Mulan: Everything to know about Disney’s 2020 adaptation

‘Mulan’ (2020) is finally releasing in cinemas this weekend, starting on September 4 (Friday). We break down everything you need to know, from the massive changes in storytelling, to Christina Aguilera’s brand new track for the film.

THE STORY: The live-action adaptation of ‘Mulan’ is based on Chinese folklore, ‘The Ballad of Mulan’, in which Hua Mulan is a female warrior who disguises herself as a man, in order to take over her ailing father’s place in the army. In the film, the Emperor of China issues a decree that every family must put forth one man who will serve in the Imperial Army, to fight off Northern Invaders. Mulan steps in for her ageing dad, all while pretending to be a man named Hua Jun. What follows is her journey towards growth, resilience and finding her fighting spirit.

THE CAST: Chinese-American actress Liu Yifei (pictured), also known as Crystal Liu, plays the lead role of Mulan. Donnie Yen, a Chinese actor and martial artist, plays Commander Tung, a high-ranking officer and mentor to Mulan. Meanwhile, Macanese-New Zealander Yoson An plays her new love interest — Chen Honghui. Yup, that means there’s no General Li Shang in the live-action adaptation — that’s because it’s more closely inspired by the source material in ‘The Ballad of Mulan’.

Speaking about the two characters’ connection in an interview with ScreenSlam, Yoson An (pictured) said: “Honghui and Mulan start off on the wrong foot in the conscription camp, but throughout the journey of the training, Honghui kind of sees something in Mulan that the other boys doesn’t — they don’t have it. It’s that leadership quality and perseverance.”

RECORD-BREAKING PRODUCTION BUDGET: With a budget of at least $200 million (Dh734.5 million), ‘Mulan’ (2020) is the most expensive live-action film ever made by a female director. But New Zealand filmmaker Nikola ‘Niki’ Caro — behind the Award-winning 2002 indie flick ‘Whale Rider’ — wasn’t fussed about the number of zeroes she was working with. “The intimidating thing was my responsibility to the story, to the studio, and to the audience … As far as budget goes, no, I was not intimidated. With every film I’ve made, ‘Whale Rider’ included, I’ve had a vision that was far bigger than the budget allowed. So this time, to be able to have a budget equal to the very epic vision in my head, was just really satisfying,” she told SlashFilm.

NO MORE MUSHU: It’s hard to envision any iteration of ‘Mulan’ without Mushu — the tiny, big-mouthed and comedic dragon originally voiced by Eddie Murphy. When asked why they made the decision to drop Mushu from the live-action remake, producer Jason Reed explained it was a matter of cultural sensitivity. According to him, the dragon was not a big hit with Chinese audiences. “Obviously, Mushu is a beloved character and one of the most memorable of the animated film. It turns out that the traditional Chinese audience did not particularly think that was the best interpretation of the dragon in their culture. That the dragon is a sign of respect and of strength and power and sort of using it as a silly sidekick did not play well with a traditional Chinese audience,” said Reed, according to CinemaBlend.

NOT A MUSICAL: Another big difference between the 1998 animation and the 2020 adaptation of ‘Mulan’ is the lack of musical numbers. According to director Caro, they are aiming for realism, hence why characters don’t simply break out into song. “I mean, back to the realism question — we don’t tend to break into song when we go to war. Not that I’m saying anything against the animation. The songs are brilliant, and if I could squeeze them in there, I would have. But we do honour the music from the animation in a very significant way,” Caro told DigitalSpy. “I guess that’s the biggest thing for me about making — remaking — an iconic title like ‘Mulan’ in live-action. It’s the fact that it can be real, and it’s the real story of a girl going to war.”

XTINA RE-RECORDS ‘REFLECTION’: Just because ‘Mulan’ (2020) won’t be a musical, it doesn’t mean it won’t include a glorious new rendition of Christina Aguilera’s hit track ‘Reflection’, which Aguilera describes as the song that “jump-started” her career and coincided with signing her first record deal. More than 20 years later, the pop star, 39, has re-recorded the epic anthem of self-discovery. With a “huge orchestration”. “Reflection’ … and the first Mulan is the reason why I’m sitting here today,” Aguilera told ET. “The new version takes on a more serious tone … So I wanted to bring more of that huge orchestration, and also sing it in a bigger way.” She added: “It feels so amazing, just to come full circle as a grown woman who has had an amazing career thus far and to be able to take my children to now the live-action movie.”

THE NEW SONG: In addition to recreating ‘Reflection’, Christina Aguilera sings a brand new track for the new ‘Mulan’, titled ‘Loyal Brave True’. The powerful song asks, ‘Tell me, underneath my armour, am I loyal, brave and true?’ However, the song has split viewers and critics. One fan commented: “I wasn’t really excited for this movie until Xtina released the songs ... [Mulan] would not be Mulan without her!!!” Meanwhile, some bemoaned the cultural appropriation aspect of the track and wondered why Disney hadn’t hired a Chinese artist to record the song. “Haven’t seen the new Christina Aguilera Mulan music video but seems like a missed opportunity to promote a Chinese artist…” wrote one Twitter user.

THE DELAY: Disney delayed the release of ‘Mulan’ (2020) three times due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Originally set to hit theatres on March 27, it was pushed to July 24 and then again to August 21. In July, Disney announced an ‘indefinite’ delay. “Over the last few months, it’s become clear that nothing can be set in stone when it comes to how we release films during this global health crisis, and today that means pausing our release plans for Mulan as we assess how we can most effectively bring this film to audiences around the world,” Disney told Variety, at the time. But, the movie will finally go ahead on Friday.

THE FINE PRINT: ‘Mulan’ producers created a lot of buzz when they announced that they would finally release the film in cinemas on Friday (September 4), but that it would simultaneously become available on home streaming service Disney+ for a fee of $30. The move is unprecedented and it remains to be seen what will actually happen, in terms of viewing numbers. But, the good news is, in December, the movie will become available on Disney+ for free. It’s unclear when the UAE will get to stream the film, since Disney+ isn’t available as a stand-alone service in the region. For now, however, fans can enjoy the film in cinemas.