scorecardTHEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Mulan' 25 years later
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THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Mulan' 25 years later

Ayomikun Adekaiyero   

THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Mulan' 25 years later
Mulan (Ming-Na Wen) and Mushu (Eddie Murphy."Walt Disney Pictures/"Mulan"
  • The Disney animated movie "Mulan" was released 25 years ago on June 19, 1998.
  • Ming-Na Wen, BD Wong, and Eddie Murphy have all had successful careers since then.

Mulan was voiced by Ming-Na Wen and Lea Salonga.

Mulan was voiced by Ming-Na Wen and Lea Salonga.
Ming-Na Wen was the voice behind Mulan, while Lea Salonga was the character's singing voice.      Ron Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images / Walt Disney Studios / Evan Agostini / ImageDirect

"Mulan" follows a young girl who pretends to be a boy in order to protect her father from being conscripted into the war.

While Ming-Na Wen voiced the character for most of the scenes in the movie, when the character is singing, Broadway actor Lea Salonga takes over. Salonga previously provided Jasmine's singing voice in "Aladdin."

At this point, Salonga was already a Broadway star, after becoming the first Asian actress to win a Tony award in 1991. Meanwhile, Wen had a recurring role on "ER" at the time and had appeared in the "Street Fighter" movie.

Ming-Na Wen recently got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, while Lea Salonga has continued to have a successful career in music and theater.

Ming-Na Wen recently got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, while Lea Salonga has continued to have a successful career in music and theater.
Images of Ming-Na Wen and Lea Salonga in recent years.      David Livingston / Getty Images / Evan Agostini / AP

In May 2023, Wen got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a few days before the 25th anniversary of the premiere of "Mulan" at the Hollywood Bowl.

Since Mulan, Wen has had a flourishing acting career, with her most notable roles being in franchises such as "Star Wars," DC, and Marvel. For seven years, she played Melinda May in "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D," and she has recently played Fennec Shand in three "Star Wars" series.

Wen's most recent role is starring in the Max original spinoff, "Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai."

Salonga also continued to have a meteoric rise.

According to her website, she has performed for six Philippine presidents, four American presidents (Joe Biden, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush), Queen Elizabeth II, and the former Princess of Wales, Diana.

Salonga has released several albums, performed sold-out concerts, served as a judge on the Philippines version of "The Voice," and appeared in the 2022 reboot series, "Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin."

This year, Salonga is starring in two Broadway shows, "Here Lies Love" and "Old Friends."

Eddie Murphy played Mulan's pet dragon, Mushu.

Eddie Murphy played Mulan
Eddie Murphy also played a talking animal in "Shrek."      Walt Disney Studios / SGranitz / WireImage

Mulan is guided on her journey by a dragon called Mushu, who wants to turn her into a war hero for his own selfish reasons.

The wise-cracking sidekick is voiced by the comedian Eddie Murphy, who rose to fame after appearing on "Saturday Night Live" in the 1980s.

Eddie Murphy is now an Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning actor.

Eddie Murphy is now an Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning actor.
Eddie Murphy and Paige Butcher attend the 2023 Golden Globes.      Matt Winkelmeyer / Staff / Getty Images

Murphy has gone on to star in several iconic movies, including the "Shrek" movies as Donkey.

Murphy was nominated for his first Oscar in 2007 for his supporting role in "Dreamgirls" as James "Thunder" Early. He also won his first Emmy in 2020 for coming back to host "Saturday Night Live."

Murphy's most recent appearance was in the rom-com "You People," which also starred Jonah Hill, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Nia Long.

Murphy is one of the few actors who did not reprise his role in "Mulan II."

Li Shang, Mulan's general and love interest, was also voiced by two actors, BD Wong and Donny Osmond.

Li Shang, Mulan
BD Wong was the voice behind Shang while Donny Osmond was the character's singing voice.      Ron Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images / Walt Disney Studios / Jim Smeal / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Li Shang is a general in the Chinese army who helps train Mulan to become a soldier and eventually falls for her.

BD Wong, who was the voice of Shang, was already an established actor at the time, having starred in both "Jurassic Park" and the "Father of the Bride" movies.

Meanwhile, Donny Osmond, who was the singing voice of Shang, was a famous singer who rose to fame with his family as part of a band called The Osmonds. At the time, Osmond was already a Broadway star, having starred in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," and had just started a new talk show with his sister Marie.

BD Wong has had a successful acting career and Donny Osmond is still a touring performer.

BD Wong has had a successful acting career and Donny Osmond is still a touring performer.
Images of BD Wong and Donny Osmond in recent years.      Vince Bucci / AP David Becker / Getty Images

Wong returned to the "Jurassic Park" franchise with the "Jurassic World" movies. He has also had notable roles in "Gotham," "Mr. Robot," "Bird Box" and "Focus."

Coincidentally, his most recent role sees him working with Wen on "Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai."

Since "Mulan," Osmond has hosted the game show "Pyramid" for multiple seasons, was crowned the "Dancing With the Stars" champion in 2009, and was runner-up on the first season of "The Masked Singer" in 2019.

Osmond is currently performing a residency in Las Vegas.

The villain, Shan Yu, is voiced by Miguel Ferrer.

The villain, Shan Yu, is voiced by Miguel Ferrer.
Disney has since been criticized for the portrayal of the Huns in the movie.      Walt Disney Studios / Ron Galella, Ltd. / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Image

Shan Yu is the leader of the Huns group that invades China in the movie. He is voiced by Miguel Ferrer, who at the time had already starred in "Twin Peaks," "Robocop" and "Mr. Magoo."

Miguel Ferrer died in 2017 after a long acting career.

Miguel Ferrer died in 2017 after a long acting career.
Miguel Ferrer was best known for his role in "NCIS: Los Angeles."      Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images

Miguel Ferrer died in 2017 due to cancer. Before his death, Ferrer was known for being a voice actor in numerous Marvel and DC animated shows and starring in "Crossing Jordan" and "NCIS: Los Angeles."

He also reprised his role in the 2017 revival series of "Twin Peaks," which was set 25 years after the original series.

Harvey Fierstein played Mulan's ally, Yao.

Harvey Fierstein played Mulan
Yao was the tough, short member of the trio.      Walt Disney Studios / Richard Corkery / NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

Mulan makes three friends in the army, Yao, Chien-Po, and Ling. Yao was voiced by Broadway star and Tony award-winner Harvey Fierstein. At the time, Fierstein had already appeared in "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Independence Day." Fierstein was also one of the first openly gay American celebrities.

Harvey Fierstein has gone on to co-write three musicals.

Harvey Fierstein has gone on to co-write three musicals.
Harvey Fierstein was last seen in the 2022 movie "Bros."      Getty Images

After "Mulan," Fierstein continued to act in movies and on Broadway. One of his prominent performances was playing Tracy Turnblad's mother, Edna, in 2003 in full drag, which led to the actor receiving his fourth Tony.

He has also written the libretto parts for three musicals, "A Catered Affair," "Newsies" and "Kinky Boots."

Fierstein's most recent film appearance was in the 2022 gay rom-com "Bros."

Gedde Watanabe played Mulan's ally, Ling.

Gedde Watanabe played Mulan
Ling was the skinny, tall member of the group.      Walt Disney Studios / Ron Galella, Ltd. / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Ling is voiced by American actor Gedde Watanabe. At the time, the actor was known for playing the "Sixteen Candles" character Long Duk Dong, and appearing in two seasons of "Sesame Street" as a character called Hiroshi.

Gedde Watanabe is still acting.

Gedde Watanabe is still acting.
Gedde Watanabe was last seen in the comedy series "UDrive Me."      Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images

Watanabe continued to act in Hollywood, appearing in TV series such as "ER" and movies such as "47 Ronin" and "Parental Guidance."

Recently, the actor has appeared in both seasons of the Max series "Sex Lives of College Girls" as Professor Harpin.

Freda Foh Shen played Mulan's mother, Fa Li.

Freda Foh Shen played Mulan
Fa is the family name of Mulan's family.      Walt Disney Studios / Ron Galella, Ltd. / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Mulan's caring mother is voiced by Freda Foh Shen. At the time, the American actor had appeared in "Basic Instinct" and "Party of Five."

Freda Foh Shen has continued to appear in numerous franchises.

Freda Foh Shen has continued to appear in numerous franchises.
Freda Foh Shen was last seen in the Hulu series "The Company You Keep."      Alberto Rodriguez / ABC via Getty Images

Shen continued to have a blossoming acting career, starring in "Planet of the Apes," "Star Trek" and even a guest appearance on "How To Get Away with Murder."

Her most recent role is in "The Company You Keep," as the main character's mother, Emma Hill.

Grandmother Fa, Mulan's grandmother, was voiced by two actors, June Foray and Marni Nixon.

Grandmother Fa, Mulan
June Foray was the voice behind Grandmother Fa, while Marni Nixon was the character's singing voice.      SGranitz / WireImage / Walt Disney Studios / Ron Galella, Ltd. / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Mulan's Grandmother Fa was played by voice actor June Foray, who had been acting since the 1930s. Foray's most notable characters are the "Looney Tunes" character Granny, and Cindy Lou Who in Chuck Jones' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas,"

Meanwhile, Marni Nixon is credited as the singing voice of Grandmother Fa.

At this time, Nixon was known for her role as Sister Sophia from "The Sound of Music," and for being one of the most famous ghost singers — singers who are dubbed over actors who could not sing well.

By 1998, Nixon had been the secret singing voice for Deborah Kerr in "The King and I," Natalie Wood in "West Side Story," and Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady."

June Foray and Marni Nixon died in 2017 and 2016 respectively.

June Foray and Marni Nixon died in 2017 and 2016 respectively.
Images of June Foray and Marni Nixon in the last decade.      Amanda Edwards / WireImage / Rob Kim / Getty Images for Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

June Foray and Marni Nixon both had full careers after "Mulan." Foray reprised her role as Granny in several "Looney Tunes" projects.

Meanwhile, Nixon returned to Broadway, appearing in James Joyce's "The Dead," the revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Follies," and the revival of Maury Yeston's "Nine." In 2006, she also published an autobiography, "I Could Have Sung All Night."

Nixon died at age 86 from breast cancer in 2016. Foray died a year later from cardiac arrest at the age of 99.

James Hong played Chi-Fu, the advisor to the emperor of China.

James Hong played Chi-Fu, the advisor to the emperor of China.
Hong has also starred in "Kung Fu Panda."      Walt Disney Studios / Mark Sullivan / WireImage

James Hong had a small role in the movie as the Emperor's pompous advisor, Chi-Fu. At the time, Hong already had several roles under his belt, including "Big Trouble in Little China."

James Hong was part of the cast of the Oscar-winning movie "Everything Everywhere All At Once."

James Hong was part of the cast of the Oscar-winning movie "Everything Everywhere All At Once."
James Hong attends the 2023 Academy Awards.      Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

Hong continued to build an impressive résumé of roles, including "Kung Fu Panda," "Turning Red," and "Teen Titans."

However, his most prominent role in recent years is in the Oscar-winning 2022 movie "Everything Everywhere All At Once," in which he played Evelyn's father, Gong Gong.

Hong also has a role in "Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai" alongside Wen and Wong.

Miriam Margolyes played The Matchmaker.

Miriam Margolyes played The Matchmaker.
Miriam Margolyes only had a small part at the beginning of the movie.      Walt Disney Studios / Ron Galella, Ltd. / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Miriam Margolyes plays the Matchmaker, who harshly condemns Mulan as a disgrace to her family at the beginning of the movie.

At the time, she was already a BAFTA winner for her supporting role in the 1993 movie "The Age of Innocence."

Miriam Margolyes recently made her Vogue debut at age 82.

Miriam Margolyes recently made her Vogue debut at age 82.
Miriam Margoyles has appeared in the "Harry Potter" franchise.      Jeff Spicer / Getty Images

Margolyes has had a flourishing acting career, appearing in "Cats & Dogs," "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," and "Early Man."

Her most prominent role in recent years was playing Despair in "The Sandman" on Netflix.

In 2023, Margolyes also made her Vogue debut at the age of 82.

Soon-Tek Oh played Mulan's father, Fa Zhou.

Soon-Tek Oh played Mulan
Fa Zhou was an army veteran.      Walt Disney Studios

Fa Zhou is an army veteran who is conscripted to fight at the beginning of the movie before Mulan takes his place. He is voiced by Asian-American actor Soon-Tek Oh. Oh was one of the pioneering Asian-American actors of the 20th century, appearing in "The Man with a Golden Gun," "Charlie's Angels," and "M*A*S*H."

Soon-Tek Oh died in 2018 at age 85.

Soon-Tek Oh died in 2018 at age 85.
Soon-Tek Oh at the "Mulan" premiere with BD Wong and Ming-Na Wen.      Reuters

Oh continued acting in movies and TV series for eight years after "Mulan," including the "Mulan" sequel, and "Gang-jeok."

In 2018, actor Chil Kong confirmed that Oh had died from Alzheimer's.

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