Still image of the live-action version of Disney's Mulan, featuring Chinese-American actress Liu Yifei, which will be screened in March. [Photo provided to China Daily]

LOS ANGELES-With the live-action feature version of Disney's Mulan slated for release in March, the official trailer has been screened to an appreciative audience. Its director Niki Caro and Disney executives discussed the film at the company's D23 Expo last weekend.

The blockbuster, starring Liu Yifei in the lead role, is based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan and is a live-action remake of Disney's 1998 animated film of the same name.

Mulan, a beautiful, spirited young woman seeking to spare the life of her ailing father, disguises herself as a man to go to war in his place. Smart, brave and determined, she flouts tradition to embrace her true potential, blazing a courageous trail in the fight against the enemy.

"I'm most excited for the audience to see this movie, which is on a truly epic scale," Caro told the attendees at D23. "What drew me to this project was Mulan herself, her journey from village girl to soldier, to warrior, to hero," she said. Caro is the second female director hired by Disney to direct a film budgeted at over $100 million. Mulan is one of Disney's biggest budget films ever, with a reported purse of $300 million.