Mulan: 5 Ways The Live-Action Changes The Animated Story (& 5 Ways It Was Kept The Same)

Disney’s live-action remakes have garnered some controversy among fans of the originals, and Mulan pays homage to its source, with a few changes.

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Over the past couple of years, Disney has revamped its famous animated tales into live-actions. The story of Mulan is the newest addition, with the live-action finally being available to audiences after months of delay.

Mulan isn’t what people expected from the original tale. Fans already knew that the film made some major changes to the main characters and some of the central storyline. But, just how much was changed from the original film? There are certain key details that had to be kept the same to bring to life Mulan’s brave journey as a warrior. Let’s take a look at how the live-action stayed true to the beloved original, as well as how it mixed things up. Warning: Spoilers Ahead

10 Same: The Matchmaker Fiasco

Everyone recalls the comical scene in the animated film where Mulan is forced to go to the village matchmaker. Mulan isn’t the type to want to get married, so she writes downs her lines on her hand and ends up creating a disaster. Thankfully, the live-action kept this valuable scene.

Mulan, played by Liu Yifei, isn’t happy about being matched, but she goes, regardless. Instead of writing down her lines, she traps a spider under the teacup before being scolded and letting it loose, creating chaos. In both versions, this causes dishonor to her family for not raising an appropriate daughter.

9 Different: The Villian Bori Khan Main Objective

In the original animated version, the main antagonist is the ruthless Shan Yu, the leader of the Huns. The new film changed this character’s backstory and gave him a story of revenge. Shan Yu is instead Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee), a Rouran. Both Hans and Rouran’s are a tribal confederation.

Bori Khan is hellbent on revenge against the emperor for killing his father. This doesn’t occur in the original film. Shan Yu mostly wants the power of the throne. Also, Khan’s main army is made up of shadow warriors, while the animated version is just his close comrades.

8 Same: The Training Montage

Much like the animated version, Mulan leaves in the middle of the night with her father’s armor and family sword and leaves her broch to take his place in the army. One of the best scenes of the film is the training montage accompanied by the song, “I’ll Make A Man Out of You.”

Sadly, the scene does not include the original song. The film doesn’t include any original songs, for that matter. Regardless, the montage sticks to the original. Mulan and the soldier have no real skills but are built up to be good fighters. But, instead of Mulan proving herself by climbing the wooden pole, she does so by reaching the top of the mountain with heavy water buckets.

7 Different: No Ancestors or Mushu

Many would agree that what made the original Mulan film so fun to watch was the interactions with Mushu (Eddie Murphy), Mulan’s guardian. When the live-action was in production, it was announced that the film wouldn’t include the central character. Fans were upset, to say the least.

Instead of Mushu, the film includes a phoenix that guides Mulan throughout her journey. Her father does pray to his ancestors to help Mulan, and the phoenix arrives at her aid. Unlike the original, there are no manifestations of the family’s past relatives that fight amongst each other and with Mushu.

6 Same: Ling, Yao And Chien-Po Become Mulan’s Close Friends

It would seem odd to not include the three soldiers that Mulan meets while at training camp. In the original film, Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po become her allies in battle and help save the emperor. Mulan does meet these three individuals the live-action.

Ling (Jimmy Wong), Yao (Chen Tang), and Chien-Po (Doua Moua) even come to discuss their ideal woman and embodied many of the characteristics seen in their named versions. But, in the film, they never give Mulan a hard time while training. They become central figures later on when they put their trust in her and have her back in battle.

5 Difference: The Use of Chi or Magic In Mulan And Xian Lang

Fans were perplexed to find out that the new live-action would include a new central character that would shift the storyline tremendously. The second antagonist would be Xian Lang (Gong Li), a witch with shapeshifter abilities who aids Khang. She is ostracized by society for her abilities.

That’s not all, though. The creators decided to include the magical element with Mulan, as she now has the ability to channel strength through her Chi. She must keep it hidden from others, though, as it’s forbidden. Throughout the story, this becomes key, as it develops a relationship between Mulan and Xian Lang.

4 Same: The Epic Battle Scene On The Mountain

Before the big finale, there’s another key battle scene on the mountain against the Huns. This does occur in the live-action, seeing as it helps shift the tide for the rest of the film, as it did in the original, but there are some discrepancies. Mulan does solely find a way to defeat the enemy and save her comrades.

This includes causing an avalanche to bury the enemy. But, unlike the original, Mulan reveals herself willingly to her comrades after emerging from the snow and asking forgiveness. In the original, Mulan’s identity is forcibly revealed after being wounded. Regardless, in both, she is exiled and forced to leave and never return.

3 Different: Inherent Trust in Mulan

A surprising factor that was changed from the original film is when Mulan reveals to her Commander Khan’s real plan to kill the emperor. In the animated version, she goes off alone, seeing as she is seen as a traitor for what she did. Later on, her comrades join her and help her save the emperor.

In the live-action, this occurs differently. Mulan goes back to camp to warn her Commander, and her friends shout that they trust her. This leads to her Commander trusting her as well and telling her that she will lead them. There’s less hostility towards her being a woman than there was in the animated version.

2 Same: There’s Still A Love Interest

Fans of the film who had a crush of Li-Shang when they were younger were upset that the character wasn’t going to appear in the new film. In reality, he does, but in a different way. Instead of Li-Shang, audiences got Chen Honghui (Yoson An). Honghui is a recruit in the army who saw Mulan for who she really was.

The unrequited feelings for one another are still evident, as it was in the animated version. The main difference is that he’s not a captain or an officer in the army. That title goes to another character, but he does see a determination in Mulan and is saved by her. He becomes smitten by her in the end and values her bravery and courageousness.

1 Different: The Overall Ending

Major spoilers ahead! While the ending to the new film did stay true to key elements, there were some that were promptly cut out or changed. One of them being that the emperor isn’t lousy; he actually fights against the Rourans and even helps Mulan. In the original, he initially scolds Mulan for what she did, but, in this version, he encourages her to fight for her country and save her people.

He does offer her a place on his royal guard instead of his counsel. Another discrepancy is that Mulan is given her own personal sword instead of Shan Yu’s blade. After Mulan goes home, Li Shang visits her to woo her into courting. But, in the live-action, Honghui promises to see her again one day before she goes off and never proposes the idea of marriage. The ending focuses on Mulan’s achievement of bringing honor to her family and saving her people instead of a marriage proposal.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/mulan-live-action-animated-similarities-differences/