-
Thu, 02 May 1996 12:29:28 CDT from Eric Dapkewicz:
Eric from O.C., USA says:
Just wanted to say, that after looking at some of the comments. it's interesting to see what people have to say about "The Legend Of Mulan". I will tell you that I'm working on the film and have been for the past year and a half. Along with Barry Cook, Tony Bancroft is the other director. That's all for now :)
-
Wed, 01 May 1996 18:29:06 CDT from Kee Lim:
Mulan lover from Perak, Malaysia says:
Hi there,
Anybody knows where can I get a complete story of Mulan?
-
Fri, 19 Apr 1996 17:24:35 -0400 (EDT) Wendy W Chu writes Shuen Shuen Hung:
Thank you very much for responding to my request! It is great help, and
also allows me to appreciate the many people around the world such as
yourself who provide insight to the little but nevertheless fundamental
delights in life (i.e. Disney!) for the rest of us....
-
Fri Apr 19 11:58:18 1996 Shuen Shuen replies to Wendy:
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for writing.
I would also like to ask, if you know, how or why Disney decided to do an animated feature
on Mulan? She certainly was a legend, but still among many others just as appealing.
What intrigued Disney this time to explore into the Chinese folktales and legends?
for variety?
Good question. They released Pocahontas in 1995. Then I suppose it's politically correct to follow suit with members of another ethnic group in America. Afterall, the market is not just the domestic one in the US, but an international one. An Asian protagonist will certainly arouse big interest in the Asian-Pacific market. Further, I think they make more money licensing rights to Disney merchandise like stationery, clothing and other souvenirs. The Asian market would identify with a character like Mulan much more than an American Indian one like Pocahontas.
Which group within Disney is involved in story development, I wonder?
I suppose you've checked out the Mulan FAQ home page on my site. Check back from time to time again to see if there's new info in the updates.
Is there a site on the Net to get in touch with such a group?
Well, http://www.disney.com is the official Disney site where you can click on some email links to write email to Disney people directly. Another place is the newsgroup rec.arts.disney where fans of Disney's and possibly Disney people in anonymity or aliases come together and exchange opinions and news....
-
Wed, 17 Apr 1996 14:27:22 -0500
Wendy from New York, USA says:
You have a beautiful HomePage! Must have taken a lot of time, and well worth it too!
I would also like to ask, if you know, how or why Disney decided to do an animated feature
on Mulan? She certainly was a legend, but still among many others just as appealing.
What intrigued Disney this time to explore into the Chinese folktales and legends?
for variety? Which group within Disney is involved in story development, I wonder? Is
there a site on the Net to get in touch with such a group? Anyhow, I am soooo glad that
they did decide to make Mulan their choice. Thanks again, I appreciate your help, and
will surely check up on your sites more in the future!
-
Wed, 17 Apr 1996 19:21:21 -0700 <
Peggy Lauer from California, USA says:
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for your information on Hua Mulan. I am
preparing to teach Kingston's Woman Warrior for the first time and have been
doing some research on background. I was given your URL ... and was delighted that it led me to a verse version of the Story of Mulan. I definitely want my students (high school seniors) to have the opportunity to see that version. I found a prose version in a collection of Chinese Folk Tale called Lady in the Picture but am very glad to have a copy of the poetry....
-
Sat, 30 Mar 1996 19:22:33 -0500 from Marilyn:
I just went to your Mulan web page and I really enjoyed reading about such
an exciting movie which is over two years from being released.... I was able
to find out a little more about the character of Mushu. First of all, he's being
voiced by Eddie Murphy, which you probably already know. However you
may not know how he fits into the story.... When Mulan decides to
dress up as a man and fight in the place of her father, her ancestors (who I
believe are ghosts) summon up the dragon, Mushu, to help her fight in the
battle. I know a lot more about the movie, but you pretty much know
everything I could tell you. Oh, in case you're wondering, I'm pretty sure
Mark Henn will be animating Mulan....
-
Wed, 20 Mar 1996 14:42:33 -0800 (PST) from Mulan Elizabeth Bartholomew:
Thanks for dropping by the Mulan FAQ home page. Wow, I could never have imagined someone actually is named after Mulan. And of all places, in America! Your story must be very special.
...Well, the reason I have a Chinese name like Mulan is because
my mom is from Hong Kong. She came over to the US for college and met my
dad in San Francisco. My dad is a botanist and he studies Chinese plants
and he has always been interested in Chinese stuff. In fact he and my
mom met because they were both playing in a Chinese ensemble in the San
Francisco Conservatory of Music. So, when it came time to name me, their
first child, they wanted a Chinese name. My dad knew of the name Mulan
already because it was the name of a character in a novel both my parents
had read earlier (I forgot the name of that book). Both of my parents
liked that name, my mom liked it because she is an art historian and
Mulan is from ancient chinese history, and my dad liked it because
Mulan also means magnolia which is a flower from China. So Mulan seemed
to be the perfect name to use.
So, that is basically the story behind my name. You're welcome to post
it if you like and if you have any more questions feel free to ask.
-
Mon, 18 Mar 1996 16:46:05 CST Mulan Elizabeth Bartholomew from Santa Cruz, CA, USA says:
Hi there, as you can see, I'm named after the famous heroine.
So, of course as soon as I found out that Disney was going to make a movie
about her I wanted to find out everything about it.
The FAQ is pretty informative and I'm glad I found it.
I can't wait to see how the movie is going to come out.
-
Thu, 14 Mar 1996 08:50:59 EST Angela Kuo posted to rec.arts.disney:
Subject: The Legend of Mulan FAQ -- on the web!
Hi everyone!
Just wanted to announce that "The Legend of Mulan FAQ" that I posted last
month is now on the web at
http://www.hk.super.net/~shung/favorites/mulan/mulan_faq.html
Special thanks to Shuen Shuen and Ariel for setting it up!!
The FAQ can also be found at http://www.columbia.edu/~zm4/animation.html
(Thanks Zarina!) and there is info about Mulan and other upcoming animated
films at http://www.rahul.net/pacmedia/dis/
Let me know if there are any questions, corrections, or problems. Enjoy!
Angela
FDC Mulan
-
Thu, 29 Feb 1996 23:37:23 -0500 from Angela Kuo:
Subject: Re: "The Legend of Mulan" FAQ
I visited the site you set up for the Mulan FAQ and it's really good! I'm
so glad you're hosting it... :) I didn't have time to test all the links,
etc., but after spring break (March 1st to March 10th) I'll take a closer
look and post an announcement to the Disney newsgroup. I still have a lot of
work to do for tomorrow (I thought I'd have more free time now, but I was
wrong...), so I'll write a longer e-mail after I come back.
Thanks again for the great job you did! Take care!
-
Wed Feb 28 10:34:14 1996 to Angela Kuo:
Subject: Re: "The Legend of Mulan" FAQ
Hi Angela,
That's a good idea. I'm glad to share my FAQ. Not only did I want to share
what I knew about Disney's Mulan, but I also wanted people to get a glimpse
into the rich Chinese culture and maybe learn some interesting stuff. :) I
certainly learned a lot when writing the FAQ! :)
It's ready. Check out the FAQ at:
http://www.hk.super.net/~shung/favorites/mulan/mulan_faq.html
Let me know if you find any errors, mistakes, problems with links, etc. Then you can post an announcement of the availability of the FAQ to rec.arts.disney....
I think a permanent FAQ will be a good thing. I hope Disney doesn't mind my
efforts too much...I'm doing them a favor, I think, by getting people
interested in Mulan and also trying to explain away some of the puzzling
things I've heard (like Mushu's name). :) We'll see how "famous" being FDC
Mulan will get me. :)
We'll see if you get some email through the FAQ page. I am putting up a Mulan Fan Club page now. Primarily to archive relevant comments on Mulan after a fan visits the Mulan home page. Any other ideas for the Mulan Fan Club home page you may suggest?...
-
Tue Feb 27 08:54:48 1996
from "Andrina" Harrison:
"Andrina" from Granite City USA says:
Hi! Just wanted to say what a big help your Mulan page is. I am dying to see this movie!! And I was wondering, do you know anything about Disney's animated "Aida?" I've known about it for for years now, but recently whenever I see a listing of the upcoming Disney movies, Aida is no longer listed. I'm wondering if it's been dropped as an idea, like "Swan Lake" was a few years back. What a shame if it has been, since Elton John and Tim Rice were supposed to be doing the score; and there was already talk of developing it for Broadway!! Oh, well. Ariel is my fave of the Disney heroines to; I sometimes feel like she's my best friend!! I guess you think I'm crazy, eh?? Well, nope, at least no more crazy than any other college kid! Send me a mesage soon! "Sea" you later!!
-
Sat Feb 24 08:33:16 1996
from Angela Kuo:
Subject: Re: "The Legend of Mulan" FAQ
Hi Shuen Shuen and Ariel!
I finally have a little bit of time, so I'll answer some of your questions now.
Sorry, what's FDC again?
FDC stands for "Future Disney Cabinet." People pretend to be different
Disney characters (from FDC Mickey Mouse to FDC Buzz Lightyear) or
employees/positions (FDC President to FDC Audio Engineer to FDC Custodian).
Members of this group haven't been very active on rec.arts.disney.misc
(where most of the FDC posts are), but sometimes they comment on things *in
character* or write creative stuff or try to meet each other. It's not very
formal, so some members are very active and others don't take it seriously
at all. If you have more specific questions about the FDC I'll be happy to
try to answer them (though I've only been a member since November).
I wonder if newsgroup like rec.arts.disney archives your mini-FAQ as part
of the group's FAQ.
I doubt it. "Mulan" is still two years away and the subject is too specific
for the group FAQ.
The adults often ask me directly about getting more information on certain
topics. So now I have this in mind when I design my daughter's pages: the
who accompanies a kid in visiting Ariel's home pages should also be
obtain info in depth at will.
That's a good idea. I'm glad to share my FAQ. Not only did I want to share
what I knew about Disney's Mulan, but I also wanted people to get a glimpse
into the rich Chinese culture and maybe learn some interesting stuff. :) I
certainly learned a lot when writing the FAQ! :)
I always fight with Ariel when we visit other kids' sites on which link to
click next! (Ariel always wants to click on a graphical link, for example.)
I can imagine that. :) ...
Reminds me of the little dinosaur character (sorry, I didn't get to know
its name yet) in Toy Story which I've yet to see it with Ariel.
The dinosaur is named Rex. "Toy Story" is a good film--very funny and often
quite touching.
Could be just something to lure the typical westerner audience as they are all
familiar with dragon stories as kids. The dragon in a Chinese story
depicting realistic heroism just doesn't seem to fit. (There are dragons in
Chinese fairy tales and ghost stories, which are of a different genre.)
To be honest, I was a little worried when I heard Disney was adding a
dragon, and even more worried when I heard Eddie Murphy was doing the
voice. :) Mushu is not your typical Chinese dragon. He's probably a little
bit like the Genie from "Aladdin," but not as large or scene-stealing.
... I wonder where you got all these info.
Well...The non-Disney stuff about Mulan (the background and cultural
information) I got from several sources. There was your page and Marc
Hairston's page, a handy Chinese-English dictionary, a few posts and
e-mails, and my roommate here at college. (She's from mainland China.) As
for the Disney stuff, I received a few e-mails from people who had gone to
the Disney Studios and were able to see some of the work being done on the
film....
Do we get our hands on a sneak preview of the plot at all?
What do you want to know? :) ... Disney has run through
about 10-15 different variations on the Mulan story already! The very basic
plot is the same (Mulan goes to war in her father's place and returns home
triumphant), but they've made the typical Disney changes (adding Mushu, for
example). The film is still in early stages and there will probably be
changes made as time goes on.... The film looks very strong
at this point....
I think a permanent FAQ will be a good thing. I hope Disney doesn't mind my
efforts too much...I'm doing them a favor, I think, by getting people
interested in Mulan and also trying to explain away some of the puzzling
things I've heard (like Mushu's name). :) ...
Well, I'd better go now. Take care and hope to hear from you soon!
-
Tue Feb 20 07:03:51 1996
from Angela Kuo:
Subject: Re: "The Legend of Mulan" FAQ
Anyway, I just have this idea that I would like to
host your Mulan FAQ at Ariel's home pages if you don't mind. I can put a
link to this FAQ page from Ariel's Mulan page, and titled it "The Legend of
Mulan FAQ" or "Angela's Mulan FAQ" or any appropriate title you want.
Oh, yes! That would be great! I don't have a Web page and probably don't have
the time or resources to make one. So you're definitely welcome to host my
FAQ at Ariel's home pages. I can send you updates and corrections when I find
out about more. You can call it "The Legend of Mulan FAQ" for now....
-
Fri, 16 Feb 1996 20:24:49 EST to Angela Kuo:
Subject: "The Legend of Mulan" FAQ
In honor of Chinese New Year [Feb. 19--The Year of the Rat (or Mouse, should
I say :) )], I'm posting a new improved version of the mini-FAQ I put up a
few months ago. Comments, corrections, and additional information are welcome
and greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I wonder if newsgroup like rec.arts.disney archives your mini-FAQ as part of the group's FAQ. Anyway, I just have this idea that I would like to host your Mulan FAQ at Ariel's home pages if you don't mind. I can put a link to this FAQ page from Ariel's Mulan page, and titled it "The Legend of Mulan FAQ" or "Angela's Mulan FAQ" or any appropriate title you want.
You see, Ariel's pages are often visited by kids together with their parents, teachers or guardians. Most of her messages are from these kids but with the help of the adults who type the email. The adults often ask me directly about getting more information on certain topics. So now I have this in mind when I design my daughter's pages: the adult who accompanies a kid in visiting Ariel's home pages should also be able to obtain info in depth at will.
I should put up separate info-intensive home pages in addition to colorful pages aimed for the kids. The adult can fight with the kid on whether they should next go to a page the adult wants to dig up more info or to another page which the kid likes to see more. :-) I always fight with Ariel when we visit other kids' sites on which link to click next! (Ariel always wants to click on a graphical link, for example.)
After all, many adults go to Ariel's pages through a keyword search on the Web search engines. So they can get to the Mulan FAQ of yours directly anytime if it's permanently hosted somewhere. You can send me updates of the FAQ from time to time or whenever you post a new update and I'll update it. What do you think? ...
Now some comments on the FAQ:
I have also seen the name spelled "Fa Muhk Laahn." It seems anything goes. :)
Fa Muhk Laahn is another way of Cantonese transliteration.
MAGIC. I read in a post quite a while back that there is a version where Mulan
has magic powers which helps her fight all sorts of armies and magical
creatures. Since Disney has put in a dragon (which are usually magical), maybe
Mulan has a bit of help in the film. Who knows? :)
I would bet this is most likely to be among what will be souped up for a full feature. (Maybe not as long as 100 minutes, but say 70 minutes - I remember Pocahontas was short.)
...
Nice update. I think people would be interested to see a permanent FAQ on the Net....
Happy Chinese New Year!
-
Mon Feb 19 05:58:12 1996 from Angela Kuo:
Subject: "The Legend of Mulan" FAQ
Since your wonderful Mulan page provided me with some nice information, I
thought I'd send you a copy of "The Legend of Mulan" FAQ that I posted to the
Disney animation newsgroup on Friday. I hope you find it interesting.
Have a happy Chinese New Year!
Angela
FDC Mulan
- - The original note follows - -
Date: Fri, 16 Feb 1996 20:24:49 EST from Angela Kuo:
Subject: "The Legend of Mulan" FAQ
In honor of Chinese New Year [Feb. 19--The Year of the Rat (or Mouse, should
I say :) )], I'm posting a new improved version of the mini-FAQ I put up a
few months ago. Comments, corrections, and additional information are welcome
and greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Angela
FDC Mulan
...
-
Tue Feb 13 15:57:33 1996 Fay Floyds from Knobs, Indiana, USA says:
I loved exploring your page. As an adoptive parent of 2 Asian born children, I was
excited to read about Mulan. Long overdue. I plan on sharing this discovery with
friends. And if I can get my husband to load that real audio stuff, I plan to return
with my daughter, to share this page....
-
Sat Nov 18 04:53:13 1995 from Angela Kuo:
Subject: The Legend of Mulan -- some info
Thanks for your reply to my message. I'm attaching to this e-mail a message I
just posted to the Disney newsgroup. It contains most of the information I know
about the Mulan film. I don't know how Disney will change the story. I think
it's a great tale as it is now, so I hope Disney doesn't tinker with it too
much.
By the way, I found out about your Mulan page from a friend who really likes
Disney films and Japanese anime. He forwarded a message to me which mentioned
your Mulan site. I'm glad he did! :)
If I find out more information about Disney's Mulan film I'll let you know.
Take care!
- - The original note follows - -
Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 13:11:46 EST from Angela Kuo:
Subject: The Legend of Mulan -- some info
Hello! As FDC Mulan, I feel it's part of my duty to let everyone know what's
going on with this film. :) I've noticed a few questions about "The Legend of
Mulan" (I believe that's the current title) on the net and I'm hope the
mini-FAQ I've written below will answer some of them....
-
Fri Nov 17 12:11:46 1995 to Angela Kuo from Level Green, PA, U.S.A.:
I really enjoyed your Mulan page! I recently joined a group on the newsgroup on
rec.arts.disney called the Future Disney Cabinet, where members play the parts of various
Disney characters. I joined as Mulan. I think your Mulan page is so wonderful that I'm
going to tell the rest of the newsgroup about it so people who are interested can learn
more about such a great heroine. :)
Yes, please please please do. It's time for the world to know that heroines are found everywhere,in history and fiction, and by no means just Pocahontas, Nausicaa, Joan of Arc. On the Mulan home page, I'm just trying to lay out the basic historical background and dates of the original Chinese poem on Mulan. Disney and other sources on the Net may easily err on these basic facts. (Of course, one fact is that Mulan herself is a totally fictitious character.)
Let me know if you have any questions about the film "The Legend of Mulan." I can try to
answer them. Again, great Disney homepage!
How about these two questions:
Do you know when Mulan is going to be released? Some say it's late 1996, while some other people say it'll be the end of 1997. Any latest word (or insider info) on Disney's plan?
How does or how will Disney improvise on the Chinese poem to develop the storyline for the full feature movie?...
Thanks Angela for your compliments. They are certainly very encouraging!
Ariel (with mom Shuen Shuen)
-
Fri Nov 17 11:53:02 1995 Angela Kuo from Level Green, PA, U.S.A. says:
Hi Ariel,
I really enjoyed your Mulan page! I recently joined a group on the newsgroup on
rec.arts.disney called the Future Disney Cabinet, where members play the parts of various
Disney characters. I joined as Mulan. I think your Mulan page is so wonderful that I'm
going to tell the rest of the newsgroup about it so people who are interested can learn
more about such a great heroine. :)
Let me know if you have any questions about the film "The Legend of Mulan." I can try to
answer them. Again, great Disney homepage!
-
Mon Nov 13 11:27:27 1995
to Hayao Miyazaki Discussion Group <NAUSICAA@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU>:
Subject: Re: Fa Mulan
Here in Hong Kong commercial video releases of Miyazaki's works are readily available and are dubbed in Cantonese, which is the Chinese dialect spoken over here. They somehow picked Mulan as the Cantonese name for Nausicaa. There we have the linkage between Nausicaa and the legendary Chinese woman soldier.
(BTW, Mulan appears in Chinese literature only and is not a true historical person.)
Marc Hairston has elaborated the linkage to a study of the Woman Warrior appearing in Miyazaki and Chinese American literature:
there *is* a Mulan page on the web and it happens to be part of the
Miyazaki page ( ^_^ ), it's just hidden. Go to my Nausicaa page and click
on the words "warrior woman". That take you to an excerpt from Maxine
Hong Kingston wonderful book entitled "The Warrior Woman". Click on the
link at "Fa Mu Lan" there and you'll go to the Mulan page. There you
will find more information along with the complete text (in English)
of the poem.
You can get the basic historical info on the Mulan poem at:
http://www.hk.super.net/~shung/favorites/mulan.html
If you read Chinese, I have the complete Chinese text on the page too.
It would be amazing how Disney stretches their imagination to develop a whole movie story from a single Chinese poem. But it's still too far down the road (release date at least late 1996 or in 1997), so let's leave the speculation open on how Disney will actually produce it for now...
Shuen Shuen Hung
Hong Kong
-
Mon Nov 13 10:43:55 1995 to Larry Greenfield:
Subject: Re: Disney's Mulan
Try this from my daughter's home page:
http://www.hk.super.net/~shung/favorites/disney.html#ML
From your Miyazaki list posting:
PS: Can anyone who keeps up on these things email me if you know any
information on Disney's newest animated film, "The Legend of Fa Mulan"?
It's not confirmed that it's coming out at the end of 1996 or in 1997.
Shuen Shuen Hung
Hong Kong
-
Tue Nov 14 09:08:58 1995 Vincent from Toronto, Canada says:
Subject: Re: Fa Mulan
... I hate having white guys trying to put their interpretation of
Chinese culture on film. Look at Tai Ban. I don't think I want to see
the Disney's film.
-
Fri Oct 27 22:03:46 1995
to Hayao Miyazaki Discussion Group <NAUSICAA@BROWNVM.BROWN.EDU>
from Marc Hairston:
Subject: Re: Latest Nausicaa issue? and Fa Mulan
On Thu, 26 Oct 1995, Larry Greenfield wrote:
...
PS: Can anyone who keeps up on these things email me if you know any
information on Disney's newest animated film, "The Legend of Fa Mulan"?
I think it's 2nd or 3rd in queue ("Hunchback" is next, I believe), but
if you keep up on this stuff, can you email me any info on this? All I
know about it is that it seems to be a Chinese-based story, because
Lea Salonga came in and we recorded just one song for it, but I have no
info on the movie, and I'm curious.
Lucky you getting to hear the music already! The rest of us are out of
luck until Christmas 97 (the current release date).
Here's what is publicly known: The movie is based on a very short classic
Chinese poem. Mulan is the eldest daughter and when her elderly father is
called up in the draft to fight with the Khan, she disguises herself as a
man and takes his place. (Normally the eldest son would do this.) She
fights bravely for ten years and at the end is offered a court position
by the Khan as a reward. She turns it down saying she only wants to go
back home. She goes home (with some of her troops) and there reveals that
she is a woman. They are surprised and say they never knew. (In some later
variants, she then marries one of her fellow officers.) And that's it.
Now what Disney is going to do with it is still being determined.
(Speculation: Based on nothing but all the other Disney movies, I'm willing
to bet that she has a faithful horse that can understand what she says
and that the horse will save her life at least once in the movie. Two
years from now we'll see if I'm right.)
Back to the facts: Lea Salonga plays the singing voice, and the speaking role
of Mulan is played by a Chinese-American actress whose name I can't remember,
but plays in the new sitcom "The Single Guy". This will be the first Disney
animated feature entirely done by the Orlando studio. They are still in
pre-production so there are no pictures yet (nor likely to be for some time).
I have heard on the net that the new revised version of the book "The
Art of Walt Disney" that's come out for Christmas has a few concept drawings
from Mulan, but I suspect they will not be much like the final product.
So why am I writing all this on the Miyazaki Discussion Group? Because
there *is* a Mulan page on the web and it happens to be part of the
Miyazaki page ( ^_^ ), it's just hidden. Go to my Nausicaa page and click
on the words "warrior woman". That take you to an excerpt from Maxine
Hong Kingston wonderful book entitled "The Warrior Woman". Click on the
link at "Fa Mu Lan" there and you'll go to the Mulan page. There you
will find more information along with the complete text (in English)
of the poem.
(So maybe two years from now we'll all be arguing about how much Disney
did or did not steal from Nausicaa for Mulan? ^_^;; )
...
Marc Hairston
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