You know the songs, you know the story and you definitely know the female character that helped pioneer strong women in children’s films. Mulan is a Disney animated classic, with a tale about a woman who wants to bring honor to her family and show just how brave she is.
Now, keeping up with the trend of live-action remakes, the story is back, except for some key points from the animated film that will be left out.
“How can I make a man out of you?” “Who is that girl I see?” And “a girl worth fighting for” are all staple lyrics of the catchy and memorable tunes from the original Mulan. However, the trailer doesn’t feature any singing or hints of singing but simply plays the ghost of a melody in the background.
Fans of the film probably noticed the absence of one very memorable character, Mushu, as well. Originally voiced by Eddie Murphy, Mushu is one of the staple characters in the film and provides a great deal of comic relief throughout a pretty heavy children’s film.
The first trailer looks more like a period drama than a Disney remake. Based on the trailer, Disney has done a great job of keeping the cultural integrity of the film and the original folklore dating back thousands of years. For a film like Mulan,the cultural integrity of the characters, scenery and dialogue is necessary for the story, and the trailer makes this promising.
With Yifei Liu starring as the titular character, the film is in good shape. In the trailer alone, Liu brings a powerful, graceful and brilliant first look at what the real Mulan should look like. If Liu’s performance is as captivating in the film as it is in the trailer, fans won’t be able to take their eyes off the screen.
Though Mushu and singing were not featured in the first trailer, the official poster features the comedic character, and there are reports saying some of the classic songs will be featured, but no tangible evidence of songs or Mushu has been seen by audiences yet. There’s still more to come and a lot to expect from this latest Disney live-action installment.
Here’s how audiences reacted on Twitter:
