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On Location: How ‘Mulan’ Combines the Dramatic Landscapes of China and New Zealand

by CNA Traveler — September 4, 2020

Lifting the curtain on the destinations behind the season’s most exciting new releases.

You may be watching Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan for the impressive martial arts scenes, the orchestra rendition of “Reflection,” or a taste of childhood nostalgia. But we spent most of the movie distracted by the sweeping sets and filming locations. From the nearly 700-foot-tall sand dunes of the Taklamakan Desert to the rainbow mountains of Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park, the movie hits many of China’s geographical highlights. “It’s almost like a road movie,” says production designer Grant Major. “Mulan travels across the country, and by chance, comes across the most fabulous and iconic Chinese landscapes that we could find.”

But not every shot is of actual China. Instead, the cast and crew split filming between China and the chameleon-like landscape of New Zealand, where the South Island’s Ahuriri Valley stood in for Mulan’s training camp and Poolburn served as a yurt-filled base camp for the Rouran invaders. We sat down with Major—who won an Oscar for art and set direction on another New Zealand–based film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King—to chat through what it took to find Mulan‘s sweeping backdrops and which of them you can actually visit, once we can travel safely again. To see the landscapes for yourself, stream Mulan on Disney+ now for $30 with a Disney+ subscription.

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