part of the movie, bar none. I have my issues with the songs that aren't called "Reflection", with the other characters, with Eddie Murphy, and with the story in general, but what really sells the movie is Ming-Na's fantastic performance as Mulan. It would be so easy to go over-the-top with the "pretending to be a man" schtick, but she walks that fine line between "cartoon" and "realism" just right for a (comparatively) light-hearted Disney movie.
I mean, Mulan definitely has its dark moments, but compared to a few of the movies in the Renaissance string that came before it (Lion King, Pocahontas, Hunchback), it's a gay romp in the park.
But anyway, we've now rounded out everybody but the Top 5. As they seem to be a bit too obvious, I'm going to stop giving hints now, but I'm interested to see if you can pinpoint who exactly is still missing. I think at least one of the entries will be quite surprising, as it's someone who has not yet been mentioned in either topic, but who I would never consider omitting from any decent Top 5.