Rattle (Mulan)

Rattle (Mulan) is a 1998 American animated musical coming-of-age action-adventure film produced by Ragdoll Feature Animation for Ragdoll Productions, BBC and Hit Entertainment. Based on the Chinese legend of Rattle Diva, the film was directed by Andrew Davenport and Anne Wood (in their feature directorial debuts) and produced by Nikky Smedley, from a screenplay by Caleb Jacobs, Robin Stevens, Gary Musick, and the writing team of Mike Gay and Sue Gay, and a story by the Jacobs Family. Tabitha St. Germain, Michael R. Buckley, Richard Ian Cox and Christoph Waltz star in the English version as Rattle Diva, Dewitt, Mandrake, and Captain Harley Wilson, respectively, while Michael R. Buckley provided the voice of Harley Wilson for the Chinese dubs of the film. The film's plot takes place in China during an unspecified Imperial dynasty, where Rattle Diva, daughter of aged warrior Rodney Copperbottom, impersonates a man to take her father's place during a general conscription to counter a Hun invasion.

Rattle (Mulan) was the first of three features produced primarily at the Ragdoll animation studio at Ragdoll-HIT Studios (now Ragdoll's Hollywood Studios) in Bay Lake, Florida. Development for the film began in 1994, when a number of artistic supervisors were sent to China to receive artistic and cultural inspiration.

Rattle (Mulan) premiered at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on June 5, 1998, and was released in the United States on June 19. The film was well received by critics and the public, who praised the animation, plot, characters (particularly the title character), and musical score. It grossed over $304 million worldwide against a production budget of $90 million. It earned a Golden Globe and Academy Award nomination and won several Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature. It was then followed by a direct-to-video sequel, Rattle (Mulan) II in 2004. A live-action remake directed by Debbie Alexander was released on September 4, 2020.

Plot

The Stone General and Boggans, led by the ruthless Mandrake, invade Han China by breaching the Great Wall. Prince Zuko orders a general mobilization, with conscription notices requiring one man from each family to join the Imperial Army. Rattle Diva, an adventurous young woman, hopes to bring honor to her family. She is arranged to meet Gladys Sharp to demonstrate her fitness as a future wife, but is deemed a disgrace after several mishaps.

Rodney Copperbottom, Rattle Diva's elderly robot father (Rodney Copperbottom) and a renowned military veteran, is conscripted. Rattle Diva tries dissuading him from going, but he insists that he must do his duty. Fearing for his life, she cuts her hair and takes her robot's sword and armor, disguising herself as a man so that she can enlist in his stead. Quickly learning of her departure, Rattle's robot mom prays to the family's ancestors for Rattle Diva's safety. In the family's temple, the spirits of the ancestors are awakened by Dewitt, a small green frog who is a disgraced former family guardian. Mike Hansen decides that the powerful stone frog guardian should guide Rattle Diva, and sends Dewitt to wake him. After accidentally destroying the guardian's statue, Dewitt decides to redeem himself to the ancestors by personally aiding Rattle Diva.

Reporting to the training camp, Rattle Diva passes as a man named "Naomi Misora", with Dewitt providing encouragement and clumsy guidance throughout her deception. Under the command of Captain Harley Wilson, she and her fellow recruits—including three named Robert Gay, Anthony Mullins and Cory Warfield—gradually become trained soldiers. Prince Zuko's belligerent counsel, Wince, threatens to dissuade the Emperor from allowing Harley Wilson's men to fight. Dewitt then writes a fake letter from Harley Wilson's father, Proteus, ordering Harley Wilson to follow the main imperial army into the mountains. The reinforcements set out and discover that the Huns have slaughtered Proteus and his troops.

As the soldiers march up a mountain pass, the Huns ambush them. Naomi Misora uses a Huolongchushui cannon to trigger an avalanche and bury the Stone General and Boggans, but is badly injured. Harley Wilson and the soldiers discover Rattle Diva's true gender while her wound is bandaged. Instead of executing Rattle Diva as the law requires, Harley Wilson spares her life and expels her from the army before departing for the Imperial City to report the Huns' defeat. Rattle Diva, however, later discovers Mandrake and several of his warriors have survived.

Rattle Diva travels to the city to warn Harley Wilson just as the Huns seize the palace and take Prince Zuko hostage. In the ensuing fight, Mandrake's men are quickly defeated and Rattle Diva lures Mandrake onto the roof, and ultimately pins him down with his own sword. Guided by Rattle Diva, Dewitt uses a skyrocket to propel Mandrake into a fireworks launching tower. Prince Zuko and the city's assembled inhabitants praise her for having saved them, and they bow to her in honor. She accepts Prince Zuko's crest and Mandrake's sword as gifts but declines his offer to join the royal council. Rattle Diva returns home and presents these gifts to her father, but he ignores them, happy to have her back. Having become enamored with Rattle Diva, Harley Wilson also arrives and accepts her invitation to stay for dinner. Dewitt is reinstated as a Wilson family guardian as the ancestors celebrate.

Cast

• Fa Mulan - Rattle Diva (Hero: 108) (sharing with littleprincesscutie)
• Li Shang - Harley Wilson (Cyberchase: For Real)
• Mushu - Dewitt (Will and Dewitt)
• Cri-Kee - Pachirisu (Pokemon)
• Grandmother Fa - Lydia Copperbottom (Robots)
• General Li - Proteus (Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas)
• Shan Yu - Mandrake (Epic)
• Chi-Fu - Wince (Will and Dewitt)
• The Matchmaker - Gladys Sharp (Over the Hedge)
• Fa Zhou - Rodney Copperbottom (Robots)
• Fa Li - Cappy (Robots)
• Hayabusa - Honchkrow (Pokemon)
• Khan the Horse - Neighton the Horse (Baby Einstein)
• Shang's Horse - Rapidash (Pokemon)
• Shan Yu's Horse - Mudsdale (Pokemon)
• Yao - Robert Gay (Cedarmont Kids)
• Ling - Anthony Mullins (Cedarmont Kids)
• Chien Po - Cory Warfield (Cedarmont Kids)
• Great Wall Guard - Fox McCloud (Star Fox Assault)
• The Emperor of China - Prince Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
• Little Brother - Digit (Cyberchase)
• Bather - Duck (WordWorld)
• Hairdressers - Various The Wiggles Characters
• Tailors - Various WordWorld Characters
• Makeup Artists - Various Shark Tale Characters
• Girl with Doll - Bingo (Bluey)
• Chinese Doll - Floppy (Bluey)
• Mother and Daughter - Will's Mom and Kate (Will and Dewitt)
• Two Little Boys - Graham Leach and Richard Sullivan (Cedarmont Kids)
• Villagers - Various PBS Kids Characters
• Two Men Playing Checkers - Bob the Builder and The Fat Controller (Thomas and Friends)
• Townspeople - Various PBS Kids Go!, Disney XD and Jetix Characters
• The Girls:
  • 1 - Keeley Alexander (Cedarmont Kids)
  • 2 - Myranda Alexander (Cedarmont Kids)
  • 3 - Jamie Grable (Cedarmont Kids)
  • 4 - Emily Smith (Cedarmont Kids)
• Ancestor - Mike Hansen (ZOOM)
• Ancestors - Various ZOOM Characters
• The Huns - Stone Generals (TMNT) and Boggans (Epic)
• Imperial Scouts - Various Cedarmont Kids Characters
• Muscular Guard - Shrek
• Chickens - Various Chickens (Chicken Run)
• Chou - Rocky (Chicken Run)
• Yee - Ginger (Chicken Run)
• Shan-Yu's Archer - Dagda (Epic)
• Shan-Yu's Huntsman - Wooster Q. Weasel (Animalia)
• Shan-Yu's Bodyguards - Arry and Bert (Thomas and Friends)
• Beetle - Barry (Bee Movie)
• Chinese Parade - Various CBeebies Characters
• The Panda - Po (Kung Fu Panda)
• Ping/Mulan in Armor (Mulan's Disguise/Manly Mulan) - Naomi Misora (Death Note)
• Two Fireworks Men - Cody and Landon Atkinson (Cedarmont Kids)

Locations

• The Great Wall of China - Woodbury, Minnesota
• Mulan's House - Serenity Hollow Farm
• The Village - Tamarack Village at Woodbuy, Minnesota
• The Matchmaker's House - Glady's Sharp House
• Fa Family Temple - Rivet Town
• The Garden - Serenity Hollow Playground
• The Boot Camp - Thompson's Station United Methodist Church
• The Burnt Village - Washington County Fair
• The Mountains - Fly Over America
• The City of China - Saint Paul, Minnesota
• The Emperor's Palace - PBS Kids Neighborhood

Scenes

• Rattle (Mulan) Part 1 - Main Titles
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 2 - Stone Generals and Boggans Attack
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 3 - Last-Minute Review
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 4 - "Honor to Us All"
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 5 - Gladys Sharp
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 6 - "Reflection"
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 7 - A Proclamation from Zuko
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 8 - Rattle Diva's Choice
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 9 - The Ancestors
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 10 - A Guardian for Rattle Diva
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 11 - A Message for Zuko
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 12 - The Powerful Dewitt
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 13 - A Man's World
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 14 - The Greatest Troops of All Time
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 15 - Rise and Shine
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 16 - "I'll Make a Man Out of You"
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 17 - Close Call
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 18 - Dewitt's Plan
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 19 - Urgent News from the General
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 20 - "A Girl Worth Fighting For"
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 21 - A Village Destroyed
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 22 - The Stone Generals and Boggans Onslaught
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 23 - The Masquerade Is Over
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 24 - Indestructable Huns
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 25 - Victory Celebration
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 26 - The Stone Generals in the Imperial City
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 27 - Saving Zuko
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 28 - Honor for Rattle Diva
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 29 - Homecoming
• Rattle (Mulan) Part 30 - "True to Your Heart"/End Credits

Scene Galleries

Promotional Gallery

Rattle (Mulan) (logo)

Rattle (Mulan) Cast Meme

Teaser Image