During the Han Dynasty in Ancient China, war is about to begin between the locals and the Huns. Meanwhile, a young woman, Mulan, is getting ready to meet the matchmaker. But she leaves a poor impression on her.

Not long after, her father is called to war. In order to save him, she disguises herself as a man by cutting her hair to her shoulders and tying it back and wearing her dad’s soldier attire.

Her family is worried that they won’t see her again. So, the ancestors awaken and send out Mushu the dragon to aid Mulan.

He finds her at the camp with the other soldiers. Mushu “helps” her be manly by punching the other guys–only for it to lead to a fight.

Li Shang is chosen to be the general. He finds Mulan, who is going by the name, Ping, in order to make others think she is a man. 

Not long after, the soldiers are training to fight in the battle. Mulan discovers that she enjoys spending time with the guys.

But at some point, a major snowstorm starts. And everyone is in danger as both the locals and Huns fight against each other.

Below are what I enjoyed most about Mulan, and what didn’t exactly please me.

Strengths:

The characters

I love pretty much all the characters (except for the bad guys, of course). I think this movie nailed their development and personalities.

Mulan seemed to be quite introverted. Of course, she wasn’t perfect. She ran late to her makeover for the matchmaker meeting. She also didn’t find the traditional role of a female to suit her. And I support that very much. If she was comfortable around guys, then I think that was where she belonged.

Another part about her is her relationship with her animals, such as her dog, Little Brother. Although the dog is a very minor character, he and Mulan shared a sweet bond. 

Mulan spent more time with her horse, which is obviously necessary to the story.

The most memorable character for me is Mushu. Eddie Murphy provided his voice, and I could hear Donkey (from Shrek) in him through his mannerisms and ways of speaking. Obviously, Shrek didn’t come out until a few years later. I couldn’t find anything about how Eddie Murphy landed the role of Donkey. But I wouldn’t have been surprised if he used his Mushu impressions for the part.

Other characters I admire are Mulan’s great-grandmother, Shang, and the emperor. The great-grandmother tested her luck with the lucky cricket by crossing the street with her hand over her eyes. That was crazy, but funny at the same time.

Mulan develops feelings for Shang during the movie. I won’t say if they start a relationship. You’ll have to see the movie for that. Or if you already did, then you know the answer.

The emperor was a no-nonsense man. But he was very kindhearted and cared deeply about his people’s safety.

The songs

They’re all fantastic! From the traditional Chinese music twist in “Honor to Us All” to the strong beat of the song, “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.” The latter is my favorite song from this movie.

I also enjoy the song, “Reflection” due to its beauty and its emotional level, as Mulan sings about how she doesn’t feel like she can please others the way she wants to be.

The pacing

I was surprised how quickly this movie breezed through, even though I have seen it before numerous times. I actually think it’s a good thing, though, since this film is supposed to be family friendly. 

The overall mood

As a Disney movie, this movie is light-hearted for the most part, but intense in some scenes. Because this movie is rated G, no scene is super scary. 

It sets the same mood as other Disney films released in its second renaissance from 1989 to 1999. But since it’s set in China, there is a Chinese feel to it with its music and cultural portrayal–similar to how Aladdin does the same for its setting in Arabia and The Lion King for its setting in Africa.

Weaknesses:

A bit sexist

I know–It’s set during ancient times, when women didn’t have rights. In fact, when I first saw this movie at age 11, I was not offended by that. I actually found it to be historically accurate. 

Fast forward many years later, and my ability to empathize increased. That is when I started viewing pretty much any type of exclusion discriminatory. And sexism is no different. 

A few times, Mulan was told that women should be silent around men. Even if that’s historically accurate, it can be insensitive to modern-day audiences, including back in 1998.

Some gross moments

An odd one is when Mulan was trying to hide the cricket from the matchmaker. So, she put it in her mouth. 

Another part is when Mulan is walking through the soldier camp and observing the men. One of them picks his nose.

And another moment is when Mulan is bathing in the water nearby. Mushu decides to bite a man’s butt in order to keep him occupied and get Mulan out.

Which brings me to my next point…

There are a few minor mature moments

Aside from the butt-biting, when Mulan first meets one of the soldiers, Mushu tells her to slap his butt, which she does. Um… is that really appropriate for a family friendly movie?

Another moment is when Mulan gets hit by an arrow and is wounded. She also bleeds.

This is something that is usually supposed to be avoided in kid-friendly movies, especially if the filmmakers are aiming for a G rating.

In other Disney movies, scenes where there would be blood if depicted more realistically have no blood at all. 

One example includes Mufasa’s death in The Lion King. After Scar knocks him off a cliff and he dies, there is no blood underneath him.

Another example, which is a little more major to me, is in Aladdin, during the “One Jump Ahead” number. Abu pulls out a sword from a guy’s mouth. There is no blood or bodily fluids. And there are other moments during that scene where characters don’t bleed when they would in real life.

The lack of blood was likely done so that they could receive their G ratings.

But for some reason, when Disney was working on Mulan, they got to include blood. The same thing happened with 2003’s Finding Nemo, when Dory bleeds, prompting Bruce the shark to try and eat her and Marlin.

I guess in those situations, where blood plays an important role in the stories, the movies can still obtain a G-rating. The amount of blood is still pretty small.

Overall impression

I truly enjoyed Mulan, and I believe it would make a great family movie. However, I personally think this film is best for those ages 7 and up. 

No, there isn’t any racism, smoking, or any content included in Disney’s older films that wouldn’t be allowed in their movies today. I just think that there are elements that may be harder for small children to understand, such as certain cultural practices.

I give Mulan 5 out of 5 stars.