Pencils Vs. Pixels: Ming-Na Wen Talks Mulan’s Influence and Disney Princesses

The new film Pencils Vs Pixels is now available to rent on various platforms, and it follows the history of animation with a focus on the shift from 2D to 3D. The film is narrated by Ming-Na Wen, who is no stranger to the subject. The Disney legend is the voice of Mulan, who has become a fan-favorite heroine over the years. While Mulan isn’t technically a princess, she is usually clumped in with the other Disney princesses. ComicBook.com recently had the chance to chat with Wen, and we brought up how Mulan has paved the way for the more recent non-princess heroines such as Mirabel from Encanto and Asha from the upcoming Wish. We asked Wen is she thinks the “princess” moniker should be changed, or if these new characters belong in their own category. 

“Yeah, she kind of rides the fence,” Wen said of Mulan. “She’s on the fence with both sides, she’s an honorary princess, and she’s a woman warrior, first and foremost. So that’s a good question. I don’t think we should ever lose the princesses because that is just traditional Disney personified. And it’s great that we can branch out and evolve also with the female heroine. I think it could be both without any issue. And Mulan sets that pace, I think.”

ComicBook.com also asked the same question to Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee. 

“We have two queens in Frozen,” Lee pointed out, referring to Anna and Elsa being considered “princesses.” When asked if Asha would be part of a hypothetical princess movie like the fan-favorite scene from Ralph Breaks the Internet, Lee replied, “Well, you’ll always get from me is what is important to me, but this is just me, is as a kid especially, the more you could connect me to the unique qualities of that character, the more I was excited.”

She continued. “With Frozen … everything that’s connected to Frozen is Frozen, so you can really immerse yourself. I’d love the same for Asha, but at the same time, I think all these heroines are so wonderful together and deserving together. There’s a label of ‘Princess’ … maybe it’s that we’re redefining what that means. Really, what we did with Frozen is, the responsibility they carried by being in charge of their kingdom added so much to their story, and I think what I love is where Asha ends up is something really special. I mean, that’s directly connected to all our heroines in its own way, so I think it’s fun to see how they’ll find each other.”

Pencils Vs Pixels is now available to rent on various streaming platforms. Wish opens only in theaters on November 22nd.