Disney+ Mulan (2020) (1 Viewer)

[Jake Lipson]

New trailer tomorrow as well.

 

[Jason_V]

I'll tell ya...I like it. So far, Mulan seems like a serious retelling of the story without the animated trappings and goofy comedy. (I like the animated version, btw.)

 

[Jake Lipson]

I think it looks...fine.

But I'm not really excited at all, and I'm still undecided as to whether I want to see it or not.

I also think the use of the instrumental Reflection (and the dialogue reference to I'll Make A Man Out of You) is awfully mean if they're not actually going to use the songs. Either use them or don't use them, but they're trying to have it both ways, and that bothers me.

 

[Jason_V]

I also think the use of the instrumental Reflection (and the dialogue reference to I'll Make A Man Out of You) is awfully mean if they're not actually going to use the songs. Either use them or don't use them, but they're trying to have it both ways, and that bothers me.

I actually think it's a nice tip of the hat to the animated version. The look and feel we see in the trailers doesn't scream "musical" to me. I've got to think that's intentional, so if that's the intended aesthetic, having everyone break into song would be weird. Kinda like Dumbo, honestly. So if you have the instrumental version playing at some point in the film, that's a touchstone for some or all of the audience.

I'm also thinking about how a live action musical version of this story would play overseas.

At the end of the day, if this was a live action retelling of the animated version (a la Lion King or Aladdin), people are upset. If it takes the animated film and spins it into something new (a la Dumbo), people are upset. As I've always said, all movie studios should make the best movie they can and the one the filmmaker has in mind. The end product is always going to piss someone off.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I think it looks...fine.

But I'm not really excited at all, and I'm still undecided as to whether I want to see it or not.

I also think the use of the instrumental Reflection (and the dialogue reference to I'll Make A Man Out of You) is awfully mean if they're not actually going to use the songs. Either use them or don't use them, but they're trying to have it both ways, and that bothers me.

The recent trailer showings I have been exposed to because of Star Wars has left me intrigued enough to see this movie on a big screen.

 

[Edwin-S]

The trailer to this flick wasn't bad. It actually made me consider going to see this one.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Disney just dropped the final trailer:



I think it looks...fine. But I'm still not super hyped up to see it.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Mulan has been rated PG-13 for "sequences of violence." It is the first of Disney's live-action remakes to receive this rating, even though it is remaking a G-rated movie. The last time that a Disney-branded release was PG-13 was Pirates of the Caribbean 5 in 2017.,

https://variety.com/2020/film/news/mulan-rating-pg-13-violence-disney-1203508059/

This further confirms that they are making a radical departure from the previous film. If they were doing a fairly standard retelling of the animated film in live-action format, that would clearly have been PG now, as have been all of the other recent remakes.

 

[Jake Lipson]

The Hollywood Reporter has an article about the release of the film, and how it has been upended by the coronavirius outbreak:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/f...gamble-mulan-stakes-couldnt-be-higher-1280999

 

[Jason_V]

To be fair, everything is being upended up the virus. Theme parks are closed, movie theaters are closed, cruise ships are being quarantined, international commerce is getting hit. This is one of those perfect storm situations no one could really have predicted.

More and more industries will have this problem if the outbreak continues to spread.

 

[SamT]

[SARCASM]
They have to delay the movie for only 4 days. It would be April and the virus would disappear in April.
[/SARCASM]

 

[Jake Lipson]

The difference between Mulan and other movies being impacted by the virus is that Mulan is very specifically targeted to the Chinese market, so missing a release date in China will be a huge impact on its potential box office. Also, of course, in China the studios don't have control over the release date. The government assigns the release date, and there are Chinese films that have been delayed as well, which are likely to receive preferential treatment whenever theaters in China do reopen. So it's not like Disney would be guaranteed a release slot if it isn't able to come out in China on its original date.

 

[Jason_V]

Well, yes. Not gonna argue how movies work in China. All I meant is that this is a circumstance no one has control over. Everyone is going to lose out on China income. I think Apple has already said they have. So...yes, Mulan is targeted for that country. No question. But there's literally nothing anyone can do about it.

 

[Jake Lipson]

But there's literally nothing anyone can do about it.

Right. I wasn't suggesting that there is. Nor am I suggesting, by the way, that the fate of a movie is anywhere near as important as the human health toll the virus is taking. But it is an X factor which very probably could cost Disney money on this film that they would have had if the virus was not a present issue, and it will be very interesting to see how that affects the film's ability to make money. Does it work well enough outside China to be profitable if it doesn't release there? I don't know.

 

[SamT]

Is this really targeted towards the Chinese market? I thought this movie is made more for the Western audience. I imagine another country making a movie about your country would not be that popular.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Is this really targeted towards the Chinese market?

Yes. It has a bunch of Chinese stars in it and has been said to be drawing more on the actual Chinese story than its animated counterpart did. There is no question that Disney built this film hoping that it would be a success in China.

 

[Jake Lipson]

In other news, opening weekend showtimes are now showing up on ticketing websites. They are greyed out and not available to purchase, but their appearance strongly suggests that tickets will go on sale soon. It could happen as early as Monday. So Disney now appears firmly committed to the release of the film in the U.S. on its original schedule, regardless of whatever scheduling shifts they end up having to make around the world.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Just as I predicted, tickets are now on sale a month in advance of the movie's debut.

This movie is not The Avengers or Star Wars-related. Is demand for tickets really significant enough to require such a far out advance sales date?

For this, here, I foresee no problems buying tickets on the weekend of the release when I go up to the box office.

 

[Jason_V]

It never comes down to demand for me. It comes down to (1) having a ticket for (2) my most preferred time, theater and format and (3) having my choice of seat. I'm pretty particular when it comes to seats on airplanes, plays, movies, etc. So the earlier I can get tickets, the better.

There is no difference in getting tickets early for a Broadway show or a concert or a sporting even vs. a movie for me.

 

[Jake Lipson]

For me, if I'm going to my usual theater, I've never had any difficulty in getting all the things you mention for any time I choose by buying tickets at the box office ten minutes before the show. The only exception is if it is an Avengers or Star Wars opening night. My theater is almost never too crowded to get in no matter what the movie is.

I did get tickets in advance for the Onward sneak peak this weekend, but that is at a different theater which does reserved seating and has smaller auditoriums due to their use of reclining seats. My normal theater (which isn't showing Onward until the wide release date) does not have those, so the seating capacity is never an issue, and they don;'t do reserved seating except in their one premium auditorium.

In other news, Christina Aguilera says she has recorded a new version of Reflection, and some new material, for the remake. This is the second time Disney has brought back the singer of the original movie's credits cover to participate in the remake. Celine Dion sang for both the animated and live-action versions of Beauty and the Beast, although she did different songs each time.

https://ew.com/movies/christina-aguilera-new-mulan-music/

Also, Collider posted an interview with producer Jason Reed in which he addresses the changes from the animated version. He says Mushu was cut because of how the Chinese audience responded to the use of a dragon as a sidekick, so that confirms what I already thought and discussed yesterday, that the film was designed with the Chinese audience in mind:

https://collider.com/mulan-changes-live-action-animated-version-disney/