Mulan (1998)

Mulan (1998)

7/10

Starring the voices of

Ming-Na Wen

Eddie Murphy

B.D. Wong

Miguel Ferrer

Directed by Barry Cook and Tony Bancroft

To be honest when Eddie Murphy is voice casting (like he did in the Shrek franchise), the animation will have moments. That is what Mulan had, this musical action comedy had enough moments of pure laughter, featuring Murphy’s character Mushu.

Also, enough respect to the animators, Mulan was culturally drawn to fit the Chinese setting it was built on with enough action scenes to make you respect the path the movie took to get its message across.

Mulan is the 36^th feature animated movie in the Disney Renaissance Era and is followed by the last movie in that Era Tarzan (1999) and preceded by Hercules (1997).

Mulan's tale is woven from the legendary story of Hua Mulan. She is described in "the Ballad of Mulan" as a woman who took her aged father's place in the army. She fought for twelve years and gained high merit.

Disney, being Disney took that story and made the best tale they could from it, which included dragons, a murder plot and turning her into a bigger hero than the ballad made her to be.

Let us start the tale of this movie from what followed when she disguised herself as a man to be able to join the army. After her departure in her father's place, her family prayed to their ancestors to protect her.

The ancestors ordered a small dragon named Mushu, to go awaken the "great stone dragon" to protect Mulan in the army. Mushu accidentally destroys the dragon in the process of trying to wake it up and decides to conceal this and protect Mulan by himself.

In camp, Mulan struggles with her manliness and was receiving guidance from Mushu, which were no good. There she trained and developed the skills to be a warrior fit to serve. Soon things got out of hand and during a battle she got hurt on the chest and her identity revealed, during medical attention.

She was expelled from the army.

Mulan on her journey home discovers that the battle they fought that led to her expulsion was not won, and that danger laid ahead for her comrades and the emperor and she must do something.

Great movie, and one that showed the difficulty of some tasks being set aside for men only. In this #METOO movement and female empowerment, if the movie was released today, it will perform better in the box office than when it was initially released.

Mulan is a great female character, one whose tale can be watched and re-watched numerous times. The movie did not have as much memorable songs as the later Tarzan did, but it is a movie worthy to be up there as one of the best animations made.