Everything you need to know about Mulan 2020

Disney decides to release the live action remake of Mulan despite its challenges.

Courtesy of redbox.com

Courtesy of redbox.com

Despite having pushed back the release date more than once, Disney is moving forward with the release of the live action Mulan remake on September 4th. There are lots of fans excited for the release, some confused on how to get access, and some boycotting the movie all together due to Chinese politics.  

There is lots of anticipation surrounding the film and lots of questions fans are waiting to get answers to. Will there be musical numbers? What will happen to the character Li Shang and Mushu? How similar will it be to the original? 

The movie is centered around female empowerment, telling a story of a woman who disguises herself as a man to fight in place of her father in order to save his life. With this, the producers were uncomfortable with the character Li Shang. The dynamic of a commanding officer as the love interest didn’t fit the narrative they were trying to create of a powerful independent woman. This means instead, they “split Li Shang into two characters. One became Commander Tung, who serves as her surrogate father and mentor in the course of the movie. The other is Honghui who is equal in the squad,” Producer, Jason Reed, Said. 

Unfortunately, there will also be no beloved Mushu. The original story of Mulan is actually Hua Mulan, a 6th-century Chinese folk tale and Mushu was invented as a comic relief for the film. In honor of making this version of Mulan bigger and better, producers decided to take out the character entirely and to “tell this story in a way that is more real, more relatable,” Reed said.  

“I wish they were in the remake because Mushu added a comedic appeal to the movie and was a classic sidekick in the original; and though Li Shangs part was small I felt it was important and still should have been in the remake,” Sydney Goldsmith (‘23) said. 

Not only was there controversy due to a few of the characters in the film, there is also a movement to boycott the entire movie itself. This began last march when pro-democracy protests broke out. At this time the police met the protesters with batons, pepper spray, tear gas, and rubber bullets. Mulan’s star Liu Yifei took to social media, resharing a post that said “I support the Hong Kong police. You can all attack me now.” Her post received an outpouring of support and backlash. With many across the world who support the protests, #BoycottMulan quickly became trending on Twitter.  

“Shouldn’t it be free if it’s on Disney Plus?” asked Goldsmith.  

Regardless of the setbacks and controversy around this film, it is predicted to still have millions of viewers. Disney is selling access to the film on Disney Plus. A Disney Plus subscription costs $7 a month and subscribers will be able to purchase Mulan for an extra $30 payment. Once that payment is made you will have it for as long as you are a Disney Plus subscriber.  It is also known that eventually this live action remake will be available to regular Disney Plus subscribers, but it is not known when exactly that will happen. On the same day, it will be released in some countries where cinemas are open.