Disney has been on quite the revamp kick lately as they have been releasing live-action remakes of their classic animated films. From 2014’s Maleficent to the premiere of Beauty & The Beast only last month, Disney fans around the world are getting to see their favorite fictional characters be reimagined, with plenty more movies to come down the line. One of the films that has already started preproduction is Mulan, the tale of a young Chinese woman who disguises herself as a man and enlists in a war in place of her father.  The remake is set to be directed by New Zealand native Niki Caro, who last month stated that the remake would not feature the songs  from the animated film.

The announcement was a surprise as it had been assumed by most that like the Beauty and The Beast remake, the iconic songs from the cartoon would be transfered into the adaptation. Caro has promised however, that music will still be an important element of the storytelling when the film hits theaters next winter.

“The live-action is based on that inspirational Chinese ballad and on the animated Disney classic. We’re still exploring the role that music’s going to play in it, but for sure there will be music.”

The lack of songs isn’t the first controversy the live-action remake has already faced. Upon announcing their intent to do Mulan with real actors, a source close to the production had to release an official statement that declared that all the primary characters would be Chinese  after a spec script was released that featured a white male lead causing fans to fear that Hollywood was once again going to unnecessarily whitewash a film for no other reason than the idea of making money.

Caro has also stated that she understands the necessity in keeping the movie culturally authentic. In an interview with THR, she said:

“In all my work that is centered in cultures not my own, I hope that comes through, because that is incredibly important to me. When I made Whale Rider, I saw that to be specific and authentic is to be universal, and I’ve continued to work in an identical way ever since. As the projects get bigger, the more certain I am that cultural authenticity and specificity is the only way to approach my work.”

What do you guys think? Do you think the live-action remake will still be smash hit even without the iconic songs? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Screenrant

Mulan is set for a theatrical release of November 2nd, 2018.