'Mulan' cast, crew astounded by 'beautiful' NZ settings

A new video release in conjunction with the upcoming movie Mulan takes a close look at the locations in which the movie was filmed, including several spots in North Otago and the Mackenzie country.

In the 1 minute 45second-long video actress Yifei Liu, who plays the lead character Mulan, talks of the beauty of the settings for the film.

"It's like working, but you get to see all this beautiful scenery.

"It's like a dream I'll never forget."

The video largely features scenes being shot in the Ahuriri Valley, Clay Cliffs, Lake Pukaki and on set pieces in Auckland.

Director Niki Caro said they took 950 actors to the Ahuriri Valley.

"It was really important to me that the actors had a real space to exist in.

"We found in New Zealand a number of critical locations to augment our story."

Production designer Grant Major said New Zealand was diverse and had a way of bringing people and technology together to offer something bright and fresh and epic at he same time.

Designer Denise Kum said she thought everyone on set had been quite astounded by how "beautiful and amazing" the locations had been.

The film is set to be released on Disney+ in New Zealand tomorrow.