Other Titles • China Doll (1997) • The Legend of Mulan (1997)
Synopses for Mulan (1998)
1.
An adaptation of a 2,000 year old Chinese poem in which a fiercely independent young woman (Mulan) disguises herself as a man in order to take her ailing father's place in the Imperial Army's campaign against the brutal hun leader Shan-Yu. Chock full of the usual Disney delights; breathtaking animation, catchy songs, and a funny little animal (this time, a tiny guardian dragon voiced by the resilient and newly kid-friendly Eddie Murphy).
(58 votes)
2.
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
(60 votes)
3.
2 Disc Set
"An impressive achievement ranking with Beauty And the Beast and The Lion King!" -Roger Ebert
"This warrior is a winner!" -People Magazine
Prepare yourself for the legendary adventure...
(52 votes)
4.
Mulan is a young girl from a family of famous warriors. When a large-scale war starts raging in China as a result of a long and disastrous drought, she dresses herself as a warrior and joins Kahn's troops instead of her old and powerless father. After Mulan's capture by enemies and eventual escape, she must conquer the challenges of the four elements of nature, defeat the enemies and awaken the dragon that melts the snow from Himalai to end the long period of life-threatening drought.
(51 votes)
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