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THE STUDIO — Disney’s remake of its classic animated film “Mulan” is shaping up to be its most ambitious and most divergent live-action recreation yet.
A new trailer for the film, scheduled for release in March 2020, debuted online Thursday.
The movie stars Yifei Liu as the titular character, as well as Donnie Yen, Jet Li and Tzi Ma as Hua Zhou, Mulan’s father. Niki Caro, who previously made “Whale Rider” and “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” is directing the Disney remake.
In a shift from other live-action Disney remakes, “Mulan” is expected to take major liberties from the animated original, though the basic story will be very similar.
Cast members will not sing classic songs from the 1998 movie’s soundtrack, such as “I’ll Make A Man Out of You” and “Honor to Us All.” Additionally, a phoenix is expected to take the place of Mulan’s sidekick Mushu, the undersized dragon played by Eddie Murphy in the original film.
However, fans of the original will be pleased to hear an instrumental, orchestral rendition of “Reflection” playing under the footage shown in Thursday’s new trailer. Lea Salonga sung the showstopping ballad in the original.
Despite the absence of vocal music, there are other nods to the soundtrack in the new trailer.
Mulan’s father notes that her job will be to bring honor to the family. In another clip, an army commander describes his intention to “make men” out of every single one of his new soldiers.
Perhaps the most notable new plot element for the 2020 version is the addition of an evil witch named Xian Liang (Li Gong). She fights alongside the film’s primary villain, Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee), and appears to be able to use magic of some sort to grow menacing talons from her fingers.
Though some of Disney’s live-action remakes have included new elements, most have been largely faithful recreations of their original counterparts — almost every shot of this year’s “The Lion King” was the same as the 1994 animated film.
Sticking so closely to the original source material has previously given filmmakers limited opportunities to try something different. However, evidence from the “Mulan” trailer suggests Caro has created a distinctly fresh take.
In addition to the plot and character differences, the trailer shows some impressive, creative cinematography: A camera shot swoops as a character runs up a wall, Mulan rides a horse through some epically gorgeous landscapes, and her family members and fellow soldiers wear vibrant, complex, beautiful costumes.
Do the new elements have you intrigued and wanting to check out the movie next year, or does the exclusion of the music and Mushu leave you disinterested? Let us know in the comments.
