Why Mulan (2020) Didn't Work

EDIT: Nessun dorma is actually after Calaf answers Turandot's riddles and he's tricking her by withholding his name
Got it a little backwards, oops!
In this video I awkwardly rant about the Mulan remake not being good because Opera
Twitter: / sideways440
Twitch: / sideways440
Patreon: / sideways440
Sources:
For more about the adaptation of The Producers, check out:
"The Producers and Hairspray: The Hazards and Rewards of Recursive Adaptaion"
by Dean Adams
Probably the best all-around source for Opera (great if you're a teacher and want to send this to your students)
courses.lumenl...
Obligatory wikipedia entry
en.wikipedia.o...
Mulan Review by Jeremy Jahns
• Mulan - Movie Review
Mulan Review by Chris Stuckmann
• Mulan - Movie Review
Mulan Review by Schaffrillas Productions
• Mulan is the Worst Dis...
Although I didn't cite her in the video, if you are in any way interested in this film then this video by Xiran Jay Zhao is an absolute must
• EVERYTHING CULTURALLY ...
Now bear with me, I used a LOT of opera clips in this video and I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure they're all listed here but if I've missed any PLEASE let me know so I can add it to the list
Queen of the Night Aria by The Royal Opera
• The Magic Flute - Quee...
Carmen: "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" (Elina Garanca)
• Carmen: "L'amour est u...
Luciano Pavarotti's rendition of Nessun dorma
• Luciano Pavarotti sing...
Il barbiere di siviglia "Largo al factotum
• Il barbiere di sivigli... "
The Barber of Seville - Figaro's Aria
• The Barber of Seville ...
Monteverdi - Orfeo: recitativo secco
• Monteverdi - Orfeo: re...
57. N. 21b Recitativo accompagnato ed aria: "In quali eccessi, o Numi"
• 57. N. 21b Recitativo ...
29 Recitativo accompagnato e Aria Non mi dir
• 29 Recitativo accompag...
I am the very Model of a Modern Major General - Pirates of Penzance (1983)
• I am the very Model of...
Kirsten Flagstad - Brünnhilde's battle cry "Ho jo to ho !" (Die Walküre, Wagner)
• Kirsten Flagstad - Brü...
Walküre 5/12 - R. Wagner - Akt 2 Brünnhilde Wotan Valencia 2008
• Walküre 5/12 - R. Wagn...
Die Walküre, Wagner - Wotan's Farewell, James Morris
• Die Walküre, Wagner - ...
Galop Infernal - Orphee aux Enfers
• Galop Infernal - Orphe...
I am the Monarch of the Sea
• I am the Monarch of th...

[@ianesgrecia8568]

Biggest mistake: The lack of affection between father and daughter. The scene after the matchmaker, under the sakura tree, shows a loving father who doesn't care if she failed or not, but is interrupted by the army caller. This scene alone makes their relationship and later when he yells we get that's more of emotions going waywire and we are basically waiting for them to be okay after Second biggest mistake: Taking away Mulan's actual 'power': BEING SMART. Though all the animated movie we see Mulan doing things in a diferent but smart way - feeding the chickens with the dog, having a second cup of tea, cheating effectively on her arm instead of the fan and most of all using the weights to climb the pole. THAT is her power: BEING SMART. That's way it's Mulan and only her who thinks of using the last firework to cause an avalanche. Instead we have this second-rate super-hero movie that totally lacks any understanding of Chi or the actual myth of Hua Mulan

[@Telcontar86]

Don't forget that they have her make a winning move in Chinese checkers after studying the board for all of 2 seconds (near the beginning of the movie). Yeah, she's not the best fighter out of her immediate group, that would be Shang, she's probably not the fastest etc, but she's the smartest and the quickest witted while being good enough at everything else to make her a physical threat. Which makes her very dangerous without making her a super hero or undermining her fellow soldiers. Then the remake made her Rey

[@michelleperez2687]

The scene in the original that paints Mulan’s relationship with her father always makes me cry. The raw emotion and love and affection between the two hits *hard*, but in the remake I kind of forgot that her dad was even in the movie I forgot a lot of people were in the movie.

[@chlojo1231]

@@Telcontar86 I see Rey as far more similar to the original Mulan than the remake. Yes Rey is born *different* but star wars does not try to hide her obvious weaknesses and intense physical struggles in the obnoxious way that 2020 Mulan hides hers. I would go as far to say that the new Mulan is more similar to Captain Marvel than she is to the original Mulan, which is so insanely annoying. I love that you highlighted the checkers match, because it also shows how effortless the flow of the movie feels, compared to the choppy feeling of this new, excuse me, trash.

[@APinchofBazel]

@@chlojo1231 “star wars does not try to hide her obvious weaknesses and intense physical struggles” Yes. Yes it does. And it’s definitely obnoxious about it.

[@chlojo1231]

@@APinchofBazel Oh you're for sure right about that, but star wars definitely made a better shitty protagonist than the mulan remake

[@thewalrusaurus]

The thing that bugged me most was the way they used "Reflection" in the background constantly, without any regard for whether or not it made sense in the context of the scene. The most jarring example being having it swell up in the background when she's murdering people during the big snowy battle scene.

[@emmettmcnally740]

Nah fam, it's totally foreshadowing for her post war PTSD, waking up at three am from a night terror, looking at herself in the mirror, and going "Oh God, I murdered so many people in the avalanche and almost killed my whole legion"

[@icecold1805]

I mean, honestly, this isn't me talking you down or anything, but there are so many things above this one in the list of "things that don't make sense". The entire movie just seems random.

[@danielshore1457]

See I wouldn't have had a problem with them getting rid of the musical aspect of maybe they did what they did with reflection and have the instrumental in the background for the relevant scenes

[@Tablixa]

They used it cause it sounded pretty with no regard for the lyrics and meaning of the song

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

That's who she is-a mass murderer! lol

[@kit_kat_hi]

Disney: “we cut the music to adhere more to the original story” Also Disney: *doesn’t even get the proper housing Mulan would’ve lived in, something that could be easily googled*

[@Satherian]

Disney: “we cut the music to adhere more to the original story” Also Disney: "CHI = MAGIC"

[@catelynh1020]

Disney: we can't have a talking dragon because it's not realistic, nor is singing in an army Armies: (chant/singing) i don't know what you've been told Disney: well...let's just add magic, shapeshifting, and a phoenix for realism. But no singing

[@MetaphoricallyRose]

Yeah, that was just the, being lazy. It’s more expensive to get a full village

[@laisy961]

@@MetaphoricallyRose No he(she?) meant the house design, it was from the wrong era (it didn't exist until centuries later) and region (the movie set in northern China while the houses showed are used in southern China)

[@error.418]

Disney: “we cut the music to adhere more to the original story” Also Disney: _hires a white lady with no background in Chinese history, mythology, or cinematography to direct_

[@dandydasyt4766]

>completely misrepresenting the concept of Chi >completely misrepresent the architecture >completely misrepresenting the message of the original poem > completely botched mulan's entire story arc, motivation and abilities Honestly, some silly song would've made it at least bearable, since i can just blame it on Mulan having a fever dream as she bled out on the battlefield

[@god5139]

Imagine draining a third of your blood to feel high and hallucinate

[@sugarkane1571]

Also completely misrepresented Chinese mythology and history. Witches don’t exist in Ancient China and it just pisses me off so much that such a Western concept made it into a “Chinese” movie like this. Women practicing magic in Ancient China are valued as shaman and such. Only thing someone can get lynched for practicing magic is for inherently not being human, such as being a fox spirit pretending to be human. Also, fire phoenixes rising from the ashes wasn’t a thing, phoenixes are just cool birds that brings good luck.

[@avivastudios2311]

@@sugarkane1571 i heard a chinese youtuber say that witches were in China but they weren't the same as what we got.

[@jm6456]

@@avivastudios2311 they were probably referencing the shaman thing

[@LikaLaruku]

Got locations wrong. Mixed-era fashion left Chinese viewers confused about the time period. Witches are western mythology. Chinese phoenixes aren't associated with rebirth. Global audiences hated that she didn't have to work hard to get stronger. Pissed off LGBT by getting rid of Li Shang. Global audiences did not find Mushu offensive. Global audiences wanted the music from the old Disney cartoon.

[@grutarg2938]

They don't just cut the song "Reflections" they also cut the moment of reflection.

[@DarthFerder]

Appreciating the musical nod literally requires you to have watched the original. What a stupid concept when a remake requires you to know the original to understand the emotion of a scene

[@Soroboruo]

It appears very little reflecting occurred at Disney during this production xD

[@ktownshutdown21]

@@DarthFerder It's just so hackneyed and lazy; they expect *you* to do all the work while they just half ass elements from the previous version like "you recognize this, right? Nostalgia, right?! YAY NOSTALGIA!" That's why all of these remakes suck they not only can't stand up on their own, they don't WANT to stand up on their own. Love or hate the Maleficent movies, at least they're trying to do their own thing and will live or die by their own merit. But these other movies don't even TRY, and Mulan is the worst example of it yet.

[@miasome22]

I haven’t watched it yet and don’t plan on watching it but all I have to say is THEY CUT IT OUT?! That was literally one of my favourite songs from the classic Mulan!!!

[@ninah7732]

@@miasome22 christina aguilera covered it for the credits like she did in the original but yeah i was sad to see there was no reflection :(( x

[@sarcomeresarecool]

And on top of all that, cutting a girl worth fighting for also by necessity cuts the biggest emotional whiplash in the film--when they get to the village, the song cuts off, and it suddenly hits them that they're fighting in a war, for real, and war has consequences. Like, you can't make that work without the extreme high of the joyful chorus followed immediately by the realization of what this is actually going to be like.

[@swanpride]

Plus, the song plays into the overal theme of the movie...Mulan is kind of unusual in that it doesn't have the common set of songs for a Disney musical. There is no I want song, no side-kick song or anything like that. Instead every single song is about expectations and gender roles. "Honor to us all" describes all the expectations which are put on women (and mostly by women, btw), "Make a man out of you" describes all the expectation which are put on men (or soldiers) and "A Girl worth fighting for" describes the expectations men put on women. And "Reflections" is naturally about Mulan's inability to fit into any of those expectations.

[@biazacha]

Also we got no other song until the triumphal comeback of Make A Man Out Of You so even if the person watching doesn't notice it, the impact of the village scene lasts til half of the final act.

[@ShjadeNexayre]

​@@swanpride Reflection is definitely an "I want" song. In the movie it's indirectly stated as a question: "When will my reflection show who I am inside?" The question's derived from a desire for this outcome, and it's in response to Honor To Us All, the scene-setting and context for the audience against which her want contrasts. It's even more explicitly stated in the full version of the song ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqrIfIShhNudhsU ), where the second verse opens with the direct "I want" statement: How I pray, that a time will come (

[@Hawkmoon1981]

This is HUGE. That abrupt cut and segue into "The Deserted Village" is a musical gut-punch if there ever was one. It's got to be one of the cleverest bits of sonic storytelling in all of Disney.

[@swanpride]

@@ShjadeNexayre You could interpret Reflexion as I want song, but honestly, a "true" I want song is about the Protagonist stating what goal it wants to reach. Reflexion is more saying that Mulan doesn't know herself what she actually wants, but she really would like to know herself. The only "goal" you could attach to the song is the wish to fit in. And yes, I know the full version, but the full version didn't make it into the movie, and that was a really good decision. Reflexion was supposed to be a full fledged I want song originally, no doubt, but it ended up being more a song about self-Reflexion, which is exactly why it resonates with so many people.

[@masterdynamo6457]

When they found the doll at the end of A Girl Worth Fighting For... ...they found a girl worth fighting for.

[@masterdynamo6457]

@@gregoryford2532 I...I wasn't joking.

[@laurahamdi9697]

Omg😵🥺

[@Ninetails2000]

@@gregoryford2532 Its called symbolism bruh. The girl they're fighting for is the girl who was slain by the huns and left behind that doll.

[@Zack-bl2gg]

DAAAAAANG

[@yellobanana6456]

Damn.

[@-doe-makes-dough-7945]

it was doomed the moment they removed “a girl worth fighting for”, the tonal shift in that scene MADE a core part of the movie

[@Richard-441]

Exactly! The juxtaposition of the happy, bouncy, "how do I tell my male friends that they're being incredibly problematic" number and the destroyed village with explicit child murder raised the stakes in a way that no other Disney movie has. They took the emotion out of the war.

[@Homesicktraveler]

​@@Richard-441exactly. That whole thing just made the film so much more memorable-

[@MASTEROFEVIL]

The sudden cut seeing the destroyed town with the soldiers realizing they found the girl worth fighting for

[@adrianmonopolanus1724]

“Literally the whole show comes to a stop and one of the characters has a therapy session onstage in musical form” You did it, you broke opera down to its bare essentials

[@dmitriid]

Or, hear me out,... bare necessities. I'll see myself out

[@Dominik-K]

@@dmitriid I liked that one 👍

[@adhdlama2403]

But then there is Wagner :D

[@ethancoppel]

Does this make NF modern opera?

[@KyrieFortune]

@@dmitriid bear necessities

[@maryellenkidd3858]

They’re using “Reflection” the same way that the last three Star Wars movies use the Force theme. They’re using it as fan service instead of actually attaching meaning to it. Oh, and the same company made both. It all makes sense now...

[@jbvader721]

And because they make money off of it, they'll keep doing it over and over. It'll never stop.

[@MillieBee11]

Different company, but it was the same with the music in the Hobbit movies. The theme for the ring wraiths was randomly used in battles in the Hobbit even though there were no ring wraiths. Because it sounded cool and that was all that mattered, apparently. -__-

[@Nameless_mixes]

This is such a perfect comparison 🙌

[@johnnytopside2396]

I think we can all agree that Disney, despite being bigger than they've ever been, is essentially dead. They're a soulless empty corporate shell of what they used to be.

[@jbvader721]

@@johnnytopside2396 Or...and bear with me, they've always been a soulless empty corporate shell. It's just become more obvious.

[@theillestwaifu]

I was so engrossed with the opera lesson I literally did a double-take and went “OH right, this is a Mulan video”

[@wilsonjonah]

I'd totally listen to him talk Opera for hours, I'd love to hear all his thoughts on the subject 👍

[@dryxeyes]

I did the same thing lol

[@KmarieKnockOut]

I saw this comment before I was even a minute in - congrats on top comment - and it still happened to me.

[@lyn1.6]

Also, the part with Mulan talking about the rabbits running side by side was in the wrong place and didn't make sense. They have her say it in the beginning of the movie, before she joins the military. In the original poem, after Mulan returns home from the war (she served for 12 years and was never caught), she goes home and returns to her pre-military lifestyle. After some time, her soldier friends come to visit and are shocked to realize that she's a woman. The poem ends with her saying “When a pair of rabbits run side by side, who can distinguish male from female?”

[@ninarances9074]

That's pretty much Disney with a lot of their live actions. They will take something from an old source material and use it as a reference for some brownie points, instead of utilizing it in a way that serves the story and its characters or have it very meaningful.

[@applejayz1987]

"Look, see? We know the words to the original poem, we get it, were hip to it... now watch as the little girl does magic cartwheels off the roof"

[@laylaaaa505]

The thing that really infuriates me about the new Mulan isn’t the music. I mean, it’s that, but. The original was about how a woman, despite physical disadvantages and societal expectations, was able to distinguish herself in a male-dominated world. She wasn’t the strongest or fastest- she was just smart and driven. Any girl could do what she did if they put their heart into it. In the new film, Mulan has supernatural powers. So, within the logic of Mulan 2020, women can’t accomplish anything significant unless they’re one in a billion. The rest of us can just enjoy whatever role society gives us. Our hard work, ingenuity, and minds mean nothing. Awesome.

[@smeissner328]

EXACTLY! I knew from the moment I heard about her new chi powers that the remake would be garbage. The filmmakers literally missed the entire main theme of the original! Absolutely mind-boggling, I have no idea how they failed so badly to understand Mulan.

[@ravenbloom6732]

So much this! The original Mulan, especially in the I'll Make a Man out of You montage, showed herself to not be on the same level as a man AT FIRST, but she was smart and witty and clever, and turned that to her advantage. At the end of the montage, she was on the same level as the other soldiers, representing that despite her disadvantage, she was able to make herself as good as the rest of them with hard work. Mulan 2020 is born with 'qi' (which, my gods, is not even how it works) and her SISTER is not. Mulan is shown to be heads and shoulders above the other men, and she has to do NOTHING to accomplish that. She is not smart, she is not clever, she's just stronger than men because fEmInIsM. And her sister is matched at the end of the story, and is happy about it. So unless you're this superhuman bAdAsS bItCh, you are NOTHING and need to be happy with 'your place'. The original Mulan does things to become the person she is. She earns her spot into being invited by the Emperor onto his advisory council, which she DECLINES. Mulan 2020 does NOTHING to earn her place. She gets invited to become the Emperor's GUARD, and it's implied that she AGREES. Don't even get me started on the fact that NO ONE working on the damn script was EVEN CHINESE.

[@dragonweyr44]

@@smeissner328 To be fair, ALL of the Disney live action remakes have been garbage, not just Mulan There have been 16 live action remakes so far and 14 more in the works Here is a list of all past, present and future remakes coming from Disney, note that the dates on them are the original planned release date before covid screwed everything up Jungle Book (1994) 101 Dalmatians (1996) 102 Dalmatians (2000) Alice in Wonderland (2010) Maleficent (2014) Cinderella (2015) Jungle Book (2016) Alice Through The Looking Glass (2016) Beauty and the Beast (2017) Christopher Robin (2018) Dumbo (2019) Aladdin (2019) Lion King (2019) Lady and the Tramp (2019) Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019) Mulan (2020), Cruella (2021) Pinocchio Hunchback of Notre Dame Lilo & Stitch Little Mermaid Snow White and the Seven Dwarves Sword and the Stone Peter Pan Tinkerbell Charming Rose Red (I'm guessing either a Snow White or Little Red Riding Hood story) Jungle Book sequel (3?) Fox and the Hound Robin Hood

[@dragonweyr44]

@@ravenbloom6732 Please see my post in this thread

[@dragonweyr44]

@@ravenbloom6732 I couldn't agree more with you. Mulan (2020) was garbage and was made IMO in order to suckle at the teat of the CCP more than anything just like multiple US movies have in recent years whether it makes sense or not For example, look at Kong: Skull Island. It takes place near the end of the Vietnam war, right? So why is a Chinese national woman taking part in the Monarch research team? She doesn't even have an actual role in the movie really, they just introduce her in the briefing, say she's with the Chinese government and is basically never seen or heard from again Even worse is Transformers: Age Of Extinction, for one thing, the movie assumes that someone can drive from Beijing to Hong Kong overnight when in actuality is 1227 miles or 1975 Km. Next, when the battle with the transformers starts, the Hong Kong officials ask Beijing for help which the CCP says that they will immediately and nothing comes of it for the rest of the movie There are so many examples of this in recent American films it's getting ridiculous, introducing Chinese nationals into American movies for no other reason than to try to get into Chinese movie theaters and then not even letting them be part of the narrative, just letting the movie studios say "Hey, look over here, we've got a Chinese person in our movie, give us some of your money" Mulan (2020) is quite possibly the worst offender of this because not only doesn't it make any sense from a story, which is far better in the 1998 animated movie but all of the controversy in the making of the movie as well, which I'm not going to get into

[@enricopersia4290]

Even the black horse of the original has more personality

[@nisahurbina4553]

And it's not like it's hard to make a live- action horse have personality. I was a horse kid, I saw all those movies- it's possible, and apparently stonking easy since there's a metric fuckton of horse girl movies

[@skarlettsapphire4065]

My favorite cow

[@apollomars1678]

@@skarlettsapphire4065 hehehe i dont know, if i think this is great or stupid, so i likethe comment......hehehe damit

[@sumanthganapathibasavapatn141]

lol I'd say even the falcon had more personality lmao

[@thedemonunderyourbed6772]

The "Khanny baby, we need a ride" scene

[@ab6525]

"I've bored you to tears ranting about opera." I must disagree sideways I've been dying for someone to explain opera to me for forever. And this was QUALITY

[@laurenberck55]

A whole video about opera PLEASE

[@quitegauche]

@@laurenberck55 agreed, as a musically ignorant individual I'd like to know the intricate difference between opera, musical, and anything else in-between.

[@cmdrblaze6487]

Yeah i'm not sure how Sideways doesn't know his audience is literally here for that

[@mariokarter13]

Opera is lot like Shakespeare or any of the dozen books they force you to read in high school. Everyone is vaguely aware of it, but unless you sit down and explain WHY it's important, no one cares. There are millions of musical theater fans that have no idea why they should care about Opera, despite Opera being a direct ancestor of musical theater.

[@vanessapresas3702]

I literally forgot this video was about Mulan lol. I was so happy to be learning about opera and musicals. Maybe it's not information I actively sought out cause I didn't even know where to start tbh but it's information I'm happy to have gained regardless if I'm unlikely to really use it. I want a whole and full breakdown about music in general, the genres, terms, vocabulary, THE WORKS AND ALL!! Honestly just knowing he enjoys talking about music is so fun and the fact it's informative is a major plus but his enthusiasm is the best :D

[@the6597]

I love that this man can spend 3/4 of a video titled “Why Mulan (2020) Didn't Work” talking about opera and musicals and it not only works but is also cohesive and entertaining. I miss Sideways SO much.

[@residentstar]

Did he stop making videos?- 😭

[@the6597]

@@residentstar I don't know what happened entirely, but based on other commenters, I think he was harrassed because of some of his videos and stopped? Take that with a grain of salt though.

[@marikesl]

Me, too - I SO WISH he'd return!

[@marikesl]

@@the6597 Oh dear, that sounds horrible...!

[@catalin2766]

@@the6597 Not exactly, the problem was in 2021 there were a string of unfortunate events around Sideways and he had to move. Not only that but he is unable to post because the copyright system is a cunt and keeps striking his videos even though they are under fair use.

[@0x777]

Opera is when a guy gets shot in the third act and decides he'd rather sing than bleed.

[@blessiemasancay4818]

Why did I think of the Laurens Interlude

[@royal3809]

@@blessiemasancay4818 w h y

[@blessiemasancay4818]

@@royal3809 idk ;-;

[@baguettegott3409]

@@blessiemasancay4818 I mean... not the third act, obviously, but I guess I get it. But also, imagine if the ghost/vision version of Laurens, instead of singing three lines, just fucking writhed around on the floor and coughed blood. That would not be fun to watch.

[@blessiemasancay4818]

@@baguettegott3409 sorry, sorry I actually pictured it and went Pfft-

[@ackee39]

This movie is a dishonour on everyone's cows

[@pinkajou656]

LMTO

[@drax8195]

Zuko knows something about honor

[@RiseInAfterlife]

Some cows had to be dishonoured twice cause there was too much dishonour and not enough cows. That's how bad it was.

[@Love_Always_Mel]

This comment is a dishonour to everything in the universe, lmao.

[@johnsonbaroncaveler6634]

A DISSONORU TO MAI FAMURII

[@gsgbrowns]

As a literal opera singer, I was not expecting to hear such an articulate, well done, explanation of opera when clicking on a why Mulan sucks video. Such good content mate, taught opera better than half of the professors I've met!

[@niwaka273]

I was also happy about his explanation^^ I like opera a lot, but never heard a proper explanation. Now I can proudly say I like Arias XD

[@drewthecat5592]

Literally same😆

[@popoya2297]

One thing I would like to point out though, is that Opera hasn't always been an amusement exclusive to rich and educated people: people from all social classes used to enjoy a good night at the theater watching the latest representation of Mozart's Don Giovanni or Verdi's Aida (of course, the rich could afford the best seats, and the poors had to be content with seats farthest from the stage, and with the worst acoustic), and some opera pieces were so widely popular that people would sing them on the street while attending to their business. Eg Giuseppe Verdi was so popular even within the poor, uneducated masses that on the day of his funeral people all over Milan broke into spontaneous choirs of his famous "Va pensiero" (which was also interpreted as a metaphor of italian condition before unification, and as such had been popularized as a hymn of the Italian Unification movement). So I don't really know how it came to be that nowadays Opera is commonly regarded as an exclusive of the highest social classes that the common folk could never understand or enjoy, but since I have worked as a trainee italian teacher to foreign Opera singers, and I plan to become a teacher of italian language and culture to foreigners, i would really like to contribute to the death of this misconception, even though I myself am not the greatest fan of Opera.

[@lyleinnoe2210]

In a video that has NOTHING to do about opera

[@acardboardbox8285]

@@lyleinnoe2210 have you watched the video? Cause if you just went off the title this makes sense, but if you watched the video then what happened.

[@devney]

the smallest detail that really sent me over the edge was her taking her hair down to go into battle. I get the symbolism- *look now you really know I'm a woman because my hair is down* but let me tell you, my hair is staying up in a tight bun/pony while doing aerials across the battlefield.

[@cikenot90]

yep I felt the same during that scene, it's like they are trying to convey woman empowerment but at the end of the day falls into the stereotypical femme fatale action movie where a woman have stereotypical lady appearance to become deadly. I get it that they want to show that woman can perform as man despite their appearance, but realistically I bet all women would rather have proper attire/ self-groom for each activity. Letting down your hair and taking off your body armour (to show breast?) just to show that you are a woman during a battle is so holywood style of thinking.

[@skylark7921]

Literally I almost screamed at that scene. And like, she also took off most of her armor too. Like again it’s supposed to be a “I’m revealing my true self” moment but IT IS LITERALLY THE DUMBEST THING EVER like she took off her armor as she was heading INTO BATTLE WHAT

[@amandacantcometothephone]

i thought it was funny because alot of people complained about the original when mulan cut her hair because men had long hair too but i said even if thats the case i would still cut my hair if i was mulan it seems like less hassle. that scene just reminded me of all the problems that could happen because of long hair and wind

[@misteryA555]

Especially strange because men didn't cut their hair short in that time period, so long, flowing hair wouldn't be considered an explicitly feminine trait...

[@nightwish1453]

@@amandacantcometothephone even then tho despite the inaccuracy there is so much emotion in that scene that for some they might not care. which in the remake when it does their scene (of course they don't cut the hair) it's left very stiff because it just cuts to her wearing the armour with a blank expression and remake mulan is like this for the entirety even lines like "I would rather be executed" comes out of nowhere and you can't tell if she is saying that legit or she is saying it as a metaphor.

[@jacobbonner1571]

“Damn shes thiccc, im totally gonna win jeprody tomorrow”

[@STOCKHOLM07]

That's most of what I took from this, not gonna lie.

[@oliverdelica2289]

Yup it was but put it in the hands of an amazing performer (Pavarotti and Corelli), you're gonna side with him

[@peruserprecurer1446]

jeprody

[@hyper123056]

Put that on a shirt.

[@oliverdelica2289]

However as Sideways just pointed out in the description, he already won. Now the song Nessun Dorma is how he waits for her chic to guess the answer to his hard Jeapordy question which is his name

[@snowleopard064]

One small, obscure detail that I hate in the remake is the reference to the original ballad. In the ballad, some of the last few lines go something like this “When a pair of rabbits run side by side, who can distinguish male from female.” In the remake she completely butchers it! She sees them RUNNING side by side, then says to her family “I saw two rabbits. A male and a female.” THATS THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE MESSAGE FROM THE BALLAD. The whole point is that on the surface, you can see the difference, but when they work together you can’t tell. It just made me so mad that she said the OPPOSITE of what the line from the ballad meant

[@doc0core]

雙兔傍地走，安能辨我是雄雌？that's the last line of the original poem, literally literally every kid learn it in elementary school *grade three*. It's not small and it's not obscure to EVERY Chinese.

[@lotuscrest]

@@doc0core They meant the detail that was in the remake, not the actual ballad itself :)

[@doc0core]

@@lotuscrest You missed the point.

[@AK-wb2ww]

@@doc0core It's clear that you have missed the point. You conjured up an insult that didn't exist.

[@doc0core]

@@AK-wb2ww you conjured up an misunderstanding that didn't exist. I was not insulted by the film. I was insulted that you AK knows me better than me.

[@dracoerrarus4834]

“Why Mulan 2020 didn’t work” cannot be explained without a 10-part documentary. However, I accept this into the evidence pile.

[@Soroboruo]

I've been watching videos on it (w absolutely no intention of watching the actual movie) and maybe I should make a playlist at this point xD Schaffrillas covered cinematic flaws, Xiran Jay Zhao covered cultural fails, I think shad did one on tactical/combat fails, and now we've got musical+pacing fails. Plus a free opera lesson.

[@anirudhviswanathan3986]

@@Soroboruo hope you also added Accented Cinema as well lol!!!

[@worm.7767]

I'd watch that tbh

[@TurnerWFU]

@@Soroboruo Agreed, I remember when I watched the movie I thought: this sucked. Then I go to KZbin and discover the 7-dimensional fail that explained why it sucked. Makes me appreciate the different lens through which one can analyze a movie!

[@basmca1]

0:55 They said it would be weird for an army going to war to start singing. It's literally a genre of music.... It's like the one thing every army from every culture in every time has in common, they all had sang.

[@flickcentergaming680]

And some of them are really goofy. There's a French military march from the Napoleonic wars about how much the singer likes fried onions and how there will be no onions for the Austrians because they're all a pack of dogs.

[@romacrunch]

the ‘clown/circus’ theme that everyone knows of was also a song that people marched to war to, i’m pretty sure

[@metarcee2483]

Army cadences exist for two reasons: to keep the soldiers marching in time, and to make fun of other branches of your military.

[@kirsti1734]

“Damn, she’s thicc. I’m totally gonna win Jeopardy tomorrow.” I’m dead.

[@KeepCalmContemplateYourChoices]

DECEASED. BEHEADED.

[@charmandyorton006]

3:26

[@yonatanbeer3475]

ikr that's so good

[@Raymal100]

That's a film I'd watch

[@mrmangoberry8394]

Turandot should really just be turned into a movie.

[@DrNeonGaming]

As the old saying goes "When the emotion gets to where speaking isn't enough, you sing. When singing isn't enough, you dance." Mulan didn't do any of that because there is not enough emotional impact that needs anything beyond dialogue.

[@somenitrogenconsumer8859]

For you none of them worked so you learnt how to use thu’um 👍😅

[@justaguywhocomments4795]

@@somenitrogenconsumer8859 wow

[@charleskulvet4911]

That’s profound

[@DrNeonGaming]

@@charleskulvet4911 as a bit of a musical theatre student, I'd say it's at least accurate

[@charleskulvet4911]

@@DrNeonGaming I haven’t looked at it from that angle, but it reminds me of poetry (maybe singing itself is poetry in motion) Poetry engages both our brain hemispheres, allowing subconscious thoughts to surface. Maybe even more powerful when joined with others

[@kimifw58]

I don't think I'll ever get tired of people trashing this movie.

[@ms.porter4385]

Nice pfp :)

[@kimifw58]

@@ms.porter4385 Thank you. :3

[@beccag2758]

Ooo if you haven’t seen a video trashing the cultural aspects of the movie I recommend this one kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGS0fKRoacpjfq8 she goes really in-depth where they dropped the ball (which is a lot)

[@trinaq]

Me neither, I find KZbinrs trashing this flick FAR more entertaining than the film itself! 😂🤣

[@SpruceCampbell]

Yeah trashing bad movies is a far greater art than the average movie these days. All hail Mr. Plinkett! Also give us the Rise of Skywalker Plinkett review already!

[@Kasia_Luna]

I think the biggest problem with the movie is that they ruined the character of Mulan. They changed her from a young woman who uses her intelligence and wit to get ahead to a Mary Sue who is basically a Superhero. They made her completely unrelatable.

[@swanpride]

Exactly. That was from day one my biggest worry. Mulan sticks out even between the Disney Princesses because she doesn't really have a clearly defined goal. Her "I want song" is basically about her not knowing what she actually wants, outside of really desiring to have some place in the world. She doesn't go to war to prove anything, but she is a selfless person who wants to rescue her father. And she succeeds the moment she forgets about gender stereotypes and instead just relies on her own abilities, especially her smarts. I just knew that the people behind the remake wouldn't "get" this. And from a purely feminist perspective, it is basically the Wonder Woman phenomen. Like, as happy as I was that we got finally a Wonder Woman movie, it didn't escape my attention that they changed "Amazones are women who got superstrong because they were able to develop without the interference from man, and Diana is the strongest between them, since she proved herself in a competition" (which was the back story in the TV show, which turned the character into a feminist icon) to "Amazons have been created by a male god to fight their war and Diana is extra special because she was specifically created to be a weapon against Ares". One story is empowering, the other is basically saying that Wonder Women is a special case. And that is exactly what they did with Mulan, she doesn't succeed as a standard women, oh no, she is just a special kind of women.

[@Kagomai15]

@@swanpride I didn't know that about Wonder Woman! That's very interesting, thank you for sharing :D

[@Necroxion]

@@swanpride although to be fair, the first Wonder Woman movie focused more on Diana's internal conflict about humanity being worth saving over her conflict with powerful men ...at first...until they had David Thewliss fight her in CGI armor...

[@auldthymer]

@@swanpride R.I.P. Cloris Leachman

[@princeapoopoo5787]

honestly, from the first trailer, i was like "holy shit she's so boring it's probably gonna suck". never before have i been so satisfied to be right about something.

[@allnaturalfigjam310]

My least favourite change was definitely Mulan's super-chi. The 1998 Mulan wasn't physically gifted, she was just resourceful and willing to think outside the box. Her problem was that she found her gender role too limiting, and the overall message of the movie ends up being something along the lines of "these gender roles are too rigid, let people do what they want." In the new one there's no indication that Mulan isn't good at being a woman, or that the assigned roles for women suck, she just... has man powers for some reason. Putting aside the implication that masculinity is a literal superpower, the message ends up being "these gender roles are totally fine as they are, but this one character is going to switch roles." I have a feeling this was someone's idea of progressive, but taken in context with the 1998 version it's definitely a step backwards.

[@LegendaryDorkKnight]

I never really saw the message as "these gender roles are too rigid," but rather "Do what you can do within your own abilities. Accept your differences and solve problems in your own way." It felt less about gender roles (I know that lent credence to the movie's plot, but it wasn't just about men vs. women) and more about finding your own way. Even amongst the men in the movie, there were unique limitations they each faced.

[@LegendaryDorkKnight]

All in all though, I agree that this remake tears down the entire message of the original.

[@juliameyer10313]

I think the chi and the gender-chi are even two issues. The gender-chi seems very hollow as a thought out idea like it's just "chi in women is bad because sexism" when they could've done something with it. Idk, make it that super-chi in men is usually different and having "man-like" super-chi is bad. So Idk, women super-chi would be about healing or soothing or something like that whilst we see the "male-version". Mulan having it as a woman could just break open the gender roles some more. That the way you super-chi works isn't bound to gender but to ones character/nature. The super-chi in general bothered me because in the original Mulan worked for her skills. It was her own strength and mind that got her to be one of the top warriors. Here, it's just that she remembered she has this cheat-code and she has been perfect to begin with. Like that's the reason she succeeded. Giving her superpowers somehow felt more sexist because why can't she do it naturally?

[@sugarkane1571]

As a Chinese person the whole super-Chi thing just pisses me off to no end. Chi is an essence of being, like blood, and gender role blood is just so dumb. I’m not criticizing super-Chi as a concept since it’s pretty common practice in power fantasy media in China, but even in those, the Chi is trained and honed for years until the user becomes super sayan or whatever. Not only does this make it seem that power is male dominant, it’s also inherent, that you’re born powerful rather than made powerful. And one more addition, in the words of Knuckles the Echidna, “anytime someone calls attention to the breaking of gender roles, it ultimately undermines the concept of gender equality by implying that this is an exception and not the status quo.”

[@alexandragrace8164]

Well said!

[@antonyduhamel1166]

I know this is a video about Mulan, but Sideways, I just want you to know: I have watched (all the way through) your Cats Movie Critique several dozen times now. I listen to it when I play video games, I listen to it as background noise while I'm cleaning, hell I've even used it to fall asleep. It's just so versatile for me. I should probably put this comment on THAT video, but I'm selfish. I wanted to give it the best chance of being seen by you. So, I'm putting it on the Mulan video. Which I'm now watching and which is shaping up to join Cats in my repertoire of "Videos By Sideways That I Can Watch While Doing ANYTHING."

[@tinaampe9796]

lol, somehow... I agree. Love this channel and its content

[@abee948]

Dedication

[@mrbeaver6000]

I use it as my workout tape.

[@ahzigos]

lmao I listen to this kind of stuff while playing videogames too

[@historynerd205]

I thought I was the only one, I love listening to video essays while gaming, cleaning or even sleeping

[@radleyshort8232]

I know this is a few years old at this point, but I frequently come back to rewatch these and had to say. Your knowledge and passion and how well you simplify tricky concepts genuinely is one of the most enjoyable things I've seen. Whatever you're doing these days, be kind to yourself and stay true to yourself because you're doing great shit

[@Morithcat]

Musically, I have always found 'A Girl Worth Fighting For' to be one of the most important songs. Because it builds up this sense of comradeship, humour and laughs (all while addressing the pressing need for Mulan to remain hidden, which is shortly to come to the front of the story), only to suddenly stop with the massacre of the village. The mood shift between the two scenes just gives an extra wallop and that change in the music. I haven't seen the remake, but I find it hard to believe that it could capture that without the song.

[@Marispider]

from the clips i saw of the remake, it wasn't even CLOSE to the gut punch that scene was i the original. they seemed to think that if they showed all the piles of bodies that'd somehow make it more emotionally intense, but the soldiers are literally walking ON the corpses of their brothers-in-arms. it was like there was no attempt to recreate the horror of that scene and how it affected the protagonists, and if it doesn't affect the protag, how's it gonna affect the viewer?

[@gratuitouslurking8610]

It's also worth noting that beyond a chorus callbacks to Be a Man (and a leitmotif of Girl Worth Fighting For to REALLY punch you in the gut), it's also the last music number in the movie, nestled in just about halfway into the plot. It's the last time the characters get to be really goofy as the story shifts into seriousness for a bit, and the aforementioned callout only happens during the buildup to the finale as they gear up to save the Emperor. That scene is specifically designed to hit home just how horrifying the stereotypical bad guy really is, as we don't really see him face to face a lot.

[@tastymedleys]

Right? Even just thinking of that scene gives me a shiver every time, so powerful.

[@friday8644]

@@tastymedleys so true, I literally got goosebumps reading this thread

[@amazingdancingturnips9236]

@@gratuitouslurking8610 I also felt it was to convey the horror and reality of war; up until that point in the movie the war had been talked about in the distance and in many ways the characters glamourise it and talk about the honour of fighting. As the audience we've been lulled into thinking of this is a Disney movie, with its songs and goofy side characters - how bad could any of it really be? That moment was the moment all the characters understood the gravity of their situation, and the moment we did too. They have been forever changed after seeing battle and, (like you said) after that point, the music never comes back except for those callbacks which are all about their camaraderie. But no one ever sings again. I think this movie could honestly be used as a springboard to talk to people about PTSD, it's just that good

[@floof_croissant]

“It’s like Lucky charms without the marshmallows” is the best way to describe literally all of the Disney live action remakes

[@Emma.Lou1]

Idk I think Cinderella was great. But only Cinderella. The rest just make me sad.

[@Lucifersfursona]

And the pieces spell out “when women have the same cruel vile ambitions as men, that’s progressive development, yasss kween colonize”

[@GuiSmith]

Disney’s remakes are bad, but their _readaptings_ are generally good. Maleficient, Alice in Wonderland, and Cinderella did at least some original stuff to spice up their stories. We can trust them to make good original-ish content, seeing as the original Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Alice in Wonderland (as well as all the stuff being adapted to live action) are all classics in both the Disney canon and fairytale literature. They made their own Lucky Charms marshmallows for those films. I think that explains some stuff.

[@Bubbly_Dragon]

Perhaps it's just the nostalgia talking, but I really enjoyed Alice in Wonderland. That particular version of the Cheshire Cat is, at least visually, my absolute favourite, and will always have a special place in my heart

[@NeverlandSystemKitten]

YES! I HATE this trend of live-action remakes.

[@Gandalf914]

Mulan (1998) has one of the best musical scores of any Disney film. Even as kids on the playground, us boys would sing “A Girl Worth Fighting For”. Good times.

[@hailthemama]

I’m raising my daughter on the 90s renaissance films. she can see these live actions when she’s old enough to cringe and laugh at them with me.

[@Trollificusv2]

Excellent parenting there.

[@MsJassi13]

some of the newer ones I think are still good (non- life actions ones ofc) Like tangled or even frozen (once you get over how obnoxiously this franchise has been hyped up)

[@bluubandette8871]

You'll do the world a Huge favor if you do so

[@nibirue]

The new jungle book was really good tho in my opinion. But that's the only remake I have a high opinion of.

[@gour348]

You’re on the right path, for sure 👌

[@ronankennedy8081]

I was five minutes in and I remembered that this is a video about Mulan, this man managed to teach me more about opera than I ever thought I was going to know, while being interesting, in a video about Mulan.

[@anna-kt3zw]

So are we gonna talk about the Patreon names "I don't trust anyone who isn't honest about their addiction to ice cream" "I Want You To Tell Me If My Fear Is Justified That No One Will Pay Attention To Me If I'm Honest About My Addiction To Ice Cream" I Worried that When I started the Ice Cream Easters Emotional Support Group" "stupid dog"

[@Bluna485]

"It was too long before but ice cream dude is valid"

[@renoirrr]

"Rose is a secret Sociopath and im oddly ok with that" "Take That Rewind It Back Sideways Music Theory Make Your Braincells Go CLAP" "You Shall Call Me The Pumpkin Queen" "Ra-Ra-Rasputin" "Russia's Greatest YEET Machine" "EdithWithTheManHands" i give up on typing

[@blehblvhbleh]

How more manic is the list going to get next time we see it, bets people

[@gknucklez]

And somehow Justin Sargent got called out twice, what a lucky guy!

[@galaxychill9578]

Ra-Ra-Rasputin Russia's Greatest YEET Machine

[@jocelyn140]

Mulan 2020 failed to: •Be respectful culturally •Make good music stuff •Make a good reperesentation of China •Make Chinese people feel reperesented •Make it realistic •Have emotion •Build characters •Build relationships •Make girls feel empowered •Get the real message across

[@jugemujugemugokonosurikire4735]

The worst part was: The director/ producers mentioned they made the remake because they wanted it to be more culturally accurate, AND YET THEY MADE IT WORSE. If anything, the original isn't that far away from being culturally accurate. They only flaw I saw in the original was the dinner scene where the family only ate rice and tea.

[@drawnwithlove3499]

@Victoria Saade I haven't even clicked on the link and I think it's our beautiful deity, Xiran Jay Zhao Edit: I'm right

[@hidden-behind-wisteria2701]

Most importantly: -include Mushu

[@jugemujugemugokonosurikire4735]

@Victoria Saade Yep! I watched that video before. As an ethnic Chinese, I also hate 2020 mulan, chi can be quite bullshit

[@PolliitoAle]

@@Raya-ir4tm it shouldn't be that hard to do both tho, it's their job. They said they wanted to be make it more representative, but they truly didnt care because they failed at that too and only made it worse :/

[@martidodger7106]

“The plot stops and someone has a therapy session on stage” probably the best explanation of what an aria is

[@amanuelt2088]

Becuses they took out mushu claiming that’s it not realistic , but some how a falcon lady is ....🤨

[@Tom-vx7qh]

Not to mention that despite Mushu's comedic aspects, he is still a Chinese styled dragon, whereas this movie has an Egyptian styled phoenix

[@emilynicholson5437]

I was so confused when I saw this movie because they made such a big deal about how realistic the movie was going to be. I honestly thought I was watching the wrong movie. Talk about false advertising!

[@justineberlein5916]

Mushu's also arguably more Chinese than Falcon Lady. With Mushu, they definitely included *some* Western elements, like having him breathe fire since he's a dragon, but overall, he still more strongly resembles Chinese dragons. Meanwhile, witches, like Falcon Lady, as an element of folklore are distinctively Western and not at all Chinese.

[@ThexDynastxQueen]

Honestly if someone told me the Chinese Gov't was just giving Disney stupid ideas and snickering everytime Disney blindly accepted it as totally a thing in Chinese culture I'd believe them.

[@drawnwithlove3499]

@@justineberlein5916 yeah, there's no witches in Chinese culture, let alone is most asian cultures. It's usually a priestess of some sort but they're usually highly praised and respected so ?????????? That's like basic knowledge of asian history, I see it all the time in asian historical dramas but apparently that's something they missed????????

[@imjustdandy9799]

Sideways: I’m sorry, but we have to talk about opera- Me: *MY LONGEST YEAH BOI YET*

[@squibble311]

a 12h one i assume

[@pinkajou656]

YEAH BOI

[@brodericksiz625]

And he shows Diana Damrau as the Queen of the Night as well. My body wasn't ready for my own *Y E A H B O I*

[@katn1751]

Every time Sideways says he is going to talk about opera I go Yeah Boi!

[@auldthymer]

@@brodericksiz625 Seeing her made me so excited as well. Maybe we could get him to analyze The Magic Flute!

[@jakethet3206]

You’ve created my new favorite phrase: “aggressively laidback”

[@deborahamos5401]

ah yes, 'mad lazy'

[@A.F.Whitepigeon]

"Thtat's just, like... you're opinion, maaan."

[@jakethet3206]

@@A.F.Whitepigeon Very good. You are able to recognize that something being someone’s favorite is an opinion. Well done. You’re very smart.

[@A.F.Whitepigeon]

@@jakethet3206 Obviously, you're not a golfer.

[@jakethet3206]

Oh, I've seen the movie more times than I can count, but your use of it here is just bizarre.

[@LegendaryDorkKnight]

18:33 That's the main issue I have with this movie. That it completely breaks the uplifting message of the original. The original movie's message was that while men and women are different in a variety of ways, the differences can be overcome by playing to your own strengths. You don't need to be someone else or even someone "special" to succeed and make a difference. In this remake, Mulan is just good because of chi which is essentially saying that women have to have magic to even compare to men and I think that's incredibly sexist.

[@jordynbabywoods]

The clip of Mulan (1998) giving the doll back to the little girl made me cry because even before she decided to take her fathers place she had a heart that wanted to help people. When she saw or heard something unfair, she spoke up and did what was right. She was meant to be a hero because it was in her heart to help others all along. She didn’t have any special powers, she wasn’t the chosen one. She wanted to protect her family and her country; through hard work, she realizes her own unique power and is able to save many lives. It is a really beautiful story. I feel that the changes in the 2020 version turns Mulan, someone who originally worked hard for their success, into a Mary Sue who can never fail, which makes the happy ending feel more empty and less earned.

[@JennyTheDragon]

I just realised -- she gave the doll to the little girl in the beginning and she also found the doll abandoned by the dead girl in the destroyed village. I swear the animated movie has so many small details and recalls like this, I know it by heart ever since I was a child and yet it still unravels pearls like this one. The live-action is so flat, soulless and in the face it feels like an insult to creators and audience alike.

[@昊-g5h]

The 1998 version showed us an ordinary girl saving her country by doing the right thing through hard work. The 2020 version showed us a chosen one who destined to save the country who, unfortunately, happened to be a girl.

[@elalaela2694]

I heard someone say that by the time the girl worth fighting for song ends, they have found their girl worth fighting for in the little (supposedly) girl in the burned village who left her doll behind. That that girl- and others like her are the 'girls that you would fight a war for' not a perfect housewife, nor a beautiful spouse. The children that they will fight to protect. And that observation has made me cry several times upon randomly remembering it.

[@theradioactiveplayer3461]

People who think breaking into song is unrealistic have clearly never played sports with the boys/girls. I know for a fact that everyone in my old gym class knew the full lyrics to several songs because of it

[@DeathnoteBB]

Y’all just start singing songs during matches??

[@jg2323]

@@DeathnoteBB I had classmates who break out into Mulan songs working on assignments in our programming course.

[@drawingsticks5333]

Also when getting home after a night out! And when walking and being tired! And...

[@kimmeeb]

People who argue that have clearly never been in a random Bohemian Rhapsody moment when someone just starts humming it and eventually the whole room is singing at the top of their lungs

[@LilFiremaster]

These executives clearly didn't watch Remember The Titans which is also a DISNEY PRODUCT!

[@KuroKunsquietlife]

1:08 ~ 8:03 Opera Discussion 8:04 ~ 12:00 Musical Discussion 12:01 ~ 15:35 Disney Musical Movies and Remakes 15:36 ~ 22:30 Actual Mulan Discussion

[@EthalaRide]

You describing Nessun dorma as: "Damn she thicc! I'm _totally_ going to win Jeopardy tomorrow" has *MADE* my 2021 so far. That's gonna be hard to beat.

[@bee2745]

"The song is not about being a man anymore, its about being the best version of yourself you can be." Man I almost cried hearing that! You summed up the reason why this is the best Disney song ever (to me) in a way that I could feel but hadn't been able to put into words

[@wilsonjonah]

My family sings it all the time and with that in mind, it makes the song even better!! How could Disney screw up this movie so painfully bad when they're also the company that MADE THE ORIGINAL? How could they not add such an iconic song into a film that has literal magic and still call it "ReALiStic" and "CuLTurAlly AcCuRAte"?

[@avivastudios2311]

@@wilsonjonah because new director plus they know they dont have to work as hard to make a good film because its garanteed to make money

[@plantlady42069]

@@wilsonjonah You dont have the same genuis minds behind these remakes. They only care about nostalgia baiting people and putting recognizable names in the cast instead of actually talented people. I dont get why people are giving them more money when I think we've seen enough remakes to know they're going to fucking suck. Even if you're interested in seeing the failure, dont go to the theater, just use your existing Disney Plus to see them after theater, pirate them, just don't give them the box office money so maybe they'll fucking stop.

[@wilsonjonah]

@@plantlady42069 The way the company is now, especially being on the side of child groomers, I have absolutely no qualms about pirating their films now. And now, Yar har, fiddle de dee! Being a pirate is alright to be, do what you want 'cause a pirate be free! You are a pirate!

[@roboticus9518]

"They're specifically directing our attention to the gaping holes in the emotional fabric of the film" what a line 😂

[@basementdwellercosplay]

"When they aren't singing about hitler" is not a phrase I thought I'd hear in a mulan review

[@trumpetluver1022]

If you had been my music history professor in college, I could have aced it. You made clear and obvious so many concepts that I struggled with in school in a fraction of the time

[@weirdkids5238]

We NEED a video of him talking about the music in The Prince of Egypt.

[@anib8863]

Yes, yes we do.

[@starryshark]

I love that movie and the soundtrack!

[@weirdkids5238]

@@starryshark ikr? It has wonderful animation and awesome music. Not to mention the movie itself, both religious and non-religious people enjoy it. Kids and grown ups can watch it and still enjoy it, literally my favorite movie.

[@juliagiles1547]

I’d give a kidney to see him tackle that

[@chaaaargh]

Okay now THIS I need to see

[@embercoral]

I've noticed after watching Into the Spiderverse for the first time that Mulan and Miles have very similar character arcs. Both characters want to figure out how to keep their identity and do well in the world at the same time, despite the heavy expectations placed upon them by their family culture and environment. If the producers/directors/etc had given the live action Mulan the same amount of care as Into the Spiderverse, maybe it'd actually have a reason to exist other than to secure more money from the Chinese government.

[@bvdemier1]

“Well, basically there are two sorts of opera," said Nanny, who also had the true witch's ability to be confidently expert on the basis of no experience whatsoever. "There's your heavy opera, where basically people sing foreign and it goes like "Oh oh oh, I am dyin', oh I am dyin', oh oh oh, that's what I'm doin'", and there's your light opera, where they sing in foreign and it basically goes "Beer! Beer! Beer! Beer! I like to drink lots of beer!", although sometimes they drink champagne instead. That's basically all of opera, reely.” ― Terry Pratchett, Maskerade

[@katherinehumphrey9432]

why did i have to scroll so far to find a terry p reference?? GNU TERRY PRATCHETTTTTT

[@alyseb5730]

God I love Terry Pratchett

[@angelawhitehouse8066]

Pratchett was a genius.😁

[@blobbertmcblob4888]

The movie failed because they made Mulan into a skilled "badass" as a child because Disney apparently thinks women can only be "powerful" if they're literally born with super powers. You know, rather than being better at thinking about things and using problem solving skills in place of brute strength. Speaking of super powers, the movie grossly bastardizes "Chi" by making it into a literal super power "but Blobbert" I hear you scream "Kung Fu Panda did the same thing, you can't tell me those talking animals aren't using magic and calling it "Chi" " Well of course they are, but the thing is, Kung Fu Panda is a fantasy movie that actually pulls off the "Chi is magic" really well, in a real world setting it just doesn't work. Speaking of bastardizing things, they actually elected to remove Mushu because he was "culturally inappropriate" and then they add a *Western phoenix* with Western symbolism when the Chinese "phoenix" (Fenghuang) is a symbol of peace and harmony. Would it have been such a bad thing to have the character mention that the appearance of the "pheonix" was a sign of good things to come? Oh and let's not forget that the lead actress is like "haha Police brutality go brrr" and the fact that she thinks that being emotionless will make her prettier. Ok. I compare this movie to the Avatar the last Airbender movie, they're just going through the paces to get from one scene to another. There's no emotion, There's no character building, these characters aren't friends, they're just there as background noise. Much in the same way "Soak-a" and Katara aren't friends with "OUH*IAYUSDJRFNG", they're just there as backround noise. The movie sucks because Disney sucks and for all the "The animated version of Mulan bastardized Chinese culture" this movie does it *worse*

[@KOTEBANAROT]

rise of skywalker: "well actually rey isnt naturally just born with power, she was born INTO power". same energy. love that for us

[@josecaceres-bjorklund3770]

I feel like people delve way too deep into all this bullshit. How about you just try to watch it as a movie instead of using all your hindsight bias to hate something? I really enjoyed the movie. Why? Because I love anything that resembles an Asian martial arts movie. They pulled that off well and the music was perfect. There didn't need to be singing. Everyone just jumps on band wagons honestly. I have hated most live action remakes and am not a big fan of most stuff Disney puts out these days. Mulan passed for me. Which is extremely surprising.

[@blackhotsoup]

@@josecaceres-bjorklund3770 "the music was perfect, there didn't need to be singing" you are in the comment section of a video that just spent roughly 20 minutes explaining exactly why that statement is wrong

[@josecaceres-bjorklund3770]

@@blackhotsoup its an opinion of art. Nothing is correct, its always opinion when it comes to art. Just because I enjoyed the art and got emotion out of it doesn't mean you will

[@blackhotsoup]

@@josecaceres-bjorklund3770 and by all means i'm genuinely glad you were able to enjoy it but there's such a strong case being made for the importance of the original mulan's musical elements and why the remake lacks emotional impact and it just feels like you didn't really take anything away from this video that you're in the comment section of. that's my take at least. but like i said, by all means, i'm glad you found a way to enjoy this seemingly largely upsetting film

[@Rodanguirus]

There are so many frustrating things about the remake, but my personal pet peeve is the removal of the arrow-retrieving scene. It showcases her determination, outside-the-box thinking, and she uses an approach that doesn't rely on pure strength, so her ability to be the first to achieve it is believable. Obviously, throwing out Make a Man Out of You is dumb, and the reasoning for doing it is also dumb, but replacing that major moment with...the water buckets (which were also in the original, but just as one part of the montage showing how she/the group is improving) is so anticlimactic and not nearly as effective. It's a pure strength/endurance challenge (and I guess some willpower), and it's not nearly as powerful a moment when she's just...strong enough to do it after a while. Like, I could understand the desire to do something different with a remake. But what they did was cut the climax of that montage and replace it...a minor piece of that same montage. If they created a new scenario that hit the same themes as the animated movie's arrow retrieval, I'd at least give it respect for originality.

[@shrimpyshrimp2243]

Mozart saying "bullshit" is the best thing ive heard all week and i dont know why

[@ecstasycheese7390]

Mozart: *has an actual piece dedicated to shit*

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

@@ecstasycheese7390 really? Which one is it?

[@ecstasycheese7390]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/eWibeXWmYr6iq80

[@lordfelidae4505]

Mozart was a fucking madman.

[@dooplon5083]

@@TomEyeTheSFMguy One's called Leck Mich Im Arsch and yes, those words mean exactly what they look like, it literally reads word-for-word "Lick Me In Ass" Mozart made a lot of references to poop tho, to the point where theres a whole wikipedia on it with even more compositions referenced lmao.

[@Lawlzinator]

Nobody asked for it for one. It also goes without saying that most of the soul was lost when they took out the music and mushu. It just didn't translate at all to live action with the plan disney had and was doomed to fail (even if theaters were open).

[@MDP1702]

The problem is that they had to go either similar to the original, just a good reboot/refresh, without changing the essentials OR actually go with something more realistic, down to earth, nearly historic movie feeling. But instead they took out the good fantasy/non realistic elements and replaced it with bad ones that didn't add to it at best (like the phoenix) or completely demolished the immersion and story.

[@DDoubleEDouble]

While I don’t think this live-action re-make was good for some of the reasons you stated, it’s silly to open your argument by saying ‘nobody asked for it’ lmao. ‘Nobody’ asks for most art. Being asked for doesn’t make a piece of art more valid/important/relevant/good.

[@Bubbly_Dragon]

@@DDoubleEDouble Unfortunately, that tends to be the major argument when people try to defend these movies. Sometimes it just needs to be stated

[@FiredraPhoenixhawk]

I highly recommend watching Xiran Jay Zhao's take on live-action Mulan because she goes over the mistakes the film made, especially on a cultural level.

[@pdvzh7184]

Xiran Jay Zhao goes by they/them

[@FiredraPhoenixhawk]

@@pdvzh7184 I already know that currently. It's been months since I made this comment.

[@pdvzh7184]

@@FiredraPhoenixhawk that’s cool, and I’m glad your comment is directing people to their videos as I’m sure that they’ll learn more about their culture

[@Lucifersfursona]

They’re funny as hell, their anger is witty and well structured, their outfits are gorgeous, and they launched a sci-fi feminist book off of that first Mulan review. I think they’re working on a sequel? Anyway we stan Best slaughter of the live action mulan hands down.

[@chavitanwar2126]

@@pdvzh7184 genuinely curious, what does this mean

[@reedmullican5070]

"Recitative is why people don't listen to opera anymore" OMG I'm an opera singer and I'm SCREAMING LOL

[@reedmullican5070]

Also, I gotta add: if the recitative is THAT boring, the singer is doing something wrong

[@starstuff7027]

I’m kinda dying over here. Thanks for the laugh.

[@reedmullican5070]

@Renato Barros Careful, judicious screaming, yes 😄

[@baaccaab2622]

@Reed Mullican is that Aria screaming or recitative screaming?

[@louiseliesbet7932]

‘This was supposed to be a video about Mulan’ Me, very into opera apparently: ‘I FORGOT’

[@Ramsey276one]

Same And I don’t follow opera! WORTH IT

[@minieyke]

“Aria is when someone stands on stage and screams their feelings to the back wall” And you are payed to do this?? I’ve found my calling.

[@Rebecca_Violet]

I'm dead XD

[@am3iq.464]

Omg lmfao

[@gabrielasobiesinska]

Haha

[@SingingSealRiana]

It need an insane amount of training . . .but otherwise, go for it

[@drawnwithlove3499]

I'M VERY SAD TODAYYYYYYYY BUT I SING SO GOOD SO GIVE US MONEYYYYYYY -Opera

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

*Mulan 2020 doesn't work because:* She is perfect from the start. She doesn't struggle, she doesn't learn and she's never out of her comfort zone. A perfect character =/= a strong character. Struggle =/= weakness. And worst of all... *in the end of Mulan2020, she bows to the patriarchy, literally* whereas in the original *even the emperor bows to her* for what she has achieved. Its a twisted, empty and sterile movie. And quite conservative.

[@klcpesan]

Everything Sideays said, plus your comment PLUS they ruined the father-daughter relationship which is another key part of the story. I get so mad, don't think any of the other remakes have annoyed me as much (except maybe Jasmine's Speechless song, in the original she was always outspoken, rest of the remakes are just meh)

[@qtarokujo3694]

also they "promised" to be accurate to Chinese culture but bastardized the concept of Qi (which is basically life force in ALL people not just men), added witches which aren't a thing in Chinese mythology, added that phoenix-rises-from-ashes bullshit which is EGYPTIAN NOT CHINESE, got the time periods of the fashion wrong, AND SO MANY MORE

[@nerdychocobo]

I actually vocally gasped when I watched a review after rewatching the original movie and heard mulan say "I know my place" and that be treated as the thesis of the movie when it was the antagonistic view of the original

[@azmodanpc]

The main actress had three expressions throughout the movie and two of them did not require any facial movement whatsoever. She looked like a botox ridden 50 year old crone, struggling to emote. Her delivery did not help too. I've read somewhere the Chinese audience mocked her for her lack of affect and inability of emoting.

[@mocharoll3486]

@@azmodanpc You're not wrong, we think her acting sucks too.

[@emilyrln]

Disney: “Then you're gonna have to trust me!" Everyone: *nods* Everyone: *gets slapped by Disney again*

[@mdg6117]

Disney is not the same Disney we grew up with. Walt's vision for fueling the imagination and dreams of children is gone. It's all about the money now. Very sad.

[@PhileasLiebmann]

@@mdg6117 That's exactly what Disney was about all along. Walt Disney didn't set out with the goal of bringing a smile to the face of every child when he created his media empire, he set out to make a shit ton of money. The only thing that changed is that Disney now has market dominance over the entertainment industry, so they don't have to try anymore.

[@mdg6117]

@@PhileasLiebmann Yeah that very well may be true. I am not against anyone wanting to make money but today they really don't give a shit about the product anymore. At least teams on the Renaissance films had passion and love for their art and it clearly shone through. I also think dropping artistic talent for CGI was also a horrible decision, but again probably saves them time and money. And of course, the push for mainstream celebrities to bring ratings up has also backfired. Back in the day, they hired a singer/actor for their talent. They favoured Broadway and classicly trained singers/actors and now they will pick whoever is popular in Hollywood to entice people to come see the movie, even if they don't have the chops to back it up.

[@WalrusWinking]

China*

[@B.B.Digital_Forest]

I trust Disney will help Kugali make original African content. I don't trust Disney to make any musical films about it.

[@aiku40413]

Sideways i wish you'd come back to talk about how the recent movies/adaptions (like Wish and new Mean Girls) aren't working PLEAASE COME BACK YOUR VIDEOS ARE TOP TIER

[@bobertjohnson4459]

“What Mulan did wrong” Literally everything. *Everything.*

[@oliverrumagit3781]

Disney was trying to be more faithful to chinese culture and the 1500+years legendary poem known as ballad of mulan. First of all lets start with the replacement of mulan's name as Fa mulan in the cartoon to Hua mulan in the remake, Fa is the other dialect (which is Cantonese) that people in guangdong and hongkong used and that is not accurate since mulan lived in northern china (northern wei dynasty) not southern china and Hua mulan is the correct one and Hua mulan means as "blossom magnolia". The emperor's name "son of heaven" also taken from the ballad. In ancient times man and woman had long hairstyle but styled in a different ways where man always made bun and girls comb their hair if you cut your hair it meant as a disgrace to your family thats why they took it off. mulan father was a noble war hero which was described in the ballad of mulan and her father trained her since she was a kid n it was accurate in the ballad that she already skilled even before she joined the army the animated mulan created different story by adding a sympathy that she didnt know everything. The phoenix fenghuang symbolizes both genders man and female n it suits mulan character as well as a replacement of dragon that cannot be used as a compannion, mushu was too direspectful since in chinese culture they potrayed dragon as big and powerful and often potrayed as the emperor not like tiny stupid little lizard with weird accent. The leader of the huns name also accurate to the ballad since they used "KHAN" because the northern invaders(the mongols or turkic) often called their leaders as "KHAN" but "BORI" was actually not the real name of their khan. In the beginning where mulan rides a horse and she finds out 2 rabbits running side by side was actually taken from the ballad and it is a metaphor. And the place where mulan lives not really that accurate it is fujian house it is located in china but not in northern china which every part of china has their own style of buildings. and the witch is a development character of the falcon from the animated. in chinese culture there's a woman who can shapeshift and it is called "fox spirit" or the nine tailed that use their powers to deceive people(evil spirit) with the practice of "taoism" which i thought that was a concept that disney has taken . Mulan identity has never revealed during the 12 years of war she was the one who revealed herself when her comrades visited her in her village and all of them were shocked but also happy and respected that mulan is a girl. The ending of the ballad was a metaphor from the 2 rabbits. The inaccuracy in this movie were the concept of "chi" which disney described it as a super power . And when mulan fought the huns in the battlefield they called her a witch and that was confusing me.

[@Soroboruo]

I've seen reviews on the editing, the writing, the combat, the adherence to Chinese culture, and here the music. Not a single one had anything substantially good to say.

[@Soroboruo]

@@oliverrumagit3781 This is like the third comment I've seen this pasted on? The problem isn't the concept of making a more faithful Mulan, the problem is that Disney failed to make a movie that improved on the original in any possible way. Apparently this thing panned in China too, so whatever steps it supposedly took to become "more faithful" (which from what I hear were hamfisted at best and outright insulting most of the time) clearly didn't work. (Also if I want to watch an actually accurate Mulan I'm gonna search up one of the versions made in China, by Chinese people, not the Walt "Make Cash Hand Over Fist" Disney Company)

[@oliverrumagit3781]

@@Soroboruo what the f r u talkin about😂, i dont care

[@noname-kx4cu]

@@oliverrumagit3781 except they completely and utterly blotched the two rabbits line. Literally she says there's a male and a female in the poem it literally says who can tell who's the male and who's the female?? They used the wrong Phoenix. The Phoenix I showed is not a Chinese Phoenix and Chinese phoenixes are not reborn from ashes. They basically took away the empowering message and replace it basically with just be yourself and The only way a girl could do all the stuff is if she has magic power that the "guys" have. Yeah they literally say only males have chi.

[@stargazing9154]

There are three reasons the Disney remakes exist: 1. Money 2. Money I forgot what the third one was, but I'm pretty sure it's also money.

[@stephaniedearden9643]

Actually Walt Disney made it so their movies are remade or remastered every 10 years so it looks new and fresh for each generation of kids to enjoy

[@CarloNassar]

Can you think of other reasons besides money? Money is a hard reason to understand if/when a movie actually fails in the box office. Not this one but other movies before the coronavirus.

[@sophiebirch1672]

@@stephaniedearden9643 that would be justified if any of the current remakes were *checks note* good.

[@debaronAZK]

@@CarloNassar the pursuit of big money is not a guarantee for success, but that doesn't matter. all the investors and stock brokers see is the Lion King remake being the most successful animated movie of all time. when something makes a billion dollars you can bet your ass the biggest corporations are going to try to replicate that success again and again and again because _not_ doing so will get your CEO ass fired by the Board of Directors.

[@CarloNassar]

@@debaronAZK There still has to be other reasons. You mean to tell me that applies to even the kinds of films they make that aren't very successful. Look at The BFG, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, Artemis Fowl, Inspector Gadget, or Mr. Magoo and tell me how money applies to them.

[@germanplantguy3133]

So basically in Hunch Back of Notre Dame "Hellfire" is Aria and in The Lion King "Be prepared" is recitativo?

[@BREADSWORD]

ANOTHER BANGER KING

[@alechall7082]

🙏love ya kid

[@brendenbrown7666]

It seams like every time he makes a video it’s a banger

[@kingsaracoon9594]

Hi breadsword~~ 👋👋👋

[@emeraldmaria]

Been seeing this comment from you a lot!

[@cashmoneykal]

Kings supporting kings 💪

[@dupaincheng]

It also annoyed me because of how crucial the songs were to the plot, like “Be a man” which was a huge turning point in the original movie. It was so necessary because it allowed us to see her growth. At the start of the film, Mulan was an ordinary girl. She wasn’t born with a “strong chi” or anything, she was just a regular girl and the weakest in the army - to the point where she was literally sent home. Yet, due to her determination, she persevered. She was intent on being the best “man” she could be and she’d prove it by putting in the work. This drive and attitude is what pushed her to become the best solider by the end of the song. THE SONG MONTAGE ALLOWED US TO SEE GROWTH! However, Mulan (2020) decided to ignore this growth completely. Instead they made her a prodigy who was born with special powers and all she had to do was “stay true to herself”. This left virtually no room for any character development (also due to that fact that all her development came from the cut songs), and it resulted in Mulan being extremely lacklustre with very little depth or personality.

[@whoami1449]

If the message they want to send is "stay true to yourself", then she should start being someone that always hold herself back, maybe being held back by the expectation and tradition? And if so, they shouldn't make that show off scene where kid mulan chase a chicken. Or the many other scene....

[@skadi5802]

For me the "go home" part of the song was also a big turning point for her motivation. Before, it was all about her family and sparing her sick father from a very likely death in the war. But when she lift's up those weights, considering how to get on top - that's the moment she's finally showing some ambition. When she's climbing up that pole she isn't "just" doing it for her family anymore, she's also doing it for herself and - more importantly - openly starts to actually be herself. And that's why it's even more powerful that this is also the moment she actually start's get things done. How anyone could believe that showing this change could be accomplished by some throw-away references is just... beyond me.

[@bluubandette8871]

YES! Mulan never had a BULLSH*T Chi! She showed amazing fighting skills alongside the soldiers. She was even punched by a guy!

[@rizahawkeyepierce1380]

Yeah, Mulan's greatest strength was that she was clever and solved problems creatively. We see this at the beginning when she uses the dog to feed the chickens and writes the cheat sheet on her arm, but since she's also trying to live up to the stereotype of being a woman, it doesn't go super well. Then she suppresses her talents because she's trying to seem like a stereotypical man (strongest and tough), but that doesn't go well either because she's not the strongest or toughest. The scene where she climbs the pole is when she finally uses her talents to full effect and playing to her strengths. And if you add magic chi to all of this, it just makes it bland - she never had a problem in the first place because she was the toughest and strongest among the men.

[@KrysPGator]

modern disney are die hard fans of prodigies because it means they dont have to write character progress

[@kimberleyjackson]

My problem with Mulan was also the weak female main character. In the original animated movie, the viewer sees Mulan struggle, sees her try and fail, and fail, and fail again, only to in the end, through hard work arrive at success. And that success feels so satisfying. In the live action, Mulan doesn't have to work for any of her fighting skills. She has them from the start because she was magically born with them. That makes her character so much weaker. And I think it's also part of the reason why so many people didn't like the movie. Most of us are not extraordinary, but quite ordinary. We like to watch movies that tell us that you can be flawed and imperfect, but, through hard work and determination, come out successful at the end. The live action just teaches that a few chosen people who were blessed with magic from the start can be successful if they just believe in themselves. That's not something most of us can identify with very easily. Audiences don't like perfect characters. They like flaws and struggles. We want to feel like the character we're rooting for in the end deserves the success they achieved.

[@Eviltwin531]

I feel like Disney stumbled onto a threaded needle with their "fairy tales to musicals" pipeline and even they might not have understood the perfect alchemy of that equation. Fairy tales, by definition, have to be rather simplistic (they're oral traditions, too much detail will be forgotten,) which means they're perfect for musical adaptations since their simplicity leaves room for musical numbers (which flesh out character and story, so one hand washes the other; story gives room for songs, songs fill in gaps in story.) The same reason stuffing songs into a complex story doesn't work is the same reason removing songs from a simplistic story doesn't work; you either end up with too much or not enough. I think it says something that they always seem to hit a slump when they veer away from fairy tales and are considered returning to form when they go back to them (Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast after the 80s; Princess and the Frog, Rapunzel, and Snow Queen after the 2000s.)

[@Awkci_gaming]

Disney is just too lazy to put in the effort. They're too big to fail.

[@Anon-qp3kt]

@@Awkci_gaming They put in effort at the wrong thing tbh

[@debaronAZK]

@@Awkci_gaming it's not "laziness". it's never laziness. they removed the songs because the market for non-musicals > the market for musicals. it's about money. it's literally always about money.

[@admthrawnuru]

Well put, Eviltwin, but I think Disney understood the alchemy back in the day. Now it doesn't. For whatever other faults it had, Disney was originally about building a company to tell stories and entertain, now its about entertaining and telling stories to build a company. In the words of Michael Eisner: "We have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make history. We have no obligation to make a statement. But to make money, it is often important to make history, to make art, or to make some significant statement. We must always make entertaining movies, and, if we make entertaining movies, at times, we will reliably make history, art, a statement or all three." He's trying to make it sound noble, or at least tolerable, but in reality it's the inversion of the art as subject to the demands of the company. Which, to be fair, is literally his job (don't get me wrong, I don't think big corporations are inherently bad). But in so doing, the only way a great movie gets made is if the people who happen to be assigned it fill in the heart. That's because the executive heads are hired to manage large budgets and thus aren't creative, and must delegate creativity without the capacity to gauge creative quality. Ergo, they don't even think about the form and function's mutual "alchemy." That and they obsess over nonsense like trying to pander to various interest groups without any real convictions and to China without understanding the Chinese market worth a darn.

[@Gojirawars03]

“Before Disney invented superhero movies” is the most painful thing I’ve listened to in this video, and the video is about the 2020 Mulan remake.

[@thevioletbee5879]

Let’s be honest, they basically created the craze.

[@pyrosianheir]

@@thevioletbee5879 Nah. They took advantage of an already increased interest from the Raimi Spider-man movies, and original X-Men trilogy (yes, even both runs' terrible third part). Super Hero movies would've gotten big, they just wouldn't have had the notion of being an interconnected story to link them together.

[@OctagonCookies]

@@pyrosianheir But that's exactly it. The whole movie universe thing was one of the absolute best thing to happen to super hero movies in forever. The ability to easily link information between so many movies allowed each sequel to focus significantly less time to world building and more time for character developments and action scenes. I 100% certain that super hero movie's modern success would have been absolutely minuscule in comparison if not for the MCU.

[@jacobhowie532]

@@pyrosianheir i think there still would've been interconnected stories and shared universes, it just wouldn't be by disney. It's a trend you see everywhere is superhero comics, which many of the film plots come from.

[@mabonman]

I read the word invented as heavily sarcastic replacement for like transformed or something

[@willehster]

i legit got a bit choked up when you talked about the original arrow challenge scene and explained how the music makes it so impactful. literally 5 seconds of audio and a quick shot of mulan climbing that pole and my throat closed right up

[@MetaphoricallyRose]

Biracial Chinese girl here, when my family watched this movie, we didn’t even get through half of it. That’s how bad it was. 90% of it was the stiff acting and the overall disrespect for the original. Also something my mom disliked was how they didn’t make another version of it in mandarin? Like, all the actors spoke mandarin and Disney has a bunch of money, so I can’t understand...

[@ThexDynastxQueen]

Wait wait wait! Disney went to China, hired Chinese actors to do another take on Chinese folklore....AND DIDN'T FLIM IN THE MOST SPOKEN LANGUAGE IN CHINA?! YT needs to allow gifs cause I'm having feelings text can't fully describe.

[@Jesup1204]

In that case, don’t watch Mulan 2, it’s far, far worse than the remake. (Mushu becomes the villain.) (Most of the songs are hand me downs from the first movie or are lame)

[@TheCanderemy]

@@Jesup1204 everyone knows the sequels to the classics are garbage lol. but thats a whole different rabbit hole

[@pennycarvalho1223]

i always found it funny how they say «people dont sing in real life like musicals». unless you are soldier, or a worker in some random factory, places or jobs where people sing, not just to sing, but more of a moral boost or even as basic of maintaining a rhythim to work.

[@Jurgan6]

I’d observed a while ago that musicals have a mix of what I called “plot songs” and “character songs,” and that character songs are usually more memorable. Now I know there’s a name for them- recitative and aria. I even used the Les Miserables example as well- “I Dreamed a Dream” is an aria, while “oh no that carriage collapsed, I hope someone saves the guy” is recitative.

[@nicholasnethercote7071]

For ages I've thought that "a Les Mis musical would be much better -- shorter, more enjoyable, less exhausting -- than the Les Mis opera version that we have". And this video gave me the vocabulary to express that properly. Bravo!

[@anaihilator]

Exactly Recitative not only carried the plot, it carried how the characters related and reacted to each other and help set up the emotional character songs that are the arias. Also, duets, trios, quartet and multiperson character songs that basically become ensemble arias would let multiple characters give their thoughts ans feelings on a particular situation in a way that sense harmonically Mozart was especially good at multi character ensemble pieces

[@lpchambers3681]

Ah yes music theory- names for things we already unconsciously know…

[@adotburr6494]

At this point, Sideways should just try to mention Howard Ashman in every single video and I really wouldn’t mind

[@ylvahammarskiold9775]

Yes I actually have started to recognize him and the “i want” song but please keep more coming

[@themichaelconnor42]

It's his new 'leitmotif'

[@42Fern42]

I'm only half-way through and I'm laughing at how any opportunity to diss on Les Mis/Cats films is used in various videos. But more seriously, I just discovered this channel and I adore it! Thank you for putting so much effort and your clear and entertaining explanations.

[@AnneIglesias]

“ so now that I’ve bored you to death with opera, let’s-“ No please don’t, this is fascinating KEEP GOING

[@Captain.Mystic]

Its mainly a paranoia reaction when you realize you have been talking way too long about a specific subject you are passionate for without knowing if the other person even understands what you are trying to describe. I have the same reaction and just stop entirely when talking about what i love so much about science stuff.

[@nebulousprime]

Dude. You made opera interesting. You didn't bore us. You simplifying things like you do makes it fun and more easy to digest

[@김애기-n4i]

"This video is brought to you by viewers like you." Me: *PBS Kids flashbacks*

[@breab379]

"Thank you"

[@austinghost1458]

Thanks for reminding me of my childhood

[@jmcateer0]

I came here to watch you dunk on Mulan endlessly, which you did perfectly, and got a glorious 12 minute history chronicling the rise of musical theater from opera. That was more informative and way more entertaining than my music history class in college.

[@LocutusBorgOf]

"Most operas aren't in English. At least the good ones aren't" I made an audible OOOOOOOFFFFF after you said that, congrats.

[@seanbeadles7421]

NIXON IN CHINA IS GREAT COME AT ME

[@LocutusBorgOf]

@@seanbeadles7421 It's not tho

[@LocutusBorgOf]

@@seanbeadles7421 Neither is Doctor Atomic

[@Juanofthedead92]

well he has a point ^^

[@TheOpnor]

@@seanbeadles7421 Well, tastes differ^^ I'd say this: I happily sit throug all 15 hours of the Ring cycle but I got bored halfway through Nixon in China. I may not have been in the right mindset so it may be partly on me, but still... I would say it is an aquired taste:D

[@stanko00001]

Long story short: prioritizing money over creativity. Long story shorter: Disney. EDIT: stop liking this comment, you monsters. I demand it.

[@mariokarter13]

The remakes aren't making new child fans, they're appealing to increasingly older fans and causing the kids to subconsciously think "Disney is that lame thing my parents like." They went from appealing to all ages, to appealing to children, to appealing to the same children all grown up. It's a critical mistake that threatens the entire enterprise in the long term. Disney could become as relevant to kids in 30 years as Leave it to Beaver is to us now.

[@realar]

More MODERN Disney. Past Disney had more of a creative vision.

[@stanko00001]

22:08 That's because back then, PEOPLE made movies. Nowadays, DISNEY makes movies. It's no longer one person or team with a creative vision, and a studio willing to take a chance; it's a studio capitalizing on nostalgia and banking off current trends.

[@luizasabbaga592]

I know this isn’t your specialty, music is, but doesn’t it bother you that by cutting the soldiers sing while traveling on foot they cut the drastic transition from fun upbeat music to devastation and death? I mean, I love that scene and I was waiting to see how they did it in this movie since they cut the songs, but they just... didn’t

[@hexpsyche]

Oh I was so disappointed when I saw that as well. The devastation of seeing the destroyed village AND knowing Shang’s father died there was such as excellent part of the movie. Mulan finding that little girl’s doll and placing it on Shang’s father’s makeshift grave really emphasized the horrors of war.

[@mttkra]

Okay, writer here, but that's because the writers for the new film didn't pay attention to audience emotional modulation. In order to engage the audience they have to be invested in something, whether it's the plot, or the characters or the theme, or emotional stakes, whatever, doesn't matter. The 2020 film doesn't do that. That's the whole point of Opera as the auditory expression of storytelling, Sideways touched on it by saying they have to replace the musical numbers with something else. In this film there is no something else. There is no character expressing what they want. That's writing 101. You need a character. No character no film, pack your bags you're going home. There are characters expressing what they should be doing, but there is no expression of character motivation. That's the problem. When you don't engage the audience they aren't engaged, they don't like your film. That big stop in the animated version is an expression of the character's response to war. Look at where the camera is, it's on their faces. Look at their expressions, they're vivid. New mulan threw that out because they don't care about emotions at all, and that's the backbone of any film, because emotions are the core of conflict, an essential ingredient in drama. If you have no emotions you have no conflict, you have no drama.

[@luizasabbaga592]

@@mttkra wow hahahahha, thanks for taking the time to write such an answer! Makes total sense

[@meff3258]

One of the biggest, if not the biggest mood changes in animation. It's just so amazingly done.

[@bellmsky]

That scene, The Mulan going to war scene, The whole country bowing to Mulan scene, Still gives me goosebumps and tears... The new movie was like, I’ll take away the unrealistic dragon, cricket, ancestors, And replaced them with the unrealistic Phoenix, chi, and a witch We’ll take away the love interest Shang and the what girls I love song to respect women, But we’ll make Mulan the hero with born superpower while her normal sister could only get married and give birth like what women should be at that era, And the most powerful woman who can easily kill everyone and be a queen herself sacrificing herself for someone else. We’ll take away the songs cause wars are serious, But we won’t give you any emotion of how sad or whatever about it. We’ll make it accurate to the Ballad of Mulan, By making Mulan to say the exact opposite of what the last two sentences meant... (I’m from Hong Kong and the Ballad was in our Chinese textbook) The last two sentences were like “the male rabbit hops, the female rabbit stares at you squinting her eyes, but when they run along each other, how can someone still tell which is which?” And Mulan running in the house “I saw 2 rabbits running together, one’s male, one’s female” They took away everything nice, Claiming it’s due to respect and accuracy, And then made everything in trash. And that “Mulan” almost went through the whole movie with one face!!!!!! I hate the whole world...

[@shrimpyshrimp2243]

1:04 it makes even LESS sense with the context that during wartimes, soldiers DO actually like to sing to lighten the mood, talking about the future (and girls tbh)

[@CrossKiesha]

"This whole piece is damn she's thick I'm totally gonna win jeopardy tomorrow" Hahahaha I'm dead

[@Roseforthethorns]

This is why Mulan 2020 didn’t work- but FIRST we gotta talk about Opera. I. Love. This.

[@BetaXeeta]

“Damn she’s thicc, I’m totally gonna win Jeopardy tomorrow” is something I never thought I’d hear in my life

[@anarchohelenism]

I just wanna say, your analysis of the themes in the original Mulan about “succeeding in the world without compromising yourself” nearly brought me to tears. I recently came out as transgender and I feel more like myself than ever before and ready to take on the world. Thank you, I needed to hear that.

[@melskrinjaric3006]

Hope you're doing great!

[@George_Fl0yd]

Your “current self” is a delusional plagued on by society encouraging these degenerate views instead of being straight up honest with you. No matter how times you wish you could be the gender you want to be, you’ll never be able to achieve it.

[@mysticwater9056]

Reflection from the original Mulan hits on a different level when you’re trans/nonbinary

[@walleras]

@@mysticwater9056 You mean mentally ill

[@g.d.graham2446]

I've heard that "Reflections" from Mulan has become an anthem of sorts for the transgender community, and while not exactly its original intent, it's cool to hear how it affected you in that way. The difference between the 98 Mulan and the remake is just mind-blowing

[@phantomkitten73]

I just love how the Patreon names have devolved into nothing but fucking with you.

[@DoctorHero]

Ra Ra Rasputin, Russia's Greatest YEET Machine

[@JoseLuisGarcia9540]

It's so entertaining hearing those names at the end of every video

[@lettucehouse300]

everyone just making fun of the guy with the ice cream name excited for the next video when 60% of the usernames are related to ice cream

[@KurogueNine]

Sideways: we don't have time to go over all the history of opera. Me, in quarantine: I got nothing but time....

[@dylanmcloughlin2187]

Man, it's been a while since youtube recommended me a sideways video. I remember when this came out. I'm now in college and study music as a minor. You inspired me to do that cause of how much I loved your stuff and the amount of depth you were able to get from the music (not really this video, but anyway). Please come back. I love your stuff so much!

[@HiHi-oc3gh]

Look at his community posts. He’s coming back and has been working on a few videos

[@alexanderluna4598]

“a girl worth fighting for” comes after Mulan has basically “earned her manlihood” by overcoming her soldier training. Up until this point, mulan has never been shown that women are anything to aspire to, and that the only way to be strong is to be a man. But during this heart to heart with her fellow soldiers, she realizes that although no one wants to fight this war, they can dream of coming home to a woman when it’s all over. This is the first time in the film that women are shown to be appreciated simply for who they are contrasted by “bring honor to us all” where all the young women are carbon copies for the matchmaker. Some are pale and beautiful, some like strong men, and some can cook. But each one is worthy in these men’s eyes. It shows mulan she can be strong in her own way, and be her own “girl worth fighting for”

[@ravenbloom6732]

I love this interpretation so much. It's actually beautiful.

[@Wired4Life2]

@@ravenbloom6732 It’d still be interpreted as misogynistic in the left-leaning lenses of today.

[@ericale9700]

@@Wired4Life2 it is a little misogynistic, but that doesn't detract from the message or the tender meaning Mulan might derive from it, imo

[@Wired4Life2]

@@ericale9700 And it is at least a little misandrist to argue that being strong is all that masculinity is.

[@ericale9700]

@@Wired4Life2 yeah, but Mulan doesn't understand that just yet

[@sopheed9266]

Me, having never heard that quote before: "That sounds like Mozart" Sideways: "That was Mozart"

[@overlydramaticpanda]

Okay, describing operatic arias as "characters having therapy sessions onstage in musical form" is just...so hilariously accurate. Also, you've got to love how according to Disney it's not realistic for armies to break out into song (despite marching songs being a fairly standard aspect of most armies up to as relatively recently as World War One)...but woman-who-turns-into-a-falcon? What's unrealistic about that..?

[@nisahurbina4553]

I got out of the Army like, 3 years ago and cadence is still a thing in structured settings. Some of those cadences get soulful too

[@lordknightalex]

"now that ive bored you to death with opera" excuse you these educational tangents are precisely why ive watched almost every video on this channel

[@papa_NCF]

The most shocking thing I’ve learned today is that our boy Sideways is 30

[@mekinot]

He sounds super young and he's actually a year older than me lol

[@silentsmurf]

He’s a bit younger than I thought. With his reverence for Disney Renaissance and A Goofy Movie, I thought he was early to mid thirties

[@GuardsmanBass]

That's pretty genius and insightful. "To turn a movie into a musical, you need to turn the emotionally intense scenes into songs - and to reverse that, turn the songs to emotionally intense scenes". I haven't seen the new "Mulan", but it sounds wild - almost like they turned it into a big-budget comic book "origin" movie without the comic book stuff (hence the crack about her "tryout for the Avengers").