Themes: Heroic Mission, Gender-Bending, Fathers and Daughters
Main Cast: Ming-Na Wen, Lea Salonga, Eddie Murphy, B.D. Wong, Donny Osmond
Release Year: 1998
Country: US
Run Time: 88 minutes
MPAA Rating: G
Plot
Inspired by a familiar Chinese folk tale, this $90 million animated Disney drama follows the adventures of a young woman in ancient China. Character animator Tony Bancroft and 17-year Disney veteran Barry Cook (Captain EO, Tron, Trail Mix-Up) formed the directing team with production design by Hans Bacher (Balto), and work on the film began 2 January 1995 under the working title The Legend of Mulan. While the merciless Shan-Yu (Miguel Ferrer) leads invading Huns over the Great Wall, young Mulan (Ming-Na Wen, with singing by Lea Salonga) sees a matchmaker about her matrimonial future. Mulan's views on accepted marriage traditions prompt the ballad, "Reflection," as she hopes for a recognition of her true self. To repel the Huns, a man from each family is required to join the Imperial Army. When Mulan's elderly father Fa Zhou (Soon-Tek Oh) volunteers, she objects. He warns, "I know my place. It is time you learned yours." Mulan, however, cuts her hair, dresses as a man, and is ready for military camp, prompting the concern of her First Ancestor (George Takei), who converts an inanimate incense burner into the 18-inch high comedic dragon Mushu (Eddie Murphy). With Mushu hidden in her clothing, she joins a group of raw recruits under the command of Captain Shang (B.D. Wong, singing by Donny Osmond). During an ambush by the Huns in a mountain pass, Mulan steps in to turn defeat into a victory. Mulan was the first Disney feature from the company's 200,000-square-foot Orlando facility (now known as Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
Review
Beginning with The Lion King and Pocahontas, Disney's feature animation efforts took on a more ethnically diverse tone in the late 1990s. As a result, the studio that had once specialized in white-bread Americana took on a more global viewpoint. Mulan was another example of this trend, using mostly Asian voices and a diverse group of production talents in the service of a lavish adaptation of a traditional Chinese folk tale. Centering on a young girl who disguises herself as a man and joins the Army in order to save her family's honor, the film is a feminist statement -- which is in keeping with the 1990s Disney trend of stronger female protagonists. The score by Jerry Goldsmith and songs by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel add some lightness to an unusually mirthless Disney drama. Comedian Eddie Murphy is one of the few big-name talents in the production; Ming-Na Wen's strong but compassionate voice carries the bulk of the film. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
Ric Sluiter - Art Director, Robert S. Garber - Associate Producer, Kendra Haaland - Associate Producer, Ruth Lambert - Casting, Barry Cook - Director, Tony Bancroft - Director, Michael Kelly - Editor, Jerry Goldsmith - Composer (Music Score), Matthew Wilder - Songwriter, David Zippel - Songwriter, Hans Bacher - Production Designer, Pam Coats - Producer, Lon E. Bender - Sound/Sound Designer, Raymond Singer - Screenwriter, Eugenia Bostwick-Singer - Screenwriter, Rita Hsiao - Screenwriter, Philip Lazebnik - Screenwriter, Chris Sanders - Screenwriter, Stevie Wonder - Musical Performer, 98° - Musical Performer, Robert D. San Souci - Short Story Author
