Disney's 'Mulan' remake is not like the movie you grew up but the action-packed classic King Fu film promises to be a refreshing watch
Remaking classic movies is a tricky business. On the one hand, they could bring in new fans (and a lot of money) but on the other, they might end up enraging people who grew up with the originals.
Disney has had both responses to the live-action adaptations of their classic movies and with 'Mulan', the media house is trying out something new which might just be the remake's saving grace.
The trailer for 'Mulan' that dropped on July 7 teases a movie that offers a brand new take on the fan-favorite character. The remake will swap out the sweeping musical numbers and sharp wit for battle sequences and sharp swords. To be honest, the new 'Mulan' movie has the look and feel of a classic Kung Fu film and that's great.
Too often studios make remakes that are practically clones of the original movies. When they don't do that, they usually end up on the other end of the spectrum, making remakes that have nothing in common with the original. 'Mulan' may not be a beat-for-beat replay of the animated classic but it promises a fresh perspective on the original story without introducing too many changes, one that is closer to the original Chinese legend than its animated adaptation.
That doesn't mean there aren't a few changes that probably won't sit well with fans. For one thing, Mulan’s guardian dragon Mushu is conspicuously absent with rumors suggesting the character may be replaced with a phoenix who will serve the same role.
Another important change is that the iconic musical numbers will not be featured in the new movie, at least not in their original forms. The movie will be adapting popular numbers like 'Reflection' and 'I’ll Make a Man Out of You' as instrumental pieces. While this isn't something everybody is going to be accepting of, the change is somewhat necessary to maintain the action-movie vibe that the remake seems to be going for.
The new 'Mulan' will attempt to provide a proper adaptation that pays tribute to the original without turning into basic nostalgia bait. If it succeeds, the movie could mark a new era for Disney's live-action adaptations, one that finds the balance between old and new viewers. If it fails though… the 'Mulan' remake is believed to be the most expensive movie Disney has ever made so the studio can’t really afford to take a loss on this one.
