Mulan Movie

McDonald's Corp. kicks off its first global children's meal promotion on Tuesday, tying it to the upcoming "Mulan" animated movie from Walt Disney Co. In 110 countries, children will receive one of eight toys free with the purchase of a Happy Meal under the promotion. Word of the promotion comes only days before McDonald's is expected to inform as many as 700 of the 2,700 employees at its headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., that their jobs have been eliminated.

After months of hesitation, Chinese officials have decided to allow a Mandarin-dubbed version of Disney's animated feature film "Mulan" to gallop across movie screens in the lead character's native China. The decision signals a thaw in previously frosty relations between Beijing and the Walt Disney Co., which is eager to resume catering to the increasingly affluent and entertainment-starved Chinese.

After months of hesitation, Chinese officials have decided to allow a Mandarin-dubbed version of Disney's animated feature film "Mulan" to gallop across movie screens in the lead character's native China. The decision signals a thaw in previously frosty relations between Beijing and the Walt Disney Co., which is eager to resume catering to the increasingly affluent and entertainment-starved Chinese.

"Mulan" may be doing well in Peoria, but will it play in Peking? That is one of the biggest questions surrounding Walt Disney Co.'s latest full-length animated hit, which is raking in healthy receipts at the U.S. box office but has yet to screen here in the land where the movie is set.

The summer box-office temperature just got hotter--finally--as both "The X-Files" movie and "Mulan" charged in with impressive debut weekends. Like Trekkers, X-Philes showed their support for agents Mulder and Scully and made them No. 1, shelling out an estimated $31 million to witness their big-screen adventure in 2,626 theaters for an average of almost $12,000 a screen.

Disney's "Mulan," opening nationally today, already seems to have struck a cyber chord with young people worldwide--and not just with Asians, who may already know the ancient Chinese legend of a brave young girl on which the animated feature is based. Within the past few days, hundreds of "Mulan" fans have posted messages on the Mulan Forum, an Internet Web site created in Mexico by a young Virginia Viadas Diaz.

It's no wonder Disney executives are anxious right about now. A week from today, the studio will release "Mulan"--arguably its riskiest animated feature since 1994's "The Lion King," which was also the company's greatest success. In its formative stages, "Lion King" was disparaged even inside some quarters at Disney as "the dog project." Nonbelievers feared it wouldn't work because it was an unfamiliar story about animals and had no human characters.

One reason for the success of Disney's "Mulan," which opened strongly last Friday, is the portrayal of the title character, the girl who puts on her father's armor and takes his place in the Imperial Chinese Army. Mulan is the first Asian heroine in an American animated feature, and her character represents a new way of depicting women in animation. Capable and intelligent, if somewhat maladroit, she's a welcome departure from the spunky girls and increasingly snide women in recent features.

John Seeker, a retired New Zealander on tour, had hoped for a band in the Disneyland parade, maybe a jazzy taste of New Orleans. But he didn't complain when the menu turned out Chinese, a la Disney: a 150-foot dragon/Great Wall puppet, acrobats spinning plates on sticks and pots on their heads, a 30-foot inflated "villain" tied up like a Macy's float in bondage, soldiers cross-dressed as "concubines." "Terrific.

"Mulan" may be doing well in Peoria, but will it play in Peking? That is one of the biggest questions surrounding Walt Disney Co.'s latest full-length animated hit, which is raking in healthy receipts at the U.S. box office but has yet to screen here in the land where the movie is set.

One reason for the success of Disney's "Mulan," which opened strongly last Friday, is the portrayal of the title character, the girl who puts on her father's armor and takes his place in the Imperial Chinese Army. Mulan is the first Asian heroine in an American animated feature, and her character represents a new way of depicting women in animation. Capable and intelligent, if somewhat maladroit, she's a welcome departure from the spunky girls and increasingly snide women in recent features.

Fans of movie musicals will probably recognize the singing voice of Mulan's spunky Grandmother Fa in Disney's current animated hit musical, "Mulan." Though June Foray, alias Rocky of "Rocky & Bullwinkle" fame, is the speaking voice of the spry senior citizen, it is Marni Nixon who supplies Grandmother Fa's lilting soprano singing voice. Nixon, 68, is cinema's most famous ghost singer. She trilled such standards as "Shall We Dance?"

First-weekend results for 20th Century Fox's "The X-Files" and Walt Disney Co.'s "Mulan" are deceptive in terms of profitability. While both got off to solid starts--$30.1 million for "X-Files" and about $22.7 million for "Mulan"--U.S. grosses will tell only part of the story. Both films illustrate why studios are so hungry for franchises. "X-Files" cost $66 million and is likely to reach $80 million to $100 million at U.S. box office.

The summer box-office temperature just got hotter--finally--as both "The X-Files" movie and "Mulan" charged in with impressive debut weekends. Like Trekkers, X-Philes showed their support for agents Mulder and Scully and made them No. 1, shelling out an estimated $31 million to witness their big-screen adventure in 2,626 theaters for an average of almost $12,000 a screen.

Disney's "Mulan," opening nationally today, already seems to have struck a cyber chord with young people worldwide--and not just with Asians, who may already know the ancient Chinese legend of a brave young girl on which the animated feature is based. Within the past few days, hundreds of "Mulan" fans have posted messages on the Mulan Forum, an Internet Web site created in Mexico by a young Virginia Viadas Diaz.

John Seeker, a retired New Zealander on tour, had hoped for a band in the Disneyland parade, maybe a jazzy taste of New Orleans. But he didn't complain when the menu turned out Chinese, a la Disney: a 150-foot dragon/Great Wall puppet, acrobats spinning plates on sticks and pots on their heads, a 30-foot inflated "villain" tied up like a Macy's float in bondage, soldiers cross-dressed as "concubines." "Terrific.

For years it seemed that Asian women were doomed to be portrayed in American popular culture as dragon ladies, whores or as ever-suffering, submissive Madame Butterflies. But now, lo and behold, multiculturalism has spread out of the academy and brought us a new breed of startlingly smart, fiery, independent Asian women.

First-weekend results for 20th Century Fox's "The X-Files" and Walt Disney Co.'s "Mulan" are deceptive in terms of profitability. While both got off to solid starts--$30.1 million for "X-Files" and about $22.7 million for "Mulan"--U.S. grosses will tell only part of the story. Both films illustrate why studios are so hungry for franchises. "X-Files" cost $66 million and is likely to reach $80 million to $100 million at U.S. box office.

McDonald's Corp. kicks off its first global children's meal promotion on Tuesday, tying it to the upcoming "Mulan" animated movie from Walt Disney Co. In 110 countries, children will receive one of eight toys free with the purchase of a Happy Meal under the promotion. Word of the promotion comes only days before McDonald's is expected to inform as many as 700 of the 2,700 employees at its headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., that their jobs have been eliminated.

For years it seemed that Asian women were doomed to be portrayed in American popular culture as dragon ladies, whores or as ever-suffering, submissive Madame Butterflies. But now, lo and behold, multiculturalism has spread out of the academy and brought us a new breed of startlingly smart, fiery, independent Asian women.