Niki Caro joins the list of directors to tackle live-action adaptations of Disney animated favorites, this time attempting to give a slightly more grounded take to the Chinese martial adventure "Mulan". Joining her for a second collaboration is British composer, Harry Gregson-Williams--making a return to the large, orchestral adventure scores that catapulted him to fame over a decade ago. There are a few references to the Zippel/Wilder songs of the original film (though no Jerry), as well as a prominent new theme for Mulan, and well-integrated use of authentic Chinese instrumental colors. Though the film was not without its controversies, it is nevertheless a treat to have Harry back in epic mode.
Personally, I certainly had some critical issues with the film itself, but it does offer plenty of visual eye candy, with some gorgeous landscapes, bright colors, and wuxia-styled martial arts. So as per usual, here are several (7) covers to choose from, using a selection of the beautiful poster artwork produced for the film.
The first cover uses this epic Chinese poster, though sadly I had to lose the charging army at the bottom of the image to better fit the space available. Call me old-fashioned (many have), but I'm just a sucker for these types of posters that feature all the film's central characters.
The second cover is a remake of the official soundtrack album cover. To my taste, it's very visually cramped, so I instead went back to the full central poster artwork, and attempted to give things space to breathe. I kept the same general font as the official cover throughout my series, but generally prefer smaller and wider-spaced text.
The third cover uses another main poster, with a dynamic pose of Mulan in battle. On a few images, I tried changing up the color of the actual title logo (the official posters always use red). I found the yellow paired nicely with the other primary colors, and in this case, the yellow and white title reminds me of the original cartoon for some reason.
Cover four features a very different poster design. Not sure whether this one was an homage to one of the teaser posters for the original film (to my eyes, still utterly gorgeous and iconic, along with the other poster of Mulan suiting up, in similar style)--or maybe just trying to steal the design of the almost identical "War Horse" poster. Either way, it's a stunning piece of artwork, I simply had to shift the army in the bottom left corner up to fit them into the tighter crop, and opted for all-white text to pop from the background.
Our fifth cover plays in suit along with the third, though this time using the different pose from the IMAX poster, though sadly, of course, the film wasn't released theatrically, due to the pandemic. More martial arts and sword-play, more yellow.
The sixth cover going for a totally different, minimalist look. Using this stunning poster for Real 3D, painted in a Chinese brushed scroll style. I simply had to slide some things around (like the top mountain range, title), add the bottom credits, and call it a day. It's always nice to feature covers that feature a radically different art style from time to time.
The final cover uses the Dolby advertising poster. I love the lotus-blossom trees, and the quite literal exploration of the concept of "Reflection". A contemplative and zen piece that nevertheless seems to tease a tremendous amount of latent strength and power.
Hope you enjoy, folks. Let me know your favorites in the comments below.
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And on a personal note, as this was a Disney production, I'd like to extend my warmest regards and sympathies to my thousands of fellow Cast Members who have been affected by the recent massive lay-offs here in the United States. You are the Magic! #DisneyFamily #CMStrong
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