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18. Enter Disney
Some fans of the Mulan legend attribute The Warrior Woman as the source which inspired Disney to create the animated film Mulan. The belief stems from the fact the book shares the surname Fa with the movie. In the animated version of the legend, Mulan is Han Chinese, the enemies are Huns. Defenders of the Disney version often claim Huns are another accepted term for the Xiongnu, though most scholars dispute it. The Xiongnu center of power was in the area now mostly occupied by Mongolia, while the Huns of the time upon which the legend of Mulan was built were to the west, along the Volga River. While the producers of Mulan practiced considerable artistic license, they did include some of the more frequently reported aspects of the legend. Among them was Mulan’s refusal of a prominent position as an award for her service.
It was Disney’s animated film which made Mulan popular in the Western world. It spawned, among other things, an animated sequel, Mulan II (direct to video and poorly received), television programs, plays, children’s books, toys, and more. Disney followed on the success with a live-action film of the same title in 2020. Along with creating the awareness of the Mulan legend in the west, it generated debate over the historicity of the character, which continues in the 21st century. The debate involves scholars, historians, archaeologists, linguists, and simple fans of the movie and subsequent entertainments based on the legend. Arguments for Mulan’s historical reality are offered on both sides, often using the same sources to present their position.