Mushu
Fictional character / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mushu[1] is a fictional character in Disney's Mulan franchise, first appearing in the 1998 animated film of the same name. A small Chinese dragon, Mushu was a guardian of Mulan's family before being demoted for failing to protect an ancestor. He plots to redeem himself by ensuring Mulan's safety and success when she enlists herself in the army in her father's place, ultimately becoming her closest confidant.
Mushu | |
---|---|
Mulan character | |
First appearance | Mulan (1998) |
Created by | Robert D. San Souci |
Designed by | Tom Bancroft (supervising animator) |
Voiced by | Eddie Murphy
|
In-universe information | |
Species | Chinese dragon |
Although Mulan is based on the Chinese legend Hua Mulan, Mushu is an original character created specifically for the film, at the suggestion of Roy E. Disney. Inspired by Robin Williams' performance as the Genie in Aladdin (1992), Mulan's producers hoped to cast a comedian as Mushu, and had originally hired Joe Pesci in the role. After deciding to go in an African-American direction for the film's sidekick, they cast Eddie Murphy, who recorded his dialogue from his home studio due to scheduling conflicts. Supervising animator Tom Bancroft studied both Chinese culture and dragon characters from previous Disney animated films to design the character, while drawing inspiration from Murphy's previous work and mannerisms.
Mushu's humor was generally well-received by American critics and audiences. Most reviewers praised Murphy's performance, but some found the character distracted from and weakened the film's otherwise serious message. Meanwhile, Mushu was poorly received in China, with viewers accusing him of trivializing Chinese culture. Several publications have ranked him as one of Disney's greatest sidekicks. Disney's decision to not include the character in the 2020 live-action adaptation of Mulan in an effort to be more culturally sensitive to Chinese audiences drew mixed reviews from fans of the character.