My favorite Disney movie EVER!!!
Mulan
-1998 American musical directed by Tony Bancroft
-Released on June 19, 1998
-Stars Ming-Na, Eddie Murphy, Miguel Ferrer, B.D. Wong
-In the Chinese release of it, Jackie Chan does the overdubs for it
-Tells the story of Hua Mulan, a legendary Chinese heroine.
Did You Know?
-In China, crickets are considered good luck, hence the need for one in the film
-When Mulan is singing "Reflection" and looking at herself in the reflection of the tablets of the family shrine, the Chinese characters are the names of various people from Disney who worked on the film in ancient Chinese
-When Mulan disarms Shan-Yu with a fan is an actual martial art move
-The likeness of directors Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook appear as the firework attendants frightened by Mushu in the tower
-One of the beauty parlor ladies was made to resemble the likeness of Rita Hsiao
-In the Chinese release, Jackie Chan voices Shang
-In Chinese, Chi Fu's name translates into "Bully"
-This is the first Disney movie to have war and bloodshed in it
-Also the first Disney movie to feature an Asian heroine
-When Mushu straps himself to a rocket, the Chinese characters on it read 'Weixan', meaning "danger" or "dangerous"
-Mulan(Ming Na) is a female who dresses as a male to infiltrate the camp. Shang(B.D. Wong) started his career in acting by playing a man who passes as a female in
M. Butterfly
Plot
-The Huns, led by Shan Yu(Miguel Ferrer), are terrorizing every village they come to, forcing the Chinese Emperor(Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita) to order a general command mobilization. Each family is given a notice, requiring that one man from each family step forward to join the Chinese Imperial Army. When Fa Mulan(Ming-Na) learns that her elderly father Fa Zhou(Soon-Tek Oh) is going back into battle, she worries he will be killed. So under the cover of night, she steals his armor, sword and battle orders and cuts her hair, disguising herself as a soldier named "Ping." Fa Zhou learns where his daughter has gone and prays to his family's ancestors, who order their "Great Stone Dragon" protect her. The ancestors are unaware that the Statue has been shattered and that Mushu(Eddie Murphy), a small dragon, is the one who goes to protect her.
-She is initially misdirected by Mushu in how to act like a man, and she ends up starting a fight in the training camp, earning her the attention of the camp's commanding officer, Captain Li Shang(B.D. Wong). She ends up befriending fellow soldiers Yao(Harvey Fierstein), Ling(Gedde Watanabe) Chien-Po(Jerry Tondo). Together they become skilled fighters. Mushu, desparate to see Mulan succeed, creates a fake order from Li Shang's father, General Li(James Shigeta), ordering Shang to follow the Huns into the mountains. They arrive at a village that is a blackened shell of it's previous life, and they find that General Li and his forces have been killed by the Huns. As they reverentially leave that place, they are ambushed by the Huns, but they use a cannon by Mulan, burying them in the encroaching avalanche. Mulan is cut by Shan Yu in his rage at her killing his men and she is forced to reveal she's a woman after getting medical help. Instead of killing her on the spot as the law requires, Li Shang spares her on the mountain as the rest leave to go to the Imperial City to warn the Emperor of the Huns' death. What they do not realize is that the avalanche did not wipe out all the Huns, as Mulan sees a small number of surviving Huns, including Shan Yu, making their way to the city, with the hopes of capturing the Emperor.
-In the Imperial City, Mulan tries to warn Shang about Shan Yu, but he does not listen. The Huns appear and take the Emperor hostage, locking themselves inside the palace. With Mulan's help, Yao, Chien Po, Ling and Shang pose as concubines to enter the palace and defeat the enemy. As Shang prevents the assassination of the Emperor, Mulan lures Shan Yu onto the roof of the palace, fighting with swords. On Mulan's word, Mushu launches a large Chinese rocket at Shan Yu, knocking him off the roof to his death. Then, she is praised by the Emperor as all people of China bow in respect to her.
-While she accepts the honor of being his advisor, she asks to return to her family. She comes home, presenting her father with the sword and crest of the Emperor. He is more happy at knowing that she is alive and that he is proud to have her as his daughter, back safely. Li Shang, who has become attracted to Mulan, has come to her house, attracting the attention of her grandmother, to return her helmet. She was at first declared unfit for marriage, but with Li Shang, she is able to marry. Mushu is granted the role as a Fa family guardian and celebrates with the ancestors
Production
-Development began in 1994 after artistic supervisors went to China to take photos and do some research into the local culture. They decided that the art should be closer to Chinese silk screen painting and have watercolor designs.
Cast
Ming-Na as Fa Mulan (singing voice provided by Lea Salonga)
Eddie Murphy as Mushu
BD Wong as Captain Li Shang (singing voice provided by Donny Osmond)
Miguel Ferrer as Shan Yu
Harvey Fierstein as Yao
Gedde Watanabe as Ling
Jerry Tondo as Chien-Po
James Hong as Chi-Fu
Soon-Tek Oh as Fa Zhou
June Foray as Grandmother Fa (singing voice provided by Marni Nixon)
Pat Morita as The Emperor of China
George Takei as First Ancestor
Freda Foh Shen as Fa Li
James Shigeta as General Li
Frank Welker as Cri-Kee, Khan (Mulan's horse), and Little Brother (Mulan's dog)
Mary Kay Bergman as various ancestors
-Jackie Chan sang the Chinese version of the song "I'll Make a Man Out of You."
