Disney’s Mulan makes Cinderella and Snow White look weak.

In imperial China, Mulan is an adventurous and active girl, to the disappointment of her parents, who hope that one day she will be wed to a good husband. As a young woman, Mulan is forced to meet with a matchmaker to demonstrate her fitness as a future wife. Flustered, after she knocks over the kettle in front of the matchmaker, she is called a disgrace in front of her family.
Once the emperor orders one man from every family to join the army, Mulan realizes that her father has no chance of survival. She flees with his armor, horse and sword to join in his place. Mulan arrives at the training camp, which is run by Commander Tung, an old comrade of Hua Zhou. Once reporting to the training camp, Mulan is able to pass as a man, although her militaristic skills are severely lacking. Determined to succeed, Mulan works hard in order to prove herself to the rest of her troop and her family.

Girls have long drawn their own courage from Mulan’s story. Junior Emily Levine said, “When I was younger, I always looked up to Mulan because of how brave she was. She was never afraid of anything: dying or being caught. All she cared about was keeping her family safe.”

Following the original release of the 1998 Mulan, Disney recreated the movie as a live-action movie, starring Yifei Liu. The plans for a live-action remake began in 2010 but were stalled and renounced in 2015. Live-action Mulan did not live up to its expectations set in 1998. With its lack of musical numbers and Mulan’s side-kick Mushu, it makes the film both more serious and unmemorable. Senior William Margarites said, “As a kid, Mulan would be the only Disney princess movie I would watch. I really liked watching it because of all the action and music. The new live-action version got rid of everything I liked about the movie.”

The movie has sparked pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, now joined by Thailand and Taiwan. They erupted when lead actress, Liu, said she supported the Hong Kong police, who anti-government demonstrators say use excessive force. They began last year as large groups of peaceful demonstrators and eventually morphed into frequent clashes between protesters and police.