Hua Mulan () is a legendary figure from ancient China who was originally described in a Chinese poem known as the Ballad of Mulan ( 木蘭辭 ).

The historical setting of Hua Mulan is uncertain.

The Hua Mulan crater on Venus is named after her.

Fa Mulan ( Chinese: 花木蘭 ) better known simply as Mulan, is a fictional character and lead protagonist of Disney's thirty-sixth animated feature film Mulan ( 1998 ).

The character is inspired by the legendary Hua Mulan from the Chinese poem The Ballad of Mulan.

In both films, Mulan is voiced by Ming-Na and her singing voice is provided by Lea Salonga.

Mulan is the eighth Disney Princess and the first East Asian princess.

When Fa Mulan hears that her elderly father Fa Zhou, the only man in their family, is forced to join the army, she decides to stand in his place, disguising herself as a young man named " Ping ".

The ancestors are unaware that the statue of Great Stone Dragon failed to come to life, and that Mushu, a small dragon is the one to go and protect Mulan.

Mulan is initially misguided by Mushu in how to behave like a man.

Mulan is praised by the Emperor and the people of China, who all bow to her as an unprecedented honor.

Earlier in the film, Mulan was declared unfit for marriage, but this is not the case with her budding romance with Li Shang.

When bandits attack, Mulan and Shang fight them off, but Mulan is devastated when Shang is seemingly killed trying to save her.

Shang survives the accident and arrives in time to stop the wedding but ultimately Mulan is saved by Mushu who, posing as the Golden Dragon of Unity, frees the princesses from their vows and marries Mulan and Li Shang himself causing Mulan to forgive him for his actions.

Mulan is slashed in the side by an enraged Shan Yu, and her deception is revealed when the wound is bandaged.

* Hua Mulan Joins the Army ( 1927 film ) – a Chinese silent film released by the Tianyi Film Company and directed by Li Pingqian.

* Mulan Joins the Army ( 1928 film ) – Mingxing Film Company production, directed by Hou Yao.

* Mulan Joins the Army ( 1939 film ) – popular Chinese film made during the war, directed by Bu Wancang.

* Cameron Dokey created ' Wild Orchid ' in 2009, a retelling of the Ballad of Mulan as part of the Once Upon A Time series of novels published by Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

* The Legend of Mu Lan: A Heroine of Ancient China was the first English language picture book featuring the character Mulan published in the United States in 1992 by Victory Press.

Mulan was voiced by Ming Na and her singing voice was provided by Broadway singer and actress Lea Salonga.

As they solemnly leave the mountains, they are ambushed by the Huns when Mushu accidentally fired a cannon causing their position to be given away to them, but use of a cannon by Mulan buries most of the enemy forces in an avalanche.

Instead of executing Mulan as the law requires, Li Shang decides to spare her life by leaving her on the mountain as the rest of the army departs for the Imperial City to report the news of the Huns ' demise.

The sequel finds Mulan and Li Shang preparing to marry but distracted by a task from the Emperor, who wants his three daughters escorted to their own marriage ceremony.

Mulan is a 1998 American animated musical film directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, with story by Robert D. San Souci and screenplay by Rita Hsiao, Philip LaZebnik, Chris Sanders, Eugenia Bostwick-Singer, and Raymond Singer.

However, the avalanche failed to eliminate all the enemies, as Mulan catches sight of a small number of surviving Huns, including Shan Yu, making their way to the City intent on capturing the Emperor.

In the Imperial City, Mulan attempts to warn Li Shang about Shan Yu, but he refuses to listen.

As Shang prevents Shan Yu from assassinating the Emperor, Mulan lures the Hun onto the roof where she engages him in single combat.

However it is revealed that several Hun warriors including Shan Yu survive the avalanche, and Mulan catches sight of them as they make their way to the City, intent on capturing the Emperor.

In the Imperial City, Mulan attempts to warn Li Shang about Shan Yu, but he refuses to listen.

As Shang prevents Shan Yu from assassinating the Emperor, Mulan lures the Hun onto the roof where she engages him in single combat.

* Mulan: Mulan, Mushu, Cri-Kee, Shang, Yao, Ling, Chien-Po, Fa Zhou, Fa Li, Grandma Fa, Shan Yu, and Chi-Fu.

His voice acting in Mulan ( 1998 ), as the villain Hun leader Shan Yu, is also especially memorable.

* Mulan ( 1998 ), as the villain Hun leader Shan Yu ( voice )

# REDIRECT List of Mulan characters # Shan Yu

* Shan Yu ( Mulan )

Mulan appears regularly for meet-and-greets, parades and shows at the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

Mulan makes cameo appearances in the Disney's House of Mouse television series and the direct-to-video release Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse.

* Mulan at Disney Archives

Mulan was the first of three features produced primarily at the Disney animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida.

Mulan is initially misguided by Mushu in how to behave like a man, and starts a ruckus at the training camp.

Mimi Nguyen says the film " pokes fun at the ultimately repressive gender roles that seek to make Mulan a domesticated creature.

Disney was keen to promote Mulan to the Chinese, hoping they might replicate their success with their 1994 film The Lion King, which was one of the country's highest-grossing Western films at that time.

Among the Disney silhouettes at the end are Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Snow White, the Seven Dwarfs, Lady, Tramp, Hyacinth Hippo, Mad Hatter, Rabbit, Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, Magic Carpet, Belle, the Beast, Mrs. Potts, Chip, Mowgli, Baloo, Stitch, Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, the Lost Boys, Quasimodo, Victor, Hugo, Laverne, Dumbo, Brer Bear, Flora, Fauna, Merryweather, Mulan and Terk.

Despite having been shown, in her late teens, as a peppy, lively, cheery social butterfly, the adult Mulan Kato is a darker, brooding character who never speaks ( despite physically able to do so, Mulan prefers speaking as little as she can to prevent the much talkative Britt Reid Jr., and seemingly everyone else, from talking back ) and shows little, if no interest at all, for any form of socialization, a thing that seems to distress the second Green Hornet, every bit the suave socialite his father was.

The main theme song, " To the Stars ", was used in the film Two Brothers, such film trailers as Mulan and Seven Years in Tibet, and clip montages at the Academy Awards, making it a well known film score.