For those of you familiar with the disney princess classic, Mulan, you probably also know about the live action that came out recently this year. It had originally cost $30 to watch when it first came out on disney, but fortunately just a few days ago, it was made free on the streaming service. I of course took this as an opportunity to finally watch it without paying the lonesome amount, and after viewing this cinematic production, there are definitely many contrasting components between the two films that I need to delve into.
**SPOILER ALERT**
This blog will be talking about aspects of the live action Mulan movie, and will contain major spoilers; so if you have not watched this, and would like to in the future, I will sadly have to advise you to NOT read this blog.
From the start, a young Mulan is shown, and we see how much of a ruckus she caused in her home village. There is also a segment of her conversing with her father on what morals, duties, and mindset she must maintain/fulfill in order to bring honor to her family and China, leading into the underlying plot of devotion to family and self one must have and the importance of it. In the cartoon version, we only get to see Mulan as a full grown adult, but still get to view the talk she has with her father about what place she has in her family, and what boundaries she needs to not cross over that would shame the ancestors from the past and her parents.
The recurring theme behind worship, respect, and strong gender driven morals is seen throughout both films, and if you pay attention closely to the lyrics within the songs in the animated version, these themes are embedded into all of them rigorously. Although the songs are not sung in the live action version (quite unfortunately as I thought the songs were one of the most promising components of the film’s storyline), the lyrics from the ones in the animated version contain topics surrounding matchmaking, a strong male figure as the head of the household/fighting force, and confusion with identity and values.
One of the biggest contrasts between the two films is the appearance of the guardian figure. In the cartoon version, Mushu plays a big role in what happens, the comedic effect, and the overall ending of the film, but in the live action, there sadly is no Mushu. In place of him, we see a Phoenix appear at instances, and see Mulan look to it for guidance. Although they do not converse, as Mushu did with Mulan in the animator version throughout the entire film, the occurrences in which the Phoenix appears are brief, yet meaningful.
Lastly, how could I forget Li Shang! The love interest, and also one of the main pieces to the plot of the animated version. Li Shang served as the face of the second biggest underlying theme of the movie, love, and how beliefs/values are always questioned when facing a love conflict. Li Shand was the commanding officer in the animated version, but in the live action, we see a semi love interest that was never fully pursued by the directors in a fellow comrade, Honghui. In this way, the live action definitely focused more on the cultural and moral difficulties one can face in a setting such as China, and how important things such as bringing honor to one’s family, settling into the role of whatever gender you are born into, and portraying honesty is. People may view this as a gain or loss with the live action, depending on if they wanted to see more of a love plotline play out, or see just how rigorous the virtues are in a Chinese place setting.
In my opinion, I definitely liked how the animated version played out in comparison to the live action, as it was much more comedic, had the songs that are just classics in my mind, had a love interest but still successfully captured the virtuous theme as well, and had Mushu!! The live action is good too, not to get me wrong, and does a very good job showing how gender and imperial worship affects the lives of people in China at the time, and how contrasting this belief system may be to China now, and to other cultures around the world. I still highly recommend to watch both, if you have not already, just to see which one you find better suited to your taste! These films undoubtedly teach viewers about Chinese culture, and brings customs and traditions to life in an interesting, action packed way.
I watched the live action as well, and I have to agree that the animated version is far better than the live action. I really felt like the live action lost a really important character with Li Shang and Mushu. Although I did appreciate the film’s visuals, it just felt a little empty and too serious compared to the animated version, which was more delightful, entertaining and lively to watch. Both versions however, do a great job of showcasing cultural values.