Following the success of their live-action film versions of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Lion King, it was inevitable that Disney mine their own treasure trove of animated hits to bring back and re-introduce to a brand new generation. The next film on their list is the heroic Chinese tale of Hua Mulan, or simply, Mulan.
Released in 1988, it was another hit for the House of Mouse and for Tony-award winner, Lea Salonga, as she was chosen to sing the theme song of the film entitled, "Reflection". It was a song that spoke to a whole new generation and will be doing the same as the new live-action version film is slated to open soon worldwide.
Lucky for us, we were treated earlier on, last March 3rd, to a press launch of the new version of the song as Disney Philippines has chosen, Moira Dela Torre to be the singer to re-record the ever-popular anthem for the Philippine market.
The singer revealed that she feels lucky as "Reflection" was the first song that she ever learned as a child and sang most of the time over Karaoke. To have her be chosen to sing the new version definitely makes her feel that she has come full circle and her appreciation knows no bounds.
While it cannot be helped to compare her version with both Lea and Christina's, Moira adds that the song speaks to her on a personal level as the song teaches everyone to be themselves and if there is anything else that she has learned from the two iconic singers is that "being true to yourself is key".
Mulan herself was a warrior and like Moira herself, with her success and the relatability of her songs for the current generation, it has made her feel both confident and strong and ready to tackle what the world may give her.
Mulan was originally scheduled for a November 2018 release, but the task of finding the right actress for the read role proved to be challenging. Lucky for us they found it in Asian-American actress, Liu Yifei, who herself is no stranger to martial arts films as she has worked with Jacky Chan and Jet Li in the 2008 film, The Forbidden Kingdom, The Assassins in 2012 and Outcast in 2015.
The movie itself was originally scheduled for a local release this March 25th and the 27th in the US, it has been postponed due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The final and confirmed release date will be announced later on.
While the movie itself, is devoid of any singing and dancing and of the songs written by Matthew Wilder and lyrics by David Zippel, the movie's soundtrack features a new rendition of "Reflection" by Christina Aguilera and a new song that will also be heard on the film entitled, "Loyal, Brave, True". The new song was written by Jamie Hartman, Harry Gregson-Williams, Rosi Golan, and Billy Crabtree, and produced by Jamie Hartman.
Likewise, Moira Dela Torre's version of Reflection will be Spotify very soon.
