In Disney’s 2020 live-action film Mulan, Gong Li plays the shape-shifting witch Xianniang.
Xianniang is a supernatural character created for the 2020 adaptation. She can transform into different forms, including a bird, and is allied with Bori Khan, the film’s principal enemy. Her story parallels Mulan’s because both women possess unusual abilities but face a society that restricts how women may use power.
Xianniang does not appear in Disney’s 1998 animated film, where the main supernatural companion is Mushu and the central antagonist is Shan Yu. The live-action film also changes the enemy from the animated version’s Hun leader to Bori Khan. These differences make Xianniang a useful way to distinguish the two adaptations.