ANALYSIS OF THE DIFFERENCE IN MUSICAL PERFORMANCE BETWEEN ANIMATED AND LIVE ACTION FILMS--FOCUSING ON DISNEY'S MULAN MOVIE

The recent proliferation of reciprocal reproduction between animated and live-action films has emerged as a significant trend within the film industry, reflecting both market-driven demands for the redevelopment of intellectual properties (IPs) and the evolution of artistic expressive techniques across distinct film genres. This study aims to comparatively analyze the musical divergences in Disney's Mulan animated (1998) and live-action (2020) adaptations under identical visual-narrative frameworks, thereby investigating the underlying causes of differentiated musical scoring approaches between these two cinematic forms. Methodologically grounded in systematic literature review and archival research, this investigation employs a multi-layered music analytical framework incorporating harmonic analysis, tonal structure examination, rhythmic configuration, and orchestration techniques to decode the semantic dimensions of film music. The conclusion of this study reveal significant differences between the two versions of Mulan in musical dimensions including music-narrative coordination, audio-visual synchronization, and musical freedom. These divergences primarily stem from the inherent heterogeneity in visual expressiveness, production workflows, and target audience orientations between animated and live-action films. This study foregrounds a differentiated analysis of the two versions of Mulan through the perspective of musical expression, thereby yielding a novel analytical perspective for this issue while offering theoretical and practical enlightenment for innovative applications of different film genres.