"[11] The directors hired Filipina singer and actress Lea Salonga to dub the character's respective singing voice, heard in the film's songs "Reflection", "I'll Make a Man Out of You" and "A Girl Worth Fighting For",[12] on Wen's behalf. The movie breaks with the tradition in which the male hero rescues the heroine, but is still totally sold on the Western idea of romantic love. In Disneyland, she also makes appearances in the Disney Princess Fantasy Faire Village in Fantasyland and regularly performs in the new show Mickey and the Magical Map in the Fantasyland Theater. He also manages to throw in one heck of a Batman reference. [4], Mulan explores the age-old theme of remaining true to oneself,[5] with co-director Tony Bancroft summarizing the character's role in the film as "the story of a girl who can't help who she is but she exists in a different society that tells her who she is supposed to be. She is fairly elderly, with white hair. Mushu provides clumsy guidance to Mulan on how to behave like a man. Time Out hailed Mulan as "A feisty young go-getter [who] rises above the male-dominated world in which she lives. Instead of executing Mulan as the law requires, Shang spares her life, but nonetheless expels her from the army. pic.twitter.com/pvZbJGxTbV, Me: I won’t watch a Mulan movie without Mushu or Shang! [80][81], The 2013 Disney princess redesigns portrayed Mulan with features that differ from her film appearance. Wen explained, "I think every Chinese kid grows up with this story," additionally likening the poem's popularity in China to that of the Western Parson Weems fable in which American president George Washington chops down his father's beloved cherry tree. "[32] Additionally, Mulan's intelligence has been observed in several professional analyses, with critics often citing the character as "brainy."[33][34]. popbuzz.co/35mIDB7 pic.twitter.com/3mOFbSBMXP, Tim Burton reportedly developing live-action Addams, After We Collided release time: Here's when it comes out, Hero Fiennes Tiffin: 15 facts about the After actor you, QUIZ: How well do you remember Harry Potter and the Order, Jennifer Lawrence admits she voted Republican before, What time does Ariana Grande release Positions? 1 Mushu plays Scooter in AnimalTales 2 Mushu Plays Sid The Sloth Animal Age (Series) 3 Mushu plays Lando Calrissian in Animation Star Wars 4 Mushu plays The Butterfly in The Last Jaguar 5 Mushu plays Beanstalk Jack in Melody & Bambi and Fifi And Leo 6 Mushu plays Sam in Pinocchio the Red-Nosed Puppet 7 … "[56] Similarly, Moira Macdonald of The Seattle Times hailed Mulan as "a strong, engaging character who, unlike many of her Disney counterparts, needs no one to rescue her from danger," while questioning her personality, asking, "was it really necessary to bestow Mulan with self-esteem problems? "[16], The film's screenplay was constantly being revised and re-written. Mulan is also known to come out for meet-and-greets on the ships as well. "[52] Similarly, Margaret A. McGurk of The Cincinnati Enquirer lauded Mulan for "solv[ing] her G.I. "[69] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone commented, "Mulan ... makes a feisty prefeminist," continuing, "She doesn't swoon over Captain Shang, the hunky officer ... which leaves Shang ... frustrated ... Mulan, let the record show, does not put out. Plucky Comic Relief: Less so than Mushu, however. These aspects of the film are more in keeping with a traditional Chinese perspective on cultural value, such as the importance of family and honor. Johnson additionally noticed several ways in which Mulan's design and personality differ from those typically associated with traditional Disney heroines and princesses, citing the character's clumsy, awkward demeanor; broad shoulders and muscular limbs; unruly single strand of hair; and choice of everyday attire which usually consists of loose, baggy clothing concealing her "traditionally slim Disney waist. The Huns, led by Shan Yu, invade China by breaching the Great Wall. "[73] The Georgia Institute of Technology ranked Mulan the fourteenth greatest Disney character of all-time. Of these respondents, over half would change their hair and over a quarter would change something about their body, such as skin color. 8 Mushu Wakes Up Mulan Much-loved Mulan is returning to our screens in a visually stunning live-action remake - who plays who in the new film. ", to the audience. Klein commented, "Mulan isn't waiting for her prince to someday come; when he does arrive, having known her primarily as a man, and having learned to admire her for her deeper qualities, the romance is muted and subtle. An enraged Shan Yu slashes her in the chest, and after the avalanche subsides, her deception is revealed when the wound is bandaged. Mulan … "[65] In contribution to the book Beyond Adaptation: Essays on Radical Transformations of Original Works, Lan Dong wrote, "Even though Mulan achieves success after she resumes her female self ... it is compromised by Mulan and Li Shang's potential engagement at the end of the film. In the episode "Princesses to the Rescue," Mulan reminds Sofia and her friends Amber and Jun they are "Stronger Than They Know" in song. "[18] Between the two, Bancroft and his twin brother Tom, an animator who also worked on Mulan, have a total of seven daughters. To make sure the three princesses are not forced to marry against their will, Mulan takes their place marrying the eldest son of the ruler of the neighboring land. The actress took no offense to this decision, commenting jokingly "I don't blame them. So, certainly, that was a challenge to have her disguised as a boy whereas she's still a girl who doesn't understand what being a boy is all about or about boys move and act, and that's part of how she learns ... that was part of the fun and the challenge of doing Mulan. Grandmother Fa is a supporting character in Disney's 1998 animated feature film, Mulan. However, director Tony Bancroft, who was inspired by the well-being of his own daughters, wanted Mulan to be a different, unique kind of Disney heroine – one who is strong and independent, whose fate does not depend upon a male character. McCarthy continued, "Here, it's the girl who does the rescuing, saving not only the prince but the emperor himself from oblivion, and this in a distant culture where women were expected to obey strictly prescribed rules. There are a lot of these going viral on Twitter. However, some people are upset that Mushu, Shang and the songs aren't in the teaser. She became the eighth Disney Princess and the first one who wasn’t born of royalty or marrying a prince. On the official Disney Princess website, the character's brief biography reads, "Mulan is a loving girl who is always brave and bold. Upon learning of Mulan's departure, the ancestors order the small dragon Mushu, a disgraced former guardian, to awaken the "great stone dragon" so that he may retrieve Mulan, only for Mushu to destroy the statue. [48][49], Reception towards Mulan's personality and characterization have been generally positive. Mulan appears in the Square Enix and Disney video game Kingdom Hearts II in the Land of the Dragons world, with Ming-Na Wen reprising her role. The rocket strikes, and propels him into a fireworks launching tower, where he dies in the resulting explosion. Big Actors Starring in Mulan. To add insult to injury, at the end of the film, Shang fixes up his shattered ego by claiming Mulan as a suitor. "[5] Because the Ballad of Mulan is such a beloved and well-known story, San Souci longed to maintain the character's integrity. This means that there will be a lot of differences from the original. [76] "Reflection" is often credited with establishing the successful musical career of American recording artist Christina Aguilera, who famously recorded a pop rendition of the ballad prior to the release of her platinum-selling self-titled debut album in 1999, on which the song is featured. "[66], Mulan is culturally recognized for her unique role in Mulan specifically in regards to the character's heroism, ethnicity and disinterest in romance, serving as a departure from traditional Disney heroines and princesses because she "challenged gender stereotypes and offered up an animated Disney experience that isn't princess-centric" as "one of the few strong, self-propelled female characters that Disney has. "[33] According to Sara Veal of The Jakarta Post, Mulan "promotes self-reliance, determination and is uninterested in marriage or romance ... the film ends on her saving her country, rather than a romantic resolution. She seems to be well versed in Chinese traditions. [38] For children, Mulan demonstrates the positive aspects of never giving up, not being restricted to gender roles and the importance of family and honor. "[68] Succeeding non-white Disney Princesses Jasmine and Pocahontas, Mulan's characterization as Disney's first East Asian princess assisted in the diversification of the Disney Princess franchise, introducing "Disney princesses ... portrayed as women of color. [24] The animator explained, "We don't create realism in the sense that if you're doing a human character, it's not going to look realistic ... the balance is finding an appealing way of drawing using the visual tools that you have in the design to convey the believable emotions that you want to get across. "[67] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times observed the way in which Mulan's role in the film as "an independent, not completely boy-crazy heroine is somewhat new for Disney. Meanwhile, acting on Mulan's instructions and signal, Mushu fires a large skyrocket at Shan Yu. In the film, when looking for Mulan during the avalanche sequence of the Tung Shao Pass, he sees some hair in the snow and, thinking it's Mulan, pulls out what's really a Hun, then quickly puts him back under the snow and sheepishly exclaims, "Nope! Mulan is praised by the Emperor and the assembled inhabitants of the city, who bow to her in an unprecedented honor. [43] Loosely based on the plot of the original animated film, the video game's concept and premise revolves around "Players ... assum[ing] the role of Mulan on her quest to recover the missing scrolls. However, she appears to be spunky and isn't afraid to speak her mind. Fa Mulan is a fictional character, inspired by a legendary figure, who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' 36th animated feature film Mulan (1998), as well as its sequel Mulan II (2004).