Review of Mulan (1998) by Brittany R — 22 Apr 2011

In my opinion, Mulan is the most underrated film of the Disney Renaissance, which spanned from 1989 to 1999 (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, this, and Tarzan).

Yes, that is how I feel at this moment. Mulan was, as far as I can recall, the second movie I ever saw at the cinema (after Toy Story, and I can't remember whether or not I saw The Rugrats Movie in theaters). So, needless to say, I have nostalgia for this film. As a lifelong Disney fan, there are MANY great things about this film.

Mulan joins Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, and perhaps Pocahontas, as a 90s Disney heroine, and I'll be honest, she is my favorite of them all, even over Tiana (I haven't seen Tangled yet). What Mulan has in common with them is that she knows clearly what she wants, and that she is unhappy with where she is in her life. I must say that also like all the others, Mulan is very beautiful (random, I know). I love Mulan's desire to be herself, and also to save her father, even if it means dishonoring her family. The other characters in this film are very good and entertaining as well; I LOVE Mushu, who is hilariously well-voiced by Eddie Murphy, the Three Stooges-like soldiers whose names I can't recall (except for the big one, Chien Po), and Sheng. I also really like the Huns as the villains in this movie, especially the main one. He is VERY intimidating; I remember getting chills seeing him in theaters in 1998 when I was just 5.

The animation in this film is gorgeous. Everything moves very fluidly and with weight, and the backgrounds are beautiful. I also love how the design is inspired by Chinese artwork, with the way the explosions "curl" up and stuff. This movie has some very good action scenes as well, the best beeing the avalanche scene and then the climax.

The songs in this movie are fantastic. "A Girl We're Fighting For" works on a humorous level, serving as comic relief, while "Reflection" is beautifully sung and very emotional, and "Be a Man" is as inspiring as "Gonna Fly Now" from the Rocky movies.

There's really nothing bad I can say about Mulan, I initially felt that it didn't hold up, but after rewatching I was definitely wrong. This movie is fantastic, and is every bit as awesome as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Lion King among others, though The Lion King is my all time favorite Disney animated film (not including Pixar). It has a pretty large fanbase, but is still underrated because it is often referred to as one of the "weaker" films of the Disney Renaissance (which I completely disagree with).

I'll have to pick up the DVD of this wonderful movie soon.