"The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." ~ Allan K. Chalmers
MULAN [teaser trailer] (Psst…and don’t tell anyone you saw this here!)
Some people are excited while others are divided over Disney’s new live-action Mulan. It is definitely less colorful, and I can tell you, there are plenty more changes yet to be shown!
……On the down low…… #spoilers …The teaser did not touch on the middle eastern presence this movie will have. Travelling con-artists (with hearts of gold) who rob Hua on route to her training. The shape-shifting witch character who impersonates men to gain entry into camps and strongholds. No love interest Li Shang. No Mushu. Zero musical numbers. DISHONOR! …But it will have Cricket.
Also, China has beautiful scenery, but I guess for budgetary reasons and because the director is Kiwi and tourism blah-blah, the majority of spectacular backdrops for Disney’s new offering were filmed in New Zealand — these be the mountains of the Ahuriri Valley:
Late last year up to 900 crew members were in the Mackenzie Basin for a month for filming. At the time, Waitaki District Council chief executive Fergus Power said the film company estimated spending in the area would be about $13 million, “with additional wider flow-on financial impacts”.
Riders line a ridge near the film set in the Ahuriri Valley. ~ Otago Daily Times