Mulan Director Explains Why Cutting Mushu Was A Necessary Decision

Mulan‘s director has explained why Mushu was absent from the live-action Disney remake. After a lengthy delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mulan finally premiered on Disney+ earlier this week. While critic reviews are still rolling in, the film currently holds a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, with many reviewers praising the film’s gorgeous visuals and cinematography.

While there have been multiple differences between the live-action film and its animated counterpart, one of the most striking choices is the removal of certain characters in the 2020 version, including Mushu. The little red dragon voiced by Eddie Murphy is often hailed as an iconic part of the 1998 film, in part for his nonstop, lighthearted jokes, many of which are at Mulan’s expense. Despite Mushu’s reputation as a fan favorite, the 2020 film opts to replace Mushu’s character with a phoenix, who assumes the role of Mulan’s guardian, albeit a silent one.

CinemaBlend reports that director Niki Caro believes that replacing Mushu was a necessary move for the 2020 version of Mulan. She explains that while Mushu was an indispensable character in the animated version of Mulan’s story, the live-action film required a narrative shift. More specifically, Caro states that part of adapting the animated film into a live-action version meant committing “to the realism of [Mulan’s] journey,“ which implies that wisecracking Mushu wouldn’t have been the best fit.

Even if fans might be disappointed that Mushu won’t have his live-action moment on the silver screen, Caro’s emphasis on the more realistic elements of Mulan’s journey supports her final decision on the dragon. While Mushu was always on hand to give cheeky advice in the animated film, having a talking dragon appear throughout the movie would have certainly undermined the tone and detracted from Caro’s focus on having Mulan develop her “relationships with her fellow soldiers.“ As such, Caro’s choice to substitute Mushu for Mulan’s phoenix guardian does appear to align much more closely with the director’s vision.

While Mulan might not be a shot-by-shot remake of the animated film that fans know and love, it still tells the same underlying story of bravery and heroism in the face of doubt. Although some fans may remain disappointed by Caro’s removal of Mushu, this is still a film that deserves a chance. That being said, while Mushu’s sass might not be present in this version of Mulan, fans can rest easy knowing that the spunky dragon will never not be considered a Disney icon.

Source: CinemaBlend

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