Mulan is Disney's 36th animated feature film and it tells the story of a girl that, secretly and illegally, takes her father's place in the military and ends up saving her country from destruction. The movie was released June 19th, 1998 and was the first Disney feature film that was based on a character of Asian descent, making it somewhat of an open door for princess movies based on characters that weren't Americans. Mulan was also the first of the three animated feature films primarily produced at the Disney Animation Studio in Disney's-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios.) The film, which was directed by Barry Cook and Tony Bancroft, doesn't feature a particularly star studded cast; however, the cast was good enough that the film logged a box office of over $300 million during it's theatrical run. Mulan was so loved by fans, that recently Disney announced they would be giving it a live action remake in 2019 similar to the likes of Cinderella, The Jungle Book, and Beauty and the Beast.
As I stated earlier, Mulan didn't have a well-known cast like other films released in the Disney Renaissance, but it did feature one very well known name: Eddie Murphy. Disney knew that they would be casting the voice of a dragon and with the recent success of Robin Williams as the Genie in Aladdin, Cook and Bancroft wanted to bring in another Hollywood star. However, when they approached Eddie Murphy, he wasn't too keen on the idea of recording at MGM Studios, so he asked if he could record his parts in his basement in New Jersey; after a couple of weeks of negotiating, Murphy caved and recorded at the Animation Studios. The voice of Mulan was originally going to be another voice from Aladdin; Lea Salonga (Jasmine's singing voice) was Cook and Bancroft's first pick, but when they realized Salonga couldn't hit the deep voice like they wanted, they contacted Ming-Na-Wen (aka: Melinda May in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) While Wen did the voice over for Mulan, Salonga did return to do her singing voice throughout the movie. For the role of Captain Li Shang, Cook and Bancroft really had their eyes on one person and that was B.D Wong. While Wong did the voice over, he really couldn't sing the way the director's envisioned, so they brought Donny Osmond to do the singing for Captain Shang.
The process it was to get someone to do the music for the movie is easily one of the most dramatic I've ever heard. Stephen Schwartz was slated to do the score and soundtrack for the movie following the 1994 visit to China; however, Schwartz was approached by Dreamworks to do the music for the upcoming film, The Prince of Egypt. When Schwartz agreed, Disney CEO Michael Eisner called him to urge him to turn down Dreamworks' offer, but Schwartz said no and lost his spot on the Mulan film. Following the fiasco, Annie Rice and David Zippel were chosen to write the lyrics and compose the music for the film; while Jerry Goldsmith was chosen to compose the score and come up with the soundtrack for the movie. What the soundtrack is best known for is launching the career of Christina Aguilera, who's first song released in the United States was "Reflections." Mulan received an Academy Award nomination for Best Music, Original Music or Comedy Score; along with receiving the Golden Globe nominations for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for "Reflections." The film also received a Grammy nomination for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television for "True To Your Heart" (which Stevie Wonder came on to do for the soundtrack.)
As great of a film that Mulan was, there is little to no representation of her in the Walt Disney World Parks. While many people think she inspired the China Pavilion at Epcot's World Showcase, the Pavilion was actually there before the movie even began developing. Now, the China Pavilion is the only place you can meet Mulan at Walt Disney World, but the Pavilion isn't about her. Over at Disneyland, they celebrate the Chinese New Year with a fun looking festival that features Mulan and Mushu; unfortunately, Walt Disney World doesn't. In the past, Mulan can also be found at the Princess Storybook Dinner at Akershus Dining Hall in Epcot, if you're lucky you may catch her on select nights there! With all of the talk about intellectual properties taking over World Showcase Pavilions, I think they should definitely give Mulan some due space in the China Pavilion, along with a Mushu meet and greet! Eventually, I think we'll see a Mulan dark ride and we could even get that illustrious Mushu meet as well!
Mulan is such a good movie and is often times overlooked since the time when it came out Disney put so many instant classics. However, Mulan teaches people a very important lesson: it doesn't matter who you are, you can make a difference, you can be the change, and you can break down the stereotypes, you just have to believe in yourself...and have a trusty dragon to help you! All in all, I do love Mulan, I think it's easily one of Disney's top 15 films made, and oftentimes it crawls into my top 10! I think Mushu is really one of the best Disney sidekicks there is and he provides the perfect comedic relief for the movie. Overall, I give this movie a 4 of 5 stars because well, it's just not as good as the other Disney movies, especially during the Disney Renaissance.
Kevin Scott is a contributing writer for The Mouse Knows Best Podcast. He is self proclaimed Disney addict and oftentimes annoys his family with how much he talks Disney. He enjoys walking around all Disney Parks and taking as many pictures as he can in one day. When he isn't at Walt Disney World, he is working to get back or re-watching Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars movie. His spirit animal is a mix between Simba and Kylo Ren with a dash of Tony Stark. You can find him on Twitter @doubleoh_kevin and on Instagram @waltdisneyduo.
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