Mulan (1998)The film is speckled with minor historical infractions. For instance, the Chinese characters Mulan writes on her arm at the beginning of the film are a form of writing which didn't exist in the fifth century, the time period in which “Mulan” takes place.
While the social and cultural milieu of the Northern Wei dynasty provided the context for the tale's origins, there's no corroborative evidence to confirm that Mulan was ever a real person. Over time, the story and character's nomadic and tribal origins have significantly changed from the original.
China blocked the release of Disney's animated “Mulan” for eight months in the late 1990s after the company backed Martin Scorsese's “Kundun,” a film seen as sympathetic to the Dalai Lama. The animated “Mulan” bombed in China as a result.
Scholarly consensus is that Mulan is a fictional character, probably developed in Northern China in response to the greater independence women enjoyed there, whose legend was then revised in succeeding eras to reflect the values and challenges of the times.
Under the idea that boys are preferred to daughters in ancient China, Mulan can join the army for her father and eventually become a heroine. Disney incorporated this idea of equality between men and women into the film, fully showing the equality of the people and strong national consciousness.
EVERYTHING CULTURALLY RIGHT AND WRONG WITH MULAN 1998
What cultures are shown in Mulan?
Mulan is an iconic Northern Chinese tale. She lived in an era called the Northern and Southern Dynasties, which meant China was split in two back then. The emperor of a northern dynasty wouldn't go to the southern dynasty to conscript troops.
Mulan is one example of a victim of the stereotypes of her society, especially gender stereotype. Mulan's character is well-illustrated as a woman who has power and a strong mind.
Even though Disney bent over backwards to create a live-action “Mulan” that would appeal to China, disgruntled Chinese viewers have dubbed it “the worst 'Mulan' in history,” saying that it feels “wooden” and offensively inauthentic.
Disney's live-action remake of Mulan might be closer to the poem it's based on, but it's very different from the 1998 Disney animated classic. While both movies tell Mulan's story as she impersonates a man to join the Imperial Army, the 1998 film was an animated, musical comedy packed with jokes and memorable songs.
The filmmakers were trying too hard to pander to China, but did not try hard enough to get their historical facts right. They made Mulan too westernized yet still succumbed to Orientalist stereotypes. They cast popular Chinese actors yet gave them lines in English that felt awkward in a Chinese setting.
However, while government restrictions and Disney's history of releasing films not aligned with Chinese politics didn't help, one of the main reasons "Mulan" bombed at the box office was because audiences thought Mulan was too "foreign-looking."
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.
Many users criticized the film's handling of feminism and its portrayal of Chinese culture. “The shell was Chinese but the soul was still foreign,” wrote one user. “It was a foreign, superficial understanding of China.”
According to the novel, Mulan's feet were bound when she was very young because men considered small feet to be a sign of beauty. (By the way, this was an inaccuracy in the novel—the Chinese didn't start binding girls' feet until after Mulan's time.)
Twitter user Xiran pointed out the remarkable similarity of the slogan to the FBI's motto: “Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity.” While the imperial army chants these three virtues, Mulan falters at “true,” knowing that she is lying about being a man.
Shan Yu was inspired by the real-life Attila the Hun. Though while Shan Yu died by the hands of fireworks, Attila died by choking on his own blood the night he was to be wed to his future wife, Ildico. Coincidently the name of the computer system that was used to animate the Hun army charge was called Attila.
There is no real Mulan in Chinese history. Sorry. The story of Mulan is derived from an ancient folk song during the age of disorders before Sui Dynasty. It is believed by some scholars that Mulan is based on several real stories, but there is no more evidences for that.
The biggest issue is this film features way less action than it's predecessor and way less Mulan (she practically disappears in the middle of the film). Mulan's bickering with Shang is also very badly written. Yet, minor complaints. Overall a decent film.
For instance, a specific discrepancy in the original film is regarding Mulan's family name. It was changed from what it is commonly known as “Hua” in Chinese households to “Fa” in the film to create a character more comfortable for American audiences.
The film's mainland China debut was considered a failure not just because it missed analysts' expectations, but also because Disney had poured five years and $200 million into the film, in part, to ensure it appealed to a Chinese audience.
— Henn, on animating Mulan as "Ping". Visually, the animators were influenced by both traditional Chinese and Japanese artwork. In the specific case of Mulan, "The characters' simple lines ... resemble classic Asian painting".
It was unusual for them to see a woman acting like a man-hyperactive, at the time. People in Mulan's village still considered that if a woman does not behave elegantly, she will not be able to find a mate, a husband. It means they cannot bring honor to their family.
The color contrast between the two cultures shows that the Chinese are depicted as the good guys, while the Huns are viewed as the bad guys, with their dark colored clothing, horses, and general appearance.
Mulan-2. Mulan-2 also portrays females as dutifully fulfilling the roles of bride-to-be, wife, and/or mother. All of which are the only ways for daughters to bring “honor” to their families. In terms of being a mother, Mulan-2 most frequently frames women as mothers through the eyes of their sons (soldiers).
