Where's Mushu? Mulan's Dragon Sidekick Replaced With A Phoenix

Disney debuted the teaser trailer for the live-action “Mulan” yesterday and we’re all excited for it.

Well, most of us at least. The backlash comes on the heels of the exclusion of singing and the replacement of fan favourite character, Li Shang. Another beloved character that will be replace is Mushu.

Many fans noticed the glaring absence of Mulan’s guardian dragon Mushu in the trailer and took to social media to vent their frustration. As many of you may be familiar, Mushu provided plenty of comedic relief to the 1998 animated classic.

Photos of the film’s crew – Doua Moa and Chen Tang – wearing hoodies with the the “Mulan” logo together with a phoenix motif have been circulating online.

To echo director Niki Caro’s point, this live-action film isn’t going to be a full remake of the animated movie. Instead, it’ll infuse both the Disney classic with its original source, “The Ballad of Mulan”.

As Twitter user Shawn Lee explains, “Scholars have observed analogues to the phoenix in a variety of cultures. These analogues include the Chinese Fenghuang (鳳凰) and etc. The special thing is in Chinese culture, FengHuang have two genders“.

“Phoenixes and Dragons are both famous Chinese creatures in their mythology because dragons represent men and a phoenix represent woman in China,” added another netizen. This reflects a good representation of Mulan’s journey.