Release date: December 4
Cast: Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Gong Li and Jet Li
Age rating: PG-13
Run time: 1 hr 55 min
Who is that girl you see? Watch Mulan online on Disney Plus and discover the hero within a spirited young woman. The film is becoming available to subscribers of the streaming service after initially debuting on Disney Plus Premier Access.
Mulan 2020 is the latest live-action remake of an animated Disney classic. Disney has transformed several of its classics into live-action films, including Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. The new version of Mulan follows the same story as the beloved 1998 film. It follows a young Chinese woman named Hua Mulan (Liu Yifei) who takes her ailing father's place in the army.
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To fight off a horde of invaders, the emperor decrees that one man per household must join the army. To shield her father from conscription, Mulan disguises herself as a man. She learns to fight and ends up helping to save the entire country with her skills.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mulan's release date was pushed back from March. Then, in September, Disney decided to put it on its streaming service but at a premium video on demand price. Disney Plus subscribers had to pay extra $30 to watch Mulan. But now, just in time for the holidays, it's free to subscribers.
Here's everything you need to know about how to watch Mulan on Disney Plus.
How to watch Mulan on Disney Plus in the US
Mulan starts streaming Friday, December 4 at 3 a.m. ET on exclusively on Disney Plus.
Subscribers who already paid $30 for Premier Access to the film will continue to have access to it.
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Disney Plus offers a very affordable $6.99 standalone package — which gives you the whole Disney vault of classics like Frozen, The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast as well as newer hits like The Mandalorian. There's also a $12.99 bundle that includes Hulu and ESPN Plus, which could be used as a cable TV alternative.
How to watch Mulan on Disney Plus internationally
Mulan is available now Disney Plus in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.
Mulan reviews
After Mulan's world premiere in March, the first reactions on social media were almost universally positive. Here's a roundup:
"Mulan is the best of the Disney live-action remakes since Cinderella — I didn’t even miss the songs," tweeted Mashable editor Angie Han.
Yahoo Entertainment editor Kevin Polowy said, "Easily Disney’s best live action reboot. I think it’s also Disney’s first battle epic? It is beautiful & absorbing & rich & empowering."
Fandango editor Erik Davis gushed about the "stunning production design & fight choreography."
And Screenrant writer Tessa Smith said, "Disney's Mulan is not only visually stunning, it is absolutely magical. I laughed, I cried, and I loved every second of it."
Mulan movie trailer
The first official Mulan trailer proved just how seriously Disney took this live-action remake. It's decidedly darker and more adult in tone. There are war scenes and fighting sequences, but no songs unlike the live-action remake of Aladdin.
And here's the final trailer for the Mulan movie, which gives us more glimpses of the film's villains, the warrior Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee) and the witch Xian Lang (Gong Li).
Mulan movie cast
Casting Mulan was a globe-spanning process that began in 2016. Disney said from the start that they were looking for a Chinese actress for the title role. Casting directors visited five continents and auditioned nearly 1,000 actresses to find someone who could speak English, perform martial arts credibly and had that special star quality.
On November 29, 2017, Disney announced that Chinese-American actress Liu Yifei was cast as Mulan.
The rest of the cast was filled out by Asian and Asian-American actors. Here's the full cast list:
- Liu Yifei as Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of Hua Zhou
- Donnie Yen as Commander Tung, an Imperial Army leader and Mulan's mentor (this character is based on Li Shang from the animated)
- Jason Scott Lee as Bori Khan, a Rouran warrior leader intent on avenging his father's death (based on Shan Yu from the animated film)
- Yoson An as Chen Honghui, a recruit under Commander Tung who becomes Mulan's ally and love interest (based on Li Shang from the animated film)
- Gong Li as Xian Lang, a powerful witch with shapeshifting abilities and an ally of Bori Khan
- Jet Li as The Emperor of China, a wise benevolent ruler of China
- Tzi Ma as Hua Zhou, Mulan's father and a famed war veteran
- Rosalind Chao as Hua Li, Mulan's mother
- Xana Tang as Hua Xiu, Mulan's younger sister (this character is new to the live-action film)
Mulan movie songs
While the animated Mulan movie featured songs (like Reflection and I'll Make a Man Out of You), the live-action film will not be a musical. Instead the Mulan remake features instrumental versions of the original songs.
Christina Aguilera did record a new version of Reflection as well as a new song called Loyal Brave True. Both tunes will be included in the Mulan soundtrack.
Harry Gregson-Williams composed the film's score.
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Kelly is the streaming channel editor for Tom’s Guide, so basically, she watches TV for a living. Previously, she was a freelance entertainment writer for Yahoo, Vulture, TV Guide and other outlets. When she’s not watching TV and movies for work, she’s watching them for fun, seeing live music, writing songs, knitting and gardening.