Over the weekend we got the first teaser trailer for Disney's first live-action remake of 2020. Mulan looks quite beautiful based on the trailer, and a lot of people are really excited for it. One of those people who is really excited is Ming-Na Wen. The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actress was the voice of Mulan in the original Disney animated classic, and she is as ready to see the new film as anybody.
So the original Mulan has given her seal of approval to the new generation's Mulan. For the most part, audiences seem to be in support of the new movie as well. While a vocal contingent seems to be upset there was no sign of Mushu the talking dragon from the animated movie seen in the remake, the epic beauty of the trailer shines through and teases what will likely be an impressive film.
The new Mulan stars Chinese actress Liu Yifei in the title role. While the new trailer doesn't give us a talking dragon, it does otherwise set up the story that we know. Mulan is working with a matchmaker to find a romantic match, something she isn't necessarily all that excited for. However, instead of finding love, she finds war when she ends up joining the Chinese army in disguise.
The other major change between the original Mulan and the remake is that the new movie certainly doesn't appear to be a musical. Not only is there no music in the trailer, but the look and tone of the clips certainly don't look like full musical numbers would fit. It's an interesting choice if only because Disney has shown with the success of movies like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin that the closer the remake is to the original, the more successful it is at the box office.
The Disney remake train has been moving along quite well in recent months. While Dumbo didn't set the world on fire, that has been largely overshadowed by the success of Aladdin and in just over a week we'll see The Lion King debut, in what likely would have been the highest grossing movie of the year if Avengers: Endgame had come out at a different time.
We're also getting Maleficent: Mistress of Evil in October, which technically isn't a remake anymore, as it's an original story, but it is the first sequel to a live-action remake since 102 Dalmatians in 2000.
Next year we will see Mulan start the year with a March release, and Cruella at the end of the year, as it comes out at Christmas. That film is expected to be an origin story of sorts for the Disney villain, with Emma Stone in the lead role.
Check out the full trailer for Mulan below.
I'm with Ming-Na Wen on this one. I think the movie looks epic and the fact that it isn't a perfect copy of the animated original is a good thing. I've sen that movie already. I want to see something new, and Mulan the action hero is very much that.
