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All the qualities that made Whale rider so special have gone into the making of the Disney blockbuster Mulansays acclaimed filmmaker Niki Caro.
Niki Caro (right) on the set of Mulan
Photo: Supplied
One of the most anticipated movies of 2020, Mulan was filmed on location in New Zealand, with a cast that included 17 Kiwis and a crew that was 90 percent local. But she will also be remembered for the fact that Caro led a production team that also included a female producer, first assistant director, and cinematographer.
Caro joined the show to discuss the filming of Mulan and what it means for the film industry, both in New Zealand and abroad.
Mulan is a live-action remake of the Disney animated film released just over 20 years ago and is now set for a major theatrical release in China, where it is set. The launch was originally scheduled for March, but was postponed due to Covid-19.
Speaking from Los Angeles, Caro said Sunday morning she is excited and hopes that the Chinese will “feel the love” for their culture.
“This completes the circle for me of Whale rider because this is a very similar story. It feels like Whale rider on steroids – all the heart and instinct that went into Whale rider is at stake here with Mulan and I am very grateful to have had the experience of doing Whale rider in New Zealand, which will always be my best and most endearing film experience.
“But this one, despite all his muscles, is quite close.”
Challenge to the industry to use more women in positions of responsibility
Speaking from Los Angeles, Caro told Sunday Morning that 49 sets were built, six local filming facilities used, and filming took 143 days, so it was very beneficial for small towns to have teams and cast spending money for months and months. .
The Kiwi Grant Major production design is on display at Mulan.
Photo: Disney
“The fact that someone who looks like me and sounds like me can direct a film of this size and bring it home to New Zealand sends a very good message to the film community, to the industry and to the country. Making films of this size scale is now achieved by women. My team was led by women and that’s something I’m very proud of. “
It was “very unusual” for women to play such important roles in the production of such an important film, Caro said.
She said the women she worked with were the best people for the job and the production was on time and a little under budget.
“The great advantage of women running a production of this size is that everything works very well. They all communicated very well, we were very well prepared … highest of each movie. “
It’s ‘obvious’ to film in New Zealand
It hadn’t been difficult to convince the heads of the studios that it should shoot primarily in New Zealand.
“New Zealand has an incredibly dramatic and diverse landscape that allows it to replace all kinds of other places and while we were really determined to make Mulan as authentic as possible in the Chinese sense, we needed a really strong infrastructure to put together this incredible production. complex. It was a no-brainer to bring him to New Zealand … “
He noted that two filming units in China increased what was shot in New Zealand.
For a place like the clay cliffs in Omarama, the Chinese swear that it is identical to a place in their country, so this helped give the production a “perfect” feel.
Mulan’s story has been told countless times in China, but never Disney as live action.
It will be released on DisneyPlus and will be seen by audiences around the world at a time of great upheaval due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In many places it was not possible to go to the movies, and while people could miss out on the epic big-screen experience, it was nice to be able to share it with families at home, Caro said.
“I hope the intimacy of seeing him this way is really powerful right now.”
Mulan as a character is a “bad warrior”, a daughter, a soldier and a leader who faces challenges for the love of his family, community and country.
“In many ways, I think that, particularly now, she reminds us of the value of being loyal, courageous and sincere in our own lives.”
A career worthy of experience and a large budget endowed her with the equipment and tools to make the vision of a great action movie come true, yet she felt a tremendous responsibility to “not spoil” it.
It was difficult to find the Chinese actress who could handle the physical aspects of filming the movie and go from being a woman to a man. It took a year to find Yifei Liu and production was delayed for another six months until it became available.
Yifei Liu plays the main role.
Photo: Disney
Chinese-born aucklander Yoson An, who plays Mulan’s love interest, is destined to be a star, Caro said. “Many people are going to fall in love with that young man.”
As a Chinese story, there were many sensitivities that had to be taken into account. These included what “the bad guys” looked like.
“Every aspect of this film has been thoroughly researched by all departments and we have all the experts on it.”
The precautions included having a Han Dynasty advisor on the team, so the story could remain authentic while being presented as a Disney show.
