Disney was worried the song would bore audiences They had written two verses and two choruses for the ballad when they received a note to cut "Reflection" from the animated picture. "There were films that were testing, for Disney, where they were finding that the audiences were dialing out," Wilder said.

Why did they take the music out of Mulan?

Mulan (1998) only has musical numbers for the first half, until the characters find the destroyed village. From there on songs were avoided because the tone was meant to be darker.

Why did Disney remove Mushu from Mulan?

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.

Why did Disney change the original story of Mulan?

Many decisions about adhering to the ballad were made in an effort to create a more real and relatable story, as well as to respect Chinese culture. One important omission was Mushu, Mulan's wise-cracking sidekick, who hit the cutting room floor due to the fact that many Chinese viewers disliked his character.

Why did Mulan remake fail?

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.

Analyzing “Reflection” from Mulan: Disney Music Breakdown

Why did Mulan get banned in China?

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.

Why did Disney change Mulan's last name?

But in the original, we see her at only one age for the duration of the film. 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.

Which Disney Princess is based on a real person?

Pocahontas as she appears in Pocahontas (1995). The character is loosely based on the actual historical figure Pocahontas (1596-1617), making her the first (and only) Disney Princess to be based on a real historical figure.

Is Mulan based on Joan of Arc?

Joan of Arc seems outwardly similar to Fa Mulan, as they both donned male guise to assist them in joining/serving in their respective royal armies at times when their homelands were threatened, however, the latter preceded the former by nearly a thousand years (albeit only as an epic poem) and thus shares no direct ...

Why was Li Shang removed from Mulan?

Some speculated that the filmmakers were trying to downplay the homoerotic undertones of the relationship between Shang and the disguised Mulan. In reality, the filmmakers claimed that they were influenced by the #MeToo Movement, finding it inappropriate for Mulan's love interest to be her commanding officer.

Why did the Chinese hate Mushu?

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."

What characters were removed from Mulan?

Mushu, the wise-cracking sidekick dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy, and Li Shang, the captain of the Imperial Army and Mulan's mentor, voiced by B.D. Wong. Among those who love the original, there are sure to be some questions as to why these seemingly pivotal characters were removed.

What songs were deleted from Mulan?

"Written in Stone" is a song that was written for Disney's 1998 animated film Mulan, but was cut from the film when its composer Stephen Schwartz left the project. Lea Salonga auditioned for Mulan with "Written in Stone" and recorded a demo during production.

What part of Mulan is true?

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.

Who is Shan Yu in Mulan based on?

In 1998's Mulan, Imperial China is invaded by Shan Yu and his Elite Hun army - who are based in part on Genghis Khan and the Mongol empire and also on Attila the Hun - and Mulan is forced to join up in the place of her aging father, disguising herself as a man to allow her conscription.

What religion is Mulan based on?

The film Mulan is historically accurate in its portrayal of Daoist ideas, the expected behavior of women according to Confucianism, and Confucian relationships.

Which Disney princess has the darkest story?

What is the darkest Disney movie?

Arguably the darkest film in the entire Disney animated canon is the 1996 film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The movie opens with Frollo killing Quasimodo's mother and attempting to kill an infant Quasimodo before he's forced to stop. He attempts to atone for the sin of murdering Quasimodo's mother by taking the boy in.

Who is the youngest Disney character?

Snow White is only 14 years old, making her the youngest. Jasmine, who is supposed to be 15, is the second youngest. Cinderella and Tiana are the oldest, both 19 years old.

Why does Mulan's father limp?

He was a war hero of a previous, unnamed conflict, as well as was known to the extent that Shang mentioned his name with awe when it appeared on Fa family's conscription notice, even referring to him as "THE Fa Zhou." At the time of the film, he is at an advanced age, as well as limps using a crutch due to a leg injury ...

Why did China not like Mulan 1998?

While "Mulan" is only loosely based on the mythical tale of Hua Mulan, China's official Xinhua news agency said she was too "foreign-looking" in her Disney incarnation and "her complexion, disposition, and manner of behaviour were different from an [authentic] Chinese character," the BBC reported in 1999.

How did they find out Mulan was a girl?

In the animation, Mulan is injured in battle after saving Li Shang. When the doctor checks her over it becomes clear she's a woman.

Why was Mulan 3 cancelled?

Unfortunately for fans of this princess, Mulan II did terribly. Critics regarded the film as a huge disrespect to the original Mulan. This discouraged Disney from pursuing her story any further, so Mulan III was shelved and Ana Ming never made it anywhere.

What Disney movie is banned in China?

Disney's 1998 animated film Mulan was famously delayed in China following the studio's backing of another film, Kundun, about the Dalai Lama, said Chris Fenton, a former Hollywood executive and author of Feeding the Dragon: Inside the Trillion Dollar Dilemma Facing Hollywood, the NBA, & American Business.

What did Mulan see last night?

Last night I saw the draft posters, The Khan is calling many troops, The army list is in twelve scrolls, On every scroll there's Father's name. Father has no grown‑up son, Mulan has no elder brother. I want to buy a saddle and horse, And serve in the army in Father's place.”