Disney’s animated Mulan (1998) and the live‑action Mulan (2020) show how a figure that was once looked at as a “princess” moves into the center as a warrior and national hero. Mulan is important because she pushes against a long pattern in media where girls are shown as passive or only valued for beauty or marriage. Scholars also point out that Mulan is like a bridge of gender politics and cultural representation, so the films let us talk about both feminism and how China is shown for global audiences (Manaworapong and Bowen 2022; Anjirbag 2018).
In both films, Mulan is a young woman who takes her father’s place in the army. She disguises herself as a man, learns to fight, and saves the country. In the animated film, Mulan stands for cleverness, duty, and self‑discovery inside a musical, family‑friendly package. In the 2020 film, she signals serious heroism, discipline, and “chi” (inner power) within a wuxia‑style action movie. Across both, she represents a shift from domestic expectation to public leadership (Wang 2021; Zhong, Tu, and Yang 2023).
The 1998 Mulan is ordinary, witty, and resourceful. She gets stronger through training, friends, and creativity (for example, using brains to trigger the avalanche). Scholars argue the movie blends Chinese ideas about filial piety with a Western “follow your heart” arc, creating a hybrid identity that global audiences recognize (Zhao, Ang, and Toh 2020). The 2020 Mulan is gifted from childhood with strong “chi.” The film frames her power more like a born hero; she must drop the disguise and act “truthfully” to unlock it. Research suggests this remake tries to be more gender‑progressive and culturally appropriate, but it also negotiates between American studio conventions and Chinese market expectations (Manaworapong and Bowen 2022; Wang 2021).
Both versions break the old “princess waiting to be rescued” stereotype. In 1998, Mulan performs masculinity to access military space, then proves that skill and courage aren’t tied to being male. In 2020, she publicly rejects the lie of her disguise and leads as herself. Studies find that the animated film critiques gender roles through humor and songs, while the remake uses a straighter war film tone and a woman‑to‑woman mirror figure (Xianniang) to underline agency (Manaworapong and Bowen 2022; Anjirbag 2018). At the same time, scholars say the 2020 film is still set inside a patriarchal world (honor, emperor, family duty), so its feminism is partly limited by big‑studio pressures and cross‑cultural marketing (Wang 2021).
Seeing a woman lead troops and save the emperor (or nation) can raise expectations that girls can take central roles in school, work, and public life, not just supportive ones. Media researchers note that when young viewers repeatedly see gender‑inclusive heroes, it can broaden their sense of what is “normal” or possible, even if the story uses fantasy elements (Manaworapong and Bowen 2022; Wang 2021; Zhao 2021). In short: Mulan helps set a new baseline- heroism isn’t only for men.
The effects are mixed but mostly helpful. On the positive side, both films give identification opportunities: viewers can feel close to Mulan’s struggle with rules and identity, and that closeness can support self‑confidence and belonging for girls and Asian audiences (Zhao, Ang, and Toh 2020; Zhao 2021). Some critiques warn that the 2020 film’s “born special” approach may limit relatability compared with the 1998 “ordinary girl becomes capable” arc. Still, the overall message; courage and truth beat rigid gender rules- can be empowering for many viewers (Manaworapong and Bowen 2022; Wang 2021).
Yes, both. Over time, Disney has moved from earlier, more traditional princess roles toward more complex heroines. Mulan is part of that change. But scholars also flag backlash and critique, especially for the remake: debates about cultural authenticity, Orientalism, and politics around China and Western studios (Wang 2021; Zhong, Tu, and Yang 2023). Some Chinese and Western audiences disliked changes from the animated version (no songs, no Mushu) or felt stereotypes were still present. Even so, the academic takeaway is that Mulan (2020) reveals the tensions global films face when they try to do feminism, culture, and profit all at once (Manaworapong and Bowen 2022; Wang 2021).
Putting Mulan at the center shifts who gets to be the hero. The 1998 film uses humor and heart to question gender roles; the 2020 film uses epic battle language to insist on a woman’s right to lead. Neither version is perfect, but together they push Disney’s image of a “princess” away from passivity toward agency. For many viewers, that shift matters. It invites ordinary people: especially young women- to imagine themselves in command, not on the sidelines (Manaworapong and Bowen 2022; Anjirbag 2018; Wang 2021).
Bibliography
Anjirbag, Michelle Anya. 2018. “Mulan and Moana: Embedded Coloniality and the Search for Authenticity in Disney Animated Film.” Social Sciences 7 (11): 230. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/7/11/230
Manaworapong, Pimpatchanok, and Neil Evan J. A. Bowen. 2022. “Language, Gender, and Patriarchy in Mulan: A Diachronic Analysis of a Disney Princess Movie.” Humanities & Social Sciences Communications 9: 1–12. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-022-01244-y.pdf
Wang, Zhuoyi. 2021. “From Mulan (1998) to Mulan (2020): Disney Conventions, Cross-Cultural Feminist Intervention, and a Compromised Progress.” Arts 11 (1): 5. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/11/1/5/xml
Zhao, Meijuan, Ang Lay Hoon, and Florence Toh Haw Ching. 2020. “Hybridization of the Cultural Identity in Disney’s Mulan.” Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies 9 (5): 207–18. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345336027_Hybridization_of_the_Cultural_Identity_in_Disney%27s_Mulan
Zhao, Zhen. 2021. “Analysis of Sino-American Culture in Disney Animation Mulan.” International Journal of Contents 17 (1): 11–17. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365471460_The_Chinese_and_American_elements_of_the_Disney_movie_Mulan_from_the_Cross-cultural_Perspective
Zhong, Zenan, Binglan Tu, and Shu Yang. 2023. “The Identity Development of Onscreen Legendary Heroes: A Visual Affect Analysis of Mulan in Three Movie Adaptations.” SAGE Open: 1–13. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/21582440231218584
Alessandro Boggio
Shawn’s analysis does a great job breaking down the comparisons and differences from each film, specifically Mulan’s character development. Shawn explains in the 1998 film, Mulan goes from an ordinary girl to a skilled hero dominating what was known as a male industry. In the 2020 film, Mulan is born with “Chi” which are a set of powers that come from Chinese beliefs. The contrast Shawn highlights explains the benefits and weaknesses of each form of development. In the 1998 version, Mulan’s development positively demonstrates an ordinary girl turning into a hero compared to the 2020 version where she is born with those powers. This development in the 1998 version helps break the stereotype of a “Disney Princess” who, as Shawn states, conveys “passivity toward agency” (pp.7). Secondly, Shawn dives into the cultural beliefs of the story. Shawn states the 2020 version of Mulan has better cultural appropriation but still has the “follow your heart” western ideology. It would have been nice if Shawn would have dived deeper into the cultural representation that surrounds “chi”. Though it would have been nice for there to be more about Chinese culture, the points she does dive into have great scholarly sources supporting them. For example, when the critiques about the films from both the Chinese and western society, it is backed by an academic article written by Zhuoyi Wang that was published December 26, 2021.This article uncovers these regional perspectives explaining the reasons why Disney made the changes due to cultural appropriation backlash. Finally, the photos provided show the difference between the animation from 1998 to the live-action of 2020, but they don’t necessarily demonstrate any of the points discussed, just what films will be discussed.