Create your own home cinema and watch Disney’s live-action Mulan in style

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MULAN is the biggest film of the year – but you will not be seeing it on the big screen.

The live-action remake of the cartoon classic is not playing in cinemas after Disney decided to release it for home-viewing.

Disney’s live-action Mulan is set to be the biggest film of the year, despite only being released for home-viewing

So you can’t support your local cinema but can help retailers by creating a movie experience at home . . . 

How to watch it

YOU must be subscribed to Disney+, which is £5.99 a month or £59.99 a year.

O2 has 12 months free for new customers or existing ones who upgrade. It is then £19.99 for so-called Premier Access to Mulan.

To watch Mulan you’ll need be subscribed to Disney+, which is £5.99 a month

This is not a one-off rental nor the same as buying it. Instead, it you can watch it again and again in the future – so long as you are subscribed to Disney+.

You can cancel your plan and re-join – and if you do not spend the £19.99 to watch Mulan now, all Disney+ customers can get it free anyway from December 4.

You watch Disney+ via an app on your TV, tablet or phone. The app is easy to download on most recent TVs, or use via a streaming box like Apple TV or Roku.

You pay the £19.99 when logged into Disney+ on a website or in the app – on an Apple, Google, Amazon or Roku device.

Sound

Sonos’s Arc soundbar provides an intense 3D sound cinema experience

GET the walls rumbling with a 3D sound cinema experience. You will feel like you are on the battlefield with Mulan while the tech keeps a sleek profile in your living room.

  • Sonos Arc soundbar with Dolby Atmos, £799, John Lewis – buy now

Sony’s HT-SF150 soundbar isn’t quite as robust but it still captures the bulk of the cinema feel

NOT quite as robust as the Sonos Arc. But this bit of kit has Dolby technology that captures the bulk of the cinema feel – and for a matinee price. More to spend on popcorn.

  • Sony HT-SF150 soundbar with Bluetooth, £99, Argos – buy now

Snacks and drinks

This popcorn machine makes a large fat-free bowl in just three minutes – and it’s only £16.99

WHAT’S a cinema without popcorn? This air popper makes a large fat-free bowl in just three minutes.

If you want to make it unhealthy, you can melt some butter in the handy scoop on the lid while it pops.

  • American Originals Popcorn Maker £16.99, Argos – buy now

Lakeland’s answer to fresh popcorn comes with a handy three-year guarantee

THIS popcorn maker also uses hot air and has a ready attached bowl that it can fill with popcorn in 2.5 minutes – also comes with Lakeland’s three-year guarantee.

  • Lakeland Electric Popcorn Maker with Bowl, £29.99, Lakeland – buy now

The SodaStream range is on offer at the moment

SAVE money, cupboard space, and plastic waste while keeping the fizzy drinks flowing with SodaStream.

Since you can hit pause at a home cinema you won’t need to worry about missing anything when you need to pop to the loo. All the range is on special offer at the moment

  • SodaStream: Hydrationpack, £99.99, sodastream.co.uk – buy now

Big screen

Sony’s impressive 4K TV has incredible depth of colour as well as a Dolby Atmos sound built in

THE most important piece for turning your lounge into Cineworld is the big screen.

This impressive 4K TV from Sony will give you detailed textures and an incredible depth of colour as well as a Dolby Atmos sound built in. For a truly cinematic experience, it’s a bargain at 799.

  • Sony 55in HX80 4K Ultra HD, £799, Currys – buy now

This dazzling 4K smart TV from Hisense comes with a Roku streaming hub built in

IF you want similar 4K quality without breaking the bank, this dazzling 4K smart TV from Hisense comes with a Roku streaming hub built in. Simply add Disney+ to your Roku streaming channels and you’re ready to access Mulan.

  • Hisense Roku 4K TV 43in, £279, Argos – buy now

If you don’t have a smart TV to access the app, you will need a streaming box, such as the Roku Streaming Stick+ (£49.99, Currys).

Turning 18? Don’t forget your free trust fund pot

MILLIONS of teens are coming into a pot of money that was laid aside for them when they were born – but many do not know about it.

Kids born between September 1, 2002, and January 2, 2011, were handed Child Trust Funds (CTFs) in which the Government put £500 – or £1,000 for some poorer families.

Millions of kids born between September 1, 2002, and January 2, 2011 are coming into a pot of money

But some £1.2billion of the cash is sitting abandoned in the accounts because families have lost track of them or never knew about them in the first place.

Are you one of those families? Here we answer all you need to know.

DID MY KID GET ONE? Every child born between September 1, 2002, and August 2010 was awarded a £250 voucher – double that if they were on a low income – which parents could put in an account with a CTF provider of their choice.

Some also received another payment of £250 at age seven, but the second payment was phased out in 2010. Children born between August 2010 and January 2011 got just £50, or £100 for low income families, as the scheme was scaled back.

COULDN’T PARENTS JUST POCKET THE CASH? No. It was given in the form of a special voucher which they had to invest in a CTF provider of their choice.

If they didn’t use the voucher, the Government invested it on the child’s behalf. The idea was for children to have some savings at the age of 18 to help them with education or living independently.

Around 1.74million accounts were opened by the Government – almost a third of the total number of accounts.

MY CHILD WAS BORN IN 2012? DID THEY GET ANYTHING? Nope. By then the Government stopped it because it was too expensive.

CTFs were later replaced by Junior Isas (Jisas), which parents must open themselves if they want to save for their kids. In 2015 it became possible to convert CTFs into Jisas, which have better interest rates.

SO WHAT’S HAPPENED TO ALL THE LOST CTFS? These forgotten nest eggs – which have for years been invested in stocks and shares – could now amount to as much as £1,500.

This month the first recipients of CTF vouchers will turn 18 and can access the money for the first time. If they don’t, the Child Trust Fund provider will move it into an Individual Savings Account, which is also tax-free, or roll it into another account with similar benefits.

HOW CAN I GET HOLD OF IT? If you want to know where your child’s CTF is, visit gov.uk/child-trust-funds.

You will need to log in to your Government Gateway account, which you may already have if you fill out a tax return online.

You’ll be asked a few questions to determine if you are the trustee of your child’s fund. Once this is done, HMRC will write to you and let you know where the CTF is held.

GOT a story? RING HOAR on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL [email protected]