Disney’s live-action Mulan loosely remakes the 1998 animated movie, but it’s much closer to the original Chinese poem “The Ballad of Mulan.” While both movies tell Hua Mulan’s story as she disguises herself as a man to join the Imperial Army, Mulan 2020 gets rid of the songs and comedic side characters in favor of a darker, grittier depiction of war. The 2020 remake also responded to criticisms of the 1998 animated Mulan that claimed the movie wasn’t respectful towards Chinese culture and whitewashed the story with it’s predominantly white voice cast, and turned the film into a more faithful adaptation of the original poem.
“The Ballad of Mulan” consists of 31 couplets and was first transcribed in the Musical Records of Old and New by the monk Zhijiang in the 6th century. In the poem, Hua Mulan joins the military so that her elderly father and younger brother aren’t conscripted into service. She disguises herself as a man and serves the military for twelve years as a skilled warrior, eventually turning down the Emperor’s offer of a high ranking government position to return home. The 1998 animated movie is loosely based on the poem but makes significant changes so it works better as a children’s movie, such as adding Mulan’s love interest Li Shang and the talking dragon Mushu — both of which are cut from the 2020 remake.
Mulan 2020 pulls much more from the original ballad, and works best when it’s not trying to remake the animated movie. Some of the changes that make it closer to the poem are small, such as adding Hua Mulan’s sister back into the film. However, some of the changes are larger: instead of a training montage, Hua Mulan is already a skilled fighter when she joins the Imperial Army due to her mastery of chi, which is more faithful to the original poem. While the 1998 Mulan only shows one, final battle against the Huns, both the poem and Mulan 2020 describe several epic battles and emphasize the violence of the war.
Unlike the other live-action Disney adaptations, which are essentially shot-for-shot remakes of the animated films, Mulan tells a different story and sticks closer to the source material. Mulan 2020 doesn’t work as a remake of the animated movie, and the film is better when it focuses on “The Ballad of Mulan.” Mulan 2020 reinterprets the poem to focus on Hua Mulan as a warrior, eliminating love interest Li Shang and emphasizing her skill in battle. In some versions of the poem, Hua Mulan goes into a challenging battle dressed as a woman and reveals her identity to her fellow soldiers, who react with respect and admiration. This moment is included in Mulan 2020 and is one of the best scenes, when Mulan’s identity is revealed and her fellow soldiers stand with her despite the fact that she’s a woman.
While Mulan 2020 might not be a better movie than the 1998 Mulan, the film works best when it adapts the original poem and tells a different story than its animated predecessor. However, Mulan 2020 ultimately failed because it tried to be both faithful to the poem and a remake of the animated movie when it should have been one or the other. Despite that, making the live-action film a new interpretation and better adaptation of “The Ballad of Mulan” is what makes Mulan stand out from Disney’s live-action remakes.
