New to Disney+, Niki Caro’s remake tells the inspiring story of Fa Mulan (Yifei Liu), a strong warrior as she takes her father’s place in the army in order to save her father (Tzi Ma).

She disguises herself as a man and trains to fight for China against Bori Khan (Donnie Yen) and the shapeshifter Xianniang (Li Gong).

Although it follows a similar storyline to the 1998 original, the plot does stray quite a bit. Some of the most beloved characters like Shang and Mushu are replaced and all musical numbers are cut.

However, even without Mushu, the film still has a fantasy feel. Shapeshifters and wonderful martial arts create a magical feel which gives it the classic Disney touch. There are subtle nods to the original score with Mulan’s ‘Reflection’ leitmotif playing regularly throughout.

The soundtrack is beautiful, and it is full of unique cinematography that keeps action sequences interesting. Nonetheless, this movie is mediocre with a childish feel against the high-paced fight scenes. Possibly the most obvious negative aspect is the lack of character development. Mulan starts off as a competent warrior so there is no struggle.

Overall, Mulan teaches a wonderful lesson to young girls and has a solid empowering message but fails to live up to the original.