Disney’s Mulan: $30 Dollar Cash or a Load of Trash?

By Colin Udall

The remake of Mulan is just one of the latest live-action adaptations by Disney in the last few years. However, unlike movies such as The Lion King and Aladdin, Mulan saw its release date slated in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic. Disney’s response to combat the closed theatres was to release it on their new streaming service “Disney+,” but with a $30 dollar premium. Is this really worth such a large additional fee?

The story of Mulan sees it’s origins in Chinese legend, but most people are familiar with the 1998 Disney film Mulan. This is, however, for good reason, as Mulan incorporates important themes of family, tradition, and gender roles, while also tying it all together with comedy and a great soundtrack. This version is beloved by many, and it would be expected that the 2020 Disney adaptation would, at least, hit the same key points as the 1998 classic. 

This latest adaptation of the Mulan legend completely misses all of the important themes highlighted by the 1998 version. Mulan’s (2020) biggest failure is it’s character changes. Aside from the removal of fan favorites, Disney has altered the character of Mulan in a way that destroys what makes its key themes work in other adaptations. Mulan has been turned into a natural born ninja, which completely contrasts the Mulan that drives home the core themes of the first adaptation. The themes of the Mulan story should be driven not by the main character’s Chi, but by her courage and strong will. The themes suggest a Mulan who is just as capable of the men in her barracks because of these traits, not because she can do backflips and cartwheels. What can really be said about the 2020 Mulan aside from the slaughter of its own main themes? The set pieces and color grading are quite creative, but destroyed by constant cuts and bad camera work. The soundtrack works well, but lacks any of the classic Disney tunes. 
Mulan (2020) will become standard access to Disney+ subscribers in December, and it would be unwise for anyone to pay for this film.