Mushu
Mushu is a fictional character in Disney's Mulan franchise, first appearing in the 1998 animated film Mulan. A small Chinese dragon, Mushu was a spiritual guardian of Mulan's family before he was demoted for failing to protect an ancestor. He plans to redeem himself by ensuring Mulan's safety and success when she enlists herself in the army in her father's place, ultimately becoming her best friend. In the sequel Mulan II, he attempts to sabotage Mulan's impending marriage in order to remain her guardian.
Although Mulan is based on the Chinese legend about Hua Mulan, Mushu is an original character created specifically for the film, at the suggestion of Roy E. Disney. The creators decided to make the dragon small as to not appear imposing next to Mulan. Inspired by Robin Williams' performance as the Genie in Aladdin (1992), Mulan's producers hoped to cast another comedian as Mushu, and had originally hired Joe Pesci in the role. After deciding to go in an African-American direction for Mulan's sidekick, they cast Eddie Murphy, who recorded all of his dialogue from his home studio due to scheduling conflicts. Supervising animator Tom Bancroft studied both Chinese culture and dragon characters from previous animated Disney films to design the character, while drawing inspiration from Murphy's previous work and mannerisms.
Mushu's characterization was generally well received by American critics and audiences. Most reviewers praised Murphy's performance, but some felt the character diminished the seriousness of the film's subject matter. Meanwhile, reception towards Mushu in China was negative, with viewers accusing him of mocking Chinese culture and dragons. Several publications have ranked him as one of Disney's greatest sidekicks. Disney's decision to not include the character in the 2020 live-action adaptation of Mulan in an effort to be more culturally sensitive to Chinese audiences drew mixed reviews from fans of Mushu.
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