Mulan teaser: Twitterati upset over Mushu the dragon's absence in Disney live-action remake

The much-awaited teaser of Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan  was dropped on 7 July, with quite a few nods to the 1998 original. But the absence of a fan-favourite character in the preview has irked the netizens. The teaser captured Mulan training to become a warrior, learning to ride horses, wield swords and shoot arrows. But conspicuous in his absence was the quick-witted dragon Mushu, who was tasked with watching over Mulan in the original movie. Twitter has exploded with memes about Mushu’s absence in the teaser. Check them out here.

Niki Caro (of The Zookeeper’s Wife and North County-fame) will direct Mulan from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Elizabeth Martin and Lauren Hyneck. It is based on the narrative poem The Ballad of Mulan. It was earlier reported that the film, unlike the original animated feature, the new Mulan will  not be a musical , but Caro  had mentioned  that the film would be “a big, girly martial arts epic,” adding, “it will be extremely muscular and thrilling and entertaining and moving.” “When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from Northern invaders, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. Masquerading as a man, Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her inner-strength and embrace her true potential. It is an epic journey that will transform her into an honoured warrior and earn her the respect of a grateful nation…and a proud father,” reads the official description. Mulan is all set to hit theatres in the US on 27 March, 2020.