Mulan explores the age-old theme of remaining true to oneself, with co-director Tony Bancroft summarizing the character's role in the film as "the story of a girl who can't help who she is but she exists in a different society that tells her who she is supposed to be." Because the Ballad of Mulan is such a beloved and well-known story, San Souci longed to maintain the character's integrity. Fascinated by Hua Mulan's story, San Souci suggested the poem to Disney the studio hired San Souci himself to write the film's treatment and story. San Souci discovered the Ballad of Mulan, an ancient Chinese poem about Hua Mulan – a Chinese woman who replaces her ailing father in the army by disguising herself as a man. While developing a series of treatments based on traditional stories and folk tales, children's book author Robert D. Mulan was originally conceived as an animated short in 1994, in which a miserable Chinese girl elopes to the West to be with a British prince. Yifei Liu played the live-action version of the character in the 2020 live-action adaptation of the original 1998 film, named Hua Mulan.ĭevelopment Conception and writing Both Wen and Salonga have been awarded Disney Legends for their contributions to the role. However, her romantic relationship with Shang has been accused of compromising Mulan's heroism. Reception towards Mulan's personality has been generally positive, with critics praising her bravery and heroism. Mulan's supervising animator was Mark Henn, who deliberately designed the character so that she would appear less feminine than her predecessors. She is the last Disney Princess to be developed during the Disney Renaissance. She also became the first one of Asian descent as well. While an argument could be made that Pocahontas is still technically a princess since she is a chieftain's daughter, Mulan quite literally is not, but is included in the lineup nonetheless. She became the eighth Disney Princess and the first one who isn't actually a princess in her film, as she wasn't born of royalty nor did she become one by marrying a prince. Thus, the relationship between Mulan and Captain Li Shang was relegated to that of a minor subplot, while Mulan's bravery and strength were emphasized in order to ensure that she remained the hero of her own story. However, director Tony Bancroft, who was inspired by the well-being of his own daughters, wanted Mulan to be a different, unique kind of Disney heroine – one who is strong and independent, whose fate does not depend upon a male character. The only child of an aging war veteran, Mulan disregards both tradition and the law by disguising herself as a man in order to enlist herself in the army in lieu of her feeble father.ĭisney had originally conceived Mulan as an oppressed young Chinese woman who ultimately elopes to Europe to be with a British prince. San Souci, Mulan is based on the legendary Chinese warrior Hua Mulan from the poem the Ballad of Mulan, making her the first Disney Princess not to be based on a fairytale or folktale but rather a legend. Her speaking voice is provided by actress Ming-Na Wen, while singer Lea Salonga provides the character's singing voice. Mulan is a fictional character, inspired by a legendary figure, who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' 36th animated feature film Mulan (1998).
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