An Original 'Mulan' Star Makes a Surprise Cameo in the 2020 Remake

Erica Gonzales
·4 min read
Photo credit: Disney
Photo credit: Disney

From Harper's BAZAAR

WARNING: Spoilers ahead.

  • The live-action remake of animated classic, Mulan, is now streaming on Disney+.

  • This version stars Liu Yifei as the titular hero, but it also includes a cameo from Ming-Na Wen, who voiced the character in the 1998 version.

  • Viewers reacted with surprise on Twitter.

Disney's live-action remake of Mulan includes a big surprise for fans of the original film: There's a cameo from Ming-Na Wen, the actress who voiced the leading warrior in the 1998 animated version.

At the end of the 2020film, after Hua Mulan (played by Liu Yifei) defeats the villainous invader Bori Khan and thus saves all of China, she is presented to the emperor (Jet Li) and the people of the Imperial City by a woman played by Wen. As the two make their way down the lustrous aisle of the emperor's palace, an instrumental of "Reflection" plays in the background, adding another nostalgic touch to the scene.

Wen's surprise appearance was sadly short-lived, but viewers nonetheless celebrated the cameo on Twitter.

Wen attended the premiere for the live-action Mulan in March, when it was originally intended to hit theaters, and looked back on celebrating the release of the original over 20 years ago.

"Two premieres, 22 years apart, celebrating the beautiful story of Fa Mulan," she wrote on Instagram at the time. "I am so grateful to @disney for keeping the folklore of this Chinese woman warrior alive with this marvelous live-action film."

View this post on Instagram

Mulan 1998 & 2020 •••••••••••••••••• Two premieres, 22 years apart, celebrating the beautiful story of Fa Mulan. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I am so grateful to @disney for keeping the folklore of this Chinese woman warrior alive with this marvelous live-action film. What a treat to be on the red carpet with my family & with the new Mulan @yifei_cc (who will rock your world with her badassery!). It was incredible to sit with my 1998 Mulan gang, the wonderful animation team of writers, producers & directors (Rita Hsaio, Pam Coats, Chris Sanders, Barry Cook & Tony Bancroft). ❤️🥰❤️🥰 The 2020 @mulan gang brought honor to the house of #Mulan!!Congratulations! You all have to see it when it comes out March 27th! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼@donnieyenofficial, @tzima8, @chao_time, @ronyuan, @officialgongli, @jasonscottlee, Jason T. Reed, Chris Bender, @nikicaro.

A post shared by Ming-Na Wen (@mingna_wen) on Mar 10, 2020 at 8:39am PDT

Reflecting on her character's legacy and impact, she also told Entertainment Weekly in 2018, "It’s incredible to meet these people and have them tell me their stories of how it’s influenced them and inspired them [because] they don’t feel like they were represented, which was something I never thought about because all I thought about was this folklore. Now when you see the Disney princesses, they’re all very independent and they don’t need someone to save them — that’s the legacy of Mulan, which is wonderful.”

Watch Mulan (2020)

Watch Mulan (1998)

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