For those of you who are unfamiliar with ‘Reflection’ or Disney’s Twisted Tales, here are the facts:
1) Each Twisted Tale focuses on the lead character of a Disney film; in this case, it’s Mulan (lead character of the film with the same name) and it’s a nod to the song ‘Reflection’ in the movie.
2) Tales incorporate elements of the storyline from the original movie but change aspects of the plots which lead to completely different story outcome.
Reflection starts during the battle with the Huns in the Tung Shao Pass after Mulan triggers the avalanche. The first twist starts where instead of Shan Yu wounding Mulan and her identity being revealed during surgery, Shan Yu inflicts a near fatal wound upon Captain Li Shang. While keeping vigil on her commanding officer, Mulan encounters the ghost of the late General Li and the Li family guardian, an uptight lion named ShiShi. Together with ShiShi, Mulan enters the underworld called Diyu.
The novel reaches its first turning point where Mulan encounters King Yama of Diyu. He is unimpressed to learn of a mortal’s presence in Diyu and even more so of Mulan’s attempt to reclaim Captain Shang. A deal is struck where if Mulan and ShiShi can find Shang’s spirit and the three of them can make it out of Diyu by sunrise, Li Shang will recover from his wound and return to the Imperial City alive. Should the quest fail, Shang will die and Mulan will remain trapped in Diyu as a demon.
I’ve given the book 5 stars because I feel that the author has kept the flavour of the movie ‘Mulan’ in the novel through the personalities of the characters, their dialogue and actions. At the same time, she has introduced new characters like the Li guardian, ShiShi, who would be plausible in the film itself and add to the story plot. I also like the way that Lim fleshed out General Li’s character through his conversations with Mulan and ShiShi. Additionally, the way Lim showed different personalities of the Fa family ancestors.Show moreShow less
1) Each Twisted Tale focuses on the lead character of a Disney film; in this case, it’s Mulan (lead character of the film with the same name) and it’s a nod to the song ‘Reflection’ in the movie.
2) Tales incorporate elements of the storyline from the original movie but change aspects of the plots which lead to completely different story outcome.
Reflection starts during the battle with the Huns in the Tung Shao Pass after Mulan triggers the avalanche. The first twist starts where instead of Shan Yu wounding Mulan and her identity being revealed during surgery, Shan Yu inflicts a near fatal wound upon Captain Li Shang. While keeping vigil on her commanding officer, Mulan encounters the ghost of the late General Li and the Li family guardian, an uptight lion named ShiShi. Together with ShiShi, Mulan enters the underworld called Diyu.
The novel reaches its first turning point where Mulan encounters King Yama of Diyu. He is unimpressed to learn of a mortal’s presence in Diyu and even more so of Mulan’s attempt to reclaim Captain Shang. A deal is struck where if Mulan and ShiShi can find Shang’s spirit and the three of them can make it out of Diyu by sunrise, Li Shang will recover from his wound and return to the Imperial City alive. Should the quest fail, Shang will die and Mulan will remain trapped in Diyu as a demon.
I’ve given the book 5 stars because I feel that the author has kept the flavour of the movie ‘Mulan’ in the novel through the personalities of the characters, their dialogue and actions. At the same time, she has introduced new characters like the Li guardian, ShiShi, who would be plausible in the film itself and add to the story plot. I also like the way that Lim fleshed out General Li’s character through his conversations with Mulan and ShiShi. Additionally, the way Lim showed different personalities of the Fa family ancestors. Show more Show less