Former Disney animator Tom Bancroft shares a video showing a series of early design sketches for Eddies Murphy’s mushu from 1998’s Mulan.
Former Disney animator Tom Bancroft shares a video showing a series of early design sketches for Eddies Murphy’s 1998 mushu mulan. Murphy voiced the little dragon and former guardian of the Fa family in the animated musical adventure film. Murphy starred alongside Ming-Na Wen, who provided the voice of the titular heroine.
Released in 1998, mulan is inspired by the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan and follows Wen’s Mulan as she takes her father’s place in the Chinese Army when he is drafted. Mulan disguises himself as a man to join the ranks of the Imperial Army in their fight against the invading Huns, and is aided by the disgraced Mushu, who hopes to win back the praise of the Fa family ancestor spirits by killing her guide in their search. During the Live Action 2020 mulan Remake Cut Mushu, the character was an important part of the original animated feature film, both as a source of comedy and as Mulan’s companion on her journey.
With the film recently surpassing the 24th anniversary of its release, one of the feature films’ animators has given fans a glimpse into the development of Mushu’s design. In a video posted to his personal TikTok account to celebrate the milestone, Bancroft shows off a series of sketches mulan‘s early stages of production in 1991. In the video, the character’s original designer shows a series of character arcs and sketches of Mushu that were created to see how the character’s facial expressions might work alongside Murphy’s performance. In some sheets, Bancroft notes that Mushu once had longer, more curved horns, which were shortened to reduce animation problems that might arise. In addition to Mushu, Bancroft also shows a brief glimpse of sketches of the dragon alongside Mulan and Cri-Kee (Frank Welker), as well as various sketches of Pocahontas (Irene Bedard) that were stored alongside the mulan artwork.
To watch Bancroft’s original video on TikTok, click here
Despite his absence, Mushu’s role as family guard remained part of the remake and was instead filled with a phoenix, representing the ancestors of Liu Yifei’s Mulan. However, the director of the 2020 live-action remake, Niki Caro, denied it was a direct update of the beloved dragon. Caro explained that the phoenix was chosen to act as a guardian to further tie into the film’s exploration of gender fluidity, with the mythical bird symbolizing femininity.
A classic that during the “Disney Renaissance“Period at the end of the 20th mulan has become popular for its storyline, character arcs, and unforgettable musical moments, and stands out among Disney’s animated films of the 1990s. As such, Bancroft’s look behind the design of one of his most memorable characters is a perfect way to celebrate the film’s anniversary. The video not only shows the development of Mushu’s design, but also confirms that both the character and Murphy’s casting were important considerations throughout the film’s development, proving why he is pivotal to the popular Disney animated film.
Source: Tom Bancroft/TikTok
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