The Live-Action No One Wants Anymore

It’s best we don’t speak of it.

Recently, Disney announced that a live-action version of “Mulan” would open in U.S. theaters in March, 2020. Actress/singer Liu Yifei will star as Mulan. The film will feature a whole new cast of characters and, wait for it… there will be no Shang. No Mushu. No music.

Let that sink in.

So far, the only piece of the original plot that is being kept is Mulan joining the army in the place of her father. She is also being given a sister, played by Xana Tang. According to different versions of the Chinese legend that “Mulan” was based off of, Mulan had a sibling, so this addition isn’t too far off track. However, with the replacement of Mulan’s original love interest and some supporting characters, it’s hard to focus on the sister.

Many fans of the original are angry at Disney, asking why the movie is still being called “Mulan” when it deviates so far from the 1998 version. Personally, I agree. Mulan’s soundtrack is key in moving the story along and giving the characters chances to express themselves- without the music, is it even a Disney movie?

Some of the new characters include Mulan’s love interest Chen Honghui, played by Yoson An. Instead of General Li’s son (General Li isn’t even in the movie anymore), Honghui is a fellow recruit that will fight alongside Mulan. Other new characters include an evil witch played by Gong Li and Commander Tung, played by Donnie Yen, to serve as Mulan’s mentor.

Needless to say, this live-action version of “Mulan” will be changing things up quite a bit. Whether that is good or bad remains to be seen. However, one good thing about this version is the amount of Asian representation and diversity in the cast members. The cast now features prominent Chinese actors as well as others. The film is set to release in 2020, so Disney still has a little bit of time to backtrack and fix their mistakes. For the sake of Mulan, let’s hope they do.