Now, this is something I can actually get on board with. While it’s always better to see the studios invest in original material, the report that Disney wants to make a live-action version of Mulan should actually be embraced.
Mulan is one of the true rarities in the Disney canon and one of the studio’s greatest films of the ‘90s. The story is based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, a young woman who decides to fight in the army in the place of her ageing father. Although she does have the help of her dragon sidekick Mushu, she manages to outsmart the Huns and saves China from the invasion.
The film was released in 1998, at the tail-end of Disney’s Renaissance period. Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules had effectively wiped away the good spirits surrounding the studio after the back-to-back-to-back hits of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King. But Mulan showed that the studio still had its juices flowing and the film became an international smash hit.
It was also a critical success and should be considered among the Top 10 films in the Animation Studios canon. Its rejection of a typical “damsel in distress” story proves to young girls that they can stand up for themselves without completely changing or conforming to society. They don’t need some faceless prince to swoop in at the last second to save them.
Mulan also features a small set of songs that will hopefully make the transition to the live-action version in some way. “Reflection” remains one of the most powerful songs featured in a Disney movie and “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” is a funny song used to keep the training sequence short. In addition, Jerry Goldsmith’s distinctive score should also make a cameo. That synthesizer piece when Mulan puts on her father's armor is one of the more memorable bits of Disney music history.
Disney’s decision to make a live-action Mulan may sound nuts to fans of the film (like me), but it’s nice to see the studio pick a story like this instead of sticking with the fairy tales. This is the perfect story to turn into a live-action film (and of course, has already been told in live-action in China) and one that sends a great message to children in the audience. For adults, it will also make a great action movie, as the animated film does feature some finely choreographed set-pieces.
It’s also great that the writers - Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek - on the film are relative newbies to Hollywood. Hopefully, they are pushed to make the story different enough from the animated film, while keeping the spirit of the message.
Whenever the live-action Mulan eventually comes out (probably in 2018 at the earliest, unless Disney really wants to make Dumbo first), it’s going to be a huge international hit. The simple story, combined with the chance to make a young actress a superstar overnight, will make it hard for audiences resist.
As long as they figure out how to better integrate Mushu into the story, Mulan will actually work as a live-action film.