Ming-Na Wen has shared a behind-the-scenes image from Mulan to celebrate the film's 24th anniversary. Wen had been acting for almost 15 years before Mulan hit theaters, but the Disney movie quickly became one of her most popular films. While starring in dozens of projects over the years, Wen has maintained a consistent working relationship with Disney, becoming part of two of their biggest franchises. Wen played a huge role in Agents of SHIELD as Melinda May before joining the Star Wars universe as Fennec Shand, who was introduced in The Mandalorian before having a starring role in The Book of Boba Fett. Despite these two roles, Mulan is still considered her most famous.
Mulan premiered in 1998 with Wen voicing the titular character, B.D. Wong as Shang, and Eddie Murphy as Mushu. Directors Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook were able to give Disney another hit, with Mulan reaching critical acclaim upon release and getting an Oscar nomination for Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score. There are several memorable characters throughout Disney's long history, yet Mulan has consistently remained one of their most popular since it came near the end of Disney's Renaissance period.
While it may be hard to believe, Mulan debuted in theaters 24 years ago on June 19, 1998, and Wen is celebrating the movie's anniversary. Wen recently posted a picture of herself in the '90s holding two statues of Mulan in front of a wall of art from the film to wish the Disney classic a happy birthday. Check out the actor's original post below:
Click here to see the post on Instagram
Mulan remains one of Disney's most unforgettable films, and the studio tried to follow up on the success with the direct-to-DVD movie Mulan II in 2004. The sequel couldn't reach critical acclaim as its predecessor, and Disney struck out again in 2020 with their live-action Mulan. 2020's Mulan struggled at the box office mainly because of the pandemic and the dual release on Disney+, but reviews for the remake were also scathing. Even the backing of Mulan was criticized as Disney saw harsh backlash for filming near detention camps in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In short, like many of Disney's live-action remakes, Mulan didn't even come close to matching the quality of the original.
Even though 2020's Mulan was not a success, that doesn't mean the legacy of the 1998 movie was tarnished by any means. Wen's character is still widely popular to this day, and she even returned to voice Mulan for a cameo role in Ralph Breaks the Internet a few years ago. Given Disney's success with projects Wen has been a part of, she will likely continue working with the studio, especially if Fennec Shand has a large role in the growing Star Wars universe. Regardless of her future, Mulan's legacy will live on, and hopefully, Disney will do something special next year for its 25th anniversary.
Source: Ming-Na Wen