Mulan Jr. facts for kids

Mulan Jr. is a fun, one-act musical play. It's based on the popular 1998 Disney animated movie called Mulan. That movie, and this musical, tell the story of a brave Chinese legend named Hua Mulan. This musical uses many songs from the movie. It also brings back some songs that were planned for the film but weren't used. These include songs by Stephen Schwartz, who first wrote music for the Mulan movie. Mulan Jr. is rated G, so it's perfect for families. It has 26 main characters plus a group of performers called an ensemble.

About Mulan Jr.

Mulan Jr. is part of the Broadway Junior series by Music Theatre International (MTI). This series takes bigger musicals and Disney shows and makes them shorter. They become 30-minute shows for younger kids (called KIDS productions) or 60-minute shows for middle school students (called Junior productions).

If a school or group wants to perform Mulan Jr., they can buy a special kit. This kit comes with 30 scripts for the actors. It also has a piano-vocal score for the music director. Plus, there are two CDs with music for rehearsals and performances. A DVD shows all the dance moves. The kit also includes guides for parents to help them support their young actors.

The Story of Mulan Jr.

The musical begins with Mulan's family ancestors. They are Laozi, Lin, Zhang, Hong, and Yun. They set the scene for the day Mulan will meet the Matchmaker. Mulan's father, Fa Zhou, hopes she will make a good match. He prays to the ancestors for her success ("Written in Stone," "Honour to Us All").

But Mulan accidentally messes up her meeting with the Matchmaker. This brings dishonor to her family ("Honor to Us All - Reprise"). Mulan then feels confused about who she is ("Reflection"). Soon, Shan-Yu and the Huns invade China. Chi Fu, the Emperor's advisor, makes Fa Zhou join the army.

Mulan decides to take her father's place. She dresses as a boy and takes his helmet and sword. She runs away from home to join the army ("Written in Stone - Reprise"). The Fa Family ancestors are worried. They send Mushu, a small dragon and a demoted family guardian, to stop Mulan. They fear she will be killed if her secret is found out ("Honor to Us All - Reprise").

On their way to military training, Mushu gives Mulan tips on how to act like a man. He's supposed to bring her home, but he helps her instead ("Keep 'Em Guessing"). Mulan arrives at training and calls herself "Ping." She trains with Captain Shang, Yao, Ling, and Qian-Po ("I'll Make a Man Out of You/Lesson No.1").

The soldiers then travel to a mountain village. They want to protect it from the Huns ("A Girl Worth Fighting For"). But when they arrive, the village is already destroyed. The soldiers are sad about their failure ("A Girl Worth Fighting For – Reprise"). Then, the Huns attack them. Mulan causes an avalanche, which buries the Huns. This allows the soldiers to escape.

Shang trusts "Ping" completely after this. But he soon finds out that "Ping" is Mulan. He doesn't kill her because she saved his life. Instead, he leaves her behind ("Written in Stone/Reflection – Reprise").

Shan-Yu and the Huns dig themselves out of the snow. They head towards the Imperial City to attack. Mulan goes to Shang to warn him ("Written in Stone – Reprise"). But he doesn't listen to her. The Chinese people are celebrating the Huns' defeat at the Emperor's Palace. During the party, Shan-Yu kidnaps the Emperor.

Mulan convinces Shang to listen to her plan. She tells Shang, Yao, Ling, and Qian-Po to dress as women. This way, they can sneak into the palace ("Keep 'Em Guessin' – Reprise"). The men, Mushu, and Mulan split up. The men save the Emperor. Mulan fights and defeats Shan-Yu. Mushu signals the Chinese army to attack. The Huns retreat.

The Emperor praises Mulan for her bravery ("A Girl Worth Fighting For – Reprise"). Mulan returns home, and her father, Fa Zhou, welcomes her. Shang visits Mulan, hoping to become her suitor. The ancestors reward Mushu for helping Mulan bring honor to her family. They promote him to Family Guardian ("Honor to Us All – Finale," "Keep 'Em Guessin' – Bows").

How it's Different from the 1998 Movie

The musical mostly follows the story of the Disney movie. But there are a few changes:

• In the musical, Shang dresses as a woman to sneak into the Emperor's Palace. In the movie, he stays dressed as a man.
• Qian-Po is called Chien-Po in the film.
• A scene where Mulan bathes with Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po in the movie is not in Mulan Jr..

The songs are also a bit different:

• The musical brings back "Written in Stone" and "Keep 'em Guessing." These songs were written for the 1998 film but were not used.
• "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from the 1998 movie is combined with "Lesson Number One." "Lesson Number One" was in Mulan II (2004). This new song is used during the training part of the musical.
• Songs like "Honor to Us All," "Reflection," and "Girl Worth Fighting For" from the Disney movie are used and repeated in the musical.

Main Characters

• Mulan - A brave young woman who pretends to be a man to join the army. She saves her father and the Emperor.
• Ancestors - The spirits of Mulan's family who watch over them.
  • Laozi - Represents honor.
  • Lin - Represents loyalty.
  • Zhang - Represents strength.
  • Hong - Represents destiny.
  • Yun - Represents love.
• Mushu - A small, funny dragon who is a demoted family guardian. He helps Mulan.
• Fa Zhou - Mulan's father.
• Fa Li - Mulan's mother.
• Grandmother Fa - Mulan's grandmother.
• The Matchmaker - A woman who tries to find good husbands for young women.
• Shang - A captain in the Chinese army. He is Mulan's leader and later her friend.
• Chi Fu - An advisor to the Emperor and Shang.
• Shan-Yu - The fierce leader of the Huns.
• Yao - A Chinese soldier who becomes Mulan's friend.
• Ling - A Chinese soldier who becomes Mulan's friend.
• Qian-Po - A Chinese soldier who becomes Mulan's friend.
• The Emperor - The ruler of China who honors Mulan for her bravery.
• Ensemble - The group of other performers in the show.

Musical Songs

• Written in Stone (Part one) - Ancestors
• Written in Stone (Part two) - Fa Zhou, Yun, Fa Li, Grandmother Fa, Lin, Laozi, Hong, Ensemble
• Written in Stone (Part three) - Ancestors and Ensemble
• Honor to Us All (Part one) - Fa Zhou, Mulan, Ancestors, Fa Li, Grandmother Fa
• Honor to Us All (Part two) - Mulan, Grandmother Fa, Ensemble
• Honor to Us all (Part three) - Hong, Lin, Laozi, Yun, Fa Zhou, Mulan
• Reflection - Mulan, Ancestors, Fa Li, Grandmother Fa, Fa Zhou
• Written in Stone (Reprise) - Mushu, Ancestors, Mulan, Fa Zhou
• Honor to Us All (Reprise) - Mushu
• Keep 'em Guessing (Part one) - Mushu, Mulan, Ensemble
• Keep 'em Guessing (Part two) - Mulan, Mushu, Ensemble
• I'll Make a Man/Lesson No. 1 - Shang, Qian-Po, Yao, Ling, Mushu, Mulan
• A Girl Worth Fighting For - Ling, Mulan, Yao, Qian- Po, Mushu, Chi-Fu, Ensemble, Shang
• A Girl Worth Fighting For (Reprise) - Mulan, Ensemble
• Written In Stone /Reflection (Reprise) - Mulan and Ancestors
• Written In Stone (Reprise) - Mushu and Mulan
• Keep 'em Guessing (Reprise) - Shang, Mulan, Yao, Ling, Qian-Po, Mushu
• A Girl Worth Fighting For (Reprise)/Coming Home - Emperor, Shang, Yao, Ling, Qian-Po, Mulan, Fa Zhou
• Honor to Us All (Finale) - Company
• Keep 'em Guessin' (Bows) - Company