What movie is known for its diversity, it’s lively songs, or even being known as a famous Disney princess? You guessed it! Mulan, one of Disney’s princess movies. Mulan is well known from its original animated movie released in 1998. With it’s immaculate story plot and it’s ecstatic songs it got most of the audience attention for the new live action movie.

 As of now it’s been released on September 4, 2020. It has made about 43.8 million from the box office. However, even with this much bought tickets/admissions, there still seems to be a lot of controversy towards the movie.

You might be wondering, if the first movie was made so well with intricate animations, why is the remake so controversial? Well, there are many reasons this live action could be considered one of the worst live action movies made under Disney. Although, one particular reason stands out the most this being because of it’s more candid storyline to the poem, “The Ballad of Mulan”. Due to this, the movie was more focused on the depths of remaking its original source than sticking to the plotline of the animated movie. 

A few examples of this was the removal of a few characters, Mushu, Li Shang, and Chi fu. The removal of these characters caused a few disputes between the audience. Some say it takes the joy and humor from what the characters brought. In addition, the remake of the movie has also taken away the musical part of the animated movie. Many believe it removes the essence of what most all Disney movies have.

One critic from the Wall Street Journal stated, “It’s an efficient retelling of a tale about a young Chinese woman discovering her power—affecting at times, occasionally quite lovely, but earnest, often clumsy and notably short on joy.” While others completely contrast on these views and believe it’s led to a different generation of movie remakes.

As proclaimed by Variety’s Peter Debruge, “Mulan feels as if it were made by someone who didn’t necessarily love Disney’s earlier treatment. That may disappoint fans who grew up on that version, but should pose no obstacle to a new generation sure to be inspired by this epic-scale tribute to female empowerment.”  From all this being said it only brings us back to the question: is it good or bad?

Truly, this all depends on the person, Mulan the live-action movie can be seen as either an astonishing film or a degradation of previous live action movies. Therefore, I would recommend watching the movie to be the judge yourself.