Niki Caro‘s Mulan is yet another live-action remake of another Disney animated hit feature. The trailer is better than expected, but still has an aura of commercialism, despite the fact this is a story set in China, with a multicultural cast.
Liu Yifei plays the titular maiden-turned-avenger. Also starring Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Yoson An, Gong Li, Jason Scott Lee, “Mulan” comes out on March 27th, 2020
I wrote on 11.27.18
“So here's how it usually works these days Hollywood. A formula working well at the box-office? Well, how about we just recycle it again and again and again ... And once that idea stalls then how about we bank on the nostalgia of the original and reboot it into a whole new package. Disney's caught on to this like real pros with their juggernaut franchises, in fact, that's all they seem to be doing — Marvel, Star Wars, animation etc. not a single original thought conceived, they have to stick with what people already know, what people are comfortable with, what doesn't provoke new thoughts. It's all really a big fat brainwash if you ask me.”
“A particular trend for them the is the live-action remake of animated classics. This is what I'm going to focus on here. These are the box-office powerhouses they've created thus far via live-action:
Alice in Wonderland $334 Million
Cinderella $201 Million
The Jungle Book $364 Million
Beauty and the Beast $504 Million
This past Friday Disney unveiled the teaser for the upcoming live-action 'Lion King' which looks like a shot-for-shot remake of the original, only this time, instead of animation, presented to us in CGI.”
“Let's line-up 16 upcoming live-action Disney remakes that have been greenlit: "101 Dalmatians," "Sleeping Beauty," "The Jungle Book 2," "Peter Pan," "Pinocchio," "Dumbo," "Mulan," "Dumbo," "Sword in the Stone," "Winnie The Pooh," "Snow White," and "Tinker Bell." “
“All of these are coming out within the next 5 years. That's a deluge of films. These are safe, and cozy projects for the mouse house because they are banking on what is most popular at the multiplex these days: Nostalgia.”
“There is absolutely no conceivable way that these live-action remakes can artistically surpass the original animated classics. Why? Because Disney wouldn't take the risk of messing with the original formula — audiences want what they already know, that's the sad truth. And so, with these live-action remakes, Disney are, by all accounts, going for shot-for-shot duplicates, the only difference? They are done in CGI instead of hand drawn animation.”
Zeller’s feature debut, “The Father,” was an acclaimed and Oscar-winning film. Many believe he struck out with his sophomore effort, 2022’s critically maligned “The Son.” This is another miss.