Disney dropped the first trailer for their upcoming Mulan remake this past weekend and it looks seriously impressive. The live-action retelling of the classic Chinese legend appears to be hewing closely to the character arc of the animated heroine, but it’ll still have some major differences. For one, it won’t be a musical – so no singing along with “I’ll Make A Man Out of You” – and also, there’s no Li Shang (Mulan’s love interest has been replaced) or Mushu.
The tiny wise-cracking dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy is such a beloved part of the animated version that fans aren’t sure how to feel about the loss of him in the new movie. Some immediately reacted against the changes when the trailer arrived, even quoting the dragon in the process.
No Shang
No music
NO MUSHU
DISHONOR ON YOU, DISHONOR ON YOUR COW! https://t.co/UvO7QJWZfk
— andrea 🩵 IS SEEING TAYLOR x2 (@enchanteedts) July 7, 2019
Alternatively, some were saddened by the loss of the old songs and Mushu, but it’s still not enough to kill their excitement for the Mulan remake.
*cries watching the #Mulan trailer*
*listens to I’ll Make A Man Out of You*
*remembers there won’t be musical numbers or Mushu*
*cries some more*
*REMAINS EXCITED FOR THIS MOVIE*— Ms. Butts (@GoodyButts) July 7, 2019
For some, it’s going to be a sad experience watching Mulan without Mushu.
https://twitter.com/_dearwallflower/status/1147910880685887490
Along similar grounds, another person wrote that they’re also conflicted but are ultimately looking forward to a Disney remake that doesn’t just rehash the original (here’s looking at you, Aladdin).
I expected a shitty trailer and this was… something else. Although I'm sad about no Mushu and no songs, I'd rather watch a completely new version of the story (what it seems) than a poor imitation of the animated one, so I'll give this a chance.#Mulanpic.twitter.com/pqiKWb0JSC
— Dishonor on your cow (@yujubemygfriend) July 7, 2019
If you think about it, it’s pretty ridiculous that fans complain when the remakes are exactly the same as the animated movies and yet criticize again when Disney tries to do something different.
So y'all mad that Disney live-action remakes are just shot 4 shot w/ the animated movies but y'all mad that this #Mulan has it own vision from its animated counterpart(no songs & Mushu) pic.twitter.com/rvJdIPUEGf
— Mike Mcdonald (@MikeMcdonaldII) July 7, 2019
A lot of people, meanwhile, were able to get over any misgivings they might have just by the power of Yifei Liu as Mulan in the trailer.
mulan definitely looks like a badass… even if I'm sad that the movie won't have any songs or mushu, this movie looks like it's going to be a hit!! #Mulan pic.twitter.com/RvV98XNG5R
— seni (@cinearies) July 7, 2019
That sword-twiddle/hair-flow combo, though.
https://twitter.com/gaywitchbiitch/status/1147910846712098816
An earlier rumor had pointed to Kevin Hart taking over the role of Mushu for the remake. This would’ve made sense, and might reveal that the dragon appeared in initial cuts of the film, but it looks like this was simply never the case. Hopefully that’ll prove to be the right decision when Mulan battles her way into cinemas on March 27th, 2020.
