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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.