100 Fun Facts About Mulan

Who provides the speaking voice of Mulan in the 1998 Disney film?

Lea Salonga was cast to speak and sing, but the directors did not buy her attempt at a deeper 'Ping' voice, so Wen was brought in to speak while Salonga sang.

Who sings Mulan's songs, including 'Reflection', in the 1998 film?

She had already been Jasmine's singing voice in Aladdin, and returned to sing Mulan in Mulan II.

Who voices Mushu, the tiny disgraced family guardian dragon?

Pesci and Dreyfuss were approached first; Michael Eisner suggested Murphy. A sixth song written for Mushu was dropped after Murphy came aboard.

BD Wong speaks Captain Li Shang, but who sings 'I'll Make a Man Out of You'?

Osmond had auditioned to be the speaking voice of Hercules; Jackie Chan voiced Shang in all three Chinese-language dubs.

Which action star voiced Li Shang in the Chinese-language versions of the 1998 film?

He also appeared in the Chinese promotional video for 'I'll Make a Man Out of You'.

What name does Mulan use when she poses as a male recruit?

In the 2020 remake she is 'Hua Jun'; her father in the animated film is Fa Zhou.

Who are the three fellow recruits who become Mulan's friends?

Harvey Fierstein voices Yao; James Hong is the pompous counsel Chi-Fu.

What is the name of the Hun leader in the 1998 film?

Miguel Ferrer voices him; Mushu finally fires him into a fireworks tower with a giant skyrocket.

How does Mulan wipe out most of the Hun army in the mountain pass?

She is wounded doing it, which is how Shang and the men discover she is a woman.

What is the name of the 'lucky' cricket that accompanies Mushu?

Veteran story artist Joe Grant created him and slipped sketches under the directors' door until they gave in; Little Brother is the family dog.

What gifts does the Emperor give Mulan at the end?

She turns down his offer to join the royal council and goes home to dinner with her family, and Shang.

Which pop star's first US single was 'Reflection' from the Mulan soundtrack?

The soundtrack is credited with launching her career; her self-titled debut followed in 1999.

Who wrote the songs for Mulan after Stephen Schwartz left the project?

Wilder was hired after a Disney executive heard his demo for a stage musical of Anne Rice's Cry to Heaven; Jerry Goldsmith wrote the score.

Mulan was the first of three features produced mainly at which animation outpost?

The Florida studio at Disney-MGM Studios had opened in 1989 to make shorts; Lilo & Stitch and Brother Bear followed.

How much did the 1998 Mulan gross worldwide?

It cost $90 million and was the year's seventh-highest-grossing film, though it opened second behind The X-Files.

Which of these did the 1998 film win?

It was only nominated for the Oscar and Golden Globe for its music.

What was the film's earliest concept, before it became the story we know?

A separate straight-to-video project called China Doll, about a Chinese girl rescued by a British prince, was also in development.

What was the crowd-simulation software developed to animate 2,000 Hun soldiers called?

Faux Plane was a separate tool used for the Great Wall and Forbidden City shots.

Where did the creative team travel in June 1994 for research?

They visited Beijing, Datong, Luoyang, Xi'an, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang and Guilin; the flags on the Great Wall inspired producer Pam Coats.

Which McDonald's promotion for Mulan was revived in 2017 because of a Rick and Morty episode?

Disney had spent only $30 million marketing the film, half of what Hercules got the year before.

Why did China delay and restrict Mulan's release there in 1998?

It was let in only after Chinese New Year and did poorly, hurt by piracy.

Who voices the Emperor of China in the 1998 film?

Soon-Tek Oh voices Mulan's father Fa Zhou and June Foray her grandmother, with Marni Nixon singing.

Which art style did the designers deliberately move toward for Mulan?

It was a reaction against the dense detail of The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Who plays Mulan in the 2020 live-action film?

She also dubbed her own role in Mandarin and sang a Mandarin version of 'Reflection' for the soundtrack.

Who directed the 2020 Mulan?

The New Zealander shot it in New Zealand and Asia between August and November 2018.

Which beloved character was cut from the 2020 remake because of his poor reception in China?

Shang was also split into two characters, Commander Tung and the recruit Chen Honghui.

How was the 2020 Mulan released in the US in September 2020?

The pandemic cancelled its US theatrical run; it made only $69.9 million in cinemas elsewhere against a $200 million budget.

Who plays the shape-shifting witch Xianniang in the 2020 film?

She turns into a hawk and takes an arrow meant for Mulan; Jet Li plays the Emperor.

Who are the invaders in the 2020 film, replacing the animated film's Huns?

Jason Scott Lee plays their leader Böri Khan; the Rourans were the real enemy in the original Ballad's Northern Wei setting.

Ming-Na Wen cameos in the 2020 remake in what role?

Donnie Yen plays Commander Tung, one of the two characters based on Li Shang.

What controversy arose from the 2020 film's end credits?

Thanks went to the Turpan public security bureau and local Party committees, amid the persecution of Uyghurs.

Which new single did the singer of the 1998 'Reflection' record for the 2020 film?

No songs from the animated film were sung in the remake, though 'Reflection' runs through the score.

For which two Oscars was the 2020 Mulan nominated?

It also received a BAFTA nod for special visual effects.

Which dynasty is the original Ballad of Mulan believed to come from?

The Northern Wei was ruled by the Xianbei, which is why some scholars think Mulan may not have been Han Chinese.

In the legend, how many years does Mulan serve in the army before her comrades learn she is a woman?

She goes home, changes back into women's clothes, and astonishes the men who fought beside her.

Where does the earliest surviving text of the Ballad of Mulan come from?

The 11th- or 12th-century anthology cites the lost 6th-century Musical Records of Old and New as its source.

Which playwright gave Mulan the surname Hua, the version that became the most popular?

Other sources call her Zhu or Wei; Hua pairs poetically with Mulan, which means 'lily magnolia'.

What does the name 'Mulan' literally mean?

Whether she was a real person is still unknown; she does not appear in the Northern Wei collection Exemplary Women.

Which 17th-century novel folded Mulan's story into a larger historical epic?

Chu Renhuo's book calls her family Wei; a later tradition sets her at the founding of the Tang.

What is the plot of the 2004 direct-to-video sequel?

Mushu, afraid of losing his guardian job if Mulan marries, tries to break up the engagement; Eddie Murphy did not return.

Who took over as Mushu's voice in Mulan II?

Frank Welker replaced Chris Sanders as the dog Little Brother; the sequel was released on December 28, 2004, to negative reviews.

The Emperor's counsel who tries to stop Shang's men from fighting is called what?

James Hong voices the mandarin, who is left off the Mulan II cast list.

Which two directors made the 1998 animated Mulan?

Both directors also voiced the fireworks palace attendants in the film.

Which actress was an early candidate to voice Mulan before Ming-Na Wen was cast?

Wen landed the role after the filmmakers heard her narration at the start of The Joy Luck Club.

Which composer scored the 1998 film after Rachel Portman withdrew during production?

Portman backed out after becoming pregnant; Goldsmith signed on after dropping out of another project.

Who voices the Hun chieftain Shan Yu in the 1998 film?

Takei voiced the First Ancestor and Soon-Tek Oh voiced Mulan's father Fa Zhou.

Where did the 1998 Mulan premiere on June 5, 1998?

Disney trimmed its marketing to $30 million after Hunchback and Hercules underperformed, half of what Hercules got.

Which martial arts star plays Commander Tung in the 2020 live-action Mulan?

Both Tung and the soldier Chen Honghui are based on Li Shang from the animated film.

Who plays the Emperor of China in the 2020 remake?

Tzi Ma plays Mulan's father Hua Zhou, and Jason Scott Lee plays the Rouran leader Böri Khan.

Which two-time Best Director Oscar winner was first approached to direct the 2020 remake?

Lee declined; the job went to New Zealander Niki Caro, and filming took place in New Zealand and China in 2018.

Two ghostly ancestors in the Fa family temple in Disney's Mulan are drawn as a spoof of which famous artwork?

American Gothic is spoofed by a farmer ancestor and his wife; Grant Wood's 1930 original actually shows a farmer and his daughter.

What is the name of Mulan's horse, who carries her to the army camp in Disney's 1998 film?

Khan is frightened when Mulan first appears in armour, but she calms him and he carries her to the training grounds.

Which mythical creature watches over Mulan as a guardian in Disney's 2020 live-action remake?

A phoenix takes over part of the dragon's role, though the remake's director rejected the idea that the bird was simply an updated version of him.

Which 2002 Disney film shows a Mulan poster in the bedroom of a character named Nani?

Lilo & Stitch was written and directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, who had run the story team on Mulan four years earlier.

A crater on which world is named Hua Mulan in honour of the legendary Chinese folk heroine?

Venus has a crater called Hua Mulan because every crater on the planet is named after famous women or female first names.

The singer behind Mulan's songs had already been the singing voice of which Disney princess in 1992?

Jasmine came first, and the singer joked at her Mulan audition that having already been a princess ought to have been enough.

How is the Hun leader finally killed on the palace roof at the climax of Disney's 1998 Mulan?

A fireworks rocket does it: Mulan lures him onto the roof and pins him down, then her dragon guardian launches the rocket that carries him into a fireworks tower.

Which Star Trek actor voices the First Ancestor, ghostly head of the Fa family, in Disney's Mulan?

George Takei, Star Trek's helmsman Sulu, plays the spirit who sends a demoted dragon to wake the family's stone guardian, and he returned for Mulan II.

What unusual name does Mulan's pet dog answer to in Disney's 1998 film?

Little Brother's barks were recorded by Chris Sanders, one of the film's screenwriters, who was replaced by a professional voice actor in Mulan II.

Which colour does the Emperor wear in Disney's Mulan, following a real tradition of imperial dress?

Yellow was the traditional colour of emperors, and the film's wise ruler wears it even while the Huns hold him hostage in his own palace.

Under the law in Disney's 1998 Mulan, what penalty awaits a woman discovered serving in the Imperial Army?

Death is what the law demands, but Captain Li Shang spares Mulan because she has just rescued him, and expels her from the army instead.

After a battle in a mountain pass in Disney's Mulan, how do her fellow soldiers discover she is a woman?

Her wound is bandaged after the Hun leader slashes her across the chest, and the secret she kept all through training is out.

How do three of Mulan's army friends get inside the Hun-held palace to rescue the Emperor in Disney's film?

Disguised as concubines, the three recruits enter the palace on Mulan's plan, then help Captain Shang overpower the Hun leader's men.

Which honour from the Emperor does Mulan politely turn down at the end of Disney's 1998 film?

A seat on his council is the offer, and when his adviser protests that no seats are free, the Emperor says Mulan can have the adviser's job.

Which item does Captain Li Shang bring to Mulan's home as his excuse for visiting her after the war?

Her helmet is his pretext, but the visit ends with the smitten captain accepting the family's invitation to stay for dinner.

What does Mulan lay at the shrine Captain Shang builds for his fallen father in Disney's Mulan?

A doll from the burned village is her tribute to its people, and it is the same toy the Hun leader's falcon had carried off earlier.

What is the name of the Hun leader's pet falcon, his eyes and ears from afar in Disney's Mulan?

Hayabusa pays for his spying when the heroine's dragon guardian burns off his feathers to stop him warning the Huns.

What is the name of Mulan's father, the ageing war veteran whose conscription she takes on in Disney's film?

Fa Zhou accepts his call-up although he is old and frail, and when Mulan comes home with the Emperor's gifts he sets them aside to embrace her.

Which heroine was the next to join the Disney Princess line-up after Mulan?

Tiana of The Princess and the Frog was the next addition, joining a line-up where Mulan was the first member neither born royal nor married into royalty.

In which Disney Junior series did Mulan's original voices reunite in 2014 for a princess rescue episode?

Sofia the First brought Mulan's speaking and singing voices back together for the first time since Mulan II, in an episode where she sings to Sofia and her friends.

Which Broadway star of Torch Song Trilogy voices the short, hot-tempered recruit who first picks on Mulan?

Harvey Fierstein won Broadway's top awards for both writing and starring in Torch Song Trilogy, and he came back to voice the same recruit in Mulan II.

Which actor, the grandfather in Everything Everywhere All at Once, voices the Emperor's adviser in Mulan?

James Hong's pompous adviser dismisses Mulan as worthless once she is revealed as a woman, and ends the film fainting in front of the Emperor.

Which voice legend, best known as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, voices Mulan's grandmother in the 1998 film?

June Foray was 80 when the film opened, and she returned as the grandmother in Mulan II six years later.

Which voice actor, Fred in Scooby-Doo since 1969, supplies the sounds of both Mulan's horse and her cricket?

Frank Welker also voices the villain's falcon in the same film, so three of its animals share one performer.

Disney cast the speaking voice of Mulan after hearing the actress narrate the opening of which 1993 film?

The Joy Luck Club's opening narration won her a first voice-acting job, most of which she recorded alone without ever meeting her dragon co-star.

Which screen star voices Mei, the Emperor's middle daughter, in the direct-to-video sequel Mulan II?

Lucy Liu, fresh from the Charlie's Angels and Kill Bill films, speaks the part of the middle daughter, though another performer sings it.

Which Olympic figure skater has a small voice role as a shopkeeper in the sequel Mulan II?

Michelle Kwan had already starred in a 1998 television skating adaptation of Mulan, made under a deal she struck with Disney that year.

Which actress plays a live-action Mulan in several seasons of the ABC fantasy series Once Upon a Time?

Jamie Chung, who started out on MTV's The Real World, played the part in the show's second, third and fifth seasons.

Which film, opening on the very same day in 1998, kept Disney's Mulan in second place at the US box office?

The X-Files took about $30 million that weekend to Mulan's $22.8 million, and Mulan was runner-up again the following weekend.

With no agreement on when Mulan lived, Disney's designers based the 1998 film's look on which two dynasties?

Ming and Qing were the choice, and the production designer also studied the staging of more than thirty-five film directors, from German silents to Spaghetti Westerns.

Mulan's family name is Fa in Disney's 1998 film because it follows the reading of 'Hua' in which language?

Cantonese gives Fa, while the 2020 remake switched the family to the Mandarin form Hua, the same word, which means flower.

Which children's author brought the ancient poem to Disney and earned the story credit on the 1998 Mulan?

Robert D. San Souci found the ballad while researching folk tales, pitched it to the studio, and published his own picture book of the legend in 1998.

Which Disney animator, who had already drawn Ariel and Belle, was the supervising animator of Mulan herself?

Mark Henn deliberately drew her as less traditionally feminine than earlier heroines, reasoning that she had to pass as a man in the army.

Which 1998 release was the only family film to out-gross Disney's Mulan at the worldwide box office that year?

A Bug's Life was the only one ahead, leaving Mulan the seventh-biggest film of the year overall and ahead of Disney's previous two cartoon features at home.

Beijing finally allowed Disney's Mulan a limited release only after which lucrative holiday had passed?

Chinese New Year was kept for local films, and the late date, together with rampant piracy, left Mulan with low box office in the homeland of its legend.

Mulan was the last princess created in which era of Disney animation, which ran from 1989 to 1999?

The Renaissance, a run of ten features, opened with Ariel's undersea story and closed with Tarzan the year after Mulan.

What is the playable world based on Disney's Mulan called in the video game Kingdom Hearts II?

The Land of Dragons lets Mulan join the player's party as a skilled fighter, first under her soldier alias and later as herself.

In the sequel Mulan II, which threat leads the Emperor to seek an alliance with a neighbouring kingdom?

The Mongols are the danger, so Mulan and Shang are sent across the country to seal the pact, a road trip her dragon guardian spends trying to split them up.

In which country, the director's homeland, was much of Disney's 2020 live-action Mulan filmed?

New Zealand hosted the shoot alongside locations in the heroine's own homeland, with cameras rolling from August to November 2018.

Which family member, absent from Disney's 1998 cartoon, does Mulan gain in the 2020 live-action remake?

A younger sister, Hua Xiu, was created to give Mulan a broader emotional stake, and she is written with a fear of spiders.

Under what male name does Mulan enlist in the Imperial Army in Disney's 2020 live-action remake?

Hua Jun replaces the alias used in the 1998 film because the remake gives the family its Mandarin surname instead of Fa.

Which movement led the makers of the 2020 Mulan to drop the commanding-officer love interest Li Shang?

MeToo made a conscript falling for her commander look uncomfortable, so the part was split between a mentor figure and a young man in her unit who becomes her love interest.

Which actor, Mowgli in Disney's 1994 The Jungle Book, plays the invading warlord in the 2020 Mulan?

Jason Scott Lee's warlord wants revenge on the Emperor for his father's killing, and takes the place of the 1998 film's Hun chieftain.

Which actor from The Farewell plays Mulan's father, a veteran with a crippled leg, in the 2020 remake?

Tzi Ma had already played a General Shang, the commander of the Chinese military in the 2016 alien-contact film Arrival.

Which Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star was attached to a live-action Mulan that Disney abandoned around 2010?

Zhang Ziyi was to star for director Chuck Russell with filming planned for October 2010, but the project was cancelled and the remake waited another decade.

In Disney's 2020 live-action Mulan, what has the 1998 film's cricket sidekick been turned into?

A human soldier named Cricket joins Mulan's unit, a hapless young man who is clumsy at most things but a skilled archer.

At the start of the ancient Ballad of Mulan, where is the sighing heroine sitting?

At her loom, she sighs because the army is calling up men and her father is named in the conscription notices.

Which animal does Mulan's dragon guardian ride to deliver a forged letter after her horse refuses to help?

A panda carries him because Mulan's horse wants no part of the scheme to get Captain Shang's recruits sent to the front.

What is Mulan's horse called in Disney's 2020 live-action remake, a character based on the 1998 film's steed?

Black Wind is the remake's counterpart to the cartoon's horse, the mount Mulan flees home on with her father's armour.

Which actress played the title role in a 2009 Chinese live-action war film about Mulan?

Zhao Wei won the part over several internationally famous names, among them the actress who went on to lead Disney's own remake.