Mulan: 6 Scenes From The Original Movie We Wished Were In The Remake (& 4 We’re Glad Stayed Out)

As has been noted in the past, the 2020 remake of Mulan is a very different film than its animated counterpart. In the move to live-action, Disney chose to focus the story on the Chinese legend that inspired Mulan rather than the animated film. With that move, there were many changes to the story that included cut scenes. Today, we’re going to cover a few of those cut scenes that we wish had returned, along with some that we’re glad didn’t come back.

10 Wish Had Returned: All Of Mushu’s Scenes

Mushu was certainly missed in the live-action version of Mulan. In the original film, Mushu guided Mulan on her journey and was one of the main sources of comic relief. He was a joy to have on-screen. However, the 2020 version of the film chose to remove the dragon entirely, which was certainly a sad thing for many old-school Disney fans.

9 Glad Stayed Out: All Of Mushu’s Scenes

At the same time, it makes sense as to why all of Mushu’s scenes were removed. It doesn’t fit in a much more serious, war-driven movie. Besides the fact, it’s a bit insensitive to portray Chinese guardians in the form of… that. It just doesn’t quite sit right. All-in-all, it was probably a good idea that Mushu was removed.

8 Wish Had Returned: All Of Shang’s Scenes

One character that had no business being cut, however, is Li Shang. The original captain of the army that Mulan served in, Li Shang was a great part of the film, and the chemistry between the two characters was apparent throughout the entire movie.

He never needed to be cut, and as such, all of his cut scenes are very much so missed. This includes, you know, the scene, which will be covered in just a bit.

7 Glad Stayed Out: A Girl Worth Fighting For

Think of instead, a girl worth fighting for!

This scene was included in the live-action version in an indirect way, as all of the main characters talked about the girls that they’re fighting for. They didn’t sing it though, and while that was sad, a jovial song such as this doesn’t make sense in the scheme of this film. There is a scene that just needed a song, though.

6 Wish Had Returned: A Proper Training Montage

The training montage did return in the live-action version of Mulan, but there was absolutely no mention of making a man out of any of them. Now that, that is just a crime. I’ll Make a Man Out of You could have easily played over the montage instead of the characters directly singing it, that would have made it a bit more believable, but no, Shang stans everywhere were robbed once again.

5 Wish Had Returned: Reflection

Just like I’ll Make a Man Out of You, Reflection could have been overlayed over quite a few scenes as a way to get the song into the movie without feeling strange. Of course, this didn’t happen, and the song was absent from the film save for an instrumental. The fact that it was so easy to have been in the movie and it wasn’t is truly just a shame.

4 Glad Stayed Out: The Shang Dinner Scene

In the original animated film, it’s strongly implied that Mulan and Li Shang become an item at the end, with her captain staying for dinner with her family. This obviously doesn’t happen in the live-action film, and not just because Li Shang isn’t in the film.

Chen Honghui is the closest analogy to Shang in the live-action film, and there’s never any ending to his story with Mulan. The relationship between the two is left very open-ended, which is nice, no relationship between the two is forced, despite the chemistry that they seemed to have. This is the better option, as Mulan doesn’t need to end up with any man in order for her story to be complete.

3 Wish Had Returned: Her Hait Cut

While Mulan’s haircutting scene really doesn’t make sense in the grand scheme of things, as men in the Chinese army always had long hair, it’s just so iconic. The fact that this was left out of the live-action movie is really a shame, as it’s one of the most impactful scenes in the original film. But, alas.

2 Glad Stayed Out: A Few Reworked Moments

Overall, throughout the live-action version of Mulan, there are quite a few re-worked versions of scenes that were present in the animated film. These scenes were changed in order to fit the general feel of the movie, as it is a bit darker overall. This was obviously the correct choice to make, rather than keeping things the same as the animated film in order to deliver more fan service.

1 Wish Had Returned: The Pole Climb

One scene that really shouldn’t have been left out of the live-action film is the scene in which Mulan successfully climbs the pole that no one in the army has been able to thus far. The scene was such a turning point in the animated film that was just left out in this version for no good reason. This was one that certainly should have been included.

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