Mulan (Exclusive Series Mini-Review)

Mulan (Facebook Exclusive Mini Review Series)

Initial release date: September 4, 2020 (Disney Plus)

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Tagline: Love, Brave, True

Plot: To save her ailing father from serving in the Imperial Army, a fearless young woman disguises herself as a man to battle northern invaders in China.

Cast

Yifei Liu (Forbidden Kingdom) - Mulan

Donnie Yen (xXx: Return of Xander Cage) - Commander Tung

Gong Li (Hannibal Rising) - Xianniang

Jet Li (The Expendables 3) - Emperor

Jason Scott Lee (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny) - Bori Khan

Yosan Lee - Honghu

Tzi Ma (The Farewell) - Zhou

Rosalind Chao (Netflix’s The Laundromat) - Li

Pei-Pei Cheng - Matchmaker

Xana Tang - Xiu

Jun Yu - Cricket

Ron Yuan - Sergeant Qiang

Chen Tung (Escape Plan 2: Hades) - Yao

Nelson Lee - Chancellor

Writer(s): Rick Jaffa (Jurassic World)

Amanda Silver (Jurassic World)

Lauren Hynak

Elizabeth Martin

Director: Niki Caro (The Zookeeper’s Wife)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence (115 min)

The 2020 Disney re-imagining of “Mulan” may not be the absolute best of their live action remakes and re-imaginings .. but its up there in the higher ranks. The visuals are simply outstanding and the action/battle sequences are quite exciting.

There are also a few moments that can be a little humorous. Granted, the 2020 version has made some changes from the 1998 animated version. Some of the changes caused a bit of controversy with some critics and fans alike.

And, even though there are many exciting moments scattered throughout the movie, “Mulan” does feature a few parts that can really slow the movie down.

Here are some interesting tidbits about 2020s “Mulan”:

• In the animated film, as part of her disguise and transformation to join the military, Mulan cuts off most of her waist length hair. This scene wasn’t adapted to the live action film because it was considered redundant. Historically speaking, long hair on men was very common in imperial China, so Mulan having long hair at the military camp wouldn’t have been considered unusual.

• Actor and martial artist Jet Li, who plays the Emperor, admitted turning down the role because of the “script and pay.” After his daughters reminded him that it is important for Disney to shine a light on Chinese cultures, he backtracked and accepted the role.

• Mushu doesn’t appear in this remake. Disney made the choice to ensure that the remake stayed true to Chinese culture and traditions. Instead, Disney included a phoenix in the film, which is a sign of peace and prosperity in Chinese culture.

• Tony Bancroft, one of the directors of the 1998 animated version, was delighted when he heard this live action remake wasn’t going to be a carbon copy of the animated film.

• Commander Tung and Cheng Honghui are “decomposite characters,” both being based on Mulan’s commanding officer Li Shang from the animated film, essentially Li Shang split into two different characters. This was done due to the #MeToo movement, as confirmed by the filmmakers, who understood that Mulan having a romantic relationship with her superior would have raised questions about power dynamics. Instead, her love interest here is a fellow recruit named Cheng Honghui. As Li Shang was a fan favorite character from the animated film, this change resulted in severe backlash from fans.

• Walt Disney Pictures had expressed interest in a live action adaptation as early as 2010.

• On August 4, 2020, Disney announced that it had cancelled the film’s wide theatrical release in the US, and would instead premiere on Disney Plus with Premiere Access.

• In its first weekend of being available on other digital platforms, “Mulan” was the top-rented film on FandangoNow, and third on both AppleTV and Google Play.

• In October 2020, The Hollywood Reporter said the film was the most popular PVOD title amid the pandemic, and the following month Variety reported the film was the 6th most watched straight to streaming title of 2020 up to that point.