My Review of Mulan (1998)

 

Written by Rita Hsiao And Chris Sanders And Philip LaZebnik And Raymond Singer And Eugenia Bostwick-Singer And Robert D. San Souci

Directed by Barry Cook And Tony Bancroft

Mulan: "My ancestors sent a little lizard to help me?"

Mushu: "Hey! Dragon. *Dra-gon*, not lizard. I don't do that tongue thing."

Back in 2020 when the live action version of this came out during the height of COVID and went down like a lead balloon, I reviewed. I also realised that I never reviewed the animated version. Time to amend that.

Our lead heroine, Fa Mulan (Ming-Na Wen) has gotten to that age where her parents wanted to marry her but after one disastrous encounter with a matchmaker, it seemed like marriage wasn't going to be on the table for Mulan.

Of course, marriage wasn't that big a priority for Mulan and when the Emperor was mobilising conscriptions that included Mulan's much older father, Fa Zhao (Soon-tek Oh). Mulan tried to get him out of it, he didn't like her intervention and then she conscribed herself in his place.

Mulan posing as a man in the Chinese Army aided with tiny dragon Mushu (Eddie Murphy) was where the movie came to life. She butted heads and then became friends with fellow soldiers, Yao (Harvey Fierstein), Ling (Gedde Watanabe) and Chien-Po (Jerry Tondo). Then there was her rapport with Captain Li Shang (BD Wong).

Yes, there's a hint of romance between Mulan and Li Shang throughout their time together but of course, there were obstacles. The main one being that Mulan's identity as a woman came out during a crucial time and of course, there was the war itself.

This came into the third act in the Huns seize the palace and take the Emperor hostage. The battle between Mulan and Shan Yu (Miguel Ferrer) did lead to the former being rewarded as a hero and even getting Li Shang to stay for dinner. Oh and a legacy intact for Mushu.

- This was the first Disney movie to ever get released on DVD, a year after it's theatrical release.

- The only Disney movie to use the phrase "crossdresser".

- Standout music: Honour To Us All, Reflection, I'll Make A Man Out Of You, A Girl Worth Fighting For and True To Your Heart.

- Chronology: The real Mulan appeared in a 6th century ballad.

Mulan isn't one of my favourites but it's an enjoyable one. As it's Disney, there's some creative liberties taken with this one but the songs are good and the romance more understated.

Rating: 7 out of 10