Mulan (Live-Action)

[D82]

Here's the final trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-eFm--k21c

[UmbrellaFish]

Disney’s Mulan for people who don’t like Disney’s Mulan.

[Sotiris]

I liked the new trailer. It revealed more of the story and the action sequences looked better this time around. The editing was handled better as well. It ended a bit abruptly though and some of the acting remains quite hammy. The delivery of the Emperor's line was particularly bad. It seems the film will focus on the relationship between Mulan and the Witch which is an interesting approach. They have more scenes together than I expected. Jason Scott Lee stands out the most (in a good way) and I like the Witch's overall look.

I noticed that Mulan's comb in the remake is quite plain and cheap-looking. Couldn't they have created something better? It's really not that difficult. In the original, her comb was very beautiful and memorable. This one doesn't stand out in the least.

Disney’s Mulan for people who don’t like Disney’s Mulan.

Don't get me started again!

[Farerb]

"people like us"? What does she mean?

[D82]

I liked the two previous trailers more, but this one isn't bad either. It focuses more on the action (maybe because it was released for the Super Bowl) and is the first in which the music of the original is not used. I also liked that they showed more of the story and I agree that the action looks good.

The delivery of the Emperor's line was particularly bad.

It surprised when he said that. It seems this Emperor is going to be more like the characters Jet Li usually plays and less like the calm and wise ruler of the original.

It seems the film will focus on the relationship between Mulan and the Witch which is an interesting approach. They have more scenes together than I expected.

Maybe the witch is the real villain after all and Böri Khan is just someone she uses to achieve what she wants, instead of the other way around. That's what I thought at first, but then everything seemed to point to the opposite. His name comes first in the press releases though, so maybe I'm wrong.

"people like us"? What does she mean?

I'm not sure. I was wondering that too. Maybe female warriors?

[nomad2010]

This will sound like the strangest complaint but so far my only issue with this movie is that the trailers make it look like it features no night scenes. The original had such beautiful night scenes from the pond, to the fireworks, to the dramatic rain and hair cutting moment. I feel like some of that beautiful drama is getting lost. And I’m sure there will be some, but I’m worried this is going to go like the Pacific Rim sequel did and stay all during the day and lack the dramatic visuals the original did. Lots of critics pointed that out on that film, and I’m hoping this one proves me wrong. But I really do hope there’s more to this movie than these somewhat desaturates baron visuals we are seeing after she leaves home.

[Sotiris]

It seems this Emperor is going to be more like the characters Jet Li usually plays and less like the calm and wise ruler of the original.

Yes, which makes it harder to root for his forces to prevail. Especially, since we've learned Böri Khan's father was either wronged or killed by him.

Maybe the witch is the real villain after all and Böri Khan is just someone she uses to achieve what she wants, instead of the other way around.

If this were a WDAS or Pixar movie, I'd be more inclined to believe they'd pull a twist like that, but it seems they're trying to make the Witch sympathetic by having her relate to Mulan through their common experiences as non-conforming women in a patriarchal society. That's evident when Khan calls Mulan a girl, she corrects him and calls her a warrior. So, I think they'll probably go for the sisterhood angle and eventually have the Witch join Mulan. But it's also possible, she'll be revealed as the mastermind behind Khan who'd been manipulating him the entire time in order to showcase how cunning, smart, and effective women can be in positions of power. We'll see.

"people like us"? What does she mean?

Lesbians! Maybe that's why Karo said the romance with Chen will be subtextual. I mean they haven't showed him at all in any of the promos.

I feel like some of that beautiful drama is getting lost. And I’m sure there will be some, but I’m worried this is going to go like the Pacific Rim sequel did and stay all during the day and lack the dramatic visuals the original did.

It would be lost regardless if there were nights scenes or not. This is a Disney remake we're talking about. That's what they do. Take impressive visuals, composition, and cinematography from the originals and suck the life and beauty out of them. In any case, there should be at least two night scenes. Mulan's decision to take her father's place which is shown in the trailers and her bathing with Chen which we know from a leaked photo. Not that it makes any difference.

[D82]

Maybe the witch is the real villain after all and Böri Khan is just someone she uses to achieve what she wants, instead of the other way around.

If this were a WDAS or Pixar movie, I'd be more inclined to believe they'd pull a twist like that, but it seems they're trying to make the Witch sympathetic by having her relate to Mulan through their common experiences as non-conforming women in a patriarchal society. That's evident when Khan calls Mulan a girl, she corrects him and calls her a warrior. So, I think they'll probably go for the sisterhood angle and eventually have the Witch join Mulan. But it's also possible, she'll be revealed as the mastermind behind Khan who'd been manipulating him the entire time in order to showcase how cunning, smart, and effective women can be in positions of power. We'll see.

It's true that the remakes haven't had this kind of twists, but this remake is not as faithful to the original as most of them, so who knows. But, yes, I think you're right, what you said sounds more likely.

[D82]

Interview with actor Ron Yuan, who plays a new character called Sergeant Qiang in the movie:

So, it goes without saying that a lot of people here in Indonesia are excited for the live-action “Mulan.” Fans of the original animated movie are obviously familiar with the story and most have an idea what to expect from the trailers. How would you describe 2020’s “Mulan,” though?
This 2020 “Mulan” live adaptation will be a very special viewing experience. From what I saw and absorbed on set, it will feel more epic and dramatic in tone, wight light, fun moments on one end while pulling our heartstrings on the other. I think audiences will appreciate the story arc and stunning visuals and that it’s not a shot for shot remake.

What was the most enjoyable part of being part of this movie for you?
Well, aside from working on a timeless Disney classic, just being on set you can feel the passion and the focused energy from both cast and crew. We all became a family on a mission and it was a very special journey which was led by our director, Niki Caro. Niki was our Mulan behind camera. She led by action and you felt the love and support for her vision from producers Jason Reed, Liz Tan, Barry Osborne and our great DP [Director of Photography] Mandy Walker. From training to rehearsals to filming, Niki set up a world for all of us to bond so our characters could thrive and do our thing.

On the flip side, were there any aspects of working on “Mulan” that surprised you or became a bit of a challenge?
For me, personally, I enjoyed all aspects of “Mulan.” Training was hard but we all loved it. Niki had her trainer Bojan—ex Serbian special forces—kick our butts into shape in Boot Camp. The cast as a whole bonded because of it. When you know that your director, producer and DP and other department heads were training at 4 to 5AM every day, you better give it all you got. That, along with working with a great stunt team, horse trainers, dialect coaches to our incredible costumes, Niki created an environment for all of us to easily transition into our characters.

The new “Mulan,” we think, faces a unique double challenge: A lot of people want it to be faithful to the 1998 animated film and it also needs to be respectful of the original folklore. Do you think that “Mulan” manages to do this?
Absolutely … which is why I think this version is so special. I think the direction that Niki and Disney went in will satisfy true “Mulan” fans while also paying tribute to the original folklore. Look, I know fans were upset when news first broke out that there was no Mushu or singing, but it’s nice to see after the official trailer came out, that those same critics are jumping aboard for the ride. As you can surmise from the trailer, an Eddie Murphy Mushu wouldn’t fit in this version. The tone is different. In my opinion, this version is more grounded in reality, which in turn will make it even more heartfelt than the animation. Niki and the writing team did an incredible job in making this version honest and heartfelt … you’ll see.

All in all, what do you think will audiences around the world take away from the movie?
Family; empowering yourself to do the right thing; anything is possible when you put your heart and mind into it.

Source: https://daman.co.id/actor-ron-yuan-on-t ... hollywood/

[Sotiris]

D23 magazine cover.


Source: https://d23.com/disney-twenty-three-spring-2020/

[D82]

Disney Remains Committed to ‘Mulan’ Global Release, Even if China Film Biz Stays Closed
https://variety.com/2020/film/asia/disn ... 203496248/

‘Mulan’ Actor Yoson An Talks His First NYFW: Men’s, Upcoming Film
https://wwd.com/eye/people/mulan-actor- ... 203462269/

[D82]

Pins from the movie: https://www.pintrader.club/articles/mar ... -releases/

And here are several new pictures. Some of them are a bit spoilery, but I'd say not too much. They don't show anything that doesn't happen in one way or another in the original: https://twitter.com/DisneyLABR/status/1 ... 2352386048

The images come from the two books in the following video. I haven't read the text or watched the entire video, but I'm sure it does contain MAJOR SPOILERS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHDYnWT ... =emb_title

[Sotiris]

The images come from the two books in the following video. I haven't read the text or watched the entire video, but I'm sure it does contain MAJOR SPOILERS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHDYnWT ... =emb_title

Thanks for sharing! This is truly a Disney remake. All the same story beats from the original are there, just made worse! Even the climax is underwhelming. I'm surprised by how little impact the Witch actually has. Her importance was overblown in the trailers.

[Sotiris]

New TV spot. The acting of Mulan's father is really poor. There's no feeling in his words. He's just reading lines. Nothing like the emotive performance of Soon-Tek Oh.

[Disney's Divinity]

I thought the same with his appearances in early trailers, too. But I assumed it could just be me.

[D82]

'Mulan' star Liu Yifei did 90% of her own stunts in the Disney movie, according to the cinematographer
https://www.insider.com/cinematographer ... nts-2020-2

This is truly a Disney remake. All the same story beats from the original are there, just made worse!

I suspected that based on the stills and I'm a bit disappointed. I was hoping it would be more different from the original.

The acting of Mulan's father is really poor. There's no feeling in his words. He's just reading lines. Nothing like the emotive performance of Soon-Tek Oh.

I didn't like the actor they had chosen to play him at first either, but then I saw him in The Farewell, where he also plays the father of the protagonist, and I really liked his performance there. So now I'm glad they cast him. But it's true that the original animated character will be difficult to match.

Speaking of Mulan's father, here's an interview with Tzi Ma where he talks about Mulan. He explains how he got the role at this point of the interview, and here he speaks about the differences between the original film and the remake.

[nomad2010]

The images come from the two books in the following video. I haven't read the text or watched the entire video, but I'm sure it does contain MAJOR SPOILERS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHDYnWT ... =emb_title

Thanks for sharing! This is truly a Disney remake. All the same story beats from the original are there, just made worse! Even the climax is underwhelming. I'm surprised by how little impact the Witch actually has. Her importance was overblown in the trailers.

I had a feeling this was the case because we hadn’t seen any night scenes or fireworks or anything even slightly climactic looking for a finale. But I really can’t believe just how bad and boring this sounds. This character deserved so much better. Especially since they cut the music and changed so much. I was hoping it meant a bigger, more epic-scales feature but that doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact it seems the opposite.

One thing to note is there seems to be no mention of the Phoenix in that book, and very little of the Witch, so there could be more but that’s clearly the basics of the story and it’s wildly underwhelming. This makes sense with all the reshoots that supposedly just took place. Major effects and sets probably weren’t possible at that point.

[Sotiris]

Significantly, “Mulan” was not made as an official U.S.-China co-production. While a co-production might have offered the studio a greater share of the China box office revenue, the complications of working in China can outweigh the benefits. Among those is the requirement that an overseas release cannot precede the Chinese release.

Source: https://variety.com/2020/film/asia/disn ... 203496248/

It's interesting that Disney made Iron Man 3 a co-production but not Mulan. Was the flexible global release schedule really more important than getting a bigger cut of the box office gross? Now, they'll only get 25% of the box office revenue there. Sure, this decision may have worked out in their favor given the epidemic that's going on, but they couldn't have anticipated such a development.

"For instance, we picked a location for the battlefield that was very mono-tonal, so that the red of her costume would be what your eye goes to straight away."

Source: https://www.insider.com/cinematographer ... nts-2020-2

What's the excuse then for the rest of the film looking that way?

"Mulan has this power — we call it Qi [or ch'i]," Walker said. Qi is a force that forms a part of any living entity, and can also be translated as "air" or "energy flow," and is also tied to martial arts. "It's her special power, which means she is actually an elite warrior. She realizes she has this power during her training, and then she becomes one of the elite warriors."

Source: https://www.insider.com/cinematographer ... nts-2020-2

I don't like that they're giving Mulan a sort of supernatural power. It takes away from her accomplishments. Not to mention, that's not how Qi works in Chinese culture. Everyone has Qi, it's not something given to select "special" people, and it doesn't make you good at martial arts. In certain martial arts like Kung Fu it's believed that when Qi is harnessed and controlled by the practitioner, it can be applied to battle. But it's not like magic that makes you super good at it if you possess it.

Speaking of Mulan's father, here's an interview with Tzi Ma where he talks about Mulan. He explains how he got the role at this point of the interview, and here he speaks about the differences between the original film and the remake.

Some of the things he said don't apply. He must not have watched the original or not remember it well. Like him saying the live-action Mulan is not influenced by the love interest as she was in the original. Mulan's choices in the animated film were never influenced by Shang. If anything, the opposite is true. When he told her to go home and leave the camp, she didn't listen to him and persevered. She also disobeyed him up in the mountains and carried on with her plan to defeate the Hun army.

Another thing, when the cast and crew talk about the legend of Mulan, they need to realize there's not one, singular legend. As with any folk tale, there are hundreds iterations of it. The Ballad of Mulan is the most well-known because it was written down and anthologized. It's like saying Grimm's fairytales are the only, true originals for the same reason.

I had a feeling this was the case because we hadn’t seen any night scenes or fireworks or anything even slightly climactic looking for a finale. But I really can’t believe just how bad and boring this sounds. This character deserved so much better. Especially since they cut the music and changed so much. I was hoping it meant a bigger, more epic-scales feature but that doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact it seems the opposite.

I'm in total agreement. I'm disappointed as well. Mulan did deserve better. I can't say I'm surprised though given Disney's track record with remakes.

[Sotiris]

Promotional gifs.

The 'Mulan' Live-Action Film Pays Homage To The 1998 Classic In These Exclusive Cinemagraphs
https://www.bustle.com/p/the-mulan-live ... s-21795330

[Farerb]

Everything I see and hear about this film is giving me the feeling that this is going to be another crappy unimaginative remake like the rest of them, but I'm not surprised because I stopped giving Disney the benefit of the doubt a long time ago. I don't mind that there no songs or no Mushu since IMO they were the weakest part of the original. However it seems like Disney is still in their unnecessary "older princess are not feminist enough so making them more feminist is necessary even though it gets the opposite result" phase.