Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Mulan (1998, G)

When I was eleven, Mulan was totally my girl.  Loved her to bits – still do.  Like The Hunchback of Notre Dame, this Disney renaissance film holds up fantastically well in adulthood.  The story rocks, the animation is fabulous, and a few of the musical numbers are just superb.

Mulan is a young woman who can never seem to get it right.  As her parents’ only child, the family looks to her to make a good match and bring honor to them, but she’s not really considered “marriage material” in their village.  She’s too spirited, too outspoken, not ladylike enough.  When the emperor requires a man from every family to join the war against the invading Huns, Mulan takes the place of her ailing father, making off with his armor and intending to pass herself off as male.  With the help of her faithful horse, a lucky cricket, and a little dragon with a big personality (who’s similarly desperate to make good,) Mulan is determined to fit in and prove herself among her rough ‘n’ tumble fellow soldiers, finally bringing honor to her family.

Honestly, this movie just has it all.  Mulan has a gorgeous hero’s journey, fighting for her country, her family, and recognition of her own worth as a person.  Gender expectations are explored, subverted, parodied, and challenged.  The action is exciting, the humor is fun, and the heart is stunning.  Rewatching the film, I had multiple tearjerk moments, either because I was empathizing so hard with Mulan or just because my girl was making me so proud.  (My vote for the most affecting?  During the song “Reflection,” where Mulan kneels before the family shrine as she sings, “Somehow I can’t hide / Who I am, / Though I’ve tried” – ugh, my heart!)  And the animation – I just adore the wordless sequence of Mulan making her decision, taking her father’s armor, cutting her long hair short, and leaving home.  We’re talking goose bumps, so good.  While I think Alan Menken’s Disney scores are generally better, Matthew Wilder and David Zippel’s score is nothing to sneeze at.  Mostly, it’s just short, with only four numbers in the whole film.  “Reflection” is lovely, though, and “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” is both ridiculously catchy and one of my favorite Disney montages ever.

I may love Mulan even more now that I’m a grown-up and a geek.  I almost always knew that the sublime Lea Salonga did her singing voice (Mulan and Jasmine – the woman’s a Disney princess twice over!), but it’s only recently that I learned her speaking voice is provided by none other than Ming-na Wen, a.k.a. May from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (a.k.a. one of the absolute best reasons to watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.)  Wen is stellar from word one, and B.D. Wong does a fine job as Shang, the captain Mulan fights alongside and begins to fall for.  The movie also features the voices of Eddie Murphy as Mushu the dragon, James Hong, Pat Morita, and the incomparable George Takei.

Warnings

Battle violence (it’s Disney, but still pretty intense,) some frightening images, a little implied nudity, and some gross-out humor.

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