Mulan Rouge
by Alex Andy Phuong
During the late 1990s,
Disney released one of its most famous films from
the "Disney Renaissance." Mulan
(1998) was genuinely groundbreaking because
the titular heroine was one of the most
independent characters from the Disney canon.
In 2001, Moulin Rouge! became
one of the most celebrated modern musicals of the
twenty first century. Coincidentally, the
first word of the title sounds like "Mulan,"
except the title of Baz Luhrmann's lavish
production is set at the iconic "Moulin
Rouge," which is French for "The Red
Windmill." Another coincidence is that
Nicole Kidman actually wore a red wig throughout
her Oscar-nominated performance as the beautiful
courtesan "Satine."
Then during the late 2010s,
Hollywood finally decided to highlight Asian
talent with films like Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and
Parasite (2019) even though
very few Asian performers had hardly won nor
received nominations for Academy Awards
throughout the nearly one hundred years of
cinematic history (as of 2020).
The live-action version of Mulan
is set for release in March 2020 because
Disney realized that remaking its beloved films
can bring in tons of money.
For those who do not know,
many Chinese families exchange red pockets during
Chinese New Year to bring in luck for their loved
ones.
And then...
The coronavirus started
making the world go haywire.
Best wishes to Mulan (2020) because
"Rouge" is French for "red"
even though Moulin Rouge! is actually
getting old even though Nicole Kidman still looks
gorgeous after dropping out of school to become
one of the greatest Oscar-winning actresses in
modern cinema.
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