Mulan (1998)
The legend of Mulan can be traced back through the centuries, and there have been several Chinese films honoring the female warrior who disguised herself as a man while battling the Huns. I’ve seen a couple of them, but to me, nothing compares to the Disney musical. In my opinion, it’s one of the best Disney cartoons ever made. It’s a fantastic true story, it has action, tears, laughs, romance, great characters, and beautiful music. It’s not too silly for the parents in the audience, and it’s not too scary for the kids. And it also educates people on certain Chinese customs, managing to teach culture and history through entertainment.
Christina Aguilera immortalized “Reflection”, and while it is a beautiful song, it’s not the only one in the movie. “Honor to Us All”, the first number, reminds me of the fantastic “Belle” opening song from Beauty and the Beast. It shows the townspeople bonding together with common beliefs and expectations, and the heroine is an outsider who hasn’t yet found herself. “Honor to Us All” educates the audience about Chinese customs at that time by showing the different paths men and women take. How to honor the family: “Our boys by bearing arms, our girls by bearing sons.” Another lyric shows the expectation of how Mulan should mold herself to fit in with society: “Men like girls with good taste, calm, obedient, who worked fast-paced. With good breeding and a tiny waist, you’ll bring honor to us all.”
In the incredibly moving sequence, Mulan decides to honor her family in a different way. Her aged father has been drafted, and to save his life, she cuts her hair and dons his uniform. With her grandmother’s lucky cricket and a guardian appointed by the ghosts of her ancestors, she has to disguise herself and blend in with the other male soldiers. There are countless jokes that would undoubtedly provoke riots if they were made today (hence the recent non-musical remake) but they’re still funny in my book. The wonderful song “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” has clever lyrics that aren’t meant to be offensive but instead completely tie in with the first number about women’s expectations.
I could probably write another four paragraphs about how wonderful and moving this Disney movie is, but it would take less time to just watch it again instead. With fantastic voice acting from Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong, Miguel Ferrer, Harvey Fierstein, June Foray, James Hong, George Takei, and a few lines of dialogue from James Shigeta and Pat Morita, lovely stylized animation, and a meaningful message, even if you don’t like musicals, you’ll find plenty of reasons to love this movie.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. When Mulan gets woken up by the cricket’s “alarm clock” her POV shows double vision for a few seconds, and it will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
More Eddie Murphy movies here!
Christina Aguilera immortalized “Reflection”, and while it is a beautiful song, it’s not the only one in the movie. “Honor to Us All”, the first number, reminds me of the fantastic “Belle” opening song from Beauty and the Beast. It shows the townspeople bonding together with common beliefs and expectations, and the heroine is an outsider who hasn’t yet found herself. “Honor to Us All” educates the audience about Chinese customs at that time by showing the different paths men and women take. How to honor the family: “Our boys by bearing arms, our girls by bearing sons.” Another lyric shows the expectation of how Mulan should mold herself to fit in with society: “Men like girls with good taste, calm, obedient, who worked fast-paced. With good breeding and a tiny waist, you’ll bring honor to us all.”
In the incredibly moving sequence, Mulan decides to honor her family in a different way. Her aged father has been drafted, and to save his life, she cuts her hair and dons his uniform. With her grandmother’s lucky cricket and a guardian appointed by the ghosts of her ancestors, she has to disguise herself and blend in with the other male soldiers. There are countless jokes that would undoubtedly provoke riots if they were made today (hence the recent non-musical remake) but they’re still funny in my book. The wonderful song “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” has clever lyrics that aren’t meant to be offensive but instead completely tie in with the first number about women’s expectations.
I could probably write another four paragraphs about how wonderful and moving this Disney movie is, but it would take less time to just watch it again instead. With fantastic voice acting from Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong, Miguel Ferrer, Harvey Fierstein, June Foray, James Hong, George Takei, and a few lines of dialogue from James Shigeta and Pat Morita, lovely stylized animation, and a meaningful message, even if you don’t like musicals, you’ll find plenty of reasons to love this movie.
DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. When Mulan gets woken up by the cricket’s “alarm clock” her POV shows double vision for a few seconds, and it will make you sick. In other words, “Don’t Look, Mom!”
More Eddie Murphy movies here!