We sat down with Elizabeth Lim, author of Reflection: A Twisted Tale, to talk about her love for Disney as well as her books.
I, just like many of you, am an avid reader. I love stories that allow me to connect with the protagonist and be carried away to grow as the character experiences the world.
Being an English teacher, I am always looking for new literature from authors with different backgrounds and stories to give my students opportunities to see themselves in the works and to grow because of those stories.
It’s also special when I get to speak with said authors about their writing and gain their wisdom and insight in their stories, and I knew I had to chat with Elizabeth Lim, the author of “Reflection: A Twisted Tale”, the fourth installment in the Disney Twisted Tales YA collection, to find out her deep connections to Mulan.
[metaslider id=”50088″]
Reflection: The Twisted Tale of Mulan
Courtesy of Elizabeth Lim
Before writing Reflection, Elizabeth had already started writing a Mulan-inspired “The Blood of Stars” duology featuring Spin the Dawn and Unravel the Dusk.
When she had the opportunity to tell the story from Mulan’s perspective with a Disney lens, she jumped at the chance.
“Folklore and mythology have always been a pretty cultural and popular trope in Chinese dramas and movies and stories and legends like Mulan,” said Elizabeth, “ so it’s pretty ingrained in my childhood.”
Reflection: A Twisted Tale is different because “it could be seen as an episode contained within the movie” itself, but does not take away from the Disney version.
Like many epic journeys, Elizabeth, together with her editor, “came up with the idea of Mulan going into the underworld and encountering all these mythical characters from Chinese folklore”. Writing “this twisted tale made it slightly different, and it was a lot of fun to write”.
Fans may wonder why the beloved Mushu does not journey with Mulan, a tough omission for the writer. “Personally,” Elizabeth confesses, “I didn’t feel super comfortable being able to recreate Eddie Murphy’s voice in the film” which opened up an opportunity to “exploring ShiShi, Shang’s Guardian.”
Mulan From A Parent Perspective
As the parent of two beautiful daughters, Elizabeth appreciates that the new Mulan film keeps the mom in the story, and more importantly “that her mom is such a consoling character and understanding”.
The same focus occurs in Reflection. “I made [the parents] a little too strict,” she admits. “Having grown up in an Asian household, my mom could be strict at times, and I projected that,” but she felt that Mulan needed more support.
She hopes that her daughters see the stories differently and learn to be themselves.
She doesn’t want them to “have to mold [themselves] to fit into a role for society. We’re lucky enough today that things are much better for women than they were in ancient China, or even 100 years ago.”
Elizabeth’s Love of Disney
Courtesy of Elizabeth Lim
Elizabeth’s introduction to Disney was watching classic Disney films as a young girl. “There was only Snow White and Cinderella and those [VHS tapes] were really hard to come by,” she recalls.
Her mom also bought her a Minnie doll, and Elizabeth “loved it so much that its nose fell off!”
Ultimately, “the magic of Disney is just hard to resist. With messages of being kind, having courage, finding love, and defeating evil, they’re just such universal stories that it’s easy for a kid to grasp and fall in love with.”
Favorite Park Memories
Most of Elizabeth’s memories involve her family.
Her “husband had actually never been to a Disney park until after he met [her], so that was one of the first things [she] made him do once [they] started dating.”
A fond memory was the first time her and her husband went to Disney. “We got those happy anniversary badges,” she recalled. “I think somebody asked us how many years we’ve been together and we were a little bashful, and we were like, “One.”
Elizabeth loves attractions that are park-specific, like the Matterhorn, The Main Street Electrical Parade, and Alice in Wonderland. Her family, meanwhile, “really likes the corn dogs from the corn dog wagon in Disneyland”.
“The parks are so magical,” she said. “I remember watching Fantasmic for the first time and it was amazing… I still can’t believe that they made [Haunted Mansion] in the 50s or the 60s; even today the effects look amazing.”
What’s Next for Elizabeth Lim?
Courtesy of Elizabeth Lim
On top of reading her other works, including the twisted story of Cinderella in So This Is Love: A Twisted Tale, be on the lookout for the summer 2021 release of Six Crimson Cranes! Follow Elizabeth Lim on Instagram for her latest releases, or preorder Six Crimson Cranes on her website!
Thanks to readers like you, we’re able to keep our site free of disrupting ads. Please consider subscribing to our print edition if you’d like to support us directly, and feel free to sign up for our free newsletter so you never miss out on spotlights like these!
10 Reasons to Visit the 2021 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival
[metaslider id=”53772″]
Like what you just read?
That tells us you’re the type who never misses a Hidden Mickey. Respect.
