Over the weekend, during the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday morning, Disney dropped a bombshell in the form of the first trailer for the live-action Mulan. Arriving in theaters in March, this movie not only looks like a massive, epic production, but it seemingly flips the script on the original animated film from 1998. Niki Caro’s live-action adaptation trades the humor, silliness, and songs of the animated take for grand action sets and well-choreographed fight sequences. Some fans online have taken issue with those changes, but the folks who worked on the original Mulan seem to be all for it.
Tony Bancroft, who directed the animated Mulan alongside Barry Cook, took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the live-action trailer. Despite the fact that the new version is vastly different than his iteration, Bancroft is all for what Disney is doing with the property this time around.
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“Having worked on the original, I am pleased to see this re-vision of Mulan is original yet respectfully reminiscent,” Bancroft wrote in a tweet. “I’m a fan, Disney!”
Having worked on the original, I am pleased to see this re-vision of Mulan is original yet respectfully reminicient. I’m a fan @Disney! https://t.co/8OYyozP26s
— Tony Bancroft (@pumbaaguy1) July 7, 2019
Yifei Liu stars in the film as the titular Mulan, and she’s joined by co-stars Donnie Yen, Li Gong, Jason Scott Lee, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Tzi Ma, Rosalind Chao, Doua Moua, Chen Tang, Jimmy Wong, and Jet Lee as The Emperor. Niki Caro is directing the film with a script from Lauren Hynek, Rick Jaffa, Elizabeth Martin, and Amanda Silver.
You can check out Disney’s official synopsis for Mulan below.
“Mulan is the epic adventure of a fearless young woman who masquerades as a man in order to fight Northern Invaders attacking China. The eldest daughter of an honored warrior, Hua Mulan is spirited, determined and quick on her feet. When the Emperor issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army, she steps in to take the place of her ailing father as Hua Jun, becoming one of China’s greatest warriors ever.”
Are you looking forward to checking out Disney’s new take on Mulan? How do you think it will compare to the original? Let us know in the comments!
Mulan is set to hit theaters on March 27, 2020.
