It appears that the House of Mouse has run into trouble with what was supposed to be another blockbuster. The live-action remake of Mulan has entered that unfortunate territory of pleasing no one.

While Western audiences compare the film unfavourably to the animated version, Chinese audiences dislike the questionable themes and design choices of the film.

Many critics find it morally wrong that the film was shot in a region where human rights violations are reportedly rampant. In response, the Chinese authorities have barred media coverage of the film altogether.

With all the fuss, one must ask how Disney managed to do such injustice to the classic Ballad of Mulan?

In the simplest terms, the centuries-old ballad tells of a maiden who disguises herself and secretly takes her father’s place in the army.

Interestingly, while the events of the ballad take place in China, it is likely that Mulan, assuming she existed, was not Han Chinese at all.

Most versions of the story place her in the state of the Northern Wei at a time that was known as the Northern and Southern Era (420-589AD). This period followed the short-lived Jin Dynasty, which imploded quickly after ending the Three Kingdoms period.

During the fall of the Jin, northern nomadic tribes invaded the weakened empire, establishing their own kingdoms in the northern half. The Northern Wei was one of these kingdoms, set up by a nomadic group called the Xianbei.

Funnily enough, there is historical evidence suggesting that these northern nomads were more egalitarian in terms of women in combat roles.

It should also be mentioned that there have been recorded instances of Chinese women taking up arms alongside men, notably Fu Hao and Princess Pingyang.

The Disney takes on Mulan, both the animated and live-action versions, are set in dynasties that are not clearly stated and actually combine various aspects of different dynasties.

The animated version has Mulan fighting the Huns, a major threat to the Han Dynasty (202BC-220AD), with Song Dynasty (960-1279) gunpowder weaponry and later killing their leader in the Forbidden City of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Just for clarity, there is over a millennium between the Han and the Ming. It is akin to a movie set in Europe in the Middle Ages where every knight and peasant has a smartphone. Disney was aware of the historical inaccuracies and claimed the live-action version would fix these issues. It failed.

Chinese people viewing the trailer asked why Mulan, a northerner from the Northern and Southern Dynasties, lives in a southern Hakka round house from the Song Dynasty.

The armour and costumes are based on Tang Dynasty (618-907AD) designs, but the antagonists are said to be the Rouran, a nomadic group annihilated a century before the Tang.

The movie also has sweeping shots of the city that is presumably Chang’an, the imperial capital of the Tang Dynasty; what the audience sees is actually accurate in terms of architecture.

But given that the city was home to three million people at its peak, it does seem a little baffling that a later scene showed an assembly of all the city’s guards – about 150 individuals.

The importance and role of the emperor in Chinese history is also clearly poorly researched.

In one scene, the emperor, played by Jet Li, is interrupted during a discussion with his chancellor by a common soldier, which would have been a severe breach of protocol.

When in the presence of the emperor, extreme deference to him was required in almost every imaginable aspect. Even walking normally before him would be seen as disrespectful, one was required to trot.

In another scene, the emperor is challenged to a duel with the leader of the Rourans and he actually accepts.

Chinese emperors did not in general have a place on the battlefield due to their importance in the central bureaucracy.

Accepting a duel with another head of state is certainly on the list of things a Chinese emperor would never do.

Another central female character, apart from Mulan, is a witch played by Gong Li, which left Chinese viewers scratching their heads as well.

Witches, as interpreted in Western culture, are not a thing in Chinese tales. In fact, Chinese soothsayers were highly respected.

Her ability to shapeshift into a bird also raises the question why did the filmmakers not simply make her character an animal spirit instead, since they are common in Chinese stories.

One plot choice is seen as particularly glaring. In the original story as well as the animation, Mulan is an ordinary woman who through hard work and sacrifice builds up her strength.

In the live-action film, Mulan is told she comes from a family blessed with “qi”, or life force, which enables her to perform great physical feats.

This is not at all what qi is about, and the fact that the concept is portrayed as similar to The Force from Star Wars is culturally insensitive.

Mulan is something of a feminist icon – she was not born a warrior, she worked hard to become one.

Giving her special powers to explain her martial abilities does a great disservice to the message of women’s empowerment.

Given how the live-action film was supposed to “fix” the flaws of the animated classic, it certainly has failed in that regard.

At least the animated movie made no claim to be historically accurate, so it can be judged with far less scrutiny.