Mulan: The Live-Action Adaptation of a Chinese Legend

Mulan, Disney’s latest live-action adaptation, tells the story of a young girl who disguises herself as a man to join the army in place of her ailing father. The original Mulan story is a Chinese legend that dates back to the Northern and Southern dynasties (420–589 AD) and was passed down through oral tradition before being put into print.

The animated film, released in 1998, has been adored for over two decades, and with the remakes trend, it became time to adapt Mulan as a live-action film with a Chinese and a female director. And though this live-action adaptation missed some of the humor that made the animated one so likable, it brought its own unique beauty and seriousness to the table.

One of the most significant changes is that the story of Mulan now takes place entirely in China, with no American characters or influences. The film aims to honor Chinese culture and its traditions while adding its slightly different retelling of the story. They did try to add a few nods to the original though, such as Mushu (Mulan’s talking dragon sidekick in the animated movie), makes an early appearance but is not the same character. Instead of providing much comic relief, the real sidekick in this film is a cricket, played by Jun Yu.

The biggest and most significant change that some people may not like is that Mulan’s love interest, Li Shang, is not featured in the film. Instead, Mulan’s character develops alongside Honghui, a young soldier. Li Shang, who trained alongside Mulan and eventually fell in love with her, had a change of character midway through the original film and left Mulan’s romantic interest to take care of Mushu, who was left behind while Mulan pretended to be a soldier.

While audiences still enjoyed seeing the characters step off the screen with real-life versions of their costumes, the filmmakers felt that the relationship between Mulan and Li Shang was no longer a model representation of what they wanted to present. Instead of wasting precious minutes on love interests or humorous asides, they wanted to rely solely on the heroine’s journey and strength.

This iteration of Mulan is grittier and more action-oriented than its animated counterpart, largely thanks to the director Niki Caro, who masterfully captured the film’s action sequences. Mulan’s strength as a character is undeniable, but it is the way the filmmakers balance her “masculine” traits with her femininity. For instance, the final act when Mulan looks in horror at her reflection instead of the enemy aggressors represents that every single battle has scarred her. Every time she kills a man, it “chip(s) away at my soul,” she says. So when she finally admits that “loyalty, bravery and truth” aren’t just manly virtues she embodies, it’s just as empowering to watch her embrace her femininity as it is her imposing a little knife-wielding fear in the hearts of her male competitors.

In conclusion, the 2020 Mulan will forever be marred by the events surround its release during the COVID-19 pandemic. This film once again reminds us that Disney is interested in producing strong and inspiring female characters, which has been a recurring trend in their films. Mulan is an excellent representation of Chinese culture and a creative take on a beloved classic that will appeal to new generations of fans.

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