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- 32 details you may have missed in Disney's live-action 'Mulan'
32 details you may have missed in Disney's live-action 'Mulan'
Kirsten Acuna
- Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for Disney's live-action "Mulan."
- After multiple watches of the film and conversations with original codirector Tony Bancroft, "Mulan" cinematographer Mandy Walker, and producer Jason Reed, Insider rounds up the best details you may have overlooked in the two-hour movie.
- The new film has subtle nods to "The Ballad of Mulan" and contains a cameo that fans of the original movie may have missed the first time around.
Disney's live-action "Mulan" honors the original animated picture while adding another layer of depth to make it stand on its own.
If you're a big fan of the original, you'll appreciate the new adaptation even more as you're rewarded with callbacks and two very special cameos near the film's end.
After multiple viewings of the live-action film and revisiting the animated movie's special edition DVD, Insider rounded up the subtle nods and references to the 1998 film and the poem "The Ballad of Mulan." Parts of the new film, whether intentional or not, reference deleted and cut scenes from the animated movie.
If you want to get the most out of your watch, here's what you should keep an eye out for.
Mulan's father, Hua Zhou, narrates the movie, channeling an alternate opening for the animated movie.
Hua Zhou narrates the story of his daughter at the film's opening, middle, and close.
If you've watched the animated movie, you know there was an alternate deleted opening in which Mulan similarly introduced herself and narrated her story. It turned out to be a dream sequence, but it delivered the same tone as the live-action film.
"Once upon a time, in the magical land of China, there lived a girl named Mulan. She could ride like the wind," the character narrates in the alternate opening. "She was most unusual, unlike any other girl in the whole world. Young men fell in love with her carefree spirit. She had many powerful friends who joined in her adventures. Nobody was braver. All by herself, she defeated the terrible Shan Yu when he tried to break through the Great Wall."
The new film shows more of the bond between Mulan and her father, which was also planned for the animated movie.
The live-action movie puts more of their relationship front and center as Mulan's father wants to encourage her to be herself, but asks Mulan to hide her Chi from the world out of fear she'll be exiled.
The scenes play a bit different when you know the animated movie originally planned to have more moments between the father and daughter as well.
"In the animated version, we had some more scenes with Mulan, and her family and her father, particularly, and ended up cutting some or moving where they were in the film, but definitely cutting some," original co-director Tony Bancroft told Insider.
"We were making an 80-minute film whereas this is two hours. So we had different restrictions set upon us," he added.
Mulan chases after a chicken at the film's start, reminiscent of her introduction in the animated movie.
In the new movie, Mulan is trying to wrangle up a lost fowl into a pen. In the animated movie, "Mulan" starts her day by getting her dog, Little Brother, to help feed some chickens who run past her father while in prayer.
Mulan accidentally breaks a family statue of a phoenix.
In the animated film, Mushu breaks a statue of a stone dragon, which serves as the family's guardian. Mulan's father says the phoenix is the emissary of their ancestors in the new movie.
Mulan speaks of two rabbits she sees running side by side while out riding, a likely nod to "The Ballad of Mulan."
Mulan tells her family she thinks one was a female and the other was a male; however, it's tough to tell when you're riding fast.
The quick moment doesn't seem like much, but it's a nod to a section from "The Ballad of Mulan" which foreshadows the events to come. Just as you can't tell the difference between two rabbits from afar, it's difficult to tell the difference between Mulan and an army full of men if she's in disguise.
"The he-hare's feet go hop and skip,
The she-hare's eyes are muddled and fuddled.
Two hares running side by side close to the ground,
How can they tell if I am he or she?"
Mulan's younger sister may be another reference to "The Ballad of Mulan."
In the animated movie, Mulan is a single child. The live-action movie gives her a younger sister named Xiu. In the ballad, Mulan has an older sister and younger brother.
Mulan is told she has a potential match in the live-action film, something that could have happened in the animated movie.
If you're a big fan of the animated film, Mulan was matched in a deleted scene. In it, Mulan's father bargains with the young man's father for a dowry.
Jason Scott Lee plays the movie's villain, Bori Khan. You may recognize him from a different Disney live-action adaptation.
Scott Lee previously played Mowgli in Disney's 1994 live-action adaptation of "The Jungle Book."
In the live-action film, we're introduced to Xianniang, Bori Khan's right-hand woman, who can turn into a hawk.
In the animated film, Hayabusa the falcon was villain Shan Yu's loyal pet and spy.
Interestingly enough, the two almost had a greater connection in 1998 film. In an introduction to a deleted scene, co-director Tony Bancroft said they initially considered giving Shan Yu the ability to see through his falcon's eyes.
"We started to develop a scene where we thought we wanted [Shan Yu] to be a spiritual character or have a tie to the falcon where he can actually see through the falcon's eyes," Bancroft said in the introduction to the deleted sequence.
Ultimately, the scene was cut down. Bancroft said it would have needed more time to explore and it was taking time away from Mulan's journey.
You can hear "Honor to Us All" play in the background as Mulan prepares to visit the matchmaker.
The live-action movie may not be a musical, but you can still hear references to some of the 1998 film's soundtrack. An orchestral arrangement for "Honor to Us All" plays as Mulan gets dressed to visit the matchmaker with her mother and sister.
Mulan introduces the song by speaking its title before we hear it on screen. She tells her family she'll do her duty of bringing honor to them.
During the matchmaking session, a spider jumps toward the matchmaker, changing up a key scene from the original.
The spider interrupts Mulan's important meeting. In the animated movie, Mulan's good luck charm, Cri-Kee, winds up jumping down the blouse of the matchmaker, causing disaster.
When Mulan practices with her father's sword for the first time, you can see the actress' reflection mirrored in the weapon when it faces the camera.
Cinematographer Mandy Walker told Insider that moment was improvised by Liu Yifei.
"We did not plan that. Yifei just did it," Walker said of sitting at the monitor with director Niki Caro when the moment occurred.
"It sent shivers up our spine because it all happened in camera," Walker said. "[Yifei] just knew exactly where to put the sword to see the camera's reflection. It was just one of the most amazing moments I've ever had. Kudos to Yifei."
Mulan replaces her father's army scroll with her hair clip when she leaves in the middle of the night.
The scene is a little different from the animated picture. We don't see Mulan swap the two and her father doesn't discover the hair clip in his bedroom. Later in the film, we get a flashback to Mulan leaving her family that's slightly reminiscent of her goodbye in the animated picture.
One of Mulan's comrades in war is named Cricket.
The character is a nod to Cri-Kee, the good luck cricket Mulan's grandmother gives to her at the start of the animated movie. Cri-Kee teams up with Mushu to chase down Mulan and look after her during the war.
Mulan pauses when she's asked her name by Commander Tung.
In the animated film, Mulan stumbles for a few beats as she comes up with a male name on the spot with the help of Mushu. In the animated movie, Mulan goes by the name Ping. In 2020's remake, she masquerades as Hua Jun.
Po drops his towel in front of Mulan when he goes to catch something thrown his way.
In the animated movie, this scene occurs when Mulan is trying to bathe discretely and the men find her. The only difference is that it's Yao who purposely drops his towel in the animated film to show off.
Mulan winces and shuts her eyes quickly in both films, embarrassed.
As training begins, Sergeant Qiang says, "We're going to make men out of every single one of you."
Sergeant Qiang is referencing the song "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from the 1998 movie which led directly into the army training montage. The montage is similar here, but without the added music.
Ling shares a drawing of a woman, Li Li, he's set to marry with Mulan, Cricket, and their battalion.
In the animated movie, Ling shows off a drawing of a hypothetical woman he'd love to be matched with as he discusses the attributes he wants in a wife.
In the straight-to-video animated sequel, a princess named Ting-Ting falls for Ling.
Mulan and Po reference lines from the song "A Girl Worth Fighting For."
As the men and Mulan discuss the attributes they find desirable in a woman, Po says, "I don't care what she looks like. I care what she cooks like."
In the animated film, the line from Chien-Po is said gentler and less brash: "I couldn't care less what she'll wear or what she looks like. It all depends on what she cooks like."
When asked what she finds desirable, Mulan, under the guise of Hua Jun, says the "ideal woman" is courageous, funny, and smart.
In the animated movie, Mulan sings about "a girl who's got a brain, who always speaks her mind."
The character of Li Shang was split into two characters in the live-action movie.
The new movie splits Li Shang into Mulan's peer and love interest Honghui and her battalion leader, Commander Tung.
"Mulan" co-director Tony Bancroft told Insider they considered separate characters for the general and Li Shang in the animated movie as well, so it was interesting for him to see this play out in the live-action film.
"We had another character named Bao Gung who was the sergeant and then Shang was in the army," said Bancroft of the cut "Mulan" character. "It was very similar."
Bancroft said Bao Gung was the original villain of the 1998 movie who would have turned out to be a traitorous spy. When his character was cut, Li Shang was promoted to general.
More of the "Reflection" theme can be heard as Mulan successfully carries the buckets of water up a series of stone steps.
Mulan earns the respect of her troops when she's the first one to succeed at this task. In the animated movie, Mulan is nearly sent home until she becomes the first person to figure out how to climb up a wooden pillar with weights to retrieve an arrow from its top.
When Mulan finally showers in the live-action film, there's a close-up on cherry blossoms with a focus on one that has yet to bloom.
This feels extremely reminiscent of a discussion Mulan's father has with her at the start of the animated film. When he points out a flower late to bloom he says, "I'll bet that when it blooms, it will be the most beautiful of all."
The Emperor later referenced this moment in the animated film when he told Li Shang, "The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all."
Just like in the animated movie, Mulan's troop comes across a slain battalion.
In the animated movie, the stakes are a little more personal. Li Shang leads Mulan and their group to the spot where his father's army fell to the movie's villain.
Mulan tells Commander Tung, "When employed correctly, four ounces can move 1,000 pounds." The line is similar to one the Emperor says in the animated film.
Mulan repeats the line when she convinces Tung that the Emperor's life is still in danger.
In the animated movie, the Emperor similarly says, "A single grain of rice can tip the scale. One man may be the difference between victory and defeat."
Honghui recites a line similar to one said by Mulan in the animated film.
When Commander Tung refuses to trust Mulan about a forthcoming attack, Honghui calls him out.
"You would believe Hua Jun. Why do you not believe Hua Mulan?" Honghui asks.
The quick question is a nod to a similar question Mulan asks of Li Shang in the animated movie. When she warns him about Shun Yu and he refuses to listen, Mulan asks, "You said you'd trust Ping. Why is Mulan any different?"
The phoenix flies up behind Mulan after the Emperor tells her to rise up and fight for the kingdom.
The phoenix's wings become one with Mulan for a brief moment as she faces off against Bori Khan.
"[We] really wanted to get across the point that Mulan's ancestors are with her in that moment," said Walker of the significance of that scene. "There's just a couple of moments in the film where you want to feel Mulan's ancestors are with her."
The moment calls back to the beginning of the film when Mulan's father tells her the phoenix will always be there to protect her.
Ming-Na Wen, who voiced the original Mulan, introduces Liu Yifei's Mulan to the Emperor.
You may want to revisit the scene when Mulan meets the Emperor. None other than the original voice actress presents her to the Emperor.
Walker told Insider it was a much-talked-about moment to film on set.
"It was quite special because you could hear everybody sort of standing like, 'You know who that is?'" Walker said of filming the cameo.
"She was really lovely and I thought it was a beautiful gesture to have her in the movie," Walker added.
You can read how Ming-Na Wen's secret cameo came together here.
Ming-Na Wen's daughter can also be seen in the same scene.
When Mulan turns down the Emperor's invitation to join his guard, the camera pans to a surprised girl. Producer Jason Reed told Insider that's Wen's daughter.
Mulan is almost always placed in the center of the frame.
"Niki [Caro] had always said to me she wanted Mulan to be the center of the movie and the center of the frame," Walker said of Mulan's role in the film.
"So the audience would always be with her during her battle sequences, or feel connected to her the whole way through the journey," Walker continued. "One thing I realized when I went to China was the symmetry of the architecture, and therefore it kind of lent itself to her being in the center because the frame would be balanced by the symmetry. I found that really inspiring."
You can see this illustrated in a few ads for the film.
The film hints at the direction for a potential sequel that is reportedly in the works.
Mulan turns down a request to join the Emperor's guard. In "The Ballad of Mulan," the poem which inspired this adaptation, Mulan serves her country for 12 years. The whole time she's in disguise as a man.
At the film's end, Mulan is asked to reconsider her decision to join as an officer in the guard.
According to reporter Daniel Richtman, Disney already has a sequel in development. When asked if she has heard anything about a sequel, Walker told Insider she didn't know how far any discussions about a sequel are going on.
The film remixes a line between Mulan and her father near the film's end.
When Mulan and her father reconcile in the new film, he takes a moment to apologize for asking her to hide her Chi.
"It is my daughter that means everything to me," he tells her. "My foolish pride drove you away. One warrior knows another. You were always there, yet I see you for the first time."
In the animated film, Mulan delivers gifts from the Emperor to her father. He immediately discards them, drops to his knees, and embraces his daughter.
"The greatest gift and honor is having you for a daughter. I've missed you so," Mulan's father tells her.
Near the film's end, Mulan's father says her ancestors celebrate her success in "the vault of the heavens."
We see a more lively celebration held by her ancestors at the end of the animated movie.
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