New ‘Mulan’ Film Will Be Different From the Original and Twitter is Not Happy
When Disney announced they were going to make a remake of their 1998 hit “Mulan” many people were excited. They couldn’t wait to see a live-action version of the butt-kicking heroine who saved all of China.
While some people were afraid that the cast would be white-washed, the casting of Crystal Liu, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, and Gong Li quickly put these fears to rest.
Unfortunately, Disney has decided to make some major changes to the storyline. This includes replacing the original villain with an evil witch, and fans are not happy.
So Disney is doing a 'Beauty and the Beast'-like live action remake of #Mulan but they're changing the entire story and not making it a musical.
Also Shan Yu isn't in the movie and the villain is an "evil witch."
So what the hell is even the point of calling it Mulan?
— Necroxis (@Necroxis9) April 12, 2018
…. a powerful witch…….?
— Celeste P. (@Celeste_pewter) April 12, 2018
The recent #Mulan news is very disconcerting. They're making a new villain for the film a "powerful witch." That appears to be the textbook dragon lady caricature. They've also given her a sister, which lessens the impact of the original story, as discussions with (1/2)
— Swara Salih (@SwaraSalih1) April 13, 2018
In addition to the changes in characters, there is also a rumor that they decided not to include some of the songs that made the original “Mulan” so great.
The fact that the new #Mulan #liveaction movie wont have music and now wont even feature the same characters form the original is devastating. Its one of the best #disney movies and they are changing it beyond recognition 😔
— Mioree (@mioree_) April 13, 2018
I’m super excited for the live-action #Mulan film, but I swear on all that is holy I will burn a theater to the ground if “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” isn’t in it. There may be no greater satisfaction in life than singing about getting down to business to defeat the Huns.
— Jen Chapman Gallego (@AGeekySquirrel) April 13, 2018
Moreover, Asian-Americans seem to be excluded from the production and netizens took to Twitter to express their disappointment.
I've seen so many Mulan adaptions, so I'm not necessarily omg stick to the original about it. And certainly these sound like changes I've not seen before? But equally I was really hoping for an Asian American take on the material.
— Jeannette Ng 吳志麗 (@jeannette_ng) April 13, 2018
So, I’m sad. Mentoring by a dude commander, that’s whatever I guess. #Mulan’s eventual triumph over a powerful, beautiful witch seems to be missing the point. Most of all, I’m sad I will never get to see a film with the wealth of talent among Asian-American actors here in the US.
— Faye Bi (@faye_bi) April 13, 2018
With the success of @MarvelStudios @TheBlackPanther enriched by #RyanCoogler's insights into African American Culture, wouldn't it be great if we had an Asian American director for #Mulan?#WeWantToDirectDonnieYenToo!@DonnieYenCT @jetli_official, @GongLi_China @WaltDisneyCo pic.twitter.com/xTFIvOPR3X
— Jeffrey Gee Chin 陳立文 (@TheLeapMan) April 13, 2018
Glad the roles aren’t being white washed, but lame they changed the story from the animated version. AND this was a wasted opportunity to cast Asian American actors. But they bowed to China instead. #asianamerican #castasianamericans #weexist #Mulan @DisneyStudios
— Paul Yen (@hellopaulyen) April 13, 2018
i absolutely love the addition of gong li, jet li, and donnie yet but this casting (including liu yifei as mulan) is catering COMPLETELY to the chinese market. it's strategic, i get that, but it overshadows a bunch of asian american talent in the us and that makes me kinda sad https://t.co/KGJWZt29Hf
— 《💖Josephine🐰》 (@josephinespeaks) April 12, 2018
As the movie is expected for release in 2020, there is still a chance that Disney will consider some changes and include some of the things that people would like to see.
