Mulan (1998)

DISCLAIMER: This is my OPiNIOn. I am human. I am biased. My word is not law. You can like or dislike whatever the heck you want. If you disagree with my review, that is completely okay. Keep it respectful if you want to debate with me in the comments. Then let’s both move on. I genuinely hope you have a great day.

As much as I would love to rant about the 2020 live-action remake, I’ve decided there’s already enough negativity in the world and I’d rather give the original the praise and love it deserves. That isn’t to say it doesn’t have its flaws but it’s still considerably better than the travesty Disney burned into my eyeballs last year.

Setting

The opening credits are the first indication that you are in for one hour and twenty-eight minutes of pure artistry. The transition of the ink moving across the parchment before solidifying into the Great Wall is a beautiful tribute to the culture this film takes inspiration from. Everything from the snowy mountains, the burned village, and the Imperial City has so much detail, contrast, life, color, and dedication. I personally could feel the deep effort the animators put in to respect and appreciate the origin of their story. The blend of traditional Western animation with nods to the painted art of the Han Dynasty lends a very fresh and unique feel to the film. It is literally a moving masterpiece.

For example, the mood whiplash from the cheery, blue “A Girl Worth Fighting For” to the horrific dark reds and black smoke of the ruined village is extremely jarring because of the opposing color palettes. The battle scene where Mulan triggers an avalanche to take out the Hun army is *chef’s kiss.*

I personally don’t mind that it could be completely historically inaccurate.

On the other hand, there are some questionable racial depictions that I didn’t pick up on as a kid. Shan Yu is portrayed as very barbaric, monstrous, and animalistic. I can definitely see how his caricature (ie. yellowed eyes, sharpened teeth) and heavily villainized references to Mongolian stereotypes could be offensive to some. I don’t feel like I’m educated enough to commentate on it but I do want to acknowledge that it exists. Mulan has a lot of good messages but it doesn’t mean we should ignore its problems, no matter how small they may seem.

Characters

MULAN IS A QUEEN. She can STEP ON ME with her raised sandals and I would apologize for soiling her feet. She is empowering not because she is born flawless but because of how she overcomes her insecurities. She is an outcast in her village. She bombs her matchmaking ceremony and is utterly humiliated. She feels like she will never be able to live up to her society’s and her family’s expectations. But she deeply cares for her father. And even though she has no fighting experience, even though she could die, even though she is a massive disadvantage, she disguises herself as a man and takes his place in the draft. Now THAT is courage.

She doesn’t fit in with women and when she joins the men, she doesn’t fit in either! She’s awkward, she’s bullied, and even her tent is located far away from everyone else. She is grounded. She is relatable. She is complex. She didn’t save China because she had superpowers or she was the chosen one or she had chi or any of that CRAP. But because she used her wits, she worked hard. The “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” montage is the perfect example of this. In the beginning, she is the slowest and weakest in the group. In fact, she is so bad that Shang tells her to pack her bags and get the frick out. But does she accept that? NOOOOO. Instead of trying to climb the wooden pole and retrieve the arrow with brute strength, she uses the momentum of the weights to wrap the ropes around the pole and climbs like THAT. It takes all night, gosh darn it, but she DOES IT. No one else could do it but she did because she’s SMART and DETERMINED. And by the end of the song, she’s in the lead of the group! She’s great at everything because she doesn’t give up.

That doesn’t mean she hasn’t felt like giving up. When she’s discovered as a woman, thrown out of the army, and left to freeze on the mountain, she’s devastated. She says that she doesn’t see herself as worthwhile. She looks into her reflection she sees NOTHING. She CRIES. I CRIED. She feels like a failure. IF YOU SAY YOU’VE NEVER CRIED OR FELT LIKE A FAILURE AT SOME POINT, YOU’RE EITHER A LIAR OR AN EGOMANIAC OR A NARCISSIST. But when she sees the Huns about to attack the Imperial City, she doesn’t waste any time.

She gets off her butt. She kicks Shan Yu’s butt. The fact that she disarms the sword (a traditionally masculine tool) with a fan (a traditionally feminine tool) is such a clever touch of symbolism. The reprise of “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” while Chien Po, Yao, and Ling dress in drag is also a great metaphor for how being feminine isn’t necessarily a bad thing. SHE SAVES CHINA. SHE SAVED AN ENTIRE COUNTRY. SHE IS SUPERIOR. Her development is incredible. She is incredible. She is so amazing that Disney made her a princess on the sheer grounds of her bravery and heroism (and also merchandising opportunities). She will always be my favorite character. Always.

Chien Po, Yao, and Ling share one brain cell between them. They are absolute idiots and they are the absolute best. Every scene they are in is gloriously hilarious and stupid. Their differing personalities bounce off one another marvelously.

Do I even need to explain why Mushu is a king? No, I do not. Do I care if he’s culturally inaccurate? No, because he’s a king. Every word out of his mouth is pure gold. He even has a character arc of his own where he learns to stop being an obnoxious, selfish dipwad and grows to genuinely care about his friends Mulan and Cri-kee.

Get yourself a friend as loyal to you as Khan is to Mulan.

Shang Li is a surprisingly well fleshed-out love interest. He’s responsible. He’s mature. He has great leadership skills. I like how he’s pressured to live up to his father and how he grieves when the general dies. I like that he learns to respect and love Mulan whether she’s disguised as a man or not. Even though men and women might have different strengths and weaknesses, they can accomplish great things together if they treat each other as equals. This movie told me, “Even if you’re a girl, you can excel just as much as your male peers if you put the effort in.” Now that’s feminism.

Mulan’s Father is so wise, caring, and encouraging. Every word that comes out of his mouth is platinum. “The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.” Also, when Mulan returned home with Shan Yu’s sword and a crest from the Emperor, he said that having her as a daughter was the greatest daughter of all. He is a god-tier parent. I get choked up every time I watch that scene. Need I say more?

Of course, everything that comes out of Grandma's mouth is diamond.

The Emperor is the coolest cool old man. Just the way he puts his hat on and walks away after telling Shang “You don’t find a girl like that every dynasty” has more swagger than I will ever have in my entire life. The line “No matter how much the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it” is so savage and classy at the same time. Sophisticated and iconic. It's so great, I made it my bio.

Shan Yu is an awesome antagonist. He’s not just physically intimidating but he’s very intelligent, too. The fact that his henchmen respect him and are as equally competent and threatening as he is doesn’t hurt either. I’m a sucker for villains with a dark sense of humor. (ie. “How many men does it take to send a message?” and “Besides, the little girl will be missing her doll. We should return it to her.” Honestly, his motivations aren’t that deep but his award-worthy line delivery, pure evilness, cold-bloodedness make up for it. He also has a hawk for a sidekick, which is super rad.

Music

There are only four songs in the soundtrack and none of them suck.

“Honor to Us All” is okay. It’s not bad but it’s probably the least memorable.

“Reflection” is not only a wonderful anthem for the transgender community, but for anyone going through an identity crisis. Everybody sing it with me! WHOOOO IS THAT GIRL IiIIiII SEEEEE? STAAAARING STRAIGHT BAAACK AAT MEEEEE ～🎵

“I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” is a banger. It slaps so frickin’ hard I’m not ashamed to admit I work out to it on a regular basis.

“A Girl Worth Fighting For” always cheers me up (as long as I don’t think about the massacred village and dead little girl immediately after it’s cut off). I have adopted the philosophy of not caring what a person looks like but only caring what they cook like. Chien Po is a peacekeeper, is always calm, happy, and easygoing, and loves food. We should all be like Chien Po. If they laugh at all my bad jokes, as Ling said, that would be nice, too.

Final Score

9.5/10. Yes, I am biased. I’m sorry if you expected an objective review. That is not what you’re getting. I will cherish this movie until my last breath and I WILL be buried with a copy of it.