Editing Mulan (1998 film) (section)

===Casting===
Before production began, the production team sought out Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, or Korean vocal talents.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schaefer |title=Disney's newest heroine fights her own battles in 'Mulan'.|newspaper=[[The Boston Herald]]|access-date=June 30, 2015 |date=June 16, 1998 |first=Stephen |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-56377037.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220160823/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-56377037.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 20, 2016}}</ref> [[Tia Carrere]] was an early candidate to voice the title character.<ref>{{cite news|title='Lilo' captures Hawai'i spirit in an appealing way|last=Tsai|first=Michael|url=http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2002/Jun/21/en/en01a.html|newspaper=[[The Honolulu Advertiser]]|date=June 21, 2002|access-date=June 30, 2015|archive-date=October 14, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151014062450/http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2002/Jun/21/en/en01a.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, [[Lea Salonga]], who had been the singing voice of [[Princess Jasmine]] in ''[[Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin]]'', was initially cast to provide both Mulan's speaking and singing voices, but the directors did not find her attempt at a deeper speaking voice when Mulan impersonated Ping convincing, so [[Ming-Na Wen]] was brought in to speak the role. Salonga returned to provide the singing voice.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e1RTP8thtR0C&pg=PA186|title=Disney Voice Actors: A Biographical Dictionary|first=Thomas S.|last=Hischak|publisher=McFarland|year=2011|isbn=978-0-7864-6271-1|page=186|access-date=October 8, 2016|archive-date=September 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924120342/http://books.google.com/books?id=e1RTP8thtR0C&pg=PA186|url-status=live}}</ref> Wen herself landed the role after the filmmakers listened to her narration at the beginning of ''[[The Joy Luck Club (film)|The Joy Luck Club]]''. Coats reflected on her decision, stating, "When we heard Ming-Na doing that voice-over, we knew we had our Mulan. She has a very likable and lovely voice, and those are the qualities we were looking for."<ref name="deseret">{{cite news|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/636796/Mulan-ala-Disney.html?pg=all|title='Mulan' ala Disney|last=Vice|first=Jeff|newspaper=The Deseret News|date=June 19, 1998|access-date=June 30, 2015|archive-date=July 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701035404/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/636796/Mulan-ala-Disney.html?pg=all|url-status=dead}}</ref>

For the role of Mushu, Disney was aiming for top Hollywood talent in the vein of [[Robin Williams]]' performance as the Genie in ''[[Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin]]''.<ref name="deseret" /> The filmmakers initially approached [[Joe Pesci]] and [[Richard Dreyfuss]] until [[Michael Eisner]] considered Eddie Murphy.<ref>{{cite interview|last=Belz|first=Aaron|url=https://www.curatormagazine.com/aaronbelz/the-maker-of-mulans-mushu-speaks/|title=The Maker of Mulan's Mushu Speaks|work=Curator Magazine|date=March 11, 2013|access-date=September 3, 2020|archive-date=December 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231200919/https://www.curatormagazine.com/aaronbelz/the-maker-of-mulans-mushu-speaks/|url-status=live}}</ref> After accepting the role, Murphy initially balked when he was asked to record at the Disney studios, but then asked to record the voice in his basement at his Bubble Hill mansion in [[Englewood, New Jersey]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pearlman |title='Mulan' earns her stripes // Disney banks on a brave new girl|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|access-date=June 30, 2015 |date=June 14, 1998 |first=Cindy |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4446841.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924194422/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4446841.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 24, 2015}}</ref>

For the speaking voice of Captain Li Shang, [[BD Wong]] was hired,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19980617&id=ONBRAAAAIBAJ&pg=4764,5671589&hl=en|title=Busy Donny Osmond makes a captain sing|last=Vancheri|first=Barbara|newspaper=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|pages=E1, E3|date=June 17, 1998|access-date=June 30, 2015|via=[[Google News Archive]]|archive-date=July 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713231149/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19980617&id=ONBRAAAAIBAJ&pg=4764%2C5671589&hl=en|url-status=live}}</ref> although his singing voice, for the song "[[I'll Make a Man Out of You]]", was performed by [[Donny Osmond]], who had previously auditioned to be the speaking voice of the title character in ''[[Hercules (1997 film)|Hercules]]''.<ref name="Donny" /> Osmond's casting originated from a suggestion from the casting director,<ref name="Donny">{{cite news| last=Pearlman |title='Donny & Marie': Round 2|newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times|access-date=June 10, 2015 |date=June 30, 1998| first=Cindy |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4446283.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924194419/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4446283.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 24, 2015}}</ref> and throughout recording, Osmond studied Wong's dialogue tapes, and aimed to match his inflections and personality.<ref>{{cite news | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201044349/http://lubbockonline.com/stories/062698/UK4673.shtml#.VZMFJRHbKM8 | url=http://lubbockonline.com/stories/062698/UK4673.shtml#.VZMFJRHbKM8 | title=Ex-teen idol Osmond provides voice of Shang | work=[[Lubbock Avalanche-Journal]] | publisher=[[Knight Ridder]] | url-status=dead | archive-date=December 1, 2017 | date=June 26, 1998 | access-date=June 30, 2015 }}</ref> Osmond commented that his sons decided that he had finally "made it" in show business when he was in a Disney film.<ref name="CNN">{{cite news | first = Mark | last = Scheerer | title = Donny Osmond rolls with the punches for 'Mulan' success | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924185814/https://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9807/08/donny.osmond/ | url = http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9807/08/donny.osmond/ | publisher = CNN | url-status=dead | archive-date = September 24, 2015 | date = July 8, 1998 | access-date = August 11, 2007}}</ref> Likewise for the role of Grandmother Fa, [[June Foray]] provided the speaking voice, and [[Marni Nixon]] supplied the singing voice.<ref>{{cite news|title=Fa, a Long Long Way to Come|last=King|first=Susan|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jun-25-ca-63261-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=June 25, 1998|access-date=May 25, 2022|archive-date=June 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616165548/http://articles.latimes.com/1998/jun/25/entertainment/ca-63261|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Mimi Chan]] was chosen by [[Mark Henn]] as the model and martial arts video reference for Mulan. Character drawing sessions and live-action video reference shooting was done over the course of three years.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McElroy |first=Joey |date=October 19, 2022 |title=Fantasmic!' Returning to Disney's Hollywood Studios Nov. 3 |url=https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2022/10/fantasmic-returning-to-disneys-hollywood-studios-nov-3/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019163351/https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2022/10/fantasmic-returning-to-disneys-hollywood-studios-nov-3/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 19, 2022 |website=Disney Parks Blog}}</ref> Chan's cousin, George Kee, was chosen to play the part of Captain Shang Li. Together, they choreographed fight sequences for the film's song “[[I'll Make a Man Out of You|I’ll Make a Man Out of You]]” and the film's end finale.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Business Journals |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/print-edition/2015/06/12/how-this-woman-found-success-and-became-the-face.html |access-date=2024-04-11 |website=www.bizjournals.com}}</ref>