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Stand aside Connie Chung and Michele Kwan! The legendary Hua Mu Lan is about to bring the role of a Chinese heroine into vogue from Maine to Hawaii.
If the success of "Beauty and the Beast," "Pocahontas," and "Little Mermaid" are any indication, Asian and non-Asian girls of all ages will be begging, whining, pleading and cajoling their parents for the "Mulan" video, t-shirts, pajamas, dolls, doll extras and other paraphrenalia that follow Disney movies into the Land of Forever.
I was surprised and excited when I heard last year that one of my daughter's favorite books about ancient China, would soon be coming to a theater near us.
Jennifer Jin loves to read "China's Bravest Girl", one of the pre-Disney books about the legendary Hua Mu Lan who helped to save her country by disguising herself as a man and going into battle. It is an anonymous ballad, written about 1,500 years ago, sung before the Imperial courts and known even today by most Chinese. A friend of ours from China remembers reading the poem in high school.
Now, through the full-length animated Disney film "Mulan," which opened June 19, all of America will know Mulan.
As the mother of a Chinese girl, I know all too well the impossibility of finding Asian-looking dolls, let alone Chinese fantasy characters in the mainstream of America. The closest Asian Super Female our kids can find is in the Hong Kong-produced videos "Boorin." But if you never opened an Asia Kids catalog, you wouldn't even know about the little Chinese speaking "Boorin."
So how true, I wondered, would Disney Studios - the makers of so many popular animal caricatures - be to to the legend, to Chinese history, ancient culture and to Chinese values which have survived centuries of invasion, intrique, internal infidels and natural disasters? Would "Mulan" be more aptly named "Pocahontas Goes To China?"
Worse, would my daughter be subjected to inaccurate stereotypes and embellishments from Hollywood's imagination?
Often disappointed by the misinformation and discrimination I've seen from well-meaning writers who think one interview or two qualifies them to be judge-and-jury for a 5,000-year-old country more than10,000 miles away, I braced myself as much as I looked forward to it.
From the black calligraphy brushstrokes that open the film to the winning ending when Mulan returns home to her "Baba," (the Chinese word for father), I loved it!
Make no mistake, this is obviously a Disney film, not a documentary. Like Pocahontas with her animal friends Meeko and Flit, Mulan has her dragon "Mushu." Her pet cricket looks a lot like Jiminy Cricket. And Shang, the captain of Mulan's conscription regiment, a strapping young fellow with a strong jaw and thick eyebrows, bears close resemblance to all the strapping young fellows of Disney animation.
The dragon is a powerful symbol in Chinese legend. Witness his presence even in modern New Year's parades. But Mushu, Mulan's guardian dragon looks more like a tiny forlorn skinny mongrel with the voice of Eddie Murphy.
Yes, it is the same Eddie Murphy of "Beverly Hills Cop" who does not even attempt to utter the sounds of a fifth century Chinese legend. We hear such jive talk as "So you git back to me on da job thing?" "You da man!" and he tells Mulan to "Kick dat kid's butt."
When Mushu presents himself to Mulan as her guardian dragon, she says he looks more like "a little lizard." and Eddie aka Mushu replies, "I don't do dat tongue thing."
Mushu obviously was created by Disney to attract more boys to the film and its products. As if a female Chinese warrior isn't quite good enough to stand on her own merits, despite the fact the legend (not the movie) raises her rank to general and an ancient grave in central China is said to be hers.
Such nitpicking aside, once you get past the first jolt of Mushu, it is precisely that kind of Disneyesque, modern American allusions that make "Mulan" fun and funny for parents and their kids. To my delight, the Chinese thread is woven well.
The gist of the ballad - which has various versions even in China - is followed. Mulan's father is getting older - mother and father both have gray edges to their black hair. China is invaded from the north by the Huns and one man from each family must go to fight. Fa Mulan decides to go to war in place of her father - to save his life.
From there, Disney invents what may have happened to Mulan. But it holds pretty true to general Chinese legends and history, from words to scenery:
- "Aya!" exclaims Mulan at the beginning of the movie when she is messes up her calligraphy and spills the ink. "Aya" is a common Chinese word used when one feels exasperated. And in ancient times, women in finer families often were taught how to write using brush and ink.
- Mulan's home, with several wings, a central courtyard and decorated front gate, was typical of family compounds of the time. The paternal grandmother lives with the family, a custom which often extends into today's China. There also are ancestral tombs on the family property, lion statues, a reflection pool and chickens to feed. All very much a part of ancient China.
- The troops in "Mulan" leave south China for the north, they pass through mountains that resemble the often-painted softness of Guilin, pass by rice paddies with working women watching their departure, then march into bigger craggy and snowy mountains. All genuine China scenery.
- As for the Huns, the barbarian invaders from the north, they did indeed plunder and conquer parts of China during some 400 years of confusion and numerous emperors in a decentralized China. Also known as the Tartars - the same people who swept across Russia and Mongolia - these rough riders never did reach into south China where Han dynasty tradition and culture remained intact.
The theme of a woman posing as a man and a soldier is central throughout the ballad and film. While it was not common practice, there are numerous tales throughout Chinese folklore of women in battle. An early scene in "Mulan" suggests what a woman's place usually was in Chinese society. As Mulan is groomed by her female relatives to meet the matchmaker she is told "Boys will go to war for you."
When Mulan's disguise is discovered (in the movie, not the ballad), she faces possible execution. Again, even as late as the early 1940s, Chinese women who even walked the streets of their village alone were often thought to be disreputable and deserving of any ill fate.
Mulan also shows a deep respect for her parents. In the beginning of the movie, she is saddened that she seemingly cannot be the "perfect daughter." Honoring her family is a foremost thought on Mulan's mind throughout the ballad and the movie, despite her nature to speak her mind. It is a timeless concept for Chinese people. In fact, it was this precise point that won the approval of one grandmother who was watching an animated film for the first time, at the screening I attended. "Families today are in so many pieces that they cannot communicate," said Anna Lee, president of Phoenix Chinese Week, an annual event during lunar New Year. "Children no longer think about their parents. In the movie, the daughter thinks of her father and family first. I think this is an important message, to bring families together."
This preservation of Chinese authenticity is a credit to Disney which hired screenwriters who researched their subject with a personal interest. Among them:
- Rita Hsiao, daughter of China-born parents, visited China for the first time during "Mulan" production, traveling with her father. She spent two years helping to shape dialogue and the story in "Mulan." Notably, she was a writer for the television series "All American Girl," a story about a Korean-American family.
- Raymond Singer and Eugenia Bostwick-Singer, who also played some of the ancestor voices in the movie, were thinking of adopting a child from China when they were assigned to work on "Mulan." They now are parents of 22-month-old Ana Ming.
Numerous Asians also participated in the making of the film, certainly good for the role modeling lacking for Chinese-American children. Mulan's voice is done by Macao-born Ming-Na Wen, who gathered acclaim for her performance in "The Joy Luck Club" and played roles in the first season of TV series "ER" and was a primary character in "The Single Guy." Her compatriot, Shang, has the voice of B.D. Wong ("Seven Years In Tibet"), who said he was "thrilled" that Disney was "... actually going to use Asian-American actors for the main roles." Other Asian-American actors in "Mulan" include James Hong (Notably from "Wayne's World 2," "Seinfeld" and "the X-Files."), Pat Morita ("Karate Kid"), Geroge Takei (TV's original "Star Trek"), Gedde Watanabe, Soon-Tek Oh and Freda Foh Shen. Other Chinese and Asian names can be seen in animation credits.
The voices, however, do not sound Chinese. If they are not flatly Caucasian-American, they are Eddie Murphy. I tend to think English with a Chinese accent or tones would have added to the characters.
The five new songs also are strictly Disneyesque and not at all true to the vast genres of Chinese music. They are admittedly quite fun, emotionally effective and memorable, but the occasional "singsong" style has a stereotypical affectation.
The artwork of the film is astoundingly sharp and beautiful, but it carries the unmistakable Disney caraciture stamp. Still, most of the people do have true Asian features. (Although one of the rag-tag "warriors" stirs up memories of the Hunchback, an earlier Disney character.) Mulan looks Chinese with a light golden brown skin tone, a slightly moon face, almond-shaped eyes - unlike Chinese Barbie who only has black hair. And whether this was intended or not, Mulan's skin tone is lighter than Shang's which would have been keeping with the tradition that girls from finer families did not go out into the sun. While Mulan is supposed to be a young girl coming of age and there is a faint wiff of an attraction between her and Shang, nowhere do we see our heroine in scanty or suggestive clothing or romantic embrace. Even when she takes a bath, she appears as a proper Chinese girl of her times.
Debbie Li, who moved to Phoenix from Hong Kong 12 years ago, said the movie seemed "more like a Japanese-made movie than Chinese," but she thought it was done with good taste and in keeping with traditions. "I'd come and see it again," she said.
As for the "G" rating, it is much more accurate than other Disney films. It is a simple story with astoundingly beautiful art animation and color. But while Disney is to be applauded for showing no blood or gore - no obvious impaling on a sword or arrow - Mulan IS involved in a war. A couple of times the music cranks up to a high emotional intensity and arrows do fly, fires do burn and the evil Shan-Yu looms a bit bigger and more menacing than anyone else.
But besides the use of illusion, the filmmakers have carefully (and wisely) interspersed humor throughout the film. Just when a dark scene could become too dark, a quip or clumsy cartoon tumble spells relief. There were several children under the age of 4 in my audience and none of them screamed, sobbed or had to be removed from the room. In fact, many of the children laughed often at some of the slapstick cartooning. If you are not sure your toddler can handle the moments of intensity, see it alone first. You won't mind seeing this movie twice.
You might even be tempted to buy a Mulan-and-horse set from McDonald's - or a tiny Mulan teaset from Disney - for your desk at work. Of course when the video debuts around Christmas or next spring (the likely time frame), and you have memorized dialogue and songs as your child watches it again and again and again and ... well ... again, you might be ready for something new - Chinese or not!
I expect to make "Mulan" my 2 1/2-year-old daughter's first trip to a movie theater, despite her very tearful sadness over "Pocahontas" a few months ago. Jennifer can cover her eyes or we can step out briefly if she gets a bit scared. I don't mind my daughter having a courageous, selfless, polite yet outspoken and indepedent heroine who "looks" like her. For Chinese-American boys, it is well that they see strong Chinese women. I also am pleased that non-Chinese American children and their parents will get a glimpse into a culture they so rarely see.
For our family, "Mulan" has one of those goosebump connections that China-adoptive families often experience. As I read the characters' names in the credits at the end of the film, I realized that Mulan's father's name was Fa Zhou. "Fa" is Cantonese and "Hua" is Mandarin for the Chinese character for flower.
My daughter's birth town is Huazhou. It is in Guangdong, the largest province in southern China.
* * * Kathie Price and Myrl Smith are the parents of Jennifer Jin Price-Smith. They live in Arizona.
- For children ages 5 and up . . . the newest Disney animated film "is among its best." - "Child" magazine
- "There aren't enough stories where you feel proud to be Asian. There aren't enough Asian actors in roles that could serve as role models. I used to be really embarrassed to be Asian, I really denied a lot of my heritage. I like the idea of making this movie that's going to be around for a long time, that Asian girls can watch with pride." - Actress Ming-Na Wen, in a quote to Cox News Service
- "She doesn't look like a Barbie doll this time . . . I think that fact alone will make her a lot more accessible. That and the fact nobody will mistake Mulan for a princess." - Disney animator Mark Henn, in a quote to the L.A. Daily News
- ""Mulan differs from earlier Disney heroines ... She's not dreamy/spunky; she's more fast-talking and quick-witted. Her foray into a male domain is less to prove anything than it is to save her father. She's not trying to win medals or be a role model; she just wants to pass." - Atlanta Constitution
- Proverbs have always been aplenty in China, and FCC familes may want to put this one from the film in their child's life book. As the Emperor tells Mulan, "The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautful of all."
- During its first weekend at the box office, "Mulan" came in second by making $22.7 million, vs. first place "X-Files" at $30.1 million.
- A new computer-generated technology, developed by Disney specifically for "Mulan," creates the Hun hordes racing down the mountain, falling rain, flickering candles and a crowd of 30,000 lantern-carrying people.
- Some of the places to find Mulan products: Disney Store and catalog, Toys 'R Us, Nestle, McDonalds, Barnes & Noble, Quaker, Aqua Fresh, Amazon.Com and WaldenBooks. Expect to find more Chinese-looking Mulans than Barbie-looking depictions of our heroine.
Point your browser to http://www.mulan.com to see Disney's Web site with six beautiful color pictures from the movie.
The site also offers "Mulan" wallpaper images for your computer desktop. You can download a vertical and/or horizonal image of Mulan on her war horse. Instructions are given to fit each kind of computer and monitor. If you have a color printer and necessary software, you can also print out the image.
There are puzzles and games as well as one version of the original Mulan ballad in your choice of English, Chinese, Japanese, French, Spanish or German.
Some pre-Disney books on the legend of Hua Mu Lan aka Fa Mulan present various versions and translations of the original ballad in more traditional ways. Some, like "China's Bravest Girl," include Chinese chracaters as well as the prominent English text. Pre-Disney Mulan books have been sighted at local bookstores such as Barnes & Noble. (Note: They are not in the Disney Mulan area.)
Check around or ask your favorite bookstore if they can order direct from the publisher. You may not have to pay mail order shipping charges.
Here are a few titles to check out:
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