Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan is officially out. There are plot changes and a boycott. A lot of people have their thoughts about it. Here are mine.

Contents hide
1 The Basics
2 Changes
2.1 Mushu
2.2 #MeToo
2.3 Story Changes
3 The Boycott
4 International Strategy
5 Reviews
5.1 My Thoughts
5.2 Share this:
5.3 Related

The Basics

So, Mulan came out this past weekend on the streaming platform, Disney +, as an early preview. Disney + subscribers can currently pay $30 (on top of their $6.99 monthly subscription fee) to watch it now. With that $30, they can watch the movie as well as download it (as long as they keep their Disney + subscription.) On December 4th, Mulan will be available to all Disney + subscribers at no additional charge. In other countries (that have been a bit more responsible and controlled COVID already), the movie will be shown in theaters.

This is a big move for Disney. Their original plans were to release it to theaters in March. But, due to COVID, they’re venturing into premium video-on-demand to strengthen the value proposition of Disney + and add some additional revenue. This isn’t new. NBCUniversal made all of its theatrical releases available for premium rental for $20 a pop. The Trolls World Tour film went straight to premium rental in April and was a huge success garnering more than $100 million after only three weeks.

Changes

As with most remakes, there will be changes to the movie. However, this Mulan has some big changes.

Mushu

The biggest one, for me, is the shakeup in the roster of characters. The new movie removed one of my (and many’s) favorite characters, Mushu. Mushu isn’t a character in “The Ballad of Mulan,” the original poem Mulan is based on, and didn’t resonate with the Chinese audience. Producer, Jason Reed told reporters that the silly sidekick didn’t represent a traditional Chinese dragon that represents respect, strength, and power. A pink phoenix, representing Mulan’s ancestors, replaces him.

Cri-Kee, the cricket Mulan’s grandmother gives her for good luck, is replaced with a character named Cricket (Jun Yu).

#MeToo

Also, Disney removed the character of Commander Li Shang in the wake of the #MeToo movement. “Particularly in the time of the #MeToo movement, having a commanding officer that is also the sexual love interest was very uncomfortable, and we didn’t think it was appropriate,” he said. “And we thought that in a lot of ways that it was sort of justifying behavior of [what] we’re doing everything we can to get out of our industry.” Instead, characters Chen Honghui (Yoson An), a warrior at Mulan’s level, and Commander Tung (Donnie Yen) fill in the role of the commander.

(Mulan and Honghui’s relationship will be based on the one from the original’s dynamic between Mulan and Shang. This keeps with the idea of her love interest’s bisexuality in the movie.)

Story Changes

Xianning (Gong Li), a shape-shifting witch, is added as a foil to Mulan. While they fight on opposite sides, there is a bond that they share in defying the patriarchy.

Other changes include the music and the approach to the fights. There’s less music, more fights. Instead of the intense training sessions, the new Mulan focuses on harnessing her chi. In addition, there were other changes regarding the story as this wasn’t just a replica of the 1998 movie.

The Boycott

Now, I mean, we gotta talk about why #BoycottMulan is trending.

Yifei, a Chinese-born US citizen, stars as Mulan. She added her thoughts to the Hong Kong (HK) protests last year. She spoke of her support for the HK police, even with the police violence. This started the hashtags, #BoycottMulan and #BanMulan, on Twitter. Activists in Hong Kong, Thailand, and Taiwan are now reigniting calls to boycott the film upon its release. On the flip side, that encouraged Chinese patriots to purchase a ticket for the film.

In addition, the film credits include a special thank you to 8 government entities in regions where documented human rights abuses have occurred against Uighurs and other Muslim minorities. The movie was filmed in an Uyghur region likely between around 2016-2017 while many Muslims were in internment camps.

International Strategy

As I said, the movie is out for release on streaming in the US but available in theaters elsewhere around the world. This means that China, the second-biggest movie market in the world, is huge for Mulan. CNN reports: “Disney’s ‘Mulan’ was tailor made for Chinese audiences — from casting, to story, to execution,” Jeff Bock, a senior analyst at entertainment research firm Exhibitor Relations, told CNN Business. “It was always meant to be a film that China would embrace, and hopefully, turn into a commercial juggernaut.”

This explains a lot of the alterations to the plot and storyline. Disney really wants China to love this movie. That comes with ramifications. The tensions between China and Hong Kong led to a boycott. And, it may not do as well with American audiences who loved the original.

Another thing to note: really, the only Asians in Mulan are in the cast. The writers and the rest of the crew are mostly white. Interesting how that works, huh? They want it to be more Chinese, yet they fail to hire more Chinese people.

Update: It’s been a week. Turns out, it’s not doing too well in China.

Reviews

It’s a bit too soon to really have a handle on how Americans perceive this movie. Some love it. Some don’t. Look it up on Twitter, and you’ll really see the disparity in reviews.

My Thoughts

Let me start out with the fact that, as of now, I haven’t seen the movie. Everything written regarding the plot was based on other news outlets’ reporting. However, I can say this. Mulan was the first movie I saw that had someone Chinese in it. Not only was she Chinese, like me, but she was also a powerful empowering woman who fought for her country. She was the first Disney princess that “don’t need no man.”

Mulan became an icon because of her independence, courage, strength, resilience, integrity, loyalty… should I go on? There was also the fact that Mulan prevails despite conflicting values and forces. That was important to a lot of Asian-Americans. I get the idea that Disney needs to make money. I get that the best way to do that may be through China. But, I’m not sure if the movie means as much to China as it does for so many in the US. It’s been a while since Crazy Rich Asians was released. I think it’s important to have a movie that still caters to the American audience.

And, maybe it does.

As I said, I haven’t watched it yet. But, that $30 price tag is just enough over the edge of too expensive. I’ll probably wait until December – if I end up watching it. I don’t love the idea of the main actress supporting the violence in Hong Kong and Disney’s silence in all of the controversies people have brought up about the movie and filming.

And, I know I’m not the only one thinking the same thing.