Mulan
Ah, the girl power Disney movie of the 90s. Mulan is based on the Chinese folktale in
which a daughter takes her unwell father's place in the army to save his life. The
movie mostly holds up, but good lord, the cross dressing jokes are a bit too
much. Awkward. That being said, the voice acting of Ming-na Wen is amazing, as
are the vocals of Lea Salonga. Christina Aguilera's single
"Reflection" arguably propelled her into stardom. I remember singing
it in my bedroom…by myself...yeah. AWKWARD.
It's interesting that I'm read on IMDB Mulan was made to appease the Chinese government as a response to Kundun, which Disney funded. I'm not
sure how true this is, but I wouldn't be surprised.
Plot in a Nutshell:
Fa Mulan is a young woman who is actually a tomboy and really doesn't want to
be simply a man's wife. After she royally fucks up her interview with the
village matchmaker, couriers from the Imperial City arrive with bad news---the
Huns have invaded China and the Emperor requires one man from each family to
serve in the Imperial Army. But alas, in the Fa family, there's only Mulan's
father, who is old and has lingering war injuries. Mulan decides to take his
place. Her ancestors try to send The Great Stone Dragon to find her, but he
gets destroyed by Mushu, a disgraced family guardian. Mulan ends up becoming a
hero, even after being found out, and China is saved thanks to her because
women get shit done.
WTF: George
Takei, an American of Japanese descent, is the voice of the First Ancestor.
Because all Asians are the same right?
Fun Facts are Fun:
The names written in the Fa family shrine were the names of the animators who
worked on the film. Jackie Chan was the voice of Shang in the Chinese version.
The Verdict: It's
a worth a watch.
Unrelated to Mulan,
but rest in peace Bill Paxton.
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