Disney’s Mulan is NOT a Musical & Why that Makes it a Superior Remake

Mulan Disney

This past decade had been a decade of remakes; Disney’s in particular. Some people hate them, most love the nostalgia they bring and others are on the fence of why they exist in the first place; while generously stuffing their cheeks with popcorn in a theater of children and amused parents.

As 2020 begins, Disney drops the trailer for their new remake: Mulan. The new film, originally that was set to be released in March is now pushed to be released on July 24th due to the Coronavirus pandemic. It is easy to discard the upcoming film, believing it will be the same old remake formula that audiences are annoyingly too familiar with. But, if one were to take a closer look at the trailer, they will find that something seems to be missing. By comparison, other remake trailers like Aladdin always featured one of the iconic musical numbers. Yet Mulan does not. At first it may seem as if Disney’s way of not spoiling the film, but an article on Cinema Blend confirms that the film will not be a musical.

Mulan Disney

Once people heard about it, everyone became concerned, because musicals were Disney’s trademark. Back in it’s early days, Disney’s understanding of the power of the Broadway musical is what put them on the map. The YouTube channel Sideways posted a video about this topic last year titled “What Makes Disney Music Sound Magical“, and connected the success of Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, and the rest of the classics to this understanding of what is a musical. As he explains in the video, a musical has a certain structure made up of key songs. For example, one of the most important songs is the “I Want Song.” The protagonist would share the audience their desires, their dreams, their fears, and it would set up the rest of the story. Without it, audiences would not be able to connect with the character, as a result not care about the story. Each song was extravagant and enjoyable to watch, but it also helped in furthering the plot and adding a bit of flavor to the storytelling. Disney then applied the musical structure to the animation, and created a successful business of the “Animated Broadway Musical.”

That being said, having a remake that is not a musical unlike its animated counterpart, may not be a bad thing. In fact, it’s probably the best thing for a film like Mulan to take this route. This article will explain why that is, and how it may become a more superior remake.

Making the Remake

It is important to understand the difference between a reboot and a remake. A reboot is when a company rebrands a new show or potential franchise. For example, Spiderman is a common product that has been rebranded 4 times by 4 different companies. Sony, Marvel, Fox and Disney all have started their own franchises, retelling the same story of Spiderman, but in different ways.However, they are not considered remakes because the films are not under the same company, and they are not supposed to be associated with each other, but to be treated as separate. Remakes are when a company take an existing product they own, put a spin on it and sells it to the audience. Examples are: Aladdin (2019) and Mulan (2020).

Disney Remakes

With that cleared up, one must ask: Are remakes necessary? By definition, remakes are not exactly a direct copy of the original. The term “original” must be used loosely here, as Disney is a company that is mostly made up of unoriginal content. The main critique people have is that all remakes are a shot for shot copy of the classic they represent. For example, The Lion King has no obvious changes, other than the fact they added a bit of backstory to Nala, Scar and Sarabi, and that the entire film looks like a Discovery Channel Documentary. The C.G. I is pleasing to watch, but the moment the characters speak, it ruins the magic of it all. All the songs may sound great, but visually they cannot compete with their animated counterparts. Even Disney, the man himself stated:

“I don’t like to repeat successes, I like to go on other things.”

Walt Disney

Despite their shortcomings, when Disney started this trend of remakes, it made sense to make them because they needed to reach new audiences. After Disney produced and sold all the classics, they put them all in the Disney Vault. This means they no longer sell them or show them in theaters. Therefore, the only way kids could watch the films was that their parents had a collection of DVDs. There have been times when Disney did take out their earlier films from the vault and allow their audience to buy or view their films once more for a limited time. But most of those films did not age well as they were animated. With outdated animation and poor sound effects, some desperately need a do over. However, with the addition of Disney Plus on the already long list of streaming services, kids now have the ability to watch both the original and the remake all in one sitting.

Are Remakes Bad?

Remakes Disney

Considering the fact that the current remakes are refusing to add something different to the existing narrative, they are banking on nostalgia to gain money. Even though it has been a good strategy so far, people are starting to show annoyance towards the new trend. On YouTube alone, there are over a thousand videos explaining why remakes are horrible, unnecessary and believe these remakes are huge slap in the face to the the creators behind the classics.

But why ? What makes them “bad”?

A remake is supposed to both be recognizable and unique at the same time. Aladdin, and Maleficent are good examples as they told the beloved story using another perspective and were not afraid to take liberties with the story; allowing the film to have its own beat than being a direct copy of the original.

Mulan Disney Remake

Which leads to the main argument of this article: Mulan’s missing musical element is the best move for the film, and will make it stand out among the other remakes. Even though the Disney classics are known for their catchy songs and beautiful dance numbers, not all musicals work in their remake version.

For example, the Lion King animated version was stunning in every shot. The characters were expressive and because of the animation, the musical numbers became iconic. However, as stated before, the musical element in the recent Lion King remake did not hold up against the animated version, because the C.G.I was so real that it was jarring when they began to sing. Songs like I can’t Wait to be King and Scar’s Be Prepared are not same as the animation. Instead of a colorful animal pyramid that displays a cub’s childish fantasy, or a Hitler inspired march that scares children, the remake does a poor job visually to convey these childish and villainous images because the film makers were too focused on making it realistic, without realizing the animal speaking world of Lion King is a far cry from realism. Making this film a fantastic example of how producing a live action remake of an animated musical does not work. Since the studio had conflicting goals of achieving realism and making it just like the original, it only sabotaged them.

Aladdin Genie

However, when done right, a musical can work. Such examples are Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast. Both films create a world that is semi-realistic. After all, in one movie there is a haunted castle in the middle of a forest where regular objects come to life, and in the other there is a genie that can grant you three wishes, and a magic carpet that can travel the world. Since the world within the film is not trying to be realistic, making it a musical will only add to the magic of it all. Some may argue that the original is better, but audiences should appreciate the effort the film makers made to make the song and dances look pleasing to watch.


Achieving Realism

Mulan Remake Poster
Mulan 2020

With that in mind, Mulan‘s director, Niki Caro’s decision to make it realistic may make it successful. Since the story is based on China’s history, there is not a lot of room for magic, or musical elements. As Caro says in an interview with Cinema Blend:

We don’t tend to break into song when we go to war.

Niki Caro

Other than the ghosts of the ancestors and Mushu the beloved dragon, 90% of the original Mulan movie can easily be translated into live action better than other heavy animated films like Dumbo and Pinocchio.

However, cutting out the music won’t make it an instant realistic success. That success is determined by other factors such as easy translation. To reach realism, an animated film must be able to transform into live action easily without any hindrance. For instance, if the animated film has high fantasy elements that are nearly impossible to do in real life, the chances of it translating into live action are slim. There are some exceptions, like the Lion king, the Jungle Book and Lady and the tramp. However, the film company will most likely run into problems with the C.G.I. It is very expensive to create a realistic C.G.I character and will find that the more the character is real, the less they will be able to have the freedom to let the character to commit actions that defy the laws of physics, and how the character is to behave logically. Because the more a character becomes real, the more it is expected to follow the natural laws of the Earth.

The Issue of Release

Disney

Another success factor is Box office. Like every other film, Mulan needs an audience who will be willing to buy tickets to pay back the $200 million the company paid to produce the film. On March 5th, the Variety estimated that Mulan was expected to be $85 Million box office success in U.S theaters, Coronavirus notwithstanding. However, on March 16, schools across America were forced to close due to the pandemic. On March 23, four days before Mulan was set to be released, Canada began it’s three week quarantine. Today is April 11, and it looks like the quarantine is not going anywhere soon. Meanwhile, all films that were supposed to come out are postponed until a later date due to the shut down of theaters. New films will have a better chance of success than Mulan who has only gained $874 at the box office. Hopefully, it will have a better run later this year when it is released on July 24th.

There have been some buzz around the idea that Disney should just release all of the new movies into Disney Plus. It will draw a bigger audience and subscribers can finally stop complaining about the lack of new content. While it may seem like a good move for fans, it isn’t good for the company. It is possible for a film to debut on Disney Plus, after all, Disney did it with Lady and the Tramp last year. But according to Inside the Magic, it was done with the intention to encourage new subscriptions when the streaming service went live. Since its launch on November 12, it has over 28.6 million users. It will most likely gain more as the Coronavirus keep people indoors. However, the price of $12.99/month combined with the number of users will not be enough to support the company financially if they decided to debut every new film they planned on the service. A family could watch a movie 30 days in a row, and will only have to pay $13 a month. As a result, Disney would loose a lot of money, the only way to counter it, is to either have everyone subscribed, or more realistically, continue to release their films through the box office.

Ballad of Mulan

Mulan Artwork
Mulan artwork

Despite its financial setbacks due to the Coronavirus, this film still can resonate among film audiences, and set a precedent for future remakes; showing how doing something different will not harm the film but make it better.

Unlike most of the Disney Princess films, Mulan 2020 is based on a ballad that highlights a historic event that happened in 6th century Chinese history. According to China highlights.com, it states that the ballad was created in Northern Wei Dynasty (386–534). During this period, the Northern region of Han China was invaded by the Huns (Xiongnu), other known as the Mongols, and the war lasted for 12 years. The war took place at Black Mountain (Shahukou Mountain) and Mount Yanran. For a modern point of reference, Black mountain is 480 kilometers west of Bejing. Also, Shahukou Pass was one of the fortified passes of the Great Wall. During this time, the ballad was written to encourage soldiers as the Moguls were a ferocious enemy. In fact, they were associated with tigers, one of the most deadly big cats in the world.

Mulan 1998
Mulan 1998

As for the ballad, (Here is a Translated version, and an explanation of what it means.) there are some noticeable differences between the ballad and the Animated film.

In the animated film, Mulan is a disappointment to her family as she is rebellious and does not confine to gender roles. After she learns that her father is called to fight, Mulan, who has no fighting experience, secretly goes in his place as his “son” and trains under strict General Shang. After her training is complete, she and the rest of the men go to Black Mountain where Mulan causes an avalanche and successfully wipes out the Huns. However, she gets hurt and her gender is discovered. As a result, General Shang, sends her away. But some of the Huns survived and are planing to attack the emperor. Once Mulan catches wind of this plan, she goes with the help of her comrades dressing up like women, and of course Mushu, to save China. In the end, Mulan is given a high honor and returns home to be with her family. Later General Shang visits to apologize, and they all live happily ever after.

Mulan art

Unlike the film, the ballad paints Mulan as a young content woman who enjoys weaving and already knows how to fight, thanks to her father. She, unlike her film counterpart does not hide from her parents when she decides to fight instead of her father, as it is only logical in her eyes. It is also important to notice that her parents were not protective or dissatisfied with their daughter. The phrase “no sound of her parents hailing their girl” is repeated twice in the ballad, implicating that they were proud of Mulan of running off to war. In preparing for war, instead of getting trained, Mulan travels to get supplies. “She buys a fine steed at the east market; A saddle and blanket at the west market; A bridle at the south market; And a long whip at the north market.”After 12 years of fighting, Mulan meets the emperor who generously pay the soldiers for their time. Once it is Mulan’s turn, she politely declines any of the valuable gifts and asks for a ride home, the emperor grants her wish. Her parents welcome her back, and Mulan transforms back into her feminine self and returns to weave. Then her comrades visit her, and it is then when they learn that she was a woman the whole time. They were astonished. ‘We traveled twelve years together, yet didn’t realize Mulan was a lady!'” They said. The ballad then ends with line that comes to Mulan’s defense:

“The buck bounds here and there,Whilst the doe has narrow eyes. But when the two rabbits run side by side, how can you tell the female from the male?”

Historians continue to debate if the person Mulan is real or not. So far it has been agreed upon that Mulan is nothing more than a legend, created from the Ballad of Mulan. How much the film’s plot will draw from the ballad is up to debate, as there is not a lot to go on. Therefore it is only expected that the screenplay may take influences from history.

Considering the fact that Mulan tells the war story of the Huns, it only makes sense to respect China’s history with realism. This also explains the disappearance of Mushu from the screenplay, as Mushu is a Disney creation. Because Mulan will be solely based on the ballad than the Disney animated film, everything that screams “Disney” will be absent from the upcoming film. That goes without saying that Mulan will pay tribute to some musical numbers. The song Reflection can be heard in the film’s trailer, which offers hope of more songs from the musical to be incorporated into the score.

To Conclude….

Mulan

As stated before, a successful remake is both recognizable and unique compared to the original. Since Director Caro will step out of the familiar musical pattern and take a more realistic route, it will stand out among the rest; and shows the potential for future remakes to take chances, make it stand out and to add to the lore of a beloved franchise.

What do you think? Leave a comment.

Posted on by
A writer of Non fiction and Fiction (Fantasy, Dystopian, Historical, Sci-Fi, and Contemporary Fiction) Loves dissecting Movies, TV Shows and books.

Want to write about Film or other art forms?

Create writer account

59 Comments

  1. We already have the animated original. Why make a new film if you’re just going to copy the old one and just make it much less interesting visually? I personally would love if they took the movie in a different direction.

    People keep yelling at Disney for just remaking their old films to make a quick buck, but when they actually change something and make an artistic decision? People: they can’t do this! I get the reaction, I really do. But I really do think this is an emotionally driven knee-jerk reaction, and not a rational one.

    • Issac Maher
      0

      As much as I would agree with you. I’ve seen a bunch of live Mulan that already been done by other studio from China that took it in another direction. So those already exist. At least the Disney version can be fun and give meaning at the same time like the animation. But it look like they might be doing the film the same as those live action ones that already out with all the seriouse tone it seem to be implementing.

  2. Roberge
    1

    I am just glad we get to see a full fledged Asian cast for Mulan.

  3. While I loved the music in the original, if Disney is going for a darker grittier live action war movie, I get it. You can’t make Mulan a musical!

  4. I think “Mulan” stands out among the other films as being partly a war film and I think it would be a better fit with the tone for it not to be a musical. I don’t think the song numbers worked in “Jungle Book”, which was definitely darker and I could’ve done without, but it worked more in “Beauty and the Beast” and “Aladdin” because they are traditionally whimsical disney movies. Mulan has a darker edge that I think can lend itself to a darker take without the songs or just allusions to it.

    • I disagree! Songs have been used to beef up morale ofvcd the troops during war! That’s what essentially “A girl worth fighting for” is meant to symbolize! And also “I’ll make a man out of you” is really a song that’s not being sung in real time, but as background to the training montage! And the other big 2 “Honor to is All” and “Reflections” kind of happen before news of the war arrives AKA a happier and simpler time!

      • I think they make more sense as scores than soundtracks, especially if this movie is taking more from the actual story than just the animated feature. I’d be fine with instrumentals that are updated to use the instruments that were actually used in China at the time and not westernized war drums like in Make A Man of You, but I don’t think the songs are as integral to the story of Mulan as they are to something like Beauty & The Beast or Aladdin.

  5. However much I adore the animated film, it’s at least nice to see that they do plan on doing something a little different. Shame some of the songs won’t be used, they’re usually a big part of the attraction when it comes to Disney, and I’m a bit concerned what the change will do to the final result. But can’t fault them for taking the risk and still very much looking forward to seeing this

  6. Ardella
    0

    Mulan stands out as one of the few Disney’s where the lead character’s ethnicity is depicted accurately.

    And even more shockingly, she’s a genuinely strong female lead who leads men and doesn’t have the sole aim of marrying a prince.

  7. Niki Caro is on point. It’s not a musical. The animated movie was fun and this Mulan trailer looks great. Can’t wait.

  8. Bettina
    0

    I saw this preview in theaters, it looks fairly decent. Even though it’s another live adaptation of yet another Disney cartoon, it might be good

  9. Mulan literally has the most recognizable and memorable songs.

  10. Quintin
    0

    I’m perfectly fine without the music or without mushu. the whole point of a remake, where u change a few things to differ it from the animated original. plus, mulan is an important historical figure, it’s not just a disney animated movie now turning into a live action. The Mulan live action is gonna be important for the Chinese market. There have been many series/movies made about Mulan but not in Hollywood. This needs to be done right and carefully.

  11. While I do love most of the songs from that movie, I do feel like the movie should have the same tone as the Last Samurai. Obviously not beat for beat but it would be fantastic if it took itself that seriously, in my opinion at least.

  12. I’m ok with it. Having the themes in the background is fine with me. Also adding some new themes would be super dope as well.

  13. I’m okay with the idea of remakes but what is the point if you are exactly going to just copy and paste these beloved animated classics into live action form and not do anything new with them? THATS THE POINT IF REMAKING SOMTHING. Thats why I’m not a huge fan of these Disney remakes because they haven’t made one that can hold a candle to the original film or stand on it’s own. No original songs from Mulan in this live action remake? GOOD! I dont want them to be ruined because they are great and rememberable. I want them to do somthing new like instrumental or have them be sung in Mandarin.

    I hope this film is more of an epic fantasy ballad, has a more serious tone, and displays things that are from chinese culture that american audiences have never seen. I hope they go in these diffrent directions.

  14. I’m gonna respectfully disagree with u cause to me honestly who grew up watching the movie I feel like it needs the music because if it doesn’t than to me in my opinion it’s gonna be like that Legend of Hurcules or Dwayne Johnson’s Hurcules where I know they both aren’t adaptions of the animated but they both sucked. And if Mulan doesn’t have the songs and sing and mushu the DRAGON not the Phoenix than this to me isn’t Mulan and it’s just one historical movie about the legend myth of China that no one cares or will not care about.

  15. I really want a PG-13 for this one. Mulan could seriously kick ass in love action so why not go a little darker.

  16. OkaNaimo0819

    I think we’ll always compare the remakes to the original, even if they are supposed to not be “faithful” remakes. I am a bit concerned about this new Mulan, but I am curious to see how the action/fight scenes will take place. I am more into anime now (particularly shounen) and, while I have yet to actually see Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, I think this new Mulan will be similar. I wouldn’t see this movie in theatres, but I’d definitely be willing to see it on DVD.
    Still a bit pissed that Mushu and Shang won’t be in it.

  17. Its still a good movie tho👍

  18. I think Mulan has the potential to break the curve by taking a different route to a familiar story. However, the power of nostalgia seems to be something of increasing effect over the public so it’s a difficult situation that Disney must balance upon.

  19. The original Mulan was very disliked in China, due it not being realistic cause Chinese people don’t act like that in real life and some cultural differences. The Chinese government still harbors ill feelings towards the original Mulan. Disney has to either remove the singing completely or the film won’t have a China release. If it was you, what would you do in a business perspective? Remove all singing from the film or have the movie and possible all future Disney movies banned in China?

  20. MrKrueger
    2

    What is with Disney removing the symbolisms of Conscience’s of characters. Take Dumbo for example, they removed the mouse to have the kids be dumbos friends… with all do respect to an individual work of art. I applaud them for trying something new but the fact Dumbo used a Mouse for his “Conscience” was spectacular to me! Now Mushu a driving force in the story that helps Mulan in various points in her story being her male conscience when possible.

    • Amelia Arrows

      Intresting , I haven’t given that much hought. Perhaps tan other character will provide conscience foot Mulan.
      I personally tgink this would be a great topic to write about!

  21. They should use martial-arts epics such as Hero (2002), as well as older epics like Ben-Hur and Lawrence of Arabia for reference.

  22. Laurena
    1

    I think it is a GREAT decision to have all the music be just instrumentals… afterall this is more a war movie… even if u think all the songs in the original animation are memorable… they are simply inapproprate here… this is NOT a fantasy movie…

    instrumental music on the other hand will fit much better with the seriousness of the movie…

  23. Good article. It’s not a big deal to me if they make these changes. If the movie ends up being great, preconceived expectations shouldn’t play a part in enjoying the film.

  24. I would truly like to see what the movie would be like with more instrumental.

  25. Mulan is targeting the Chinese market and they are very proud, protective of the Mulan legend from what I hear. Maybe Disney think the songs won’t be true to the history of Mulan or take away from the story. I doubt the real Mulan was singing “Make a man out of you.”

    • The real Mulan story is actually very tragic. I remember listening to a podcast about Mulan. It was a very interesting.

  26. I’ve never seen Mulan, but even I know Reflection.

  27. I think that Disney is focusing on the mythology of it all rather than the previous film. I think that the original film was great because the comedy moments and music was almost a distraction from the fact that these soldiers are fighting in a war and risking their lives. Younger audience member will have to focus on the more scary parts of the story instead of keeping in mind Mushu or the soldiers will be there to break the tension. I personally think that the musical adaptation is groundbreaking and if a live action film should be made it should follow in the footsteps. However the original film was very controversial and didn’t get this historically correct. So I think Disney is trying to make this new adaptation more serious and accurate as to not be controversial (so no Mushu 😢). No matter what they do, somebody will not be happy.

  28. I’m okay with the characters not breaking out into song. But a song over a training montage would work for example.

  29. Syreeta
    1

    One of the ironies here is that it had one of the best scores of Disney films in a long time. At least they were clever lyrically and catchy. I never felt they movie got its due.

  30. Deandre
    1

    Ok I’ll have to rewatch mulan so see if I care for the songs or not but I really don’t remember the songs at all. so that being said I guess I dont mind if the songs are not in the movie.

  31. Angelic
    0

    I feel like it’s a bit idiotic to think Disney is going to make this huge, epic, Chinese live action opera war film, that’s also a musical… Can you find a way to work in a few songs within the movie organically? Sure. But it’s not the focus of the movie, nor should it be.

  32. You gotta have the songs in there, it’s not Mulan if you don’t.

  33. Kennith
    0

    Unless they are taking a more serious tone to the Disney’s animated version of Mulan, I don’t see how this could be a good decision.

    • This will be based on the actual story, not the animated. No dragon, no singing. The actual story is good in itself.

  34. I’m not protective of the original enough to object to this new direction. I’m fine without Mushu and the songs and I’m glad this won’t be a shot for shot remake of Mulan.

  35. Can’t disney do anything that’s not a sequel or remake these days!

    • Amelia Arrows

      I know! I rather have new films to watch, especially the fact that coming up with a solid sequel isn’t Disney strength, and most of their remakes are not the best.

      This is why I have learned to like Pixar. Even though they are under the ever expanding umbrella, at least they produce new content for the most part.

      Marvel is even better.

  36. I’m excited that this is supposedly closer to the actual story of Mulan. The cartoon is amazing, but Aladdin showed us that not everything that is great in a cartoon adapts to live-action.

  37. walmore
    1

    Yes. I hope people give it a chance though! I definitely will

  38. Mulan’s an awesome, strong, badass female character.

  39. Lousands

    I love to see how remakes unfold. Now and again they are better than the original and can surprise you.

    I will be watching Mulan as soon as its released. Its one of mine and my sisters favourite Disney films. The female lead was a fighter and someone we could identify with. She had strength and gusto.

    The article was really interesting, especially reading about the back story and original intensions. It was a great read the first time around and I enjoyed revisiting for a second viewing. Cant wait to see it with some context behind the remake. Many Thanks 😀

  40. Amelia Arrows

    Aww thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

  41. Disney is remaking all of their films in live action, although probably for the billions they will receive but mainly for the purpose of nostalgia, people watching them and remembering singing along as a kid and being entranced in the magic of Disney. By remaking Mulan as not a musical, this may give it a unique feel, but these are not movies made to be unique, everyone already knows the story and the plot twists, by removing the songs it removes a level of nostalgia and childhood memories.

  42. Joseph Cernik

    A good essay. I remember watching the animated, musical version with my daughters–and two of them dressed as Mulan for Halloween. I’ll find it interesting to see how they like this new version of Mulan. Again, a well-thought out essay.

  43. I’m really interested to see how this one is done. I agree, The Lion King remake was stunning but awkward to watch when they sing. I think Mulan will work without the music because it’s a story about a real person, not animals. And although Disney musicals can be fun if you’re in the right mood, Mulan feels like it deserves to be taken a little more seriously.

  44. XiaoYang

    A sure thing is that it is hard to do something new, especially for Disney as a corporation which has been run for decades and decades. To be honest I love the songs such as I will make a man out of you in the original animation. But I am also looking forward to see a more serious version of Mulan…

  45. I have not seen the trailer nor the original movie so I am pretty pumped to see this movie.

  46. Stephanie M.

    Excellent! I especially like the comparison/contrast between Disney’s Mulan and the Ballad of Mulan version. And of course, “you don’t normally burst into song when you’re going to war.” Part of me is like, “Yeah, Disney, should’ve thought of that!” Then again, a few well-placed and well-written songs might’ve been okay, too. After all, Hamilton takes place largely within the American Revolution. At any rate, I’m sure the remake will be a smash, much better than recent offerings in the genre.

  47. I don’t think all remakes are bad. As the author has pointed out in the article, films like Maleficent, which I adore, add another dimension to the original story by telling it from another perspective. Despite the use of artistic license in doing so, I like to view it as an act of re-interpretation.

    While I’m a big fan of the music in the animated version of Mulan, I don’t think taking it out from the live-action film is as detrimental as it’s made out to be. A few comments above have already mentioned how the live-action film is purportedly more faithful to the original story as opposed to the animated film. In this sense, I think taking out the music was a risky but valid artistic choice in order for the remake to be more faithful to Mulan’s story.

    I also appreciated the comparison between the Disney version and the original ballad – definitely learned something new about the differences between the two!

  48. Samantha Leersen

    I’m admittedly not a fan of Disney. Not because I dislike it, just because I have barely watched anything from them. In saying that though, I have heard from those who do enjoy Disney films that Mulan is one of the better remakes.
    An interesting article, I enjoyed reading this!

Leave a Reply to Amelia Arrows Cancel reply