Disney has announced yet another live-action remake of one of their animated movies, this time with THR reporting that the 1998 animated feature Mulan is next in line; with the script written by Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hynek. This follows just days after the announcement that Tim Burton will direct the live-action Dumbo remake that was originally announced mid-2014; as well as the release of the live-action Cinderella remake in the US on Friday the 13th (locally on 2 April). The superstition-prone release date did nothing to scare off audiences with that remake already scoring over $330 million at the box office. These remakes have been very lucrative for Disney indeed.
In case you need a refresher, it was a Disney-fied retelling of (via IMDB):
…the old Chinese folktale is about the story of a young Chinese maiden who learns that her weakened and lame father is to be called up into the army in order to fight the invading Huns. Knowing that he would never survive the rigours of war in his state, she decides to disguise herself and join in his place.
Unknown to her, her ancestors are aware of this and to prevent it, they order a tiny disgraced dragon, Mushu to join her in order to force her to abandon her plan. He agrees, but when he meets Mulan, he learns that she cannot be dissuaded and so decides to help her in the perilous times ahead.
The character has already featured in a less fanciful live-action movie with the 2009 Chinese epic Mulan: Rise of a Warrior (Hua Mulan) starring Wei Zhao as Mulan, and Mushu played by nobody because it’s not part of the original poem ‘The Ballad of Mulan’.
The animated movie featured the voice talent of Ming-Na Wen as Mulan, Lea Salonga for singing-Mulan, and Eddie Murphy as Mushu. It scored a little over $300 million at the box office and received an Oscar nomination for Best Music and two Golden Globe nominations, for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for ‘Reflection’ – which I’ve included below for your nostalgic listening pleasure.
Last Updated: March 31, 2015
