Mulan Is The Best Live Action Disney Movie To Date

I watched the live action Mulan for the 2nd time tonight, and still cried during the same key scenes. I resonate so much with this film and loved every minute of it. So did my daughter. LET’S START OFF WITH THE FACT THAT IT IS AN ALL-ASIAN CAST AND DIRECTOR UNDER A MULTINATIONAL MEDIA/ENTERTAINMENT CONGLOMERATE IN AMERICA. Asian actors statistically make up less than 3% representation in film and TV.

This version holds its own; taking a more realistic approach yet still yields a sense of fantasy. The replacement of certain characters like Mushu and Shang makes sense in this version. The primary focus is on the power of chi, and the ability of those who can harness it. The character arch of Xian Liang (referred by everyone as a ‘witch’) is comparable to that of Maleficent. She is a woman who has tapped so deeply into her chi, that she can shape-shift. Men fear her. By being herself, she was exiled and living her life without family and without a country.

I particularly love the ode to old school Chinese Kung Fu theater antics. I grew up on those movies!

The mystery is whether someone named Hua Mulan actually existed. The origin story of Mulan dates back to the 6th Century, with several adaptations of the folklore ever since. There are documented women warriors in Chinese history, some who have been honored as soldiers. Some believe she really did exist, and some believe she was created from actual women warriors with incredible war stories.

The only thing I would have wanted different is to have had the actors speak Mandarin, Cantonese with English subtitles out of respect for the story origin. While I understand Disney’s decision to have all of the Asian actors speak in American with Asian accents, I can’t help but find it condescending and still “white washed”. But, this is America, it is Hollywood with a movie that has to appeal to a broad demographic in order to produce a profit.

Although this isn’t a documentary of events Disney did it justice by presenting this as a drama, and not a musical. I find it uncanny that an all Asian cast in a live action Disney film was released at the height of the COVID pandemic, when countless people of Asian descent are being targeted, bullied, attacked, and judged. I resonated with this movie as a martial artist, as a lover of Chinese culture, and as feminist. Not everyone will like this film, but it is a movie desperately needed in our country right now.

EPILOGUE: I am fully aware of the protest of this film, and after careful consideration my daughter and I decided to watch it. I was searching for justification in protesting this film, in protesting Liu Yifei, wondering how it would directly support the Hong Kong movement (#milkteaalliance). I weighed that against everyone else who has taken part to create this film of historical magnitude for Asian representation in American films. I do not support police brutality in any way, shape, or form. Also, I am not convinced that Liu Yifei really feels this way about the HK protests. I have yet to come across any other postings by her on this subject. Nor have I read anything from the other actors or the director on this topic, or comments on Yifei.

I am not sure that anything I say on social media, or the simple act of not watching/paying for the live action Mulan would benefit their fight. I don’t believe Americans have a positive influence on the leaders of China — especially after everything Trump has done and continues to do to undermine any collaborations, business, medicine development, etc. In fact, there is a news story out right now saying that there are students in China who are rethinking the U.S. as a choice of education (Universities). I believe that watching this movie is in support of Asian representation in film, and in no way shows support towards the brutality faced by Hong Kong citizens at the hands of their police.