The Witch is a new character that didn't exist in the 1998 animated Mulan. In adapting the 1998 animated Mulan for a live-action format, Disney cut a lot of original elements. Mushu, the family guardian dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy, did not survive, nor did Mulan's grandmother or the lucky cricket.
Mulan doesn't have a pet dog named Little Brother. Instead, she has a younger sister, Xiu, in the new movie. Mulan is an only child in the animated movie. "The Ballad of Mulan," which inspired the live-action screenplay, references Mulan's older sister and younger brother.
Seeking vengeance against the people who mocked her, she fought alongside Böri Khan as his second-in-command in his goal to invade China, although she later aided Mulan in leading her to where Böri Khan has captured the emperor and sacrificed herself to save Mulan.
The first written record of Mulan is the Ballad of Mulan, a folk song believed to have been composed during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-535 AD) and compiled in an anthology of books and songs in the Southern Chen Dynasty (557-589 AD).
The live-action Mulan is actually magical. She was born with an energy called the Power of Chi. As a kid she was able to perform death-defying acts of greatness. She's able to tap into the force when she grows older.
Abilities. Although Mulan possesses no magical or superhuman powers, she has military training courtesy of Shang. Martial Arts: As part of her training, Mulan learned kung fu, eventually becoming proficient in hand-to-hand fighting.
There are two hidden Mickey Mouses on Li Shang's horse
Disney movies always manages to sneak in a hidden Mickey or two, and "Mulan" is no different. Li Shang's horse gets the honor of being the vessel carrying the hidden Mickeys, with clear Mickey Mouses on his hind and his neck.
The Original Legend Doesn't Include Any Mystical Elements
The original Mulan isn't aided by a talking dragon and a lucky cricket as in the animated film. The film also contains sequences of the ancestor ghosts who seem to have magical powers.
Disney's classic 'Mulan' flopped in China because audiences didn't think the heroine looked Chinese enough. Although Mulan is the only Disney Princess of East Asian descent, the original Mulan cartoon was a massive flop in China.
While the original poem doesn't describe her father as old or ailing, as later versions did, it says that there were no adult sons in the household to take his place. After 12 years of war, Mulan returns to her hometown along with her comrades, who are shocked to learn that she is a woman.
The witch is "evil" because she was cast out for being a strong woman and sided with the only people who would tolerate her. Mulan, luckily, gets to show her country her strength and be appreciated for it on the "good" side.
Mulan's surname is tweaked from Fa, the Cantonese pronunciation of her name, to Hua, which makes it truer to the name of the original ballad. However, both names have the same basic meaning.
Li Shang Jr., better known as Li'l Shang, is the son of Fa Mulan and Li Shang and the older brother of Lonnie. He appears in Rise of the Isle of the Lost: A Descendants Novel.
Although the dragon character Mushu is technically a character made up by Disney, he was loosely inspired by Hua Mulan's cousin of the same name from the 1903 Chinese play Mulan Joins the Army, hence making Mushu his Disney counterpart.
It dates all the way back to 386–581 AD at least, likely beginning in oral retellings and being written down significantly later. Unfortunately, with almost no way to verify its authenticity, no one knows if there is any truth behind the story, or if it comes from a place of fiction.
In the original, the general's son Li Shang trains the recruits and ultimately falls for Mulan. The team behind the new movie explained the change was down to the #MeToo movement - they felt Mulan's officer becoming her love interest felt a bit off given his position of power.
The film also drew ire for filming in Xinjiang, a region of China where Uighur Muslims have been detained in mass internment camps. The film has also been accused of being too white behind the camera.
The 1998 animated version is a classic and a fan favorite, but viewers should anticipate a more realistic story from the new film, as 2020's Mulan follows its original source material (the ancient Chinese folk story called The Ballad of Mulan) much more closely.
It is worth noting that Xianniang, while described as a witch, is really a human with "super strong qi." But she's depicted as being able to harness her energy to perform what are, effectively, supernatural acts.
Finally, Mulan's true identity is discovered much earlier in the film, soon after the army's initial encounter with the enemy, whereas her comrades remain ignorant throughout their entire 12 years at war until after Mulan has returned home.
Mulan (disguised as Ping) was injured while in a battle in the mountains from when she got slashed with a sword by Shan Yu (the villain) and then while she was recovering from her injuries, her bandages on her chest showed who she really was.
In the original Ballad, Mulan had a younger brother. Apparently, Disney wanted to add that element, but didn't find time or accessibility in adding the actual sibling to the film, so they decided instead to include a dog and name it 'Little Brother', as an allusion to that detail from the literary source.
"Hua" is the correct Mandarin pronunciation, and means "flower." "Hua Ping" (Mulan's fake name) means "flower vase" or just "vase." In China, an effeminate man is often called a "flower vase" or "flowerpot."
