The 1998 Disney movie, Mulan, has led children who were fans of the movie to turn into adults who are tattooed with the Mulan imagery.
Disney has always been a hotbed of imagery and subjects to have tattooed on the body. Mulan is no different. Fans of the movie have been getting more and more Mulan tattoos as time goes on and kids become adults. Mulan was an extremely popular movie by Disney and the impact is still being felt today.
In this post we will talk about the Disney movie, Mulan, and why it is such a fan favorite. We will also go over the different Mulan tattoo variations and what they mean to the people who wear them. We hope that by the end of this article, you will feel more in touch with the people who love this movie so much and if you haven’t gone out and seen the movie yet, do yourself a favor.
About Mulan
Mulan is a retelling of a story in Chinese folklore. It is about a young Chinese girl who chooses to make a big decision for her family’s sake. Mulan is the only child in her family. When China was invaded by the Huns, one man from all families was called to join the cause. However, since there was no son, Mulan’s father decided he would join the cause. However, Mulan’s father has an old injury from war and it is known that he will most likely not survive the battle.
Being the tough and ambitious daughter that Mulan is, she decides to take her father’s place in battle. She prays to her ancestors for good luck and protection before she puts on her father’s armor and goes into battle pretending to be a man. The ancestors wake up and hear her prayers. However, they are not into the idea of Mulan going into battle.
The ancestors send down a dishonored dragon named Mushu to try and dissuade Mulan from her quest to fight in this war. However, once Mushu meets Mulan he realizes that getting her to walk away from this quest is going to be impossible so instead, he decides to help her along the way.
Mulan is able to pass as a man, but her skills are still lacking. Mushu tries to help with his clumsy guidance on how to behave more like a man. She eventually becomes a trained warrior ready for battle. Under the guidance of Captain Li Shang, the warriors are now heading to face the Huns. However, Mushu, trying to protect Mulan, creates a fake order from Shang’s father stating they should follow the main army into the mountains. When they arrive, they see the army has been demolished by the Huns.
As Mulan and the troops leave the mountains, they are ambushed by the Huns. Shan Yu, the leader of the Huns, slashes Mulan across the chest. However, she is able to escape and fire a cannon into the mountains causing an avalanche that buries the Huns.
When dressing Mulan’s wounds, they discover her gender but instead of executing her, they spare her life. She is left to follow alone. Mulan then finds out that some Huns, including Shan Yu, have survived the avalanche and are heading to the city to capture the Emperor. Mulan tries to inform the right people, but nobody listens.
Shan Yu and the Huns are able to take the city and capture the Emperor. Now it is up to Mulan and her friends to save the day. They are able to enter the palace disguised as concubines. With the help of her friends, they are able to defeat Shan Yu’s soldiers and save the Emperor. Mulan then lures Shan Yu to the roof where Mushu is waiting to fire a skyrocket at him.
In the end, everything goes to plan, and Mulan and her friends save China. The Emperor praises Mulan and asks her to stay on as an advisor but Mulan goes home with her family.
Mulan Tattoo Variations
When getting your own Mulan tattoo, there are many ways this can be done. We have seen a few different variations of this tattoo and we wanted to share them with you below. There are many more ways to get your own Mulan tattoo, but we hope you can pull some ideas from these.
Mulan Tattoo
Getting the tattoo of Mulan, herself, is probably the most common Mulan tattoo. She can be tattooed in her warrior armor, in battle or as the simple daughter she was before and after the war. Mulan is a symbol of power for women. She shows us all that women are capable of anything a man can do and they can usually do it just as well.
Mulan Dragon Tattoo
The Mulan dragon tattoo would be a depiction of her sidekick, Mushu. Mushu was everything you would want in a friend and really looked out for Mulan. This is why the Mushu tattoo is such a popular image to have inked. Mushu represents friendship and doing anything for that friend. With his big eyes and red scales, Mushu is a loveable dragon. You might even see a tattoo of Mushu with Mulan.
Mulan Cricket Tattoo
Cri-Kee is the lucky cricket given to Mulan’s grandmother. She believes Cri-Kee will be a good luck charm for Mulan in battle, so he hangs around Mushu and Mulan during the story. Cri-Kee is a nagging sidekick to Mushu. He gets annoyed by Mushu’s selfish plans and schemes but eventually warms up to him. While Mushu thinks he is looking out for Mulan, Cri-Kee is keeping an eye on him.
Mulan is a great Disney movie with plenty of fun stories and characters to immortalize on the skin by way of a tattoo. You may want to look for an artist with a bit of new school tattooing experience to do your Mulan tattoo. If you aren’t sure who to go to, we can help by giving you a recommendation.