How to watch Mulan in the UK, US and abroad: Now available with Premier Access on Disney Plus
Here's how to watch the live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1998 animated film, Mulan, anywhere in the world
Directed by Nick Caro and produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Mulan is based on the Chinese ballad “The Ballad of Mulan”. The 2020 film stars Liu Yifei as the fearless Chinese warrior Mulan who takes her aged father’s place in the army. Donnie Yen, Jason Scott Lee and Jet Li also star in supporting roles.
Mulan’s world premiere took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on 9 March, 2020, and the film’s worldwide theatrical release was scheduled for 27 March. Unfortunately, that was the time when the coronavirus pandemic gathered momentum forcing Disney to remove one of its biggest films of the year from the theatrical release calendar.
Unlike other films that have simply pushed back their release for later or gone ahead with its release (like Christopher Nolan’s Tenet), Mulan is now available exclusively on Disney Plus in the US and the UK. However, it will be the first film that you will need to buy for a “Premium Access” fee after subscribing to Disney+.
This fee differs based on which country you live in. Although this seems like a novel way to watch new releases that people would otherwise flock to theatres to watch, Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek was quick to point out that Mulan’s release on Disney Plus isn’t an attempt at a new business model for future movies.
Mulan belongs to Disney Plus’ new “Premier Access Shelf” – that acts as a rental store within the streaming service. Amazon Prime Video has a similar feature, letting you “rent” new movies for a premier fee even though you can watch over a thousand others for free if you subscribe to Amazon Prime Video. Unlike Amazon though, Mulan’s premier price point sets it apart, so let’s find out the best ways to watch it anywhere in the world, and when you’ll be able to watch it for free.
How to watch Mulan on Disney Plus in the UK
To watch Mulan, you need a Disney Plus UK subscription, which costs £5.99/mnth or £59.99 for a year. Note that the streaming service doesn’t have a free trial period anymore, so the least you’ll need to pay is the monthly fee. Mulan then costs an additional £19.99 as a one-off payment over an above your existing subscription in the UK. If you live in Ireland, this will cost €21.99.
The good news is that you will be able to watch the film so long as you’re subscribed to Disney Plus – unlike other films and TV shows that can be pulled off the streaming service without prior notice. This also means that if you cancel your Disney Plus subscription, you’ll lose access to Mulan.
How to watch Mulan on Disney Plus in the US
To watch Mulan in the US, you’ll need a Disney Plus subscription, which costs $6.99/mnth or £69.99/year. Once you have this, you’ll need to pay an additional $29.99 Premier Access fee to watch Mulan. Again, you’ll own the film for as long as you have Disney Plus and lose access if you unsubscribe.
How to watch Mulan for free
All Disney Plus subscribers will be able to watch Mulan for free from 4 December, 2020. That means that unless you purchase the film after subscribing to Disney Plus, you’ll need to wait all of three months to watch it for free on the streaming service.
How to watch Mulan on Disney Plus abroad: use a good VPN service
Mulan is now available in most countries that have Disney Plus. The best way to find out if you can buy the film with your Disney Plus subscription is to log in to your Disney Plus account. You should see Mulan as one of the first options on the featured carousel at the top. If you don’t, then it could mean that Mulan won’t be available in your country until later this year. There’s a simple way to sidestep this process – by using a good VPN service to access Mulan in the US or UK where it’s now available.
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A VPN works by virtually changing your device’s location to let you browse from any country that you want. So, for example, you can change your PC’s location to the UK using a good VPN service, then go to Disney Plus and pay the additional fee to watch Mulan instantly. The only caveat here is that you will need a credit card that works in the country that you’ve selected within the VPN. While there are several VPN services, not all give you access to Disney Plus, and Mulan, so we’ve chosen the best two that do.
ExpressVPN: Among all the VPN services we’ve used, ExpressVPN has been our number one service for the past two years running. Not only does it have the fastest servers, you also get 24/7 customer support and generous 30-day moneyback guarantee in case you can’t access Disney Plus as promised. Our readers also get three months free when they choose the one-year plan.
NordVPN: Second on our list of best VPN services is NordVPN. Its PC program has a nice globe interface letting you easily choose which country you want to browse from. It shares many of the best features of ExpressVPN, including a broad range of worldwide servers, good speeds, 24/7 customer support and full refund if you’re unhappy within 30 days. Both services have also been independently audited to prove that all your browsing data is completely anonymous.