A young woman heroically disobeys her parents in the first teaser for Mulan
We’ve seen dozens of teasers for live-action remakes of animated Disney films in the last few years, and most of them seem to be designed simply to remind viewers of the old cartoons they like—whether it’s with specific musical cues, familiar-looking locations and characters, or both. Weirdly, this teaser for the new take on Mulan takes a different approach, acting as if it’s for an entirely new movie and not a re-telling of a story that Disney fans already know. The story beats that it teases are familiar, but there’s no talking dragon, no helpful cricket, and no overt nod to “Make A Man Out Of You.” (Back in 2017, it was suggested that the movie might not have songs at all.)
It also happens to be a pretty good teaser, cleverly pairing voiceover of the importance of a woman being quiet and graceful and disciplined with shots of Hua Mulan herself (Liu Yifei) using those qualities to kick ass as a soldier. (Speaking of, she doesn’t seem to be trying very hard to hide her identity this time around, but maybe that’s just the teaser.)
Mulan, directed by Niki Caro, will be in theaters next spring. And since you’ve been good for reading this far, here’s the song: