Mulan (1998) Disney/Action-Adventure RT: 87 minutes Rated G (some non-graphic war violence and rude humor) Director: Barry Cook and Tony Bancroft Screenplay: Rita Hsiao, Christopher Sanders, Philip LaZebnik, Raymond Singer and Eugenia Bostwick-Singer Music: Jerry Goldsmith Release date: June 19, 1998 (US) Cast: Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong, Miguel Ferrer, June Foray, Harvey Fierstein, Gedde Watanabe, Jerry Tondo, James Hong, Soon-Tek Oh, Pat Morita, George Takei, Miriam Margolyes, Freda Foh Shen, James Shigeta, Frank Welker, Chris Sanders, Mary Kay Bergman. Box Office: $120.6M (US)/$304M (World)
Rating: *** ½
In anticipation of the live-action version opening soon (March 27), I decided to revisit Disney’s Mulan for the first time since its original release in summer ’98. My viewing of it came with a measure of sadness brought on by the realization that it signals the end of an era for Disney. Not only did it come out at the tail end of their Renaissance (1989-99), it was also one of their last traditionally animated movies before they gradually switched over to computer animation. It was followed by others, many of which failed to make an impact- e.g. Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Treasure Planet and Brother Bear. Next to 1999’s Tarzan, Mulan is the best of the lot.
Ming Na-Wen (TV’s Agents of SHIELD) voices the titular heroine in Mulan, a young woman in ancient China who disguises herself as a young man so she can fight in the war against the Huns. Led by the evil Shan-Yu (Ferrer, RoboCop), they breach the Great Wall to invade China. Fearing his army is outnumbered, the Emperor (Morita, The Karate Kid) orders that one man from each family be conscripted to serve.
In the Fa household, Mulan is not exactly the ideal daughter. She’s a strong-willed, independent sort who speaks out of turn and shows zero interest in marrying a man chosen for her by the local matchmaker. A visit to said matchmaker (Margolyes, the Harry Potter series) goes disastrously and hilariously wrong. Then the emperor’s adviser shows up with orders. Since her elderly father (Oh, Death Wish 4) is the only man in the family, he’s the one who will have to serve. Worried about his failing health, Mulan steals his sword and armor, cuts her hair and reports for duty under Captain Li Shang (Wong, Law & Order: SVU). Naturally, they develop feelings for each other; it wouldn’t be a Disney movie if they didn’t.
Mulan also wouldn’t be a true Disney movie without comic relief in the form of cute animal sidekicks like Mushu (Murphy, Beverly Hills Cop), a little red dragon sent to protect her by the family’s ancestors to whom the grandmother prays for Mulan’s safety. A disgraced former “Guardian”, Mushu assumes the job of protector after an act of clumsiness on his part destroys the “Great Stone Dragon”. Aided by a good luck cricket, Mushu advises Mulan in the ways of manhood and battle. After a rocky start, Ping (as Mulan now calls herself) becomes a good soldier and wins the respect of her brothers-in-arms. She also manages to successfully pass as a man.
Obviously, Mulan is a story of female empowerment in which a plucky young girl defies convention and tradition to be seen as an equal. Like Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Mulan wants more out of life than the role society expects her to play, the dutiful daughter and wife. She lives in a time when nobody listens to what a woman has to say and when she dares speak up, she disgraces her family. What sets Mulan apart is its visual style which draws from classical Eastern cartoon art particularly when it comes to depicting nature. It would appear the animators at Disney are starting to recognize the amazing work being done in Japanese anime. There are a few striking images like the Huns sweeping down a snowy mountain after our heroes. What Mulan does next is equal parts bravery and cleverness.
Above all else, Mulan is an exciting, action-filled adventure powered by girl power. It manages to stay true to its feminist message while simultaneously allowing its heroine to fall in love. The songs aren’t all that memorable, but Mulan isn’t really a musical outing like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. It tells a cool story and has some amazing action sequences. Murphy gets off some great lines as Mushu. Mulan is sufficiently plucky and resourceful. I really like this movie. I hope the live-action version gets it right.
