Mulan (1998 film)
Updated: 12/20/2025, 2:48:45 PM Wikipedia source
Mulan is a 1998 American animated musical coming-of-age action-adventure film based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, and produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. The film was directed by Barry Cook and Tony Bancroft and produced by Pam Coats, from a screenplay by Rita Hsiao, Chris Sanders, Philip LaZebnik, and the writing team of Raymond Singer and Eugenia Bostwick-Singer, and a story by Robert D. San Souci. Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, Miguel Ferrer, and BD Wong star in the English version as Mulan, Mushu, Shan Yu, and Captain Li Shang, respectively, while Jackie Chan provided the voice of Li Shang for the Chinese dubs of the film. The film's plot takes place in China during an unspecified Imperial dynasty, where Fa Mulan, daughter of aged warrior Fa Zhou, impersonates a man to take her father's place during a general conscription to counter a Hun invasion. Mulan was the first of three features produced primarily at the Disney animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) in Bay Lake, Florida. Development for the film began in 1994, when a number of artistic supervisors were sent to China to receive artistic and cultural inspiration. Mulan premiered at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on June 5, 1998, and was released in the United States on June 19. The film received positive reviews from critics and the public, who praised the animation, plot, characters (particularly the title character), and musical score. It was a commercial success, grossing over $304 million worldwide against a production budget of $90 million. It earned a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination for its music and won several Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature. It was then followed by a direct-to-video sequel, Mulan II in 2004. A live-action remake directed by Niki Caro was released on September 4, 2020.
Infobox
Tables
| List of awards and nominations | ||||
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Academy Awards | Best Original Musical or Comedy Score | Music by Matthew Wilder; Lyrics by David Zippel; Orchestral Score by Jerry Goldsmith | Nominated | |
| ALMA Awards | Outstanding Performance of a Song for a Feature Film | Christina Aguilera – "Reflection" | Nominated | |
| Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature | Won | ||
| Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production | Barry Cook and Tony Bancroft | Won | ||
| Outstanding Individual Achievement for Producing in an Animated Feature Production | Pam Coats | Won | ||
| Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production | Rita Hsiao, Chris Sanders, Philip LaZebnik, Raymond Singer, and Eugenia Bostwick-Singer | Won | ||
| Outstanding Individual Achievement for Character Animation | Ruben Aquino (for Shang) | Won | ||
| Tom Bancroft (for Mushu) | Nominated | |||
| Mark Henn (for Mulan) | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Individual Achievement for Effects Animation | David Tidgwell | Won | ||
| Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production | Songs by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel; Score by Jerry Goldsmith | Won | ||
| Outstanding Individual Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production | Hans Bacher | Won | ||
| Outstanding Individual Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production | Chris Sanders | Won | ||
| Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Feature Production | Ming-Na Wen | Won | ||
| Artios Awards | Animated Voice-Over Feature Casting | Ruth Lambert | Nominated | |
| ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top Box Office Films | Matthew Wilder | Won | |
| Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Animated Family Movie | Nominated | ||
| BMI Film & TV Awards | Film Music Award | Jerry Goldsmith | Won | |
| Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | Special Notice to 1998 animation features | Won | ||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Original Score – Motion Picture | Jerry Goldsmith | Nominated | |
| Best Original Song – Motion Picture | "Reflection" Music by Matthew Wilder; Lyrics by David Zippel | Nominated | ||
| Golden Reel Awards | Best Sound Editing – Animated Feature | Nominated | ||
| Best Sound Editing – Music – Animated Feature | Kenneth Hall, Kathleen Fogarty-Bennett, Tom Kramer, and Robert Bayless | Nominated | ||
| Golden Screen Awards | Won | |||
| Grammy Awards | Best Spoken Word Album for Children | Disney's Mulan Read & Sing Along – June Foray | Nominated | |
| Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media | "True to Your Heart" – Matthew Wilder and David Zippel | Nominated | ||
| International Film Music Critics Association Awards | Film Score of the Year | Jerry Goldsmith | Won | |
| Best Original Score for an Adventure Film | Nominated | |||
| Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Family Picture | Pam Coats | Nominated | |
| Best Family Actor | Eddie Murphy | Nominated | ||
| Best Family Actress | Ming-Na Wen | Won | ||
| Best Voice-Over Performance | Nominated | |||
| Best Family Score | Jerry Goldsmith, Matthew Wilder, and David Zippel | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Song | "Reflection" Music by Matthew Wilder; Lyrics by David Zippel | Nominated | ||
| Best Family Ensemble | Nominated | |||
| Satellite Awards (1998) | Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature | Nominated | ||
| Satellite Awards (2004) | Outstanding Youth DVD | Nominated | ||
| Young Artist Awards | Best Family Feature Film – Animated | Nominated | ||
References
- Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution through the Walt Disney Pictures banner.
- Tied with Antz, A Bug's Life, and The Prince of Egypt
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