Correction 2: A lot of comments are saying the poem should be 双兔傍地走. I have seen both used. But the version I shown at 0:22 says 兩兔, and it's from the year 1094 (Song Dynasty), so... Yeah I'm sticking to that. Correction 1: Thanks to commenter Luke Huang pointed out, I typed the wrong line of the poem at 17:47. It should be 雄兔腳撲朔，雌兔眼迷離，兩兔傍地走，安能辨我是雄雌 Instead I repeated 兩兔傍地走 twice like a dumb dumb. ------------------- Wow, 18 minutes huh? Guess I really do hate this movie.

The problem with this movie is that she is already a Spider-Man before she was Peter Parker

Basically, the writers think that in order to empower women, you got to turn them into men. The animated Mulan was empowering, because she was herself, because she was a woman.

"It was the perfect time to empower a new generation... And you f*cked it up." This guy's a savage, I love him.

Never have I heard someone so angry with a calm voice

"Mulan starts off as a total amateur, but so does everyone else" that's honestly not something people talk about enough when discussing Disney's Mulan

The most incrediable thing is not that they don't understand Chinese culture, but that they don't understand their previous film.

"written by 4 people, and not one of them were asian". That's pretty much the only description the movie needs. I teared up when she returned to her father in the animated film. Even a little in this review. In the live action, I was just like: oh, ok, cool.

16:44 im not even Chinese but this pissed me off. If according to the ballad, you can't tell the difference in gender between two hares running side by side, then mulans dialogue in that scene completely contradicts the whole message by telling us that she was in fact able to tell that one was male and the other was female. It beats the whole point! It takes the main, conclusive message from the ballad and comepletely strips it of its meaning!

"The CGI looks like utter crap. Maybe it wouldn't have been a problem if teh filmmakers had skillshare." Oof. That wasn't just a shot, that was a firing squad.

"the cgi looks like utter crap maybe it wouldn't have been a problem if the animators joined skillshare" is a way funnier line when you remember sponsored videos have to be approved by the company

As a Chinese and a girl, I really did feel represented and empowered by the cartoon. So sad Mulan 2020 failed in every way.

They replaced mushu with a Phoenix that doesn’t really do anything.... biggest mistake Disney can make

OG Mulan: "How can you tell female from male when hares are running side by side?" 2020 Mulan: "So anyway I saw two hares running and I could totally tell them apart."

I’m a straight dude and even I felt empowered by animated Mulan. She wasn’t just a female who proved her strength to be equal to other men, she was a child protecting her family, a soldier protecting her homeland, and a friend protecting her comrades. Those are the traits and values not defined by gender, but by the decency of a human being.

I was a little African girl when I watched Mulan and I admired and related to her the most out of all the 'Disney princesses', we mostly have the same culture here. I couldn't relate to this version.

"Mulan is unlike any other Disney female lead at the time... She's not born royalty nor nobility and does not marry into one either." YEP! She was so different that the Disney Princess brand had to alter a "requirement" on who is a "Disney Princess". It was "The character must be royal by birth or royal by marriage." Because of Mulan it is "The character must be royal by birth, royal by marriage, or do a heroic deed."

You gotta give props to this movie, though, because pissing off western *and* Chinese audiences, men and women, old Disney fans and new, must not be an easy task...

I find it interesting how in the animated movie, she's offered the role of emperor's *advisor* (hinting to her problem-solving skills, and how much her intelligence is valued), and in the 2020 version she's offered a place in *the* *guard* as one of the fighters

That scene with her father! Even with no scene audio and a calm, informative voice-over, the part where her dad tosses aside the symbols of honor she brings home and embraces Mulan instead makes me tear up so fast!

"Mulan 2020 isn't malicious; it's just stupid, and it doesn't give a flying f*ck" That line made me snort out loud 😂

Disney just needs to stop making these souless live action remakes. They're ruining their own legacy.

"Mulan 2020 is not malicious. It's just stupid." describes every damn disney remake

7:40 I teared up, I did not realize how deep and precious the messages of the animated Mulan was.

I love how the word for "outdated virtue" sounds like "you fool!" in English. It's little things like that that make me smile at life.

One thing I noticed in the animated movie: when Shang tells everyone to climb the tower at the beginning of "Make a Man Out of You", he gives everyone two weights that represent discipline and strength. At first, everyone treats the weights like something holding them down and they try to use brute strength to climb the tower despite those weights. Mulan succeeds because she can use the weights as something to pull her up rather than something weighing her down. Symbolically, this is her using the virtues she's taught in a new way that helps her succeed rather than inhibit her. In the live-action version....... we get pails of water she has to carry up a mountain.... and she...... carries pails of water up a mountain. Sure she probably got physically stronger, but only after doing what she's told enough times that it works out for her. It's a lot less nuanced, and I'm sad we didn't get to see that again. It's even less empowering because we're led to believe she's able to do this because she's the chosen one, not because she took her life into her own hands.

Mulan: *works hard and grows alongside with her male teammates, thus showing that women have as much value as men* 2020 Mulan: ☯ *CHI* ☯

I don’t even care about the politics, removing Mushu was a very stupid decision. I’m a male and Mulan inspired me as a child . For me, it wasn’t just about being a female in a male world It was about not giving into how the world views you, but remaining confident in how you view yourself.

I personally look at the newest version of Mulan as a prime example of toxic feminism that upholds patriarchal standards. It's like some terrible form of divine irony that a narrative that is suppose to empower women does so by glorifying toxic masculinity and subservience.

The animated scene where Mulan's father is limping and struggling to run after her in the pouring rain was so gut-wrenching. It's really showed the severity of the situation. The live-action took away all of the emotion out. It even cut out the scene where her dad is attempting to train but failing miserably. Lastly, the only reason Mulan wanted to join the war was because she literally had no other choice. It was either she joins, or her father dies. It had nothing to due with her wanting to be a warrior from a young age or feeling trapped by the fact she's a woman. She never cared for all that anyway. She cared for her father. The live-action takes all this away when they turn her into this young martial arts prodigy from the start of the film.

this whole live action thing disney has been doing is nothing short of horrific, a whole bunch of movies made only to make money with no other purpose... its so sad seeing disney in this state

THIS GUY GETS IT Especially 9:54. That's exactly how I felt watching a lot of faux "empowering" stuff as a little girl. Either you're good at everything or you're bad at everything. It makes trying feel futile Liked and subbed 👍

I'm a woman (from Spain), and Mulan always had be my favorite film from disney. It has less songs, but i always feel so identified with her. No has super powers, no has an army, but she is witty, inteligent, and thats how she solved de problem. With inteligency and skill. When the new move appers, it was... Horrible. The character, the story... Everything. And the worst, (in my point of view, i am not chinese, and dont kwom how they miss with culture and history aspects), is that the change Mulan. They give her superpowers to save the world, and tell that she can only save the world because the superpowers. That is absolutte disapointing, and take away all the inspiracy Mulan gives to others. PS: I hope my english wasn't to horrible. I only want to share my thoughts about my favorite disney film

As a military veteran - it was so disappointing that they cut out Mulan's training. It was so hard trying to keep up with my male counterparts during training. My military experience was almost exactly like the animation. We got through training together as a team. Where I lacked in physical strength, I had mastered my critical thinking skills to help my team out. I wish Disney consulted with female Marines and their training. You are right - lazy white washed writing. So disappointing. THIS MOVIE IS NOT EMPOWERING. Good job Disney you FAILED.

Her line about the two rabbits running side-by-side _completely_ misses the point of the original poem. She says, "I think one is a female and one is male" when the poem says 安能辨我是雄雌？"How can you tell the female from male?"

I just wish "Hua Mulan" from 2009 movie would be promoted more instead of this Disney adaptation version. It's harsh, difficult, long and hartbreaking, but I just love it, it gives me everything I could wish for live action movie based on this story. Too bad you didn't have an opportunity to mention that film here.

"Mulan 2020 isnt malicious, its just stupid" That made me laugh out loud af

Mulan offending western and Chinese audiences at the same time: *”PARKOUR!“*

tldr: Mulan 2020 is the feminist equivalent of "I have black friends"

The Real Mulan used her ingenuity, smarts and skills to beat the enemy. The Fake Mulan used her Disney-given princess powers to beat the enemies in the movie.

The four lines at the end of this video from the Ballad of Mulan itself, are more empowering than the whole live action. Beautiful video. Everything is nicely explained.

it's just sad, because it proves that none of disney's efforts to empower women have been genuine.

"There's a phoenix, but the CGI is crap. Maybe it wouldn't have been a problem if the animators joined SkillShare!!" OMG I was dying 😂😂😂

I love the story you told at the beginning of how significant Mulan was to the youth and China overall, and your class' reaction to the animated film at the theater. Great way to start the video essay.

I don't know much of chinese culture and I now have an even further appreciation for the 90s version. Didn't catch the subtlety of her performing out of compassion and protection rather than out of duty.

I think this essay made me realize something about the animated Mulan. When Mulan fights, she fights for the people. The other soldiers have different goals. They want the honor of serving in battle. (The ladies love a man in armor). This is what drives the other characters. This is shown best in the scene after Girl worth fighting for. The soldiers pay respect to the fallen troops. Mulan pays her respects to the people of the village, specifically the children. Mulan’s protection of people is a feminine trait. Yet that is what drives her. Mulan is strong because she is a woman.

Normies: roast the movie This guy: roasts the movie using sponsorship messages Ooof. I like it

I know I’m late, but disney’s mulan was really special. I was adopted at one and a half. I never really was in touch with my Chinese heritage. I always had thoughts in the back of my head. Thoughts of doubt, thoughts of abandonment, thoughts that I never was enough. I always watched Mulan whenever I felt insecure about myself. I always used Mulan as a role model. She was strong. I felt a comfort watching Mulan. I know I’ll never really feel comfortable with my Chinese heritage.

It hurts because I was a child when Mulan came out. I felt so empowered as a little girl. As a woman now I watch the new version and weep. I don't want a superhero, I wanted a girl like me being strong in the real way.

The whole “She’s suddenly perfect at everything” isn’t new to all these types of films because apparently empowerment is just make the character as perfect as possible without any flaws or struggles

“It is the perfect time for a new generation of Mulan to inspire people, and you f*cked it up” GO OFF KING!!!

"what difference do the differences make?" that's actually so beautiful 🤧

I am not Chinese, but I am a woman. Mulan is special to me because she is smart and kind and she was able to outsmart her enemies while also being skilled physically. I love her and I think the new version missed the point completely.

So... In the poem, the point made about the two hares running side by side is that you can't tell their sexes, i.e. it doesn't matter... And in the movie's reference to the line, she explicitly mentions that she could tell they had different sexes... Seems stupid enough to almost seem intentional.

when a 90s animated movie is more woke then a 2020 live action adaption...

One of my favorite things about the Disney Mulan character was that she was willing to face a very real and fast death to save her father. When she is a masterful warrior as a toddler, there’s nothing she needs to be afraid of, so she’s not actually sacrificing anything.

I just want to point out that in the original animated version, Mulan killed the villain using her wit. She knows she's not as physical strong as him, she ran away from him while she came up with a plan. In the animated version, she fought with him and won only because of her magical chi

1998 Mulan: Makes up smart, useful tactics, enforces the help of Mother Nature, adapts to situations 2020 Mulan: “I am with Chi and Chi is with me”

I'm an English literature teacher, and I'm considering showing this to me high school students as a model of how effective structure can be in an essay/argument. This is beautifully written.

I can see why you really love the Ballad of Mulan, that last part of the video gave me chills all over my body, this is some powerful stuff

Even after watching it dozens of times and growing up with it, the father's line at the end about how proud he is of his daughter, and just how happy and relieved he sees her alive ALWAYS gets me. It's so fucking touching. No comedic interruptions, just the two of them finally reconciliating and loving. In comparison, I just refuse to watch the live-action Mulan. It would just occupy wasted space in my brain.

Moral of the story: Either have super powers, or find a man

Animated Mulan: a woman can be just as capable as a man with wits, determination and courage Remake Mulan: a woman can be just as capable as a man as long as she has quite inaccurate qi superpowers How empowering 🙄

Oh Disney, burning your legacy to the ground one project after another. I mourned when I saw how poorly they treated this story, it broke my heart a little.

“Maybe it wouldn’t be a problem if the animators joined Skillshare.” 💀 Its summertime for real because I felt that burn

Everytime I hear Mulan's father say "The greatest gift and honor is having you for a daughter" always makes me tear up because when I was younger I always hated being a girl. I can't play with my brothers because I'm a girl, I needed to wear dresses because I'm a girl. I'll get a doll and not allowed to ride my brother's bicycle because I'm a girl. I needed to learn and do all the chores around the house because that is what a girl is for. Being able to watch Mulan when I was younger made me so happy and made me realize that I can't just be limited to what a girl "needs" to do or learn. My rebellious phase came afterwards but I'm grateful for it because that's how I came to be who I am today, and I think my dad has learned to accept the way I am through the years (but my mom is still as stubborn as ever lol) thank you for coming to my tedtalk

I'm really sad that Disney went with the 'Make Mulan a Jedi', rather than perhaps actually telling the story according to the ballad. From the little that our host shares, the ballad sounds like an AWESOME story!

This is an on point, and amazing breakdown. This video helped me to really understand better how the live action failed miserably, where the classic animation thrived. Keep up the good work my dude 🤟

I'm a Black girl but I always looked up to Mulan growing up because I was bullied as a kid and it was nice to have a Disney character who could fight back. I respect the Princesses before her on the roster because most of them were abuse victims who had to depend on others to get through it all, but it's also important to see someone who is defending themselves and their loved ones and not being disrespected for it. It's really infuriating to see such a beautiful story get bastardized in a blatant cash grab, and the fact that the movie was filmed in the place where Uyghur Muslims are being tortured and killed at this moment is disgusting.

3:23 "and then you f*cked it up" this caught me off guard as he spoke very softly and polite until that point

As a random Chinese kid, I remember not thinking much about Animated Mulan when watching it. But have to admit, to this day, I still remember quite a lot of the songs in Mulan. Both the Chinese and English versions.

This was brilliant. Your clear passion had me so emotional throughout. And bonus points for getting quite a few vocal laughs out of me.

Disney: We'll take out Mushu because we want the film to be more realistic. And we don't want to offend the Chinese people by portraying a sacred dragon as funny. Also Disney: Here, Mulan is gifted with the CHI. She's basically a superhero. And a paper-thin phoenix as a bonus just to act like a compass for her.

Disney: "Let's get down to business, to defeat, the Fun."

I knew in my gut that something was SERIOUSLY wrong with Mulan, aside from being completely emotionless, but didn't have the words or the knowledge of ancient chines culture. This put into words what I couldn't say, and I'm so happy you made this amazing video!

The way you worked in shading the movie with your sponsor is gold.

It really falls in line with what Lindsay Ellis said about Disney's new brand of "girl boss feminism" what's just one woman doing the man thing and being recognized for it instead of critiquing the gender roles themselves (Mulan being a qi warrior (wtf), Jasmine becoming sultan, etc.) It does nothing to question or hold patriarchal systems accountable and only insists that a woman must become like men to be considered equally valuable. Sigh.

Another thing that annoyes me is that they put in a new female villan. This happens a lot in comics (where the female superhero always have a female counterpart, and when the male superhero has a female counterpart it's always some romance) and it paints a picture that girls can only fight other girls, or that the biggest enemy is one of the same sex. The fact that mulan didn't have a female villan was one of the things I really appreciated in the animated one.

Halfway through this video and I’m almost sobbing 😭 ah you encapsulated it perfectly

amazing!! shines a lot of light on this topic and teaches some important lessons about how empowerment should and should not be done

It pissed me off to no end when in the live action that one dude who is kind of the love interest tells the commander "you'll believe Hua Jin but not Hua Mulan"- and in the animation, it is Mulan who speaks for herself and tells that to Shang. In the love action, people speak up for her and she stays clam shut!

Disney has become disinterested in its own magic

This is the first day I've ever been suggested your videos and now I've watched like 4 of them -- these are absolutely amazing I hope you are a student of film or studying to do something in the arts that we can look forward to seeing one day. You're so dedicated and thorough these are fascinating and joyful watches!!!! Thank you for sharing!!!!!!

Rewatching this during International Women's Day because this video is a comforting reminder there are allies out there that get it. Perfectly explaining the need to break out of patriarchal thinking. Thank you for making gems like this.

This movie is like white bread dipped in soy sauce.

The actress was a block of wood too. One of the most emotionless bit of acting ever.

I wish I could hit the like button more than once. What a fantastic analysis of two contrasting films about the same character. Thank you.

This is so insightful! Thank you so much for examining the themes and how well it did and doesn't work.

"A white person's oriental fetish" As an Asian that lived in a western country for more than half his life, I find this statement amusing.

"not one of the writers is even asian" This is hilarious to me. For a group that screams about diversity and inclusion, they're awfully exclusive. It also makes the attempts at 'proverbs' or 'sayings' kind of insulting.

am i the only one who thinks the way this channel presents the videos is very calming and relaxing??

Thank you for this video essay, it was wonderfully made and created. I remember when I saw Mulan at age seven or eight, I felt like I found someone who understood how I felt and I am not Asian, I'm an autistic woman of Hispanic descent. Whenever I felt like I was scared/nervous about tests, exams, and finding the college I had to apply to, or sad, I would remember I'll Make A Man Out of You or the Emperor's wise words and think "if Mulan- a girl who has to struggle to succeed in a man's world like I do because of what I was born with- could do it, I can too." Even now, I watch it for both childhood memories and because it's that good of a movie. I have not seen this movie yet- though I may due to my friends having Disney+ and my father being curious over the remakes- but based on your review and others, it seems to be a dishonor to the ballad, 1998 animated version, any other versions of Mulan or even Disney itself. I have read the ballad, saw two other adaptations- one that had Jackie Chan's son as one of the soldiers- and also read enough Chinese mythology and history to know that in this version, they really butchered it. Phoenixes in Chinese myth are immortal, chi is the energy in all of us so it does not mean that only men can use it, witches did not exist in China, and even though women were indeed told to marry and bear children, China did had female emperors for a time- yes, I mean Wu Zeitan and Dowager Empress Cixi, two badass women in their own ways- so perhaps some women were respected in Chinese society even if female empowerment in China still has a long way to go. So I guess all I have to say is that like you, I can understand how you felt when you first saw Mulan and why she is such an important part of your culture but also why the 1998 version was empowering to you and everyone who saw it. I applaud you for sharing your views and to those who liked the remake, I respect your views but merely say to watch other versions of Mulan and also read the ballad to see that it was the ballad that made this movie and all other versions of Mulan possible and respect what the person in this video is trying to say.

I love how an Ancient Chinese script from over a thousand years ago is more progressive and forward thinking than a lot of modern media today

the new mulan gives me the impression that the writers were trying to turn Mulan into a Marvel movie. big yikes.

I've watched this video three times already and may watch it again. The way you explored the differences between the way in which each movie depicts its characters, their behavior, and ultimately how it conveys its message, it's beyond clear. Cheapeu. I loved the Mulan movie from Disney and still love it now, it's one of my favorites, and I'm finding out now after many years that its depiction of female empowerment was spot on, it is awesome to find so much value in an old movie from my childhood - and to be honest, knowing all this now makes me proud of myself for liking it so much back then without knowing why. I haven't watched the other movie yet, I got into this video from the autoplay, the algorithm couldn't have chosen better. I don't really know whether I'll watch it now, but since it made your video possible, I may at least be thankful for that. (By the way, the background music was also awesome, do you happen to remember what was the background track that starts at 15:10 ?)

This is a really insightful and well-made analysis. Thank you!

"The CGI looks like utter crap. Maybe it wouldn't have been a problem if the filmmakers had skillshare." That burned harder than the wildfires raging the entire U.S. west coast.

The message where the father says: "The greates gift and honor is having you for a daughter" has resonated with me for years and it felt true to it's words because the father always loved Mulan for who she was. The 2020 version seemed to just have glossed over those words which just sucks man.

视频里指出的几点都是最关键的，每句话都直说到了点子上，给up主点赞！

so glad to found your channel. you're a rockstar!