Ming Na Movie:

				Salesrank: 152701
		Used Price: $35.77
		MPAA Rating: G (General Audience) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
Solid entertainment from a new group of Disney animators. The story source is a Chinese fable about a young girl who disguises herself as a man to help her family and her country. When the Huns attack China, a call to arms goes out to every village, and Mulan's father, being the only man in the family, accepts the call. Mulan (voiced by Ming-Na Wen, sung by Lea Salonga) has just made a disastrous appearance at the Matchmaker and decides to challenge society's expectations (being a bride). She steals her father's conscription notice, cuts her hair, and impersonates a man to join the army. She goes to boot camp, learning to fit in with the other soldiers with some help from her sidekick, Mushu, a wise-cracking dragon (voiced by Eddie Murphy). She trains, and soon faces the Huns eye-to-eye to protect her Emperor.

The film is gorgeous to look at, with a superior blend of classic and computer-generated animation. Directors Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook make the best of it: a battle in the snowy mountains is as thrilling as the best Hollywood action films. The menacing Huns are not cute but simple and bad. The wickedness is subtle, not disturbing. The film is not a full-fledged musical, as it has only five songs (the best, "Be a Man," is sung during boot camp). Eddie Murphy is an inspired choice for the comic-relief dragon, but his lines are not as clever as Robin Williams's in Aladdin. These are minor quibbles, though. The story is strong, and Mulan goes right to the top of Disney animated heroines; she has the right stuff. --Doug Thomas

Mulan [Region 2] Reviews:
Who she is inside
2009-12-14 - Based upon traditional Chinese folklore (try this take on it for a solid introduction by a noted reteller Fa Mulan: The Story of a Woman Warrior), these two movies tell the story of Fa Mulan (Ming-Na Wen), a young girl living in China in the 3rd Century BC. In the first of the two movies we learn that, as the only child of a considerable landowner, Fa Zhou (Soon-Tek Oh), who was lamed in war some years earlier, Mulan has, somewhat of necessity, grown up something of a tomboy, dressing in trousers, working in the fields, and riding her horse Khan astride; but she's found over the years that she enjoys this kind of life--the prospect of "meeting our Matchmaker (Miriam Margolyes)" terrifies her, and the process of getting "primped and polished" so that "boys will gladly go to war for [her]" seems rather stupid. But in her culture, women are at best second-class citizens, and "a girl can bring her family/Great honor...by striking a good match." Then the Huns break through the Great Wall, and the Emperor (Pat Morita) issues a conscription order across the length and breadth of his domain. To spare her father having to go to war, Mulan cuts off her hair, dresses in her father's old armor, and, accompanied by Khan, a lucky cricket given her by her mother, and a disgraced family guardian (a miniature dragon called Mushu (Eddie Murphy)), joins a company of recruits commanded by Captain Shan-Yu (Miguel Ferrer), the eager-to-prove-himself son of General Li (James Shigeta). At first she finds posing as a boy difficult, but before too long she proves her courage, dedication, patriotism, and ability to think quickly and use her body skilfully, and even earns the comradeship of three of the misfit recruits, diminutive squint-eyed Yao (Harvey Fierstein), jokey Ling (Gedde Watanabe), and gentle giant Chien-Po (Jerry Tondo). She saves Shan-Yu's life in the mountains, delays the Huns by causing an avalanche, is found out and disgraced, and then redeems herself when she discovers that the Huns have survived and infiltrated the Imperial City itself, and comes up with a plan to stop them.

In the second movie, Mulan, now recognized as the Hero of China, has agreed to marry Shan-Yu, but before the wedding can take place, the duo are summoned by the Emperor to carry out a mission for him. The ruler of the neighboring realm of Qi Gong has agreed to help the Chinese against the still-threatening Huns if the Emperor will send three of his daughters to marry three Qi Gong princes, and as the road goes through bandit country, a stout escort is needed. Calling up Mulan's three friends, Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po, to help out, Mulan and Shan-Yu set out to deliver the princesses, Mei (Lucy Liu), Ting Ting (Sandra Oh), and Su (Lauren Tom). But there are complications. Mushu has discovered that if Mulan marries Shan-Yu, his family's guardians will take over her protection and Mushu himself will be demoted, so he's resolved to set the two against each other. And the three misfit soldiers, who had hoped that their heroism would win them wives, have discovered that finding willing girls isn't so easy--until they meet the princesses and a triple mutual attraction blooms.

Mulan is a character many girls will identify with, even in today's more liberated climate, and her struggle to balance her society's expectations with who she feels she really is carries relevant messages for adults too. Though Murphy as Mushu is slightly over the top, the other voice talents are well done, and there's plenty of fast-paced high-octane action, peril, and people doing physical things gracefully and well. (And, yes, the Huns, though they were the ancestors of today's Hungarians and ultimately went west, did in fact imperil China during this time period.) Admittedly the second movie is vaguely disappointing (at least to me), but it has its good points, and on balance the set is well worth adding to your collection.

Beautiful movie
2009-12-02 - This is a great animated film. The story is empowering to little girls and the music and voices are great.

Was all that humor necessary?
2009-11-14 - Disney could have done a great job with this adaptation of a Chinese folk tale. But unfortunately, they just had to ruin it with some comedy. Now, I'm not saying that this automatically makes the film a complete failure. The animation is top-notch, with some beautiful scenery and a powerful action sequence. The drama really adds to the tension in some scenes. The music from Jerry Goldsmith is also a treat. But what really makes this a mediocre Disney film is the unnecessary comedy. Disney could have made this one of its more outstanding animated films, if it weren't for all that humor. Instead of it being a serious epic like Princess Mononoke, Mulan is more of an uneven display of drama and slapstick. All of this funny stuff is very out of place for such a powerful folk tale. Couldn't they have taken Mushu more seriously? Plus, the songs are very forgettable. "A Girl Worth Fighting For" and "I'll Make a Man Out of You" aren't in the same level as "Be Our Guest" and "I Just Can't Wait to be King." There are no memorable melodies and no decent lyrics, though "Reflection" is a slightly up there.

So Mulan is basically a mixed bag. The stunning animation and the apparent drama are what's good about it. The unnecessary comedy and underwhelming songs are what's bad about it. It's too bad, really. This project had some big potential, but they just had to turn it into an adequate animated film.

Grade: C

LOVE it
2009-11-14 - I enjoy watching Mulan 1 & 2. The majority of Disney films, the main female characters are princesses in distress. Like Snow White bites the apple and sleeps, then the prince saves her. The Little Mermaid, Sleepy Beauty . . . Unfortunate, Disney and other film companies should promote more females as the main protagonist (HERO) in nonfiction or fiction movies like Mulan, who saves China not only once but twice with help of her friends. Kids these days would feel inspired than limited to the stereotype role. Overall, Mulan is good family film to add in your collection of movies. A must.

Tracy's review
2009-11-12 - Mulan is one of my all-time favorite Disney Movies. She is such a strong character. I love the special edition, which includes a bonus disc featuring how the movie was made, a segment about the music and much more. This is a classic.