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
And man those are some wickedly amazing storyboards, it would’ve looked spectacular fully realized.
Man, let me tell you, the decision to cut parts from a scene like this must have been so extremely hard for them to do. Don’t blame them too badly, kay. Someone probably felt like trash after it was redone, way worse than what we feel.
I have a feeling it’s because they felt adding on an extra two minutes would make the song too long, and lose some of the audience’s interest. They cut the only love duet from Pocahontas because the text audiences attention started to dwindle, didn’t they? I figure it was something like that, so at least we got the song in its edited version!
I feel like it also could have something to do with the tone it’s setting in the story. If they intend to make this part feel like “Mulan is miserable and trapped, this is going to lead up to the do or die moment where she has to take a stand or end up stuck in a life she never wanted”, this is not the most effective imagery. All of the high-speed racing past statues and down rocky hills is very strong and free. It’s a good representation of who Mulan is as a character, but not who she is at this moment in the story. The scenario they chose with the hall of mirrors set-up in the shrine was much more contained, personal, introverted, and… well, reflective. Mulan’s arc through the movie culminates in her realizing that she should be proud of who she is and that her independence is strength, but at this point in the story she still feels as though her inability to conform makes her a bad woman and a disappointment to everyone she cares about. Using such strong imagery early on almost plays that arc out for her, it doesn’t leave you with the same feeling of hopelessness that sets up the events to follow.
^last two comments
they’re totally right about this sort of taking away from Mulan’s story arc but still FUCK! Disney go animate this RIGHT NOW IT IS GORGEOUS.
Yes to the last 2 or maybe more like 3 last comments. This song is lovely, and it would be an awesome bonus feature fully realized into a bonus scene, i.e. “We’ll Be Human Again” in Beauty and the Beast and “The Morning Report” in The Lion King, but scenes that were later fully animated and added in as bonus features later. But I really do think now it wouldn’t have fit the story perfectly. I really think Mulan had to be in a despairing, confused moment before going on her journey that will make her rise/enlighten her, while this song is more uplifting and already sorta cognizant of what Mulan needs/should learn. This song is sorta premature, touching upon too early things Mulan will learn in the course of her journey throughout the rest of the movie. As one of the 3 comments above said, it’s a good overall theme to Mulan’s entire character, but doesn’t really work for the specific time/plot point it’s shooting for. But I wonder if this could’ve been even made into an awesome uplifting reprise in the end embodying all Mulan’s learned by the time her journey’s over?
AND YES, GORGEOUS STORYBOARDS, MYGOD.