Mulan (2020)
- The incredible score for Mulan was composed in just a few weeks after the original composer dropped out.
- Before Liu Yifei was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- Many of the practical effects used in the climax were achieved without any CGI.
Mulan is a 2020 American fantasy adventure directed by Niki Caro, a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1998 animated film. Yifei Liu stars as Hua Mulan, who disguises herself as a male soldier to take her aging father's place in the Imperial Army when the Emperor conscripts one man from every family to defend China against Böri Khan, a Rouran warrior played by Jason Scott Lee, and the powerful witch Xianniang, played by Gong Li. The live-action Mulan made the controversial decision to remove the animated film's musical numbers, the comedy dragon Mushu, and much of the humor, replacing them with wuxia martial arts spectacle, a mystical concept of "chi" that gave Mulan supernatural abilities, and a more serious, sweeping epic tone.
The film was shot on location in New Zealand and China with stunning cinematography. Mulan earned $70 million theatrically and debuted simultaneously on Disney+ Premier Access for $30, generating an estimated $260 million in total revenue amid significant controversy.
