'Mulan' trivia and fun facts
Declined
When asked to direct this movie, Ang Lee declined the proposition
Name change
Characters from the 1998 animated film are given Asian/Chinese names. To improve the inclusion and to be more realistic some of the names have changed, the protagonist Fa Mulan is changed to be Hua Mulan, the main antagonist Shan Yu is being changed to Bori Khan, the deuteragonist Li Shang is being changed to Chen Honghui, Chien Po is simplified to Po, and Fa Zhou, Mulan's father, is changed to Hua Zhou.
All?
Disney has affirmed that all main characters will remain Chinese, but hasn't said anything yet about the rest.
Petition accepted
Disney has launched a global casting to find a Chinese actress to play Mulan
Is the szechuan sauce coming back to McDonald's?
In the season three premiere of Adult Swim's popular animated sci-fi/comedy, 'Rick and Morty (2014)', a 1998 McDonald's cross promotion of the original Mulan (1998) is heavily alluded to. This cross promotion, a Mulan-inspired szechuan dipping sauce, immediately gained internet attention as fans of the show demanded the fast food chain bring the sauce back. It is now rumored that McDonald's will bring the sauce back for the live-action version of Mulan (2019).
Sticking to original
Fans started a petition in order to make Disney cast a Chinese actress for the main role of the movie, since they feared that the executive producers could whitewash the main character.
The biggest budget for a female director
Mulán's adaptation has a budget of 290 million dollars, which makes it the most expensive film directed by a woman, Niki Caro.
Stunts
The director of photography Mandy Walker said Liu Yifei, who plays Mulan, performed 90% of all her stunts: horse riding, sword fighting, martial arts, battle scenes,...
In search of Mulan
The casting directors interviewed more than 1000 candidates for the role of Mulan. The requirements focused on a great skill for martial arts, the ability to speak English and the potential to be a star.
Women in charge of the set
The three mayor heads running the set were women. The film director Niki Caro, the first assistant director Liz Tan and the director of photography Mandy Walker.