Cthulu Village

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gosangoku:

itwasmewhostoleyourtea:

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poshprogrammer:

Disney’s Mulan Deleted Scene: Reflection

In my opinion, deleting this scene from “Reflection” was a terrible mistake.  The song is beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but this added part takes a somewhat disparing song and makes being different empowering and strong.

WHY WASN’T THIS HERE

wow. just wow

I don’t understand. It’s beautiful. Wow disney. 

Yeah, Lea Salonga was heartbroken that they cut the song. I can understand why. This part is inspirational.

wtf disney :c

Holy hell the chills… <3 ;n; I cant even believe they cut this this was amazing

WHY DID THEY DELETE THIS…..

GOD I’M SO MAD

Okay

I watched this twice

and the second time

I fucking cried

why did they cut this I’m so angry now

;; ;; oh.

oh my heart.

Before I even start, I want to say that this is a beautiful omission, especially the imagery. Okay? I get it. It is wonderful and empowering.

I also see why it was removed. Why beat a dead horse?

In Creative Writing workshop, one of the repeating fixes in poetry and fiction is a piece that goes on too long. Instead of letting the reader/listener draw their own conclusion, the author spends precious space, after they’ve said all they needed to say, trying to artfully explain exactly what they meant through additional length. This is what these lines represent to me. We’re about to embark on a whole journey where Mulan finds that day where not only is she herself, but her family is proud. It’s the wonderful cherry on the cake, as a matter of fact!

Not only that, but let’s compare the omitted lines to Belle (Reprise) from Beauty and the Beast. At first it seems that my point applies to this song as well, right? After all, if we’re about to watch a movie about Belle making her own way in life, why have her sing about it? The key difference is what we’ve seen before it is presented and what comes after.

In Beauty and the Beast we don’t see Belle do that much. The BIGGEST tip of the hat comes from her turning down Gaston’s proposal and even then, you could take that as her seeing him for what he really is- gross. That still doesn’t outright say that she wants more, she just knows a pig when she sees one. Otherwise, she’s told her father she didn’t want to marry Gaston, handed him some tools, and shown the audience that she likes to read more than socialize. In my opinion, none of these things really get across that she wants more- she’s just a little different, maybe even smarter.

As for what comes after, let’s face it- a LOT of critics say she doesn’t really find more. She gets a little adventure out of an enchanted castle and then gets hitched like a normal woman would and that’s that. It seems, then, that Belle (Reprise) is a necessary addition to the film for the simple fact that it comes out and tells us what she really wants in a setting that really does very little to get that point across otherwise.

If that seems wrong to you, think about The Little Mermaid. Even if Ariel had never blatantly said she wanted more out of her life, you can see it in everything she does, in her absolute hunger to explore the surface, regardless of cost.

On the other hand we have Mulan, which shows us so much about Mulan’s true self in the first few minutes of her appearance on screen! She’s cheating on her matchmaker test! She’s super clever and uses Little Brother to help her with her chores! Heck, even the little bit of shame that comes along with her free spirited-ness is shown in her Father’s praying to the ancestors. We can see Mulan wants to be a free spirit- she’s really good at it too, even if she has a few clumsy moments. She breaks a teacup, bam- she brought a spare because this isn’t your average Chinese daughter.

As the progression continues, we see Mulan’s distaste constantly throughout her preparation for the Matchmaker. We can see that this isn’t the life she wants, nor is it one she’s particularly adept in. She comes home and hides her face from her father as she lets her lucky cricket out and lets her horse drink.

Cue Reflection- perfect, not too long to drag on and telling us exactly what we need. Mulan is hurting and we should identify with that. She lets us know what people want her to be and what she believes she will never be. She wants to see a face reflected that she, herself, can feel proud of [which is then mirrored in her helmet much later on]. Just what we need to know. The rest of the movie is then allowed to show us the more adventurous, rebellious, and most importantly, strong Mulan.

So hey didn;t mean to rant but um. Just what my opinion is here.

(via shrapnel-heart)