“Mulan” is one of the newer of the classic Disney films. It is in some ways a feminist film, the story tracing a young girl’s journey into a man’s world. Taking place in ancient times, it weaves a tale of the Mongol’s attempt to invade China. Almost all of the men in the country are called into action to defend it, and when young Mulan’s ailing father is called, she decides to do something about it. Under the cover of darkness, she steals away, disguised as a man to take her Father’s place. She is aided in her quest by her spirit guardian Mushu and her lucky cricket Cri-Kee. She soon finds that she must not only fight those who wish to invade, but may very well have to fight those at her side. I’ve been told by more than a few animation fans that “Mulan” is not one of their favorite Disney movies. I can’t imagine why as it is high on MY list of favorites.

I went nuts over the animation when I first saw it in theatres, and still love it now. The animators took great pains to create a style that evoked the curls and twists of ancient Chinese art. Much of the time it’s hardly noticeable, but occasionally it’s breathtaking.

I even put the music of “Mulan” on the same level as any of the other more recent Disney films. There is not a weak song in the film, and even the transitional music works on some very emotional levels. The music playing on the background as Mulan takes her Father’s uniform and rides of, short though it may be, still gives me goose bumps.

The story of “Mulan” is a very powerful one, and I don’t agree with some of those who have downgraded it because they claim it insults the Chinese culture. Granted, I am not Chinese and am therefore no expert, but I found that it more embraced it than anything. Saying that some of the sillier characters were offensive is like saying the Turkish guards in “Aladdin” were insulting. Sure there are some stereotypes, but you’d be hard-pressed not to find them in just about any movie. I see Italian stereotypes all the time on TV and in movies and do I get all bent out of shape about it? No, I look at them and remember that stereotypes actually exist. So to those with that complaint, get over it.

One of the stronger points of the movie, and this is rare to say nowadays, is the casting of Eddie Murphy. There was a time, long, long ago, when Murphy was a funny guy. I used to laugh long and hard at his jokes. But then something happened. He started to get angry and he wasn’t funny. Then he opted to fill himself with the spirit of Bill Cosby… and he wasn’t funny. I honestly can’t think of the last movie he appeared in where he showed any comedic talent. However, with “Mulan” I made a discovery. Murphy is better heard and not seen. His voiceover work in “Mulan” was inspired. He was fast and funny, a trait he was able to carry over into the feature film “Shrek” and its sequel. So, a note to producers… cast Murphy’s voice, but please don’t put him in any more live action films!!

Disney is releasing a new 2-disc special edition of “Mulan” this week, and unlike their other recent releases, it seems a little short on extra features. Of course, I may be overstating a bit. There are a lot of extras in the set, just not as many as I’ve seen in others. You’ll find a filmmaker’s commentary, which for the most part is fairly informative. It was interesting to learn how much of the culture they had to learn about in order to make this film. There are also several deleted scenes, which as is the norm for a Disney production, are mostly unfinished.

Scattered throughout the set are some music videos, most of which are a bit underwhelming with the possible exception of one featuring Jackie Chan. The best feature is basically a ‘making of’ documentary broken up into six parts. Most of what is shown here is fascinating, but I was a bit disappointed in not seeing any of the voice actors at work.

“Mulan” is every bit ‘classic’ Diseny as far as I’m concerned and I highly recommend adding it to your DVD collection.

Directed by: Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook
Starring (the voices of): Ming-Na, B.D. Wong, Soon-Tek Oh, Eddie Murphy, Harvey Fierstein, Gedde Watanabe, Miguel Ferrer
Extras: Deleted Scenes, Music Videos, Games, Backstage Disney
Specifications: Widescreen (1.66:1) Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Disney
Release Date: 10/26/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: G
Website

We'll give Mulan an A.