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The Identity Development of Onscreen Legendary Heroes: A Visual Affect Analysis of Mulan in Three Movie Adaptions

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  • Zenan Zhong
  • Binglan Tu
  • Shu Yang

Abstract

This study examines the visual emotive meanings involved in three films, that is, Mulan (1998), Mulan (2009), and Mulan (2020), which are adapted from The Ballad of Mulan . By adopting the theoretical framework of visual affect, this research conducts quantitative and qualitative analyses on the emotional episodes of Mulan in the three films. The study reveals that these films construct Mulan as a personality rich in emotions. However, there are distinctively different distributions of visual affect. In Mulan (1998), Mulan is built as a tomboy disrupting the masculine tradition, while in Mulan (2009) and Mulan (2020), Mulan is constructed as a filial and dutiful woman and an inherent legendary heroine respectively. The identity development revealed in this paper could be seen as a crucial way to transforming traditional figures in adapted films, contributing to the field of adaptation study from a semiotic perspective.

Suggested Citation

  • Zenan Zhong & Binglan Tu & Shu Yang, 2023. "The Identity Development of Onscreen Legendary Heroes: A Visual Affect Analysis of Mulan in Three Movie Adaptions," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:13:y:2023:i:4:p:21582440231218584
    DOI: 10.1177/21582440231218584
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    1. Zenan Zhong & Shukun Chen & Winfred Wenhui Xuan, 2021. "Recontextualizing Literary Classics With Modernity: A Social Semiotic Analysis of a Comic Adaptation of Journey to the West," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(2), pages 21582440211, May.
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