Mulan Movie Facts

22 of the most interesting Mulan facts you didn't know about. Handpicked and verified, these little-known details can be obscure enough most people will miss. These behind the scene easter eggs and hidden messages will give you another view of Mulan movie message.

The movie 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.

In the song I'll Make A Man Out Of You, the lines "We must be as swift as the coursing river", "With all the force of a great typhoon", "Which all the strength of a raging fire" are actually quotes from the book The Art of War of Sun Tzu.

Mulan Movie Trivia Facts

These trivia from Reddit and other sources can be used as questions with answers in quizzes or games.

Mushu spreading his wings and responding, "Your worst nightmare" is a reference to Batman
While fighting the Hun underlings at the palace we see Mulan breaking the arm of a soldier.

Mulan Easter Eggs

Hidden objects, characters, easter eggs, and their meanings are wonderful ways to discover the filmmaker's perspectives of any given movie.

Mulan mentions 'Punctual' as one of the desirable qualities in a bride. This is a callback to Aladdin when the Genie accidentally tells him to say 'Punctual'

Mulan Hidden Facts

1 - 2 of the ancestors resemble the people depicted in Grant Wood's famous painting, American Gothic. Wood wanted to capture the everyday struggles Americans were facing during the height of the Depression. These two ancestors worry aloud that Mulan's actions will lose the farm. — 2 of the ancestors resemble the people depicted in Grant Wood's famous painting, American Gothic. Wood wanted to capture the everyday struggles Americans were facing during the height of the Depression. These two ancestors worry aloud that Mulan's actions will lose the farm.

1 - Shortly after the song 'A Girl Worth Fighting For', Mulan finds a girl really worth fighting for. — Shortly after the song 'A Girl Worth Fighting For', Mulan finds a girl really worth fighting for.

1 - It can be seen that when Mulan is portrayed as a female, her jaw is smooth, but when she is pretending to be a male, her jaw is sharper and more masculine. — It can be seen that when Mulan is portrayed as a female, her jaw is smooth, but when she is pretending to be a male, her jaw is sharper and more masculine.

Mushu is seen reading a newspaper from right to left. Traditionally, Chinese text was written in vertical columns which were read from right-to-left.

1 - Mulan's Ancestors are mimicking the well known 'American Gothic' painting by Grant Wood! — Mulan's Ancestors are mimicking the well known 'American Gothic' painting by Grant Wood!

1 - There is no songs sung by the characters after "A Girl Worth Fighting For" is cut off when they find the aftermath of the burned village and lost battle. This is potentially due to them facing the reality of war. — There is no songs sung by the characters after "A Girl Worth Fighting For" is cut off when they find the aftermath of the burned village and lost battle. This is potentially due to them facing the reality of war.

1 - She uses her hair as a safety anchor whenever she's upset, brushing it and messing with it, when she cuts it off it shows that she's growing up and not afraid anymore. — She uses her hair as a safety anchor whenever she's upset, brushing it and messing with it, when she cuts it off it shows that she's growing up and not afraid anymore.

1 - Chi Fu, the emperor's advisor, is so persistent that women aren't worth anything because most advisors were Confucianist and back then Confucianism wasn't very tolerant of women. — Chi Fu, the emperor's advisor, is so persistent that women aren't worth anything because most advisors were Confucianist and back then Confucianism wasn't very tolerant of women.

During the song "Honour to us all" Mulan retrieves a girl's doll from two boys playing with toy swords and returns it. Later in the movie, she finds another doll in a burned-out village, but not the girl who owns it, showing the stark reality of war.

1 - Yao pulls out a banana from his disguise, but Ling seems to be the only one who notices. — Yao pulls out a banana from his disguise, but Ling seems to be the only one who notices.

1 - After the "A girl worth fighting for" song they encounter a burnt village where they find the doll of a girl worth fighting for — After the "A girl worth fighting for" song they encounter a burnt village where they find the doll of a girl worth fighting for

The emperor says that a single grain of rice can tip the scale. In the next opening scene, Mulan balances a single grain of rice in her bowl.

When Mushu and Lucky Cricket decide to go bring Mulan back, Mushu says to Cricket, "Then we'll see who's a loser. Me or you." but he points to himself when he says "you" and to Cricket when he says "me". Approximately 1:55 in video below.

1 - Disney was able to cast Mulan as the correct race in this live action adaptation despite apparently being blind when casting the little mermaid. — Disney was able to cast Mulan as the correct race in this live action adaptation despite apparently being blind when casting the little mermaid.

1 - And Hotep from Prince of Egypt (1998) are similarly animated — And Hotep from Prince of Egypt (1998) are similarly animated

1 - Li Shang is the only male character with defined lips, leaving open the possibility that he, like Mulan, is really a woman in disguise. All female characters, including Mulan, have similarly defined lips. — Li Shang is the only male character with defined lips, leaving open the possibility that he, like Mulan, is really a woman in disguise. All female characters, including Mulan, have similarly defined lips.

Mulan Plot

To save her father from death in the army, a young maiden secretly goes in his place and becomes one of China's greatest heroines in the process.

Cast and Details

Here are the full cast and crew of Mulan. The goofs, crazy credits, and trivia they have performed may have not taken your attention. Some are hidden for a reason, while others randomly forgotten.

Genre	Animation, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Musical, War
Director	Tony Bancroft
Stars	Miguel Ferrer, Harvey Fierstein, Freda Foh Shen, June Foray
IMDB score	7.6