Trivia
When Mulan sings "Reflection" in her father's shrine, her reflection appears in the polished surface of the temple stones. The writing on the temple stones is the names of the Disney animators who worked on the film written in ancient Chinese.
Share this
Likenesses of the directors Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook appear as the firework attendants frightened by Mushu in the climax.
Share this
In the scene where Mushu awakens the ancestors, one set of grandparents worry that Mulan's quest will ensure her family loses their farm. This couple appear to be the couple on the farm in Grant Wood's famous painting 'American Gothic'. An uncredited Barry Cook, one of the film's directors, provides the man's voice.
Share this
HIDDEN MICKEY: The spots on Shang's horse's neck and rump are shaped like Mickey Mouse. There are also other hidden Mickeys in the film.
Share this
One of the beauty parlor ladies preparing Mulan for the matchmaker was drawn in the likeness of Rita Hsiao.
Share this
The third Disney score from Jerry Goldsmith after One Little Indian and Night Crossing. It was also his last Academy Award nomination.
Share this
The family names called out when the conscription notices are being handed out (with the exception of the Fa family) are actually family names of Rita Hsiao's childhood friends.
Share this
"Fa" is the Cantonese pronunciation of Mulan's family name. "Hua" is the correct Mandarin pronunciation, and means "flower". "Hua Ping" (Mulan's fake name) means "flower vase" or just "vase".
Share this
In one of the original versions of the film, Mulan was engaged to Li Shang and matching Yin-Yang necklaces were bestowed upon them. Although that part was removed, the Yin-Yang necklaces survive in the sequel (Mulan 2) as wedding gifts to them after Shang's proposition.
Share this
According to Robert D. San Souci, who retold and researched the original story, Disney didn't like the idea of putting in a dragon as a companion for Mulan; they feared it would be too big and menacing. San Souci explained to them that in Chinese lore, dragons can be any size, so a small dragon was approved. Thus, Mushu was born. This change is acknowledged when Mulan calls him "tiny" and Mushu replies, "Of course! I'm travel size for you convenience! If I was my REAL size your cow (Khan) here would die of fright!"
Share this
The English translation of the Chinese characters on the rocket Mushu has strapped to his back is "The Big Bamboo", a place in Kissimmee, Florida where the Mulan crew liked to hang out.
Share this
The movie's artistic supervisors spent three weeks in China sketching, photographing, and soaking up the culture. Computer animators used the latest technology to add detail and mimic camera techniques that were previously unavailable in animation, like crowd scenes of up to 30,000 people. They used a computer program called "Atilla" to make the sequence featuring 2,000 Huns on horseback.
Share this
In the original Chinese legend upon which this film was based, Mulan succeeds in her deception, and leaves the battlefield with great honors. Months later, Mulan's fellow soldiers come in search of their "brother"-in-arms, and are shocked to discover that she's a woman.
Share this
Tony/Olivier Award Winning actress Lea Salonga originally auditioned for Mulan's voice but was deemed 'not deep enough' for when Mulan is impersonating a male soldier. Although 'Ming Na' plays Mulan, Salonga was retained for Mulan's singing voice.
Share this
This was originally planned as an animated short entitled "China Doll" about an oppressed and miserable Chinese girl who is whisked away by a British Prince Charming to happiness in the West. Then Disney consultant and children's book writer 'Robert San Souci' suggested making a movie of the Chinese poem, 'The Song of Fa Mu Lan', so the two projects were combined.
Share this
Development first began in 1994 with Disney sending a select group of artistic supervisors to China for a 3 week acclimatization and inspiration course.
Share this
Disney animators were very keen to gain the support of the Chinese government, hoping that it might help smooth over relations following the upset that had been caused by the Disney-funded release of Kundun.
Share this
Credited with launching the career of Christina Aguilera whose first song to be released in the US was the film's song 'Reflection'. The song went down so well that it landed her a recording contract with RCA Records.
Share this
Donny Osmond - who sings several songs on the soundtrack - noted that his children only ever really thought that he had made it in show business when he worked on a Disney film.
Share this
After the departure of Jeffrey Katzenberg in 1994, the story was infused with a lighter touch and handed over to the fairly new Florida feature unit. Up till that point, they had been mainly responsible for the Roger Rabbit shorts.
Share this
At one point Stephen Schwartz was lined up to be the lyricist for the film. When he couldn't do it, the job went to David Zippel who had been working on Disney's Hercules.
Share this
Both Mulan and her father were animated by the same team - supervised by Mark Henn - as this helped make them seem related to each other.
Share this
Co-director Barry Cook cites David Lean as one of his influences. This is particularly evident given the epic sweep of the Hun mountainside advance of 2,000 soldiers on the Imperial troops and the later crowd sequence of 30,000 in the Imperial City.
Share this
Crickets are considered a symbol of good luck in China, hence the inclusion of one as a character.
Share this
Mushu says at one point that he wanted to have an "entourage." A persistent joke during Eddie Murphy's career was that he had a large entourage.
Share this
The rocket Mushu straps himself to says "weixian" in Chinese, which translates into "danger" or "dangerous".
Share this
When Mushu is saying names to Mulan, he mentions Ah Chew. Pat Morita, who does the voice of The Emperor, guest starred on Sanford and Son as a character named Ah Chew.
Share this
Mulan (voiced by Ming-Na) is a female who dresses and passes as male to join the military. BD Wong (the voice of Shang) began his acting career as a male who dresses and passes as a female in M. Butterfly.
Share this
One of Mulan's ancestors is known as Fa Deng (the beheaded one). In real life, there was a member of the Communist party of the same name; the last President of the party before Zedong Mao.
Share this
Mushu spoofs Frankenstein's monster when he first awakens by rising up from the smoke and yelling "I LIVE!"
Share this
