Championing traditional themes like family, honour and duty, Mulan was among a new wave of animated films produced by the Disney stable during the 90s. Based on the Chinese legend of a young maiden who disguises herself as a man and joins the fight against the invading Huns, this scored highly with critics and moviegoers when it was released in 1998. Now comes this digitally re-mastered Special Edition DVD to coincide with the home release of Mulan 2.
China Doll
Jammed with behind-the-scenes featurettes, this DVD follows the movie from inception to production with a combination of interviews and reams of test footage. In Discovering Mulan producer Pam Coates and co-directors Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook talk about the extensive research they undertook, mostly involving a three-week trip to China to visit sights like The Great Wall. (Tough life, eh?) In Finding Mulan they dissect the story and explain the evolution of our heroine through the early development stages.
The process of design is also thoroughly deconstructed in a separate batch of featurettes, showcasing early test footage and interviews with members of the art department. Each explains the influence of Chinese art on the final look of the film, even crediting ancient cave drawings with providing inspiration. The Progression Demonstrations balances this section with a comparison of early sketches and rough animation with the finished product. Similarly, Digital Production reveals how CG techniques in their earliest incarnation helped to create some of the more ambitious action sequences eg The Hun Charge.
The Melody Of Mulan
Music, as always, figures highly and Songs Of Mulan demonstrates how lyrics and instrumentals can push the story forward as well as heightening emotion. There’s also a gallery of music videos, boasting Jackie Chan’s Cantonese rendition of I’ll Make A Man Out Of You (!!) and the (quite good actually) deleted song Keep ‘Em Guessing. Six deleted scenes are also included, although these are not finished sequences, rather animated storyboards with introductions by Barry Cook.
Cook, Bancroft and Coats also offer an audio commentary, which can sometimes feel a little reserved, otherwise their memories serve them well in recalling the challenges faced during the long haul of production. There’s some interesting trivia too; watch out for likenesses of Cook and Bancroft who sketched themselves into the climactic fireworks sequence.
As well as ticking the box for educational value, DisneyPedia adds an interactive component to the package offering fun facts about Chinese history in relation to the Mulan legend. Stills galleries, poster art and a look at the dubbing of the film for foreign audiences rounds off this generous two-disc edition DVD although the total lack of input from voice talent (especially Eddie Murphy) skips a significant part of the creative process. Even so, Mulan: Special Edition is an old-fashioned treat for those who remember animated movies from the pencil and paper era.
EXTRA FEATURES
