Movies - Mulan

	Movies - Mulan

Mulan is the thirty-sixth animated feature in the Disney animated features canon, produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, and first released on June 5, 1998 by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution. The film was the first of three produced primarily at the animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida. It was directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, with the story by Robert D. San Souci.

The film is loosely based on various versions of the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan (Fa Mulan). It starred the voices of Ming-Na as Mulan (though her singing was by Lea Salonga), Pat Morita as the emperor of China, and Eddie Murphy as the dragon "Mushu the Demoted One".

Plot

The Chinese legend of Hua Mulan centers on a woman who disguises herself as a man to take the place of her elderly father in the army. The story can be traced back to The Ballad of Mulan. The earliest accounts of the legend state that she lived during the Northern Wei dynasty (386–534). However another version reports that Mulan was requested as a concubine by Emperor Yang of Sui China (reigned 604–617). The film may take place even later, as it prominently features landmarks such as the modern Great Wall of China and Forbidden City which were not constructed until the 16th Century. On the other hand, at the time of Northern Wei, the Huns had already absorted into Chinese and other races and disappeared on the stage of history.

Disney's Mulan casts the title in much the same way as the original legendary heroine, a rough-around-the-edges daughter of a respected veteran, somewhat troubled by being the "sophisticated lady" her society expects. When Hun invaders prompt the empire to draft male soldiers from families, Mulan runs off, dressed as a man, to enlist and keep her aging father from being sent to the front line to his doom. A fair source of humor in the movie is Mulan disguising her gender among her newfound soldier friends.

At the same time, Mushu (an unusually small dragon) plans to protect and encourage Mulan, but mostly to heal his tarnished reputation amongst the late Fa family's departed guardians.

Voice cast

Singing voices

Production notes

To create 2000 Hun soldiers during the Huns' attack sequence, the production team developed a crowd simulation software called Attila. This software allows thousands of unique characters to move autonomously. A variant of the program called Dynasty was used in the final battle sequence to create a crowd of 3000 in the Forbidden City. Pixar's photorealistic Renderman was used to render the crowd.

Another software developed for this movie was Faux Plane which was used to add depth to flat two-dimensional painting. Although developed late in production progress, Faux Plane was used in five shots, including the dramatic sequence which features the Great Wall of China, and the final battle sequence when Mulan runs to the Forbidden City.

Songs

"Honor to Us All" - Mulan, Mulan's mother, the Matchmaker, Chorus
"Reflection" - Mulan
"I'll Make a Man Out of You" - Shang
"A Girl Worth Fighting For" - Yao, Mulan, Chien-Po, Chorus

Mulan II

A sequel, Mulan II, was released direct-to-video in 2005. It was directed by Darrell Rooney and Lynne Southerland, and features Mulan, and her new fiance General Shang, on a special mission: escorting the Emperor's three daughters across the country to meet their soon-to-be fiancés. The film deals with arranged marriages, loyalty, relationships, making choices, trust and finding true love.

Trivia

In Mulan, characters are rendered in an artstyle reminiscent of Chinese art. The character of Mulan is a departure from previous Disney female leads; she is neither a princess nor considered exceptionally beautiful, and a strong and capable warrior.

Although she is not officially a Princess, many fans regard Mulan as one of the Disney Princesses
.

Jackie Chan
, famous for his martial arts films, sings in the Mandarin version of the movie. He sings the song "I'll Make A Man Out Of You", a video of which can be found on the DVD re-release. In the original, this song is performed by Donny Osmond
.

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