All the characters from the live-action 'Mulan,' ranked

Mulan's mother Li sadly doesn't get that much screen time and when she does, she's the stereotypical "concerned mom" who doesn't understand her child.

We recognize this is a movie with a lot of characters and we needed to get the story moving forward and have Mulan leave her home. But given Rosalind Chao's talent, it would have been nice to see the movie go outside the box with her character.

Playing one of the new recruits that's been added to the live-action version, actor Vincent Feng gets a moment of comic relief as Cricket is picked on while introducing himself. He's also the one who is expelled when he's caught dumping water out of his buckets while walking up the stairs to the top of the mountain.

This is the first character in the movie that Xianniang embodies. She finds him on The Silk Road and has him enter the first palace that she overthrows with Böri Khan.

Though actor Arka Das doesn't say a single line, the looks he gives when he sees Xianniang on the dessert horizon captures the audience's puzzlement of who this woman really is.

When the first palace was overtaken by Böri Khan, Xianniang takes over the body of a young soldier, this time to go to the Imperial City to tell the Emperor of Khan's army. That leads to the royal decree by the Emperor to build a mighty army in which every family supplies one man.

R.J. O'Young as the soldier delivers the words of Xianniang spot-on to portray not just the creepiness of what's going on, but the power of the Imperial City's new foe.

This is the man who follows through on the decree by The Emperor.

Soon Lee has a strong voice that's perfect for the character and gives a memorable look when he notices that Mulan's father Zhou is having trouble physically accepting his role in the army.

This character definitely gets more of a toned-down feel compared to the animated movie. He becomes the final victim of Xianniang's witchcraft when she takes over his body at the end of the movie.

Nelson Lee delivers an authoritative vibe in the movie, which pays homage to the original character in the animated film.

Playing the younger sister of Mulan means there isn't much for Xana Tang to do in the movie. That said, she has great chemistry with Mulan actress Liu Yifei, especially in the brief scene where she and Mulan have to dress up for the Matchmaker and joke about all the makeup they have to wear.

One of the leaders of the Rouran tribes, Duba Tegin isn't interested in the gold Böri Khan offers in helping him take down the Imperial City. Instead, he does it for revenge.

Actor Roger Yuan, a longtime stunt coordinator and performer, is an imposing figure in the scene.

Also, he is the brother of Ron Yuan, who plays Sergeant Qiang in the movie.

To match the movie's more serious tone, the dragon from the animated movie, Mushu, is replaced with a mythical Phoenix who is the guardian of Mulan's family.

It's a nice touch that fits well with Mulan finally harnessing her inner chi.

Playing the character who has to keep all the recruits inline, actor Ron Yuan as the sergeant has an intimidating (and convincing) presence.

Like in the animated movie, Ling is one of the recruits that befriends Mulan. Linked to two other recruits, Po and Yao, he's the most sheepish of the group.

Jimmy Wong gives a respectable portrayal.

Like Ling, Doua Moua's performance as Po is pretty true to the character from the animated movie, though he's less pudgy.

Chen Tang shines as Yao, the most aggressive and gruff of the three memorable recruits in the movie.

At the beginning of the movie, we get a glimpse of Mulan as a child, which is one of the many changes to the animated movie. It establishes the skills Mulan had as a kid and young actor Crystal Rao is quite impressive doing fight moves.

Another welcomed addition to the live-action version (well, in the animated movie there's an actual cricket with Mulan) is the recruit, Cricket. Certainly the lovable one of the bunch, actor Jun Yu gives a scene-stealing performance.

Made out to be the friend-turned-love-interest of Mulan, the Honghui character isn't very memorable for being one of the main leads, but actor Yoson An does bring a lot of charm to the role.

Another scene-stealer is Pei-Pei Cheng as the Matchmaker. The veteran Chinese actress is hugely entertaining as she becomes fed up with Mulan's disinterest in being proper and finding a man.

Ming-Na Wen was the voice of Mulan in the original movie if you don't recognize the voice when she speaks. (Here's the story on how her cameo came together.)

Her appearance at the end of the movie as the person who introduces Mulan to the Emperor is a lovely moment that pays homage to the animated movie.

You may not catch on at first (I didn't) but that's Jet Li as the aging Emperor who can still kick major butt.

Li, the legendary martial arts action hero, delivers a fantastic performance.

Not as over the top as the character in the animated movie, Jason Scott Lee still gives the Böri Khan character a menacing feel. Lee certainly has the talent to look pure evil in slow motion shots.

I mean, how can you not love Tzi Ma in this movie? The veteran actor shines as Mulan's father. Filled with pride, he's still ready to fight for his country, even though his body has given up on him.

It's this performance that only adds to the greatness of Mulan because we understand the love between the two characters and the lengths they'll go to protect each other.

To have Jet Li and Donnie Yen in the same American movie is quite a treat. Though they don't share the screen at all (seek out "Hero" if you want to see them do battle against one another), what they do individually is quite exciting.

Yen's Commander Tung character also upstages the Honghui character in regards to his connection with Mulan. And I don't blame the filmmakers — if I had Donnie Yen, I would make sure he got as much screen time as possible.

Perhaps the greatest addition to the "Mulan" story compared to the animated movie is this character. Xianniang, known as a witch, wants to be fully appreciated for her talents alongside Böri Khan, but she finds herself having to play second fiddle in a world controlled by men.

Li Gong, along with giving the character incredible feats in fight sequences, also brings a lot of emotion to the role.

"Mulan" doesn't work without an actor that can fully embody the title character both physically and emotionally and Liu Yifei pulls it off.

She's breathtaking in the fight sequences but also brings an inspiring feel to the scenes where drama is needed.