Mulan (1998)

To save her father from death in the army, a young maiden secretly goes in his place and becomes one of China's greatest heroines in the process.

Directors:

Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook

Writers:

Robert D. San Souci (based on a story by), Rita Hsiao (screenplay by)

Stars:

Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 17 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Miguel Ferrer	...	Shan-Yu (voice)
Harvey Fierstein	...	Yao (voice)
Freda Foh Shen	...	Fa Li (voice)
June Foray	...	Grandmother Fa (voice)
James Hong	...	Chi Fu (voice)
Miriam Margolyes	...	The Matchmaker (voice)
Pat Morita	...	The Emperor (voice)
Eddie Murphy	...	Mushu (voice)
Marni Nixon	...	Grandmother Fa (singing voice)
Soon-Tek Oh	...	Fa Zhou (voice)
Donny Osmond	...	Shang (singing voice)
Lea Salonga	...	Mulan (singing voice)
James Shigeta	...	General Li (voice)
George Takei	...	First Ancestor (voice)
Jerry Tondo	...	Chien-Po (voice) (as Jerry S. Tondo)

Storyline

This retelling of the old Chinese folktale is about the story of a young Chinese maiden who learns that her weakened and lame father is to be called up into the army in order to fight the invading Huns. Knowing that he would never survive the rigours of war in his state, she decides to disguise herself and join in his place. Unknown to her, her ancestors are aware of this and to prevent it, they order a tiny disgraced dragon, Mushu to join her in order to force her to abandon her plan. He agrees, but when he meets Mulan, he learns that she cannot be dissuaded and so decides to help her in the perilous times ahead.

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Plot Keywords:

woman disguised as a man | cartoon violence | war violence | violence | girl disguised as boy | 

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Taglines:

This time, the princess saves the prince.

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Musical | War

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

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.

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Goofs

In the movie, the floor in front of the front door to the palace is the same height as the floor in the palace and there is no door sill. In real palaces in China, there is a small, six inch wide, foot tall sill on the floor between the outside courtyards and the rooms of the buildings to prevent invading enemies from running through the door. This worked because the leg pads and armor of the soldiers at the time were so heavy, it would take a lot of effort to lift their legs that high at a run.

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Quotes

The Emperor of China: The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.
Shang: Sir?
The Emperor of China: You don't meet a girl like that every dynasty.

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Crazy Credits

Thank you to the Walt Disney Feature Animation Support Staff and our families. Your patience and dedication bring honor to us all.

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Alternate Versions

Astonishingly, the British censors would not issue the film with a U certificate until 2 seconds of footage showing a headbutt had been removed.

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Connections

Referenced in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Changing of the Bobs (2020)

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Soundtracks

True to Your Heart
(1998)
Music by Matthew Wilder
Lyrics by David Zippel
Performed by 98 Degrees (as 98°) and Stevie Wonder
98 Degrees (as 98°) and Stevie Wonder appear courtesy of Motown Record Company, L.P.

User Reviews

The growth of the typical Disney heroine

There are two things I love about this movie, aside from its stunning and beautiful animation. One is that I love the fact that Disney is exploring legends from other cultures and I am so glad it brought us this one. The other is that I just wanted to stand up and cheer at this great heroine. I am a huge fan of Disney movies, but most of the heroines, while spunky, are still just your basic damsel in distress. I loved Mulan's character. She was strong, she was powerful, she could do anything she wanted, and she overcame much diversity. I was thrilled to see the portrayal of a strong female character surviving because of her own integrity and strength rather than because of her looks. Bravo, Disney, for bringing us this wonderfully progressive Chinese tale.

Details

Official Sites:

Offical Disney Site Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English Mandarin

Release Date:

19 June 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

China Doll

Box Office

Budget:

$90,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,745,143, 21 June 1998

Gross USA:

$120,620,254

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$304,320,254

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida, Walt Disney Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

DTS (Digital DTS Sound) Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1