"Mulan" is a wonderful piece of Disney animation and storytelling. "Mulan II" is an innocuous-enough but clichéd and by-the-numbers direct-to-DVD offering. Though Disney has a habit of "retiring" titles or making them available for a limited time only, both the "Mulan" Special Edition and "Mulan II" are still available individually on DVD. Which means that for collectors, the only new or special thing about this "Ultimate Mulan 2-Movie Collection" is the price. Single titles have a suggested retail price of $29.99 each, but this two-pack is priced at $34.99. So for five extra bucks you can get the sequel along with the big-budget film. That's going to tempt a lot of people. The DVDs themselves are identical to ones sold individually, but housed in a cardboard slipcase.
Mulan
I can't think of a more underrated Disney film than "Mulan." The artwork and visual design are as stunning as ancient Chinese paintings, and they're inspired in part by classical Chinese and Japanese cartoon artwork. The story is epic, and so is the canvas it's painted on, with battle scenes and shots of the Imperial City stretching the usual Disney narrative to much bigger dimensions. Except for one song sung by Donny Osmond that stands out in an unflattering way, the music is a nice complement. "Mulan" also offers a dramatic structure that will have viewers on the edge of their seats for the whole 88 minutes, and the strongest and most human of the Disney "princesses." I use quotation marks because Fa Mulan (Ming-Na) isn't really a princess. She's the daughter of a famous retired Chinese general (James Shigeta) who, in the opening sequences, causes such chaos during her "proper behavior for a girl" lessons that a matchmaker pronounces that she will never bring honor to her family by marrying well. No matter. Her father says that some people are late bloomers, and besides, there are other ways to bring honor to the family. But first, Mulan brings dishonor.
The story of Mulan is based on an ancient Chinese poem called "The Ballad of Mulan," about a girl who disguises herself as a man so she can pretend to be her father's nonexistent son and spare the frail man from a second term of military service. In the poem, no one suspects a thing until years later her soldier buddies visit her and see her dressed as a woman. But, of course, there's not much dramatic arc if a woman dresses like a man and passes undetected, then is rewarded by the Emperor afterward for her service. Here, there's interest and tension over Mulan's clumsiness and the feminist streak that makes her not give a cricket's wing about pleasing men, and tension as well over whether she'll be detected and put to death.
The family dynamic between Mulan and her feisty grandmother, wise and sagely father, and supportive mother is as strong as we've seen in Disney, who sent a research team to China. The result is a blend of cultural-historical accuracty and deliberate departures, with cartoon characters inserted for comic relief and songs and voices in English that belie strict adherence to ethnicity. But it works.
The laughs come not at the expense of these decent people, but as the result of the clash of ideals and with gags involving a trio of incompetent army recruits and two cutesy animals. This is, after all, Disney, and the formula of late is to pair one or two rambunctious critters with the princess and/or prince. Here, Eddie Murphy takes on the fast-talking role of Mushu, a pint-sized dragon with big ambitions. He wants to be a guardian of the family, not just some decoration on a gong whose job it is to summon the family council of long-dead ancestors to talk about Mulan and her impending crises. Murphy's routine is pretty much what we would later see in "Shrek," but here he's the "leader" with a little cricket who functions as a mime sidekick. Like the angel from "It's a Wonderful Life," Mushu has a side agenda. He's trying to earn his place in the Fa family spiritual world, and somehow finagles a chance to tail and keep an eye on Mulan after she wakes in the middle of the night and takes her father's armor, sword, and horse to report in his place.
More tension comes as a result of Li Shang (B.D. Wong), the good-looking captain responsible for training the recruits and leading them into battle against the invading Huns. All of China has had to send soldiers to help ward off the enemy, who are led by a doublewide fellow with a mean streak the size of a mountain pass, and Shan-Yu (Miguel Ferrer) is crafty enough to launch a secret attach on the Imperial City. Like any good plot, new complications come as the terrain shifts, culminating in a "Diehard"-style fight between the good guys and bad that's awash with color. But what makes this film work on the same level of the Disney animated classics is the level of character development. Mulan is confident, but she also has doubts. She's a born feminist, but she also falls in love and has to negotiate new behavior. She trusts her instincts, but it's not all hunches. Mulan, like Shang, has a good head on her shoulders. Perhaps best of all, in a world dominated by Disney princesses and happily-ever-after marketing, the romantic angle is downplayed, giving way to the heroic and the issues of civic duty, family honor, and loyalty to friends (or family or country) that play themselves out.
Mulan II
There is, unfortunately, no such depth with the direct-to-video sequel. Questions in logic abound, starting with the basic premise. The Huns are approaching again, only this time the Emperor doesn't just send out a call for all provinces and kingdoms to join forces to defend China in their common interest. This time, the only way he can apparently win the support of a northern kingdom is to send three daughters (Lucy Liu, Sandrah Oh, Lauren Tom) to marry sons of an obstinate ruler who will only fight the Huns if his songs are married off. Meanwhile, Shang has proposed to Mulan, and the heroes of the first film have been called into action by the Emperor (Pat Morita) again. Their mission: to deliver the three princesses safely, which, of course, runs against Mulan's best instincts. She's marrying for love, while these three are being shipped off to tie the knot with men they've never seen before. But the second test of logic comes when Shang tells the Emperor he only wants to take three good men to help with the mission. Yeah, he picks the three bumbling misfits from the first film, who through luck managed to help save the day: the one-eyed and burly little Yao (Harvey Fierstein), the monstrous always-hungry Chien-Po (Jerry Tondo), and the skinny buffoon Ling (Gedde Watanabe).
In pure formulaic fashion, these three louts, who, like Mulan in the previous film, were pronounced impossible to find mates for by a matchmaker, end up falling for the three princesses and (logic-be-stretched) vice versa. That's the thing about Disney sequels. The happily-ever-after thing gets overused to the point of disbelief. As the three women rethink their oath to go through with arranged marriages, Mulan and Shang (Ming-Na and B.D. Wong, again) begin to have second thoughts about their own impending nuptials. And Mushu? Somehow, the Disney writers find a way for him to save the day again.
It's all pretty pat, which means that the sequel will appeal to the kids, while the adults will wish it were half as complex, original, and full of integrity as the original.
"Mulan" is a wonderful piece of Disney animation and storytelling. "Mulan II" is an innocuous-enough but clichéd and by-the-numbers direct-to-DVD offering. Though Disney has a habit of "retiring" titles or making them available for a limited time only, both the "Mulan" Special Edition and "Mulan II" are still available individually on DVD. Which means that for collectors, the only new or special thing about this "Ultimate Mulan 2-Movie Collection" is the price. Single titles have a suggested retail price of $29.99 each, but this two-pack is priced at $34.99. So for five extra bucks you can get the sequel along with the big-budget film. That's going to tempt a lot of people. The DVDs themselves are identical to ones sold individually, but housed in a cardboard slipcase.
Mulan
I can't think of a more underrated Disney film than "Mulan." The artwork and visual design are as stunning as ancient Chinese paintings, and they're inspired in part by classical Chinese and Japanese cartoon artwork. The story is epic, and so is the canvas it's painted on, with battle scenes and shots of the Imperial City stretching the usual Disney narrative to much bigger dimensions. Except for one song sung by Donny Osmond that stands out in an unflattering way, the music is a nice complement. "Mulan" also offers a dramatic structure that will have viewers on the edge of their seats for the whole 88 minutes, and the strongest and most human of the Disney "princesses." I use quotation marks because Fa Mulan (Ming-Na) isn't really a princess. She's the daughter of a famous retired Chinese general (James Shigeta) who, in the opening sequences, causes such chaos during her "proper behavior for a girl" lessons that a matchmaker pronounces that she will never bring honor to her family by marrying well. No matter. Her father says that some people are late bloomers, and besides, there are other ways to bring honor to the family. But first, Mulan brings dishonor.
The story of Mulan is based on an ancient Chinese poem called "The Ballad of Mulan," about a girl who disguises herself as a man so she can pretend to be her father's nonexistent son and spare the frail man from a second term of military service. In the poem, no one suspects a thing until years later her soldier buddies visit her and see her dressed as a woman. But, of course, there's not much dramatic arc if a woman dresses like a man and passes undetected, then is rewarded by the Emperor afterward for her service. Here, there's interest and tension over Mulan's clumsiness and the feminist streak that makes her not give a cricket's wing about pleasing men, and tension as well over whether she'll be detected and put to death.
The family dynamic between Mulan and her feisty grandmother, wise and sagely father, and supportive mother is as strong as we've seen in Disney, who sent a research team to China. The result is a blend of cultural-historical accuracty and deliberate departures, with cartoon characters inserted for comic relief and songs and voices in English that belie strict adherence to ethnicity. But it works.
The laughs come not at the expense of these decent people, but as the result of the clash of ideals and with gags involving a trio of incompetent army recruits and two cutesy animals. This is, after all, Disney, and the formula of late is to pair one or two rambunctious critters with the princess and/or prince. Here, Eddie Murphy takes on the fast-talking role of Mushu, a pint-sized dragon with big ambitions. He wants to be a guardian of the family, not just some decoration on a gong whose job it is to summon the family council of long-dead ancestors to talk about Mulan and her impending crises. Murphy's routine is pretty much what we would later see in "Shrek," but here he's the "leader" with a little cricket who functions as a mime sidekick. Like the angel from "It's a Wonderful Life," Mushu has a side agenda. He's trying to earn his place in the Fa family spiritual world, and somehow finagles a chance to tail and keep an eye on Mulan after she wakes in the middle of the night and takes her father's armor, sword, and horse to report in his place.
More tension comes as a result of Li Shang (B.D. Wong), the good-looking captain responsible for training the recruits and leading them into battle against the invading Huns. All of China has had to send soldiers to help ward off the enemy, who are led by a doublewide fellow with a mean streak the size of a mountain pass, and Shan-Yu (Miguel Ferrer) is crafty enough to launch a secret attach on the Imperial City. Like any good plot, new complications come as the terrain shifts, culminating in a "Diehard"-style fight between the good guys and bad that's awash with color. But what makes this film work on the same level of the Disney animated classics is the level of character development. Mulan is confident, but she also has doubts. She's a born feminist, but she also falls in love and has to negotiate new behavior. She trusts her instincts, but it's not all hunches. Mulan, like Shang, has a good head on her shoulders. Perhaps best of all, in a world dominated by Disney princesses and happily-ever-after marketing, the romantic angle is downplayed, giving way to the heroic and the issues of civic duty, family honor, and loyalty to friends (or family or country) that play themselves out.
Mulan II
There is, unfortunately, no such depth with the direct-to-video sequel. Questions in logic abound, starting with the basic premise. The Huns are approaching again, only this time the Emperor doesn't just send out a call for all provinces and kingdoms to join forces to defend China in their common interest. This time, the only way he can apparently win the support of a northern kingdom is to send three daughters (Lucy Liu, Sandrah Oh, Lauren Tom) to marry sons of an obstinate ruler who will only fight the Huns if his songs are married off. Meanwhile, Shang has proposed to Mulan, and the heroes of the first film have been called into action by the Emperor (Pat Morita) again. Their mission: to deliver the three princesses safely, which, of course, runs against Mulan's best instincts. She's marrying for love, while these three are being shipped off to tie the knot with men they've never seen before. But the second test of logic comes when Shang tells the Emperor he only wants to take three good men to help with the mission. Yeah, he picks the three bumbling misfits from the first film, who through luck managed to help save the day: the one-eyed and burly little Yao (Harvey Fierstein), the monstrous always-hungry Chien-Po (Jerry Tondo), and the skinny buffoon Ling (Gedde Watanabe).
In pure formulaic fashion, these three louts, who, like Mulan in the previous film, were pronounced impossible to find mates for by a matchmaker, end up falling for the three princesses and (logic-be-stretched) vice versa. That's the thing about Disney sequels. The happily-ever-after thing gets overused to the point of disbelief. As the three women rethink their oath to go through with arranged marriages, Mulan and Shang (Ming-Na and B.D. Wong, again) begin to have second thoughts about their own impending nuptials. And Mushu? Somehow, the Disney writers find a way for him to save the day again.
It's all pretty pat, which means that the sequel will appeal to the kids, while the adults will wish it were half as complex, original, and full of integrity as the original.
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