When I was growing up, basically the only animated movies that were released were made by Disney. I still enjoy the various Disney animated movies and tend to think they are better than some of the ones made by other studios. I recently decided to watch one of my Disney animated movies, Mulan, again.
In Imperial China, Mulan didn't exactly fit in with the traditions of the time. When the invading Hun army crossed the Great Wall, the emperor ordered that a man from every family had to fight in the army. Mulan didn't think her father, who was older and really not in the right condition to fight, should have to join the army. Mulan decided to disguise herself as a man and take her father's place in the army. She was accompanied by a small dragon named Mushu and a lucky cricket. Mulan was part of a unit of men that weren't exactly typical army men who were being led by Captain Shang.
The credits said that Mulan was based on a story by Robert D. San Souci. I have also heard that the movie was based on a Chinese legend. I haven't read the legend, so I don't know what might have been changed for the movie, though I'm almost positive that Mushu was added.
Some time was taken at the beginning of Mulan to show what was going on in Mulan's life. Her family was preparing for her to meet the matchmaker and had high hopes even while realizing that she wasn't exactly typical. She was living in a time when women really weren't treated that well in China. At one point, a male character even said she was nothing because she was female. That aspect of the movie could bother some people, but overall, Mulan was a very strong, independent young woman. Things related to China and the culture of the country were included in the movie. I don't know a lot about those things, so I don't know how accurate the movie was in regard to those things, but I do know there were times when women weren't treated well.
There was more adventure in Mulan than there has been in other Disney animated movies. Much of the movie was focused on Mulan trying to fit in as a male solider while her unit had to deal with the invading Huns. Mulan was fighting next to the men and actually did better than some of them. She didn't sit around and wait to be rescued, so she wasn't a damsel in distress and she was a bit different than some of the previous Disney female characters. The action was mostly provided by the army fighting the Huns and that did add some non graphic violence to the movie. It was rated G, so there really wasn't anything offensive going on. There was a decent amount of humor added as well, mostly provided by Mushu. I thought he was funny, but some people might find him to be too silly or even annoying.
Most of the animated Disney movies have included a bit of romance with the main female character meeting up with a prince of some kind. That really didn't happen in Mulan. There wasn't the emphasis on romance that there has been in previous Disney movies, which I think worked very well for this story. Trying to fit in more romance while Mulan was pretending to be a male in the army just wouldn't have worked that well. The potential relationship between Mulan and Shang seemed to be more of an after thought. That might bother some viewers who are use to there being more romance in Disney animated movies.
Music has been an important part of many Disney animated movies, including Mulan. The movie featured some new songs that I thought worked well with what was going on. The songs did help to move the plot forward. I did think the songs were catchy, though I know that some didn't think the songs were as good as some from previous Disney animated movies. Donny Osmond performed the singing for Shang and Lea Salonga sang as Mulan. She also did the singing for Jasmine in Aladdin and has been in several Broadway musicals. Christina Aguilera sang a version of Reflection that ended up on her debut CD. True to Your Heart, a pop song by 98 Degrees, played during the end credits.
Mulan wanted to honor her family, but she was more independent, which did cause her some problems. She was willing to go to great lengths to protect her father. She was a very strong character who was able to take care of herself and able to help others as well. She was one of the stronger female characters in a Disney animated movie. Ming-Na Wen did fine with the voice of the character. Her parents and grandmother were in a few scenes without really having a lot to do.
Mushu was a little dragon who wanted to be a protector of the family again. He'd been demoted after he caused something really bad to happen to a member of the family. He had plans to get his old job back by helping Mulan and he wasn't concerned at first about anything else. He changed as he came to care about her. He was a cute character and I thought Eddie Murphy did fine with the voice.
Captain Shang was in charge of training the new group of soldiers that Mulan was a part of. His father was a general and he tended to want to do things by the book. He seemed like a nice enough character, though there wasn't much about him shared. B.D. Wong did fine with the voice of the character. The other men in the unit were around without really being that developed and they sort of blended into the background. Shan-Yu was leading the Hun invasion. He was very violent and didn't care who he hurt. He was focused on getting to the emperor. I didn't recognize Miguel Ferrer's voice for the character. The emperor did turn up in a few scenes with Pat Morita doing fine with the voice.
Main Voice Cast
Miguel Ferrer - Shan-Yu Eddie Murphy - Mushu Ming-Na Wen - Mulan B.D. Wong - Captain Shang
Directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook
DVD Information
I picked up Mulan on DVD several years ago. My copy says it is part of the gold collection. I believe the movie has been released on DVD again since then, though I have no idea what sort of extras are on the other version. My copy has both the widescreen and full screen versions, two music videos, and the theatrical trailer. This version came out at a time when Disney really wasn't doing much of anything for extras on DVDs.
Mulan was a very entertaining, well done Disney animated movie that deserves to be seen. I think it is one of their better movies even though I know it hasn't been as popular as some of the others. People who like animated movies, especially the ones made by Disney, should give this one a chance.
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