Where was Mulan filmed? Filming Locations Guide: The Mulan House
Posted by Ra Moon
The live-action remake of the 1998 Disney film Mulan is one of the most expensive productions ever made. The story is based on the epic poem the Ballad of Mulan about the mythical Chinese female warrior.
The Mulan was primarily filmed in New Zealand, the Lord of the Landscapes. The movie was shot in 2018 for six months.
The Mulan was primarily filmed in New Zealand, the Lord of the Landscapes. The movie was shot in 2018 for six months.
The powerful New Zealander filming industry was looking for a big project like this one after the failure of A wrinkle of time and Mortal Engines.
The release of Mulan was postponed due to the crisis, but also because starring actress Liu Yifei gave public support to police brutal crackdown in Hong Kong against pro-democracy demonstrations, triggering a movie boycott.
Mulan’s hometown is inspired by the spectacular donut-shaped Hakka walled villages of southern China.
These are a series of round communal living houses disposed in clusters for defensive purposes.
The town featured in the movie looks particularly like the Hekeng Tulou Cluster in Tianluokeng (Nanjing County, Fujian province). However, the interior courtyard was built in the studio in New Zealand.
The Imperial City featured in Mulan was not inspired by the world-famous Forbidden City in Beijing; It's not a pure CGI creation either - Instead of that, Disney used a massive movie and TV set called Xiangyang Tangcheng.Located in the Hubei province, capital Wuhan, the complex is a large-scale reproduction of a period Tang Dynasty city with its palace.
Opened in 2015, apart from hosting many Chinese film productions, the theme park is open to the general public as a tourist attraction.
Image courtesy of Disney - Map
The desert landscapes of the Silk Road scenes in Northwest China were filmed in the Turpan region in the east of Xinjiang.
The fort is a CGI'd version of Jiayuguan, the first pass at the west end of the Great Wall of China.
The fortress was built during the early Ming dynasty, around the year 1372.
Image courtesy of Disney and Johannes Zielcke - Map
The dazzling rainbow Chinese mountains of Zhangye Danxia also make a cameo appearance in Mulan.
This natural wonder is the closest thing to the bottles of colored sand beach, Earth-made version. The Zhangye National Geopark is located 40km going west of the city of Zhangye in Gansu.
We have to say that we were one of the very first websites in the world to report about these fascinating colorful hills, in the now distant 2011.
Mulan Filming Locations in New Zealand
The production gathered an 800 to 900 crew in Mackenzie Country (Canterbury), South Island.
Pictured, film director Niki Caro with actor Yoson An (Chen Honghui) filming a scene in the Tasman River Valley, with Mount Cook / Aoraki in the background.
Image courtesy of Disney - Map
Local media reported that a large fortress set was built in the isolated Ahuriri Valley near the Birchwood Rd in North Otago.
The filmmakers used the town of Omarama as a base for four weeks.
Image courtesy of Disney - Map
The Omarama Clay Cliffs (pictured) and the Poolburn area are also featured in the movie.
The studio work was done at the Kumeu Film Studios in northwest Auckland, where the huge sets of Mulan were built.
The casting company recruited hundreds of actors of Asian descent in the area to play as extras.
Image courtesy of Gary Danvers Collection - Map
According to Condé Nast Traveler, the scene where Mulan meets the powerful witch, Xian Lang, was filmed on a soundstage.
However, this geothermal sulphuric landscape is inspired by Whakaari / White Island. Situated 30 miles offshore in New Zealand's North Island, this is the volcano that erupted on 9 December 2019 killing 21 people.
Image courtesy of Disney - Map
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Ra Moon
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There are definitely scenes that are filmed in Dunhuang a fantastic UNESCO protected town in Gansu. And scenes depicting Jiayuguan the furthest westerly post of the Great Wall the fight scene does look identical and would explain the extensive repair works the site has had over last 3 years prior to filming
ReplyDeleteUpdated, thanks a lot! But which scene was filmed in Dunhuang?
DeletePicture is of Mulan lol not the male character
ReplyDeleteYes! Completely wrong
Deletei am a newzealander verry proud of nz film that show the world about nznalandscape
ReplyDeleteAll comments are reviewed prior to publication