Why Is There No Singing in Disney’s Live-Action Adaptation of ‘Mulan’?
Itās her duty to fight. The fiercest warrior in all of China returns to the silver screen this March, starring in the live-action adaptation of Mulan. This version will be considerably different from Disneyās animated film, at the expense of songs like āIāll Make a Man Out of You.ā Will there be singing in this remake of Mulan? Hereās what we know about Disneyās upcoming film.
Disneyās remake of āMulanā premieres on March 27, 2020
Hot off the heels of live-action remakes like Dumbo, Aladdin, and The Lion King, Disney has another reboot set for its theatrical release during March 2020. This movie tells the story of Hua Mulan, who defies the rules of the Chinese army to protect her family and her kingdom.
Mulan stars Liu Yifei as the title character and since Disney premiered its teaser and official trailer, fans noticed some pretty big changes. Thereās no more General Shang, Shan Yu, or Mushu.
The original animated movie was a āmusical,ā with characters singing songs throughout the story. According to the director, there will also be no singing in this live-action adaptation, either.
Will there be singing in this live-action version of āMulanā?
Itās hard to imagine a version of Mulan without āIāll Make a Man Out of You.ā Or āReflection.ā Or Mushu. Still in an effort to remain closer to the Chinese fable of Mulan, āThe Ballad of Mulan,ā the director made some changes to this adaptation.
āFrom what I understand, no songs right now, much to the horror of my children,ā Director Niki Caro said during a 2017 interview with Moviefone. Unfortunately, that means that at a camp full of men arenāt likely to break out in song as theyāre preparing for battle.
Other outlets reported the songs will appear as instrumental tracks throughout the movie, which became a further cemented theory with the filmās official trailer. In it, an instrumental version of āReflectionā plays in the background, images of Hua Mulan appear.
Why is there no singing in the live-action adaptation of āMulanā?
From casting to characters, this movie adapts Disneyās original animated film to be more āauthenticā and true to Chinese culture. During one interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Director Niki Caro explained one of the central focuses she has of creating this film.
āIn all my work that is centered in cultures not my own, I hope that comes through because that is incredibly important to me,ā she said. āWhen I made Whale Rider, I saw that to be specific and authentic is to be universal, and Iāve continued to work in an identical way ever since. As the projects get bigger, the more certain I am that cultural authenticity and specificity is the only way to approach my work.ā
While this movie is produced by Disney and shared many similarities to the original animated movie, the story will share similarities with the Chinese fable that inspired Disney. More information about this movie will likely be revealed in the coming weeks.
Disneyās Mulan premieres in theaters on March 27, 2020. Until then, fans can watch the animated classic on Disneyās streaming platform, Disney+.