Mulan

Coming to theaters later this month is Disney’s new live action take on the classic cartoon movie Mulan. Disney has done multiple live action remakes of cartoon classics, so it isn’t a surprise that the Princess Warrior is getting her own.

Upon watching the trailer, there’s a few key elements to the original story that are missing. The main difference is the change in Antagonists. The original antagonist, Hayabusa, has been replaced by Xian Lang. Lang is a witch, who can transform into a falcon. She’ll be the new antagonist in the movie alongside Bori Khan. This change will cause a MAJOR shift in the plot.
Having a new antagonist will create a similar, but different storyline for the characters because Xian Lang and Bori Khan will have a different motivation for fighting Mulan than Hayabusa did.
Another change is the elimination of fan favorite character Mushu, who was voiced by Eddie Murphy. Not having the comic relief from this character will definitely change the feel of this movie, which may be fine considering it seems to be more dramatized.

Mushu being a talking dragon added a light-hearted element to what is a relatively serious story. He made the audience laugh and granted levity to the movie’s intensity. He also protected her, so not having him will leave the question of if there will be a similar character to support Mulan.
The cinematography is absolutely amazing. Everything from the village to the mountains in the background when riding on horseback. This will make for a strong movie cinematically, let just hope it holds up story wise.

Overall, I think this movie could go either way. Some may love the new take, but old fans may hate it. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing what changes they made.