Anyone who wants to watch the story of Mulan produced in Chinese can watch Mulan: Rise of a Warrior, which was released in 2009. The story and dialogue were westernized for the audience, which is understandable as that is their main target audience. The storyline was altered from Disney’s romanticized animation to one that is, actually, closer to its origins. The screenplay of Mulan was highly criticized as well with mostly negative reviews. Many have criticized this change and further accused Disney of being anti-LGBTQ. In the case of Li Shang, Producer Jason Reed says Li Shang was excluded because of the #MeToo movement, and it did not seem appropriate to have a commanding officer as a love-interest. Disney defends these choices as Mushu was eliminated due to the need of Mulan to bond with the other soldiers. Heavy creative changes were made to make this version its own, including the scandalous decision to remove the animation’s musical numbers and beloved characters, like comic-relief Mushu and love-interest Li Shang.
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However, fans of the animated version of Mulan (1998) would be sorely disappointed as this is not a remake of the animated version. She was proud that filmmaking of this live-action’s scale was achieved by women in senior roles and that everything was well-communicated, production delivered on time, and was slightly under budget.ġ998 Mulan and 2020 live-action Mulan, courtesy of Disney.
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Though Mulan did not have a lot of Asian people working behind-the-scenes, it is a game-changer for female filmmakers as Caro had a production team that included a female producer, female first assistant director, and female director of photography. With a $200 million budget, Mulan is the most expensive film ever made by a female director. New Zealand director Niki Caro is the second woman and New Zealander to be hired by Disney to direct a film with more than a $100 million budget. With the rise of the gender-equality movement in Hollywood and the mandate for more Asian representation following films like Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and The Farewell (2019), it would seem like the release of Mulan (2020) would be timely and yearned for. However, Disney has reported that these protests did not affect Disney+ subscriptions negatively, as subscription sign ups shot up in the past weekend since the release of Mulan. Now, new protests have surged as it was reported that Mulan was partly filmed in Xinjiang, where Uighur Muslims have been imprisoned in concentration camps. This unprecedented release only fed into further boycott, as the public accused Disney of being money hungry. After its release was delayed due to the ongoing pandemic, Mulan premiered on Disney+ on Septemwith an additional Premiere Access price of $29.99 USD on top of the monthly subscription fee of $7.99 USD.
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This sparked the Twitter hashtag #BoycottMulan as Liu Yifei was faced with backlash from the public. The public took these comments as her supporting police-brutality and the China Communist Party, due to their excessive use of force during the protest. Prior to its release, main actress Liu Yifei’s commented on the pro-democracy protest in Hong Kong in August 2019, where she showed support for the Hong Kong police. Disney’s latest live-action venture is not one without risks and debate.