‘Mulan’ reimagining proves an entertaining experience
May 18, 2021
“Mulan,” directected by Niki Caro, released in 2020 was a reimagined version of the original animated movie from 1998. Mulan takes place during Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) and moves alongside the main character Mulan (Lui Yifei) as she disguises herself as a male to protect her father from war against the Huns by taking his place herself. There, Mulan is forced to train and fight beside men all while keeping her cover.
In this representation of “Mulan,” the movie shows that Mulan was always different from the other women in her village, as does the original. But in the live action, the story explored her childhood instead of just before the war. This shows that Mulan’s behavior and difference only grew and continued into her young adulthood.
Also, this film better captured Mulan and her family’s heritage and culture throughout the movie. With a strong belief that the women should let the men go off to war while the women stay at home seeing to it that their daughters get “matched” or married to a man was to bring honour to their family. Mulan did not want to do that; she has always had a free spirit or a strong “Chi” and her family’s view of what was supposed to bring honour to her family did not concern her if she didn’t fulfill what was expected of her.
The designer for the costumes, Bina Daigeler, injected bright bold colors that stood out into the film in order to display the Chinese cultural clothes and garments the people wore. These clothes/costumes ranged from the 7th century to the 10th, and consisted of vivid blues, greens, and purples. Daigeler recounted that her main inspiration stemmed from the Tang dynasty and their choice of clothing (vox.com).
The film “Mulan” was entertaining and intriguing as much as informative on the ancient Chinese family’s way of life, and even incorporated some of the traditions. This rendition of the story also furthered the significance of some key story parts of the original going into more depth, such as Mulan’s family sword and the meaning and importance of it.