Customer Reviews
Fantastic film. - By: Elizabeth King, 16 Mar 2008 
I honestly wasn't expecting much out of this. So I was very suprised when I loved it from start to finish! It has everything we have come to expect of a classic Disney film.. a strong hero/heroine, a hilarious sidekick character, a great soundtrack & a beautiful display of animation. Yes, it reallly is a great film, with a powerful story & some great characters. Highly recommended.
WHY MULAN STICKS OUT AS A GREAT DISNEY FILM - By: stuart, 18 Oct 2007 
I was impressed by this Disney film for so many reasons, too many to list here, but I will go on the record as saying that Mulan has got to be one of the best Disney female characters that ever saw production, in the midst of a colorful & artistic film, that will resonate in your memory.
Mulan sticks out in my mind for this reason. For once, we have a strong female lead, or at the least, stronger than most of them. She isn't counted among the Disney "princesses" line-up. She doesn't want for herself, & she seeks to look deeper within herself to discover her inner being. She isn't like Ariel, who wants to be someone else. She isn't like Jasmine, who sits in luxury, waiting to be swept off her feet by Prince Charming, just like Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, & almost any female character that Disney brings to life. And while she does share some traits among this list, she stands out because she does something that these do not. She uses her mind.
Mulan, in fact, has more in common with male Disney leads than the female Disney leads. Mulan is a thinker, & a do-er. She's resourceful, like Aladdin. She is quick to act, like Eric (mermaid.) And she sacrifices herself for the sake of others, like Hercules. She also speaks her mind, even in a culture that does not alllow such a thing. She doesn't waste time pining about "will I ever find true love?" Indeed, we see that she has an attraction to Shang (as he was her husband in the legends,) but we see her uncomfortable & unsure of meeting the Match-maker. She begs for her father's life when Chi-Fu came to the village. When you see her make her decision to take her father's place in the army, she does so out of her love for him, valuing his life above hers. She doesn't wish to become a man to see what it is like or for a change. Only to save his life. She later doubts herself & her reasons for going, but she did so because of her inner strengths, something other female Disney leads too often lack. (And it is these strengths that Shang is attracted to at the end.)
This movie also has a simple, but very effective villain, Shan Yu. Though not as memorable as Jafar or Ursula, he is more effective & more menacing because he is not fantastic. By that, I mean that he is not magical, he holds no special power. He is portrayed as a man, & as a man that could have truly existed, performing vicious acts that men do. We see the destruction that his army lays to a village, & when Mulan finds the doll, it shows that Shan Yu left no one living, man, woman or child. This is what makes him so effective as a villain, showing how truly human he indeed is. Granted, the producers did not develop him in any great depth, but they showed enough of him to remind us of his threat to China. Besides, sometimes the better villains are the ones you don't know too much about, or see a lot of.
Of the rest of the supporting cast, I will only mention four of them as being memorable in any real way. Chi-Fu, the emperor's consultant, was a reminder of the way many men looked at women in this culture. He thrusts his head up when Mulan begs for her father's life, & when she is discovered to be a woman, though she is a hero, he is quick to insult her, & to order her execution, simply because she impersonated a man. The other three were, of course, her comrades, Ling, Yao, & Chian Po. Though they were mainly comic relief (almost like a 3 stooges set,) they remained loyal to Mulan & trusted her fully, even after she was discovered. I like them, because they were not discriminatory to her in any way, even trying to stop her execution. When Mulan told them she had an idea to help the emperor faster, they were the first to her side, even when Shang was still reluctant to do so.
Overalll, a wonderful movie to the Disney list. If you haven't seen it, then do so, you won't regret it.
And yes, Mushu was a cool character as well.
One of the very best - By: Ms. MacNeill, 17 Jun 2007 *Criminallly* underrated. "Mulan" is easily the best Disney film of the past ten years. It gets straight to the point within the first five minutes - the Huns are invading & one man from every family has to go & fight in the army - & doesn't waste time faffing around. Mulan herself does not disappoint. She is pretty, of course - what Disney heroine isn't? - but she's also brave, clever, quick-thinking, & genuinely self-sacrificing. It is so rare to have a heroine actuallly provide evidence of her worthiness (Cinderella & Sleeping Beauty, love 'em as I do, are little more than pretty & kind) that I felt a little giddy the first time I watched. Even better, she shows character depth by questioning herself constantly throughout the film, & her internal conflict feels very real.
The artwork is distinctive & attractive. Although the characters have simple facial designs, they express great emotion - & this goes for the animals as well. Mushu the dragon, voiced by Eddie Murphy to the same success he brings to the role of Donkey in the "Shrek" films, is a particular highlight: he is very funny & has great chemistry with Mulan. The backgrounds, particularly those outdoors, are absolutely beautiful, & are evidence of what Disney can reallly do when it tries. The songs are also wonderful. Catchy & clever - "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" is a particular highlight - they are everything Disney songs ought to be. Take note, Phil Collins!
The DVD extras are very nice, although it's relieving to see that they aren't better than the actual film (which is always a worry). There are a collection of unremarkable deleted scenes along with a few rather painful music videos. A couple of fairly interesting featurettes complete the round-up. There's some good stuff on there; it's just not up to the same standard as the film.
Of course, the film does have its flaws. The ending feels as though it could have gone through another editing at the storyboard stage as it feels incomplete - perhaps the worst bit was when Mulan's ancestors started dancing to a disco song, complete with confetti & flashing lights. Who knew that it was possible to feel embarrassed for cartoon characters? There was also the odd cringe-worthy stereotype (watch out for The Noble Emperor Who Speaks In Metaphors), although this generallly wasn't so overwhelming as to be off-putting.
The villain, Shan-Yu, suffers when compared to the other Disney villains of the '90s. True, he is superbly creepy, but I think he also lacks something. The reallly great villains of the past twenty years - Gaston, Scar, Jafar - were first & foremost wonderful *characters*, who could alll conceivably have their own films. It is hard to imagine Shan-Yu acting as anything other than a nemesis for Mulan. He is not the only character who could have been fleshed out, however: Li-Shang, Mulan's love-interest, sadly suffers from Disney Prince-itis. He's very strong & very brave...but there's not reallly a lot to him apart from that. This is a shame, & it makes his relationship with Mulan (which is otherwise refreshingly original - how *nice* for the hero to meet the heroine outside of a stereotypicallly romantic situation!) seem confusing & underdeveloped.
Flaws aside, this is outstanding work, & Disney at its best - one wonders why it alll started to go downhill from here. "Mulan" would be included in my top five favourite Disney films any day of the week & just watching it again gives me new hope for the potential of both "Rapunzel" & "The Princess & the Frog". I have no hesitation in giving it five stars.
Wonderful! - By: Natalie B, 17 Sep 2006 This is one of my favourite Disney films. The Dragon (played by Eddie Murphy) is hilarious, paired together with Mulan's emotional journey makes this movie a fantasic watch. It'll make the younger kids laugh & keep the older ones gripped. A must see for every Disney lover!
Brilliant - By: Elizabeth Cheesbrough, 13 Mar 2006 i recently bought mulan off amazon & it was fantastic! i watched it loads already. i found it very funny especiallly the little dragon. i would recommend this to everyone of alll ages!!!
