Mulan is the title character of the 1998 film of the same name. She is the eighth Disney Princess, and the second princess not to be based on a fairy tale character. Rather, she is based on a Chinese folk legendary figure Hua Mulan.
Mulan is not your typical Disney princess — she lacks feminine grace but she is otherwise smart, outspoken and independent. She disguises as a male soldier to get herself enlisted in the Chinese army after her own soldier father has been wounded. More interesting facts about Mulan here in this gallery!
She is the first Disney princess who is not actually a princess
Mulan does not have royal blood and is not a princess in the legal context. She also didn’t wed someone from noble family, which would have given her the title of princess. But even so, Mulan is a member of the emperor’s court. Her position gave her the power to command ordinary people and give her respect. Her father worked for the emperor as well.
In accordance with Disney’s principles on legendary princesses, a woman qualifies as a Disney Princess if she is able to uplift other people or exhibits extraordinary bravery in protecting the downtrodden. This fearless young woman consequently became a member of the Disney Princess family.
Mulan and Merida are the only two Disney princesses trained in archery
Some of the Disney Princesses possess supernatural magical abilities in addition to their charm, valor, and compassionate nature, but these two Princesses are excluded because they employ weapons in combat. Princess Merida of DunBroch is the daughter of the King and Queen of the Scottish Kingdom. Invasion attempts by rival kingdoms were common during her time. People in medieval period learnt how to defend the Kingdom and themselves in this tumultuous atmosphere. Merida is one of the Kingdom’s finest archers. While Mulan is a Northern Wei cavalier and guises herself as a man. Although she is recognized for using jian swords, she has exceptional talents in using bow and arrows.
Mulan’s redesign caused a significant upset because she appeared to have her skin lightened. Similar claims were made for Pocahontas and Jasmine
Mulan’s original appearance was less feminine, but she was not big-boned or mascular; in other words, she wasn’t a Barbie doll-type of woman, despite being tall and slender. She appeared to be westernized in her new looks on the second installment rather than her authentic Asian features. In addition to Mulan’s appearance, the movie received criticism for certain other modifications, including some of the sequences and the removal of Mulan’s companion animals.
Pocahontas, on the other hand, appeared in the 1995 film like any other Native American, with tan skin and long black hair. Although Pocahontas’ physical appearance has not changed, the whiteness of her previously tan skin is apparent in the second animated film.
And she appeared to be Caucasian in contrast to her portrayal as a Native American Indian in her self-portrait at Booton Hall where she was dressed in an English rather than a native attire made of deer skin.
Mulan has the highest on-screen kill count of any Disney character including villains. The mountain pass battle scene in Mulan shows 2000 individually animated Han soldiers, and Mulan buries all but six of them in an avalanche
Mulan is a tough one, just like any other heroine. She has proficiency in cavalry martial arts. She was able to kill the soldiers of this Barbarian tribe in the 87 minutes of the film by using a huolong chu shui to start an avalanche. The impressively high kill total for a Disney character. She was regarded as the most fearsome Disney Princess at the time.
Mulan appears in issue #2 of Marvel’s Deadpoolkillustrated series
The Deadpool persona went on a murderous rampage according to the Marvel comic’s plot. Mulan thus collaborates with other characters to defeat the antagonist and prevent the devastation of the entire Marvel multiuniverse as well as the lives of literary characters.
Mulan took 5 years to complete
This film’s production was not simple. It took a lot of consideration to make the plot flow smoothly. History and culture were the first things to be taken into account. Mulan is based on a traditional Chinese tale from a bygone Chinese kingdom. It is necessary to consistently highlight cultural references in order to avoid confusing the audience. In addition to those, there is the appropriate casting, filmmaking, and character actors. Even though the movie has an Asian subject, each of these was considered to be appealing to western audiences. The movie was developed on the year 1994 and released on 1998.
It took 700 animators, artists and technicians to complete the film
Did you know that despite the use of computers and new technologies, the animated film Mulan was drawn by hand? To educate them in Chinese arts, history, and culture, the artistic directors were even sent to China.
Mulan is the first Disney animated film to openly deal with warfare
Mulan is set in a time when there is much chaos, in contrast to earlier Disney princess franchises that emphasized beauty, love, and enchantment. Violence and invasions were frequent during the medieval era.
When Mulan sings “Reflection” in her father’s shrine, the writing on the temple stones is the names of the Disney animators who worked on the film written in ancient Chinese
As Mulan is in the garden contemplating deeply, the audience could initially assume that there are nonsensical Chinese proverbs or sayings printed on the screen. The animation team used ancient calligraphy to add their names to the scene utilizing what they had learned from their nearly month-long study trip to China.
Award-winning artist Leah Salonga performs Singing Reflection.
Mulan’s story is based on an ancient Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, a female warrior famously described in the poem “The Ballad of Mulan”
Hua Mulan’s tale was taken from a ballad that was written as early as 400 AD, not only a work of fiction. It is based on the story of a patriotic young woman who wants to save her father’s honor before he is gone to war. Yet due to its age, this is no longer possible. Due of her love for her father and their tribe or kingdom, she assumed a man’s identity, joined the cavalry, and learned how to ride and shoot an arrow. The ballad served as the basis for both the animated film and the live-action adaptation, despite significant variations in the specifics.
Conclusion
There are lessons in the Ballad of Mulan, despite the contrasts between the animated film and its live-action counterpart. It portrays a loving daughter who is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for her family. It also demonstrates her patriotism because, despite being a woman, she has to disobey the law, dress like a man, and behave masculinely in order to serve as a soldier and protect her nation. Because it was customary for women to stay at home, take care of the family, and do household duties, it was severely against Chinese tradition for women to serve as soldiers. And lastly, even though she pretended to be a man, the tale encourages us to stay loyal to who we really are.