Compared to last year, Disney’s reeling back on the animated movie remake front and putting all their stock into the savior of China: Hua Mulan.
A final trailer for the live-action redux of the 1998 film, which premiered during Super Bowl 54, highlights some iconic moments — but also sheds some light on what makes this Disney remake different from others.
Unlike the more direct remakes of Aladdin and The Lion King, Mulan will lift both from the animated film and the original Chinese ballad. Changes like Mulan’s last name (Fa in the animated movie, Hua in the original folktale), the elimination of songs and talking dragon companion Mushu, and the addition of more female characters (a little sister for Mulan and a witch for the enemy) point to different version of the story than kids who kept rewinding their Mulan VHS tapes might remember.
Starring Liu Yifei as Mulan, with Donnie Yen as mentor figure Commander Tung, Yoson An as fellow soldier (and love interest) Chen Honghui, Tzi Ma as Mulan’s father, and Jet Li as the emperor of China. Niki Caro directs.
Mulan comes out on March 27.