Throughout the film, Mulan encounters the magical bird when she is in need of encouragement. We first see it, in statue form, early in the film when the future warrior is still a child. Later on, it comes to life and serves as a symbol of her strength and perseverance. While it doesn’t exactly provide the comical banter that Mushu injected into the original Mulan, it is one part of the film that rides the line between realism and fantasy.
