Mulan 1996 version

I’m a Disney adult, I’ve been an admirer of Disney films since I was a kid but the only movie, I ever had growing up in the Disney Renaissance was Mulan on VHS. I did eventually get around to watching the other Renaissance movies in my teens but all I had as a kid was Mulan. She is the first Disney princess that I know of or at least comes to my mind.
To my surprise, there was an earlier version of the movie made in 1996. I brought a collection of tapes from an eBay seller at the height of the pandemic. There wasn’t much to do in lockdown other than watching TV and being online. It was a perfect opportunity to revisit some 90s nostalgia, in the collection listed a “rare version of the 98 film Mulan” as the seller described it. I messaged the seller about the rare Mulan tape in his possession, and he messaged me back telling me he never watched the “rare” Mulan tape other than the background he was given when he acquired it. Developed in late 1995 it was previewed to a test audience the following year to an entirely negative response from both the audience and execs, he never explained why though. After the disastrous preview, the film was pushed back for a year and reworked into what we now know today, with the 96 version getting trashed and forgotten.
The seller arranged a time for delivery and about a week later I got the collection. Zero-contact delivery of course because covid. The collection came in a stereotypical brown cardboard box, and it was a stack of normal VHS tapes for movies I’ve never heard of. Nothing weird about the movies either just cheap thriller flicks from the early to mid-90s. I rummaged through the box and found the quote on quote “rare” Mulan tape. The tape came in the usual Mulan case that was released back in the 90s I inspected the tape, and I could tell that this was a one of kind tape. At least I hadn’t been scammed.
I put the tape inside the VCR, and it began to play. The movie started as it does in the official release with only cosmetic changes to the characters and certain scenes played differently but were the same as they were in the final movie except when Shan Yu pulled out his sword and swung it at that guy who lit the fire. It cut away before any actual death happened a bit dark but fitting for Shan Yu as he is a bad guy. Cutting to the Imperial palace where Shang’s father informs the emperor of Yu’s invasion. The emperor looked frailer, and he had this raspy voice that sounded like he had a 40-a day-habit and then gave up on it when he turned 70. The voice actor was not the same guy they got in the finished movie but whoever they originally had really nailed the voice of a miserable weak supercentenarian.
Chi-Fu was a lot uglier and pathetic looking even more misogynistic and bigoted too calling the Huns “Mongolian worms”. Not surprising as Chi-Fu is supposed to be an asshole throughout the entire movie. Then it caught up to Mulan preparing to see the matchmaker, as she’s writing her lines on her wrist and reading them out she retains the same voice actress Ming-Na Wen which was pretty cool until her dad calls her.
“Mulan, Mulan!” he screamed, Fa Zhou also sounded different almost a lot meaner and he wasn’t this pleasant wise man that I remembered.
“Yes, father?” Mulan wearily answered.
“Do you know what day it is?” Fa Zhou asked.
“Yes, father today is-“ Mulan is cut off.
“Today is the day when you’re supposed to see the matchmaker! Stop being lazy and get dressed or you’ll be late!” Fa Zhou was impatient and demanding clearly a different character than I knew from my childhood. Zhou walked away and Mulan bowed her head in sadness then suddenly there was a new scene of Mulan sneaking up on her father and bludgeoning him to death. Then after that it was straight to the next scene with the “You will Honour Us all” song. What was that? I mean it has nothing to do with the actual movie and Zhou is still alive after the meeting with the matchmaker. Did some frustrated animator add that just so they can get back at Disney? I don’t know, also Cri-Kee doesn’t appear in the next scene.
Mulan’s appointment with the matchmaker goes horribly wrong and Mulan leaves in disgrace. It was raining and Mulan rode back on her horse. She stopped outside the front entrance to her farm for a couple of moments with a scared look like she knows what’s going to happen next as the downpour wiped away her makeup. She walks into her house where her father is waiting, he was not happy. Zhou started to scold and yell at Mulan for “dishonouring the family” the context was so disgusting and vile that I refuse to type out the actual lines Zhou said. Her father tells her to get out to “think about what she done” and she sits in the rain on the Great Stone Dragon sobbing to herself. I felt bad for Mulan, and I hated this version of Fa Zhou.
Chi Fu arrives to deliver the conscription notices to the people. Fa Zhou receives his notice but as he does so Mulan protests which was strange considering the emotional abuse he inflicted onto her earlier. Chi-Fu shuts her up and the next thing he said shocked me.
“Tell your bitch of a daughter to hold her tongue in a man’s presence”.
Swearing in a kid’s movie? And especially bitch of all words who in their right mind thought that was appropriate for Mulan. Fa Zhou being the abusive parent that he is angrily orders Mulan back into the house, she does what she is told. Later, Mulan is sitting on her bed again bowing her down. The only sounds were howling wind, heavy rain, and…. whispers. Yeah, whispers in Mulan’s voice I couldn’t tell what they were saying but it wasn’t nice. I did, however, catch the whispers saying.
“These men don’t see your worth, take your father’s sword and cut open the stomach of the Huns.”
Mulan lifted her head up and the camera zoomed into her face. Mulan looked angry and cold at the same time. That face alone frightened me it was as if she was going to kill someone. Mulan cuts her hair and ties it into a bun and put on her father’s armour. She steals the horse and sets off unlike in the finished movie Mulan does not honour her ancestors. I was expecting the ancestors or Mushu to appear at this point, but it looks like Mushu didn’t even exist in this version of the film.
There’s no Mulan practicing being a man scene and her horse just acted like any regular horse. She arrives at camp and walks into a seemingly deserted camp. Meanwhile, Shang and his father are discussing strategy to defeat the Huns. Li says he will confront Shan Yu in Tung Shao Pass like in the normal movie. Shang is ordered to stay in the camp to train the recruits with Chi-Fu supervising him of course. What followed was a boring training montage like when I mean boring, I mean really boring. There was no “I’ll make a man out of you” and Shang does not address Mulan as Ping, nor does he seem to notice her at least there’s no complaints from Chi-Fu. Mulan doesn’t make any friends in the camp like she does in the 98 version though I did spot Yao, Ling, and Chien Po in the background. They looked different than in the movie I know.
Training finishes and some guy on a horse comes to camp to deliver Chi-Fu a message to meet Shang’s father at the front. The troops march to Tung Shao in a deary robotic fashion with again no song like “A woman worth fighting for” at all. They reach the Tung Shao Pass and discover Shang’s father and his battalion dead. They were actual bodies but no gore or anything like that more like they died from a heart attack with a stern look etched on their faces. Everyone was emotionless except for Shang but no consolation from Mulan. Eventually the troops move on, and I wonder how they were going to present the actual battle scene with the Huns because without Mushu, the Huns wouldn’t have barrage the troops with arrows without knowing where they’re.
I got my answer apparently the writers and animators just set up a cliché battle with both sides staring each other down until the Huns charge. Mulan breaks rank and runs towards Shan Yu with her sword drawn surprising Shang and the others. She approaches the charging Shan Yu and they both fight until an avalanche occurs on its own and without interference from Mulan. It catches Mulan off guard allowing Yu to make a precise strike on her abdomen as in the final movie. Everyone stops fighting including the Huns and run for dear life, but they’re all swept up in the avalanche.
The avalanche ceases and Shang’s troops survive with no casualties. They reorganise themselves until Mulan collapses from her wound what happened next will forever haunt me. Mulan recovers like she does in the normal movie but the doctor reveals that she is a woman. Chi-Fu drags her outside and outs her for what she really is. The troops stare at her, no shock just a cold stare then they approach her Mulan tries to back away pleading but it’s no use. The movie cuts away to the mountains with Mulan screaming bloody murder. It was like the actress Ming-Na Wen was actually in distress and I will tell you once you hear that screaming it never leaves you. I thought they killed her at first but immediately afterwards Mulan is on the ground bleeding. I could see she was still breathing. It was dark and that eerie howling wind returned, the scene stays like this for the remaining runtime of the movie.
Mulan started to cry I didn’t like the implications of what had just taken place and then I noticed something overlaid on the screen. A live action black and white video of guys being tortured by a girl with white makeup dressed like a bride from Ancient China. Hey wasn’t Mulan dressed like that around the start of the movie? I thought, the torture was pretty graphic too, but I won’t get into that. Shan Yu’s face did appear staring at the screen for a few seconds. Then the torture video stopped, and another one played this time showing Mulan being cheered on by a crowd of people, they called her the “Hero of China” before the tape stopped.
That was dark! What were they thinking when they made this? I tried to return the tape to the seller but… he deleted his account shortly after I got the tape.
Category:Lost Movies
Category:Alternate Movies
Category:Disney
Category:Mulan