It turns out that the traditional Chinese audience did not particularly think that was the best interpretation of the dragon in their culture. That the dragon is a sign of respect, and of strength and power, and sort of using it as a silly sidekick did not play well with a traditional Chinese audience.”
Though the director shared that Mushu was removed to allow Mulan to better enhance her relationships with her fellow soldiers, his absence may have also been more about not offending viewers, who found Mushu to be insensitive in the 1998 animated feature.
Mushu is a fun-loving dragon who helps Mulan in her missions. He has appeared in both films. He is voiced by Eddie Murphy in Mulan and Mulan 2. Initially, he helped Mulan so as to get his position as a guardian for the Fa family back, but later he helped her simply because he wanted to.
USC professor Stanley Rosen said the character was seen as trivializing Chinese culture by Chinese moviegoers. "Mushu was very popular in the U.S., but the Chinese hated it," they said. "This kind of miniature dragon trivialized their culture."
On the film's release in September, controversy and calls for a boycott intensified after viewers noted that the film's credits thanked municipal authorities in Xinjiang, where detention camps and human rights abuses of Uighur Muslims have been well documented.
Mulan is the Worst Disney Live-Action Remake So Far
What did Mushu do wrong?
Mushu used to be a guardian spirit of the Fa family, but he had been demoted to the humiliating position of an incense burner and gong-ringer for the deceased Fa ancestors ever since he failed to protect a family member, a soldier named Fa Deng, resulting in the soldier's demise by decapitation (he is seen carrying his ...
He strives to be one of the family guardians again and selfishly decides to convince Mulan to join the army to turn her into a war hero, believing this will get him back on the "top shelf." However, he comes to realize how selfish he has been, admitting to Mulan that he risked her life to further his own goals.
The theory says that Mushu wasn't able to awaken the dragon because the dragon was already awake; it was Mulan! If you carefully rewatch the original Disney princess animated movie from the moment that Mulan decided she will be going in her father's place, you will see a succession of dragon imagery.
Despite being insulted that he wasn't chosen to accompany Mulan on her journey, Mushu bangs a small gong and shouts in an attempt to awaken the Great Stone Dragon's spirit, which is located inside a large stone statue outside of the family's temple.
Instead, we have Mulan's sister, which is more in line with the original takes on the Chinese ballad. Her sister is more in line with the traditional view of a female, creating a contrast to Mulan. The live-action movie added a sister to give Mulan another reason to sign up.
A clause in Eddie Murphy's contract for doing Shrek 2 (2004) forbade him from reprising the role of Mushu in this film, therefore having his other voice actor Mark Moseley (a man best known for filling in for Murphy's characters like Mushu and Donkey in their TV and Video Game appearances) fill in for this film.
Mulan is a fictional folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century AD) of Chinese history. According to the legend, Mulan takes her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as a man.
In the original, Mushu was a well-intentioned but slightly misguided sidekick who gave me some laughs with his comedic moments throughout the film. In this sequel, he's a selfish villain who attempts to break up the relationship between Mulan and Shang.
Mulan tried to follow family tradition to honor her family but her way of showing honor was far different than what her family asked of her. She knew her value and she used her talents and passions to keep her family safe and eventually bring them honor.
Mulan and Shang are married, and the princesses are released from their vows. Back home, the ancestors prepare a list of chores to do for Mushu. Shang arrives at the shrine and combines his family's temple with Mulan's. This allows Mushu to keep his title as a family guardian.
The Fa family is happily expecting their daughter Mulan (voice: Ming-Na Wen) to receive a proposal of marriage any day from her former captain, Li Shang (voice: BD Wong), who has been promoted to general. Grandmother Fa (voice: June Foray) is taking bets on when the proposal will occur.
Mushu, like Donkey in Shrek corresponds to the archetype of the Trickster and retains some comic characteristics. Donkey too, in fact, supports Shrek in his business but for his personal interest. In Harry Potter, instead, Dobby represents this archetype.
Mushu was never part of the original legend, he was actually created for the 1998 movie. When the trailer was released it mostly confused the Western audience that had only ever seen the little comedic “lizard” version of events.
Cri-Kee is a cricket and a supporting character from Disney's 1998 film Mulan and its sequel. He is the sidekick of Mushu and the luck charm for the Fa family. He is voiced by Frank Welker.
She took his place because her father is too elderly but later we see that Shang tried to kick her out of the army because she was proving to be too weak at the time.
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.
