The first stunning teaser trailer for Disney’s live-action adaptation of their 1998 animated film Mulan has landed and reader, it looks pretty damn good. The trailer features sweeping vistas, epic battle scenes, and Mulan herself (The Forbidden Kingdom‘s Liu Yifei) charging into battle.
The film, directed by Niki Caro (Whale Rider, The Zookeeper’s Wife), is the first big budget Disney live-action feature to be directed by a woman. The script was written by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Elizabeth Martin & Lauren Hynek. The trailer appears to follow the story beats of the original film, with Mulan set for an arranged marriage she doesn’t want, before leaving to join the army undercover as a man.
However, the live-action version is not a musical, and Mulan’s dragon sidekick Mushu is nowhere to be found. While some have been complaining about these omissions on social media, I don’t think it’s that big a loss. The strength of Mulan was never its music, and the film only featured four songs. “Reflection” and “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” are sweet, but Matthew Wilder and David Zippel’s music and lyrics never had the popularity or staying power of Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, or Tim Rice.
As for cutting Mushu, it’s clear that Caro’s film is going in a different direction tonally. Having seen this teaser, it’s apparent that a CGI dragon just doesn’t fit with the vibe of the film. And again, that’s fine. These live-action adaptations don’t need to be carbon copies of their animated counterparts. After all, there’s nothing fresh or exciting about seeing the same story retold word for word, beat for beat.
Other changes include swapping out the villainous Hun invader Shan Yu for the witch Xian Lang, played by iconic Chinese actor Gong Li (Farewell My Concubine, Memoirs of a Geisha). She is joined by cast members Donnie Yen (Star Wars: Rogue One), Jason Scott Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny), Rosalind Chao (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), and Jet Li as the Emperor.
Besides, if you love the music and Mushu, you still have the animated film to enjoy. Let live-action Mulan be her own thing. And speaking of, how great does Liu Yifei look in the title role? Even from this brief trailer, she appears to possess the strengths and qualities that make Mulan a one of a kind Disney princess.
And that’s truly where the message of Mulan shines. We all grew up on Disney, but there are plenty of young girls (like myself) who never saw themselves in the girly world of gowns, tiaras, and handsome princes. Girls who were scrappy, loved Nerf guns, and had no shortage of skinned knees needed a princess of our own, and that was Mulan.
Mulan doesn’t hit theaters until March 27, 2020, but it will be thrilling to see a whole new generation of kids inspired by Disney’s most kick-ass princess.
(via Collider, image: Disney)
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