This past Sunday, Walt Disney Pictures unveiled the first trailer for next year’s live-action remake of the 1998 animated film Mulan, which sees Chinese actress Liu Yifei taking on the role of the legendary warrior for director Niki Caro (Whale Rider).
According to Deadline, the trailer pulled in a hefty 175 million views in its first 24 hours online, putting it ahead of all of Disney’s previous animated remakes save for The Lion King, which generated a record 224 million during the same timeframe. It also makes it the seventh most-watched trailer of all time after Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War, The Lion King, It, and The Fate of the Furious.
This news will certainly be pleasing to Disney, especially if the rumours of the film having a whopping $290 million budget are accurate. And further good news will be the reception to the trailer in the lucrative Chinese market, with Deadline stating that the trailer was warmly received on social media, with Liu Yifei being praised as “China’s first Disney princess”.
When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from Northern invaders, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. Masquerading as a man, Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her inner-strength and embrace her true potential. It is an epic journey that will transform her into an honored warrior and earn her the respect of a grateful nation…and a proud father. “Mulan” features a celebrated international cast that includes: Yifei Liu as Mulan; Donnie Yen as Commander Tung; Jason Scott Lee as Böri Khan; Yoson An as Cheng Honghui; with Gong Li as Xianniang and Jet Li as the Emperor. The film is directed by Niki Caro from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Elizabeth Martin & Lauren Hynek based on the narrative poem “The Ballad of Mulan.”
Mulan is set for release on March 27th 2020.
Originally published July 14, 2019. Updated July 15, 2019.
