Alright, I can already sense the flack I'm going to get for even saying such a blasphemous thing but, here it goes: I don't think Disney should include Mushu in the live-action version of Mulan.
Before you go running down to the comments section to yell at me, please hear me out!
Mushu is by far my favorite and, in my opinion, the best character in Disney's 1998 animated classic. Sure, Mulan is great, Shang is also a pretty neat guy, Po and the gang are a blast, but no one can hold a candle to comic relief in the form of Eddie Murphy voicing a tiny talking dragon. Objectively hilarious.
So why would I argue that Disney should cut the beloved Mushu from Mulan? Here are just a few reasons:
#1 He wasn't in the original story
Okay, this probably won't come as a shock to anyone, but the original legend of Mulan didn't feature a talking dragon who was sent by her ancestors to help her on her journey.
In the same vain as Maleficent, I think it would be nice to see a fresh angle on the story, rather than just retelling the animated version. In this case, the story could just follow more closely to the source material, the Ballad of Hua Mulan and the earlier works it inspired.
Not only would this be a good way to make the story a bit grittier, I'm picturing a Pirates of the Caribbean vibe, but it would also be a chance for Mulan shed the squeaky clean Disney Princess persona and act more like the badass she really was.
Mulan doesn't need a mythological sidekick to get her through the day, the chick was totally hardcore all on her own!