Review: Mulan (1998)
Martin Thomas
The test goes a little something like this-
Go up to a female friend, wife, sister, etc. and say (if you are
female pretend I'm saying this to you): "I was watching a movie on
cable last night...Man, that Sharon Stone is so hot! Don't you think
so?"...then turn your head and brace for your test subject's
reply. The most polite response she's likely to give is a grimace while
audibly rolling her eyes. I'd wager that most of you (feamle)
bristled from just reading the test statement.
One might hastily conclude from this test that all women are catty
and incapable of paying each other a compliment. You would be
incorrect. If you were to repeat the test statement and in place of
"Sharon Stone" use "Julianna Margulies" or "Emma Thompson"
you'll find you get an almost opposite reaction. You may even be
applauded and perceived as a higher thinker.
It's not that women don't compliment other women...just certain
women. Julianna and Emma happen to fall on the ‘sanctioned'
A-list. These are women who present themselves as smart, heroic, demure
and...well, nonthreatening. Sure, Sharon Stone (as well as
Demi Moore) has made great strides in getting higher salaries for women
in Hollywood and she was lauded by critics for her
performances in CASINO and LAST DANCE...still, there's that threatening/
nonthreatening thing. See, a common thread of the A-list
women is that while men may find most of them attractive none of them
are really considered to be "HOT".
***************************************************************************
This has been a sneak preview of my next career venture. Along with
being a multimedia artist and movie critic I'm going to tour
the country on the seminar circuit. Following in the footsteps of Dr.
John Gray I'm going to further polarize the sexes by pontificating
on the differences between men and woman, however, my focus will be a
little different.
From talking to alot of women I've come to realize that they can't
or don't see the reality of what men, ALL MEN, truly are. This
"dampening" effect, I believe, is biological and no different than the
function that erases the memory of the pain of childbirth. My
teachings are not aimed at demonizing male behavior but pointing out
that it's perceived crudeness is the result of biological
hardwiring, which is centered around sex and killing stuff. It is a
constant struggle between instinct and the prime directive: The
continuation of a society and propagation of the species.
Of course, I'll also cover "Why your man couldn't care less about
meeting your friends" and other long kept secrets- but for that
and the rest you'll have to come hear me speak in the Ranchero room of
your local Marriott or Red Lion and buy a $99 set of tapes.
Well, anyway, I got to thinking about all of this while watching the
reaction of MULAN when she enters the Chinese army training
camp and discovers the true behavior of men when comfortably immersed in
their natural element.
Since the marketing blitz has only been half that of HERCULES, you
may not know that MULAN is the newest animated featured
offered by Disney. It is the story of a young woman, Mulan (Ming Na
Wen), who is too much of a tomboy and free spirit to marry
off, thus bringing honor to her long-suffering family. When the Huns
invade China the emperor calls for a male from every household
to join the army. To spare her crippled father Mulan steals his armor,
disguises herself as a man and joins the Chinese army- knowing
that if she is found out she will be executed.
By now we're all familiar with the clocksetting formula Disney uses
for it's movies so I think I can anticipate most of your
questions. Let me start out by saying that nothing in MULAN is
extraordinary or even amazing, but there is alot that's very good.
One of the best things about MULAN is how understated it is. While
HERCULES was as boisterous and boastful as Herakles
himself, MULAN is much quieter and asks you to expect no more than it's
willing to deliver. Have you noticed the absence of Happy
Meal toys and the lack of commercials for it? The tone of MULAN is
softer right down to its watercolor-like palette. The art is
reminiscent of Chinese prints without being daring enough to let you
forget that it's a Disney cartoon.
Another thing in its favor is that unlike HERCULES, HUNCHBACK OF
NOTRE DAME, POCAHONTAS, or even ALADDIN it is an
original story with no literary or historical base to "piss" all over.
If there's anything in MULAN that comes close to being amazing it's
how well they handled the characters. Especially the
supporting and background characters which are the best since ALADDIN.
They are all distinctive and ,except for Yao (who is
basically REN & STIMPY's George Liquor with a beard) very Chinese
without being racially insulting- In other words, no Jerry Lewis
clones here.
The obligatory ,annoying, comic-relief characters are kept to a
minimum. Namely, Mushu the
Dragon, as voiced by Eddie Murphy. Murphy does an excellent job and
Mushu is a pretty good character, but he's on the set of the
wrong movie. Even though the anachronistic humor has a much lower
profile than in most Disney movies, MULAN is so deep in
ancient Chinese culture that it wasn't until halfway through the picture
that I got used to Mushu.
The character I was probably most impressed with was the General's
son, Li-Shang. Whereas Hercules was about as Greek as a
McGyro, Li-Shang is the most ethnic looking stud/ love interest Disney
has ever done. It was good to see a character that was
handsome, proud, and every bit Chinese...except for his singing voice.
Li-Shang is voiced by B.D.Wong, until a very important scene when he
opens his mouth to sing and the most Anglo voice
imaginable comes out of it. The voice belongs to Donnie Osmond- and I'm
not speaking metaphorically, it really is DONNIE "whiter
than an albino mime" OSMOND! It's very jarring and doesn't help that
the song is not all that good either.
Well, you knew you couldn't escape one of these without suffering
through a few psuedo- show tunes. Replacing the usual
composer "Broadway" Tim Rice is "one-hit-wonder" Matthew Wilder. If that
name sounds familiar to you turn on your radio to
K-LITE and you're likely to hear him belting out: "Ain't nuthin' gonna
break-a my stride...". The songs in MULAN leave you
wondering, not "where did he disappear to?" but "who thought it was a
good idea to find him?". On the positive side, MULAN has the
fewest songs of any of the others (maybe 4) and the score is nice.
As for the story, it's very simple and predictable, yet enjoyment.
Though it centers around the gender conflicts and honor, it is
mostly a story of empowerment. A must-see for little girls and a
should-see for little boys. I couldn't help but make comparisons to
G.I. JANE. Unfortunately, it also borrowed the one thing from G.I. JANE
that I didn't like.
As both movies seem to be settling into very low key but poignant
endings, they tack on a poorly-conceived action sequence. It's as
if the investors had a meeting and decided that their targeted audience
wouldn't be happy without it. In the case of MULAN it may
have also been a matter of trying to stretch out the time. Oh well, it
is a kid's movie.
And YES, it IS a kid's movie! For all of you parents who felt burned
by THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, you can go back
into the water. I assure you that MULAN is safe. About the most
uncomfortable question you'll have to answer is, "Do the Chinese
really such a low threshold for embarrassment?"
*******************************************************************
BTW- There is a male counterpart to that test question
Casually say to your brother, friend, male co-worker, etc.: "I think
George Michael is sooo hot! I can't believe people think he's gay."
Then cover your ears.
-MARTIN
--
Matt Williams
MULAN
A film review by Matt Williams
RATING: * * * 1/2* out of * * * *
Disney cements their place in the forefront of feature animation with
the release of their latest animated adventure, Mulan. While it adheres
a bit too close to the Disney formula to be perfect, it is nonetheless
an entertaining film for both kids and adults.
Fa Mulan (Ming-Na Wen, singing: Lea Salonga) wants nothing more than to
be a dutiful daughter and honor her family...it's just that she doesn't
quite fit in with the chafing customs of her time. While most girls her
age are trying to quietly and demurely seek the approval of the local
matchmaker (Miriam Margoyles), Mulan would prefer speaking her mind.
But there is trouble on the horizon. The evil Huns, led by Shan-Yu
(Miguel Ferrer), are invading China. The Emperor (Pat Morita) has
decreed that each family must donate one man to serve in the army. The
only male in Mulan's family is her father, Fa Zhou (Soon-Tek Oh), who,
old and with a bad leg, honorably accepts his fate. Mulan, on the other
hand, decides to save her father's life...by secretly masquerading as a
man and taking his place on the battlefield.
Mulan, under the assumed name of Ping, appears at camp where she, along
with the other bumbling recruits, Yao (Harvey Fierstein), Chien-Po
(Jerry Tondo) and Ling (Gedde Watanabe), are trained in the art of war
by Captain Shang (B.D. Wong, singing: Donny Osmond). But she's not
alone in her tasks...in typical Disney fashion, she has three animal
companions: her horse Khan, a lucky cricket Crickey, and a pint-sized
"guardian" dragon called Mushu (Eddie Murphy).
Much like the gargoyles in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the humor in
Mulan is lukewarm and doesn't flow well with the rest of the more
serious story. Sure, some occasional comic relief is welcome,
particularly in a film geared for the younger set, but Mulan overdoes
it. The overdose of humor turns what could have been a powerfully great
film into a good, but schizophrenic experience.
But, that commentary aside, this is a very well made film (which makes
the formulaic additions all the more regrettable). The animation is on
par with some of Disney's best. The story itself is interesting, and
the action scenes are awe-inspiring.
The musical score to the film is enjoyable, though, as has been the case
with Disney's recent work, the songs are mostly forgettable. At least,
we're only subjected to four of them this time around.
Mulan boasts the highest death toll of any Disney cartoon to date. Most
of the killing is off-screen and it's all highly depersonalized (there's
nothing to compare with the death of Mufasa or Bambi's mom). There's
nothing graphic, and the film resides snugly inside a G rating. Children
will probably have more questions about the restrictive ancient customs
than of the slaughter of armies.
It's ironic that a film concerned with bucking tradition is hampered
because of its strict adherence to Disney tradition. If the filmmakers
had the guts to lessen the humor, ax the compulsory songs, and remove
the obligatory (and somewhat unrealistic) romance, they could have had a
classic on their hands. Instead, they merely deliver a very good time at
the movies.
Copyright 1998 Matt Williams
- Matt Williams (ma...@cinematter.com)
Reviewer for Cinematter: http://www.cinematter.com
Home of over 500 reviews, and information on over 600 upcoming releases
David N. Butterworth
MULAN
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 1998 David N. Butterworth
*** (out of ****)
The Disney studios has its formula for annual, full-length animated
features down so pat that it's hard to remember which one you're watching
at any given moment.
"Mulan," their 36th animated adventure, is the latest case in point.
Once again we have a tale focused around a strong central character
(female as usual; Disney is one of the few studios whose heroines--Ariel,
Belle, Pocahontas, and now Mulan--get equal screen time with their heroes
in recent years). Add the requisite love interest and a wise-cracking
sidekick or two, pep up the soundtrack with a handful of strategically
placed show tunes (an introspective number by a pool or looking in a
mirror, a rousing anthem, a cutesy, montage-backed crowd pleaser), pose a
few threats to our engaging lead, and tie things all up neatly by the
closing credits. Bob's your uncle!
Better make that Walt's your uncle...
Kids will no doubt go ga-ga over "Mulan" (or at least the fast food
tie-ins), but familiarity can, after a while, leave grown-ups--this
reviewer included--wishing for a little more. Maybe an animated feature
without--shock! horror!--the songs, for example? Or maybe a film in which
a cheeky Chihuahua called Pepe longs to become a matador from Trinidad??
How about simply ditching the sidekicks altogether?
It isn't gonna happen.
Like Disney's previous entries, "Mulan" is slow to make its mark.
The animation tends to suffer from some slackness in the early going and
the humorous element, a madcap dragon wannabe (in the guise of a loquacious
lizard with a case of dry mouth, courtesy Eddie Murphy's animated vocal
talents), plays like an inappropriate if necessary (formula-wise)
afterthought. However, after about an hour everything comes together and
the formula, like it or not, clicks.
Highlights include a spectacular cavalry charge on a snow-covered
pass (which, due to the sophistication of today's computer-generated
imagery, is hard to tell from the real thing), a memorable, show-stopping
musical interlude ("I'll Make a Man Out of You," penned by Matthew Wilder
and David Zippel), and last but not least, Mulan herself.
Voiced by Ming-Na Wen, Mulan is Disney's strongest female character
to date. When hordes of Huns pour over China's Great Wall and threaten to
overthrow the Imperial Palace, the emperor decrees that every family in the
land dispatch one man to serve in the Imperial army. Since Mulan's father
is infirm, but proud, the high-spirited Mulan steals her father's armor
and, incognito, signs up to face the Mongolian menace.
Attracted to, but not distracted by, her commanding officer Shang
(B.D. Wong), Mulan outmatches her fellow combatants in smarts, wit, and
physical ability. She's a woman of the '90s a couple of millennia ahead of
her time.
Formulaic to a T, "Mulan" remains a classic case of "if it ain't
broke, don't fix it."
--
David N. Butterworth
d...@mail.med.upenn.edu
Craig Roush
MULAN
Release Date: June 19, 1998
The Voices of: Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, B.D. Wong, Harvey Fierstein,
Jerry Tondo, Gedde Watanabe, James Hong
Directed by: Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
MPAA Rating: G
URL: http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio/reviews/1998/mulan.htm
The second of this year's two leading-female animated motion pictures
(besides the in-the-rough QUEST FOR CAMELOT), and the third of the last
three (counting 1997's ANASTASIA), MULAN was an animated picture that
had, perhaps, a bit to live up to. Although those last two pictures
weren't really a benchmark, they were a trend, and Disney was charged
with distancing themselves from "normal" fare. Not only that, but as
soon as previews and advance showings began filtering down through the
ranks of the critics, MULAN was hailed as the best Disney animation
since THE LION KING. And while this one isn't as enjoyable as the
African epic of 1994, it is probably the best animated movie since then.
Disney's animated films have progressively become more refined from the
typical children's movies - ones adults hate to see in theaters because
they know the same films will infest their VCRs like parasites after
release on videocasette - to complete crowd-pleasers. In addition to the
easily-gotten under-12 demographic, Disney has nailed the
too-cool-to-care date crowd, the Gen-Xers, and the middle-aged chaperone
folks. They've done this through clever writing and a well-manicured
storytelling style, all of which is very present in MULAN. From the
opening scene, a rather dark and ominous one showing the Huns invading
China, to the pastel-colored plates of lowland Asia, this movie is
crafted very nicely. The animation quality here, although not
outstandingly different from Disney's last feature, Hercules, is the
up-to-snuff look we've come to expect from the original animators.
Early on it was made clear that even though MULAN sported a female in
the lead role, this would be no SNOW WHITE. And indeed it's not, as the
main woman here - the 18-year-old Mulan (voiced by Ming-Na Wen) - cuts
her hair, puts on some battle armor, and enlists into the Imperial Army
as a boy to save her ailing father from having to serve. She does this,
of course, against every societal convention in place at the time, but
she oes it quite well - managing to become a national hero after all but
saving China from the evil-doing Huns. Along for the ride is a tiny
dragon sent by Mulan's ancestors. Named Mushu and voiced by Eddie
Murphy, he's the movie's main comic relief source, and for the most part
he does it well. Murphy's also one of the only familiar names in the
cast (apart from Harvey Fierstein, who voices a stout soilder but also
played the quivering news chief in INDEPENDENCE DAY).
The lack of familiar names was spun as good for the movie, but it may
cost the movie some box office dollars in comparison to PRINCE OF EGYPT,
the later-this-year animated film from DreamWorks. That film sports the
largest collection of big names since THE LION KING, and one of the most
enjoyable aspects of that movie was hearing A-list actors do what they
could with just their voices. Normally something Disney would not have
to worry about, they now are - or will be soon - in direct competition
with other studios' animated features. Up to this point, they've had the
top call; no one's been able to challenge them. But it won't be long
before the other studios pick up speed, and then Disney will need all
the MULANs they can get.
FINAL AWARD FOR "MULAN": 3.0 stars - a good movie.
--
Craig Roush
kinn...@execpc.com
--
Kinnopio's Movie Reviews
http://www.execpc.com/~kinnopio
Dr. V. B. Daniel
Dr. Daniel's review of Mulan
rating: medical miracle (****)
Starring the voices of Ming-Na Wen, Lea Salonga, Eddie Murphy,
B.D. Wong, Donny Osmond, Harvey Fierstein, Jerry Tondo, Gedde
Watanabe, James Hong, Miguel Ferrer, Soon-Tek Oh, Pat Morita, June
Foray, George Takei.
Directed by Barry Cook. Rated G.
Okay, here's the deal. Y'all remember here a while back, I told you a
tale about an old gunfighter, still sharp after all the years of
dueling it out with anyone who wanted to call him out? A young
upstart named Fox tried him, and got both barrels in the gut, and
might never be the same again. in a few short months, three upstarts
known as Little Steven, Angry Jeff, and Invisible David are coming to
town, and they're riding hard to prove themselves. But, the old
gunfighter, Old Walt, don't seem too worried 'bout all that.
Ol' Walt could've kicked his feet up on the bar. He did slack off a
little for a while there, and he almost got taken out. So he sharpened
up his act. Lost some dead wood, built himself over from the ground
up, and regained his reputation as the toughest hombre in town. Some
day, somebody may beat him, but at least for now, he's holding all the
cards. And, there's another little secret out there that only Walt
hisself knows. He's got cards waiting in the wings that are gonna be
even harder to beat. He's not buying new guns, or trying new
bullets. He's just keeping his weapons in tip-top form, and he's
dedicating his best to the weapons that keep him alive.
Y'all figured out my little allegory this time? The folks at Disney
seem to be getting a little tired of all the doomsayers, sirening the
death of the Walt Disney Company as the animated feature giant. Fox
tried to blast them, and the best they could do was "Anastasia", a
laugh-a-minute cartoon about the Russian Revolution and the only
survivor of Stalin's assasination of the Russian Royal Family. Nice
choice, guys. Warner Brothers tried to fight back with "Quest For
Camelot," one of the more sloppier pieces of animation to drip out of
the bedpan in a while. And, in the wings, the Dreamworks boys are
readying "Prince of Egypt", the animated story of Moses, another odd
choice for cartooning.
And what does Ol' Walt answer with? Only the best animated feature
they've made since "The Lion King." It's called "Mulan," and it's
based on a Chinese legend about a young girl. And, folks, lemme tell
you, it's a marvel. The soundtrack doesn't rise to new heights, but as
an animated feature film, this is textbook stuff.
Mulan, as voiced by actress Ming-Na Wen, is a young Chinese girl, the
only child born to her father's house. In order to follow Chinese
culture of the day, Mulan should only be a proper young lady, petite,
subservient, and passive. The only way to bring honor to her family is
by marriage, a marriage to some wealthy, respected family. But Mulan
doesn't fit that mold at all. She's adventurous, she's full of
questions, and she's a bit of a tomboy. Her father's love is the light
of her life, though, so she tries to go through with tradition and
make nice for the local matchmaker. Big mistake. She doesn't play the
quiet and obedient woman part too well, and the session is a washout.
But, before this can lay waste to the family's hopes, the Huns invade
the Chinese border, heading straight for the Emperor's palace. The
emperor (Pat Morita) issues a conscription notice, decreeing that one
male from every family will join the army to fight off this attack.
Mulan's father, a war hero, is now old and crippled from past battles,
but as the only male of his house, he must go to join the fighting. He
is honor bound. Mulan cannot stand the idea of losing her father, and
she knows he won't survive another war, so she chops off her hair,
steals her father's battle armor, and rides off, disguised as a boy,
to serve in her father's place. If her disguise is discovered, her
family will be dishonored, and worse, the law decrees that her
commanding officer, Shang (B.D. Wong), must execute her. Thankfully,
her ancestral spirits decide to send her a guardian
spirit. Unfortunately, the best they can do is a little red dragon
named Mushu (Eddie Murphy).
What's there to say, people? Disney has quite a rep for bringing
strong female characters into the spotlight, at least in their
animated movies. But Mulan is not like The Little Mermaid's Ariel, or
Belle from Beauty and the Beast. She's not all dreamy-eyed and
wonderous, and she's not book-smart and spunky. Mulan is more
quick-witted and fast on her feet, driven not to prove some great
question, but to do what she can to save her father. She just wants to
make good on the family name. Wen's voice is determined and, like
Pocahontas's Irene Bedard, is feminine but full of strength. There's
only a half-hearted effort to show Mulan trying to sound like a boy,
mainly because it really isn't necessary. The character in the voice
suits the spirit, the spirit of a fighter.
The other voice casting is just as good. Listen for Harvey Fierstein
as one of Mulan's fellow recruits. He sounds just like one of those
toughs that always got dropped into basic training with John Wayne or
Van Johnson as the sergeant. B.D. Wong pulls off the young commander's
character well, the young man put in charge while his father, a
general, goes off to fight. It was nice to here June Foray's voice
again. For years, she was the voice of Bullwinkle's Rocky, and
countless other legends of Toon Town. Here, she gives Mulan's Grandma
Wu a needed splash of sass. And a special kudo to Eddie Murphy, for
bringing Mushu to the level of Robin Williams' Genie in
Alladin. Murphy plays this strictly as a sidekick thing, stealing
scenes left and right and cracking jokes at every turn. Mushu sounds
like he's just in from Eddie's standup routine, but without the
cussin'. He's hip, streetwise, and drop-dead funny. Robin still owns
the title, but Eddie is a close second.
The true heroes of this movie, though, are the artists who gave the
film the look it has. It goes from being painstakingly gentle and
exquisite, as seen in Mulan's family cherry orchard, to vast and
realistic, seen in the mountain battle scenes. There are scenes of the
Great Wall and the Forbidden City that could pass as "real-film"
cinematography, almost awe-inspiring until you remember what you're
watching, and then even more awe-inspiring to think of the time
involved in such detailed art. These scenes, in particular, harken
back to the super opening of "The Lion King," with the animals in
early morning making the trip to Pride Rock. Compare that footage to
scenes from a National Geographic special if you get a chance, and
you'll get my drift. Even the detail in the artwork of the horse
mirrors Chinese art of the time. These horses are not like Pegasus,
all sleek and tight, they're strong and muscular and round, much like
those seen on silk screens and in sculpture from that time. They even
throw in some Abbott & Costello slapstick during the training
sequences, as this motley band of clods trains to be a fighting
machine.
If I have an argument with Mulan, it's with the music. There is not a
big, show-stopping song here like those in "The Lion King," "Beauty
and the Beast," or "The Little Mermaid." These songs are just light
and witty, although there is a nice ballad near the beginning.
They're as much for laughs as they are for music's sake. But, to
cancel out my argument, I'd much rather have this fare than be
force-fed another lukewarm ballad that is SUPPOSED to be the
showstopper. "Hunchback" had two of these dramatic, poignant songs
that went zippo, and that godawful monster of music, Michael Bolton,
forever turned me off with that "Go The Distance" thing from
'Hercules'. Since the death of Howard Ashman, the only one to capture
the heart of Disney music has been the team of Tim Rice and Elton
John, in "The Lion King". Until they find another combo like Rice/John
or Ashman/Menken, I'll continue to cringe when I hear a musical number
priming in a Disney feature.
I'm not going to sugarcoat this point, I'm telling you plain out. See
"Mulan." Heck, go see "Mulan" a couple of times. See it once, for the
movie, to laugh, to hear Eddie act a fool, to know the story. Then,
see it again and just look at the artwork. Some museums don't have
this kind of quality. Until the other upstarts learn how to combine
the best of everything and make it all come together to look this
perfect, Ol' Walt will still be the only gun in town, still shootin'
after all these years, and by God, still winnin'.
See more great reviews and movie fun at:
Dr. Daniel's Movie Emergency
http://www.stairwell.com/doc/
See our many other sites at http://www.stairwell.com
-----------------------------------------------------
Berge Garabedian
RATING: 7 / 10 --> Good movie
Review Date: June 23, 1998
Directors: Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook
Writers: Anonymous (poem), Robert D. San Souci, Rita Hsiao,
Chris Sanders, Philip LaZebnik, Raymond Singer,
Eugene Bostwick-Singer
Producer: Pam Coats
Actors: Ming-Na Wen as the voice of Mulan
Eddie Murphy as the voice of Mushu
B.D. Wong as the voice of Shang
Genre: Animated Children's
Year of Release: 1998
Based on an old Chinese folktale, this movie becomes Disney's 36th
animated feature, and its best since THE LION KING back in 1994.
PLOT:
The Huns have invaded China. One man from every Chinese family must
join the Army and serve in the country's defense. Recognizing that her
father is very old and incapable of effective combat duty, Mulan chops
her hair into a boy-cut, and pretends to be a man, so that she can take
her father's place in the war. She does effectively join the troops,
and fight for the honour of her father, her country and herself.
CRITIQUE:
Funny, interesting, and mostly entertaining animated Disney feature
made for the marketing summer of 1998. Having gone in with little
expectations, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to find many
humorous moments in this animated fable, along with some pretty cool
action sequences, and an interesting lead character in Mulan. Of
course, it goes without saying that the real star of this film wasn't
Mulan, but the tiny disgraced dragon Mushu, voiced by Eddie Murphy.
This little creature managed to get a crack out of the audience during
every single one of its wonderful appearances on the big screen.
Reminded me a little of the "young" Murphy on Saturday Night Live,
before he got all pretty and serious (Surely, many of the lines in this
film were ad-libbed by Murphy himself.).
The story of this film was also very interesting to absorb, seeing that
it went within a culture that I knew very little about (Mind you, I
really have no idea how accurate this film's facts are, but still...).
The animation was also very well done, especially during the winter
scenes in the mountains, which really looked like the real deal. On the
down side, I guess that the songs in this movie could be considered its
weakest link, but then again, I've never been much of a musical guy
anyway, so that didn't bother me too much.
Overall, I would say this movie was a touch better than HERCULES
(6.5/10), and just about as good as the unexpectedly decent ANASTASIA
(7/10), but on a much funnier level, thanks mostly to the wonderful
talents of Eddie Murphy. Kids will love it (As loudly expressed in the
theater that I attended with Mrs. JoBlo), and most adults should also
enjoy it. The cinema or video question is one that I would just as soon
leave in your hands considering that I don't know of everyone's
financial situation. But if the movie sounds interesting enough to you,
or your lover's begging you to take her/him, by all means, go ahead and
see it on the big screen. It's fun and genuinely harmless (At 88
minutes run-time...how could you go wrong?)
Little Known Facts:
Two of this film's previous titles were CHINA DOLL and THE LEGEND OF
MULAN.
Ming-Na Wen also starred in ONE NIGHT STAND (5/10) opposite Wesley
Snipes.
Lea Salonga does the voice of Mulan singing in this movie, as Donny
Osmond does the voice of Shang belting out the tunes.
--------------------------------------------
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(c) 1998 Berge Garabedian
Andrew Hicks
A film review by Andrew Hicks
Copyright 1998 Andrew Hicks
(1998) *** (out of four)
There's good news and bad news about MULAN. The positive is
that Disney has found a happy medium between the heavy-handedness
of POCAHONTAS and THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME and the
childishness of HERCULES. On the other hand, the studio is pulling
out all the stops on plot cliches and cheap laughs, several steps down
from the days of THE LITTLE MERMAID and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. But
MULAN is a step in the right direction and Disney's best animated
feature since THE LION KING.
After giving Native Americans a turn in POCAHONTAS, Disney
has decided to turn a movie over to the Asians. MULAN is set in feudal
China and features the ever-popular Heroine Who Marches To A
Different Drum And Wants To Do More With Her Life Than Get
Married. That's what we find out when young Mulan (voice of Ming-
Na Wen) screws up her appointment with the matchmaker by letting a
rogue cricket splash coffee all over her. Cartoons...
Meanwhile, word comes from the emporer that one man from
every family must join the army and help fight the Huns. Since
Mulan's a girl, that means her decrepit old father must go. She pleads
with the soldiers to have mercy on dear old Dad, but that kind of
groveling and desperation brings shame on her family. That's Chinese
culture for you... So imagine how embarrassed the family is the next
day when they find Mulan has stolen her father's uniform and sword
and run off to join the army in his place. The movie in a nutshell is
about the stuggles of being a woman in the army. It should have been
called G.I. CHANG.
Mulan calls on her ancestors for help. They decide to
summon the large stone dragon in the backyard to protect her, but a
mini dragon named Mushu screws it up. Voiced by Eddie Murphy,
Mushu continues the tradition of cute talking animal sidekicks who do
more slapstick harm than good for their human charges. Murphy's
performance is a direct descendent of Robin Williams in ALADDIN --
lots of wisecracks and ad-libs and even an introductory song about
how much fun they're going to have. You ain't never had a friend like
Mushu.
Speaking of songs, MULAN doesn't have too many of them,
which is a plus with a story like this. Disney songs about war probably
wouldn't go over too well ("Heigh ho, heigh ho, it's off to war I go..."),
and the ones they do have aren't memorable. The best of the bunch,
sad to say, is "Be a Man," the requisite Basic Training Montage song.
Yes, even in medieval China, they had to run through that web of car
tires before they were ready for battle. Sung by Donnie Osmond (a bad
sign if ever there was one), "Be a Man" accompanies footage of
Mulan's platoon going from screw-ups to heroes. It makes me wonder,
has there ever been a musical montage in a movie that's ended badly? I
only wish real-life problems could be solved in two minutes with a
peppy montage.
For the curious, Mulan does pass for a man in the army
despite looking like a girl. All she does to transform herself is cut her
hair to a sexy shoulder-length, talk macho and slap guys on the butt,
as was male custom a thousand years ago in China. The deception
fools everyone but the audience, who thinks she might be able to pass
for a 12-year-old boy, at best. But she does manage to strike the
biggest blows to the Hun army, led by a big, evil-eyed Attilla-looking
monster. As a villain, the head of the Huns is menacing, evil and
entirely forgettable. I saw the movie yesterday and I don't remember
the man's name.
Otherwise, MULAN is a good movie. The animation of the
characters themselves isn't as rich as it could and should be, but there
are some amazing battlefield shots. Eddie Murphy pulls off some good
one-liners, as do other star voices like Harvey Fierstein and Pat
Morita, the quintessential Asian movie star. Hell, George "Mr. Sulu"
Takei does a voice in MULAN. You get the sense Disney said to
themselves, "Alright, let's get out there and find us some Chinese
Americans in Hollywood. Who can you think of?" "Well, there's Mr.
Myagi..." "Good." "And Mr. Sulu." "Perfect. We've got ourselves a
movie now." Soon Disney really _will_ be able to paint with all the
colors of the wind.
Visit the Movie Critic at Large homepage at
http://www.missouri.edu/~c667778/movies.html
Close to 1,000 reviews with a comedic flair...
Ben Hoffman
Online Film Critics Society
************************************
MULAN
With the exception of the unforgettable FANTASIA, there has been nothing in
the field of animation to compare with Disney's MULAN. The graphics were
absolutely captivating. The battle scenes, the spears and arrows in the
air, the city below, the snow, the crowd of 2,000 Huns on horseback,
7.000 lanterns, a crowd of 30,000. . . everything with perfection.
Then there is the wonderful story, in fact a great poem, (which originated
during the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534 AD) that the Chinese have been
relating to their children for some 2000 years so that everyone in China is
as familiar with the story as we here are with Pocohantas. The original
great poem begins with the sound of a loom, "Zhi-zhi, zhi-zhi." The poem's
story over the many years of telling have resulted in many versions. It
should be noted that unlike the MULAN film being reviewed here, the only
love interest in all the stories was one of the paternal-filial
kind. Hollywood added Captain Shang (voice of B. D. Wong).
The current film is based on the story version by the famous
children's books writer, Robert D San Souci. China has been
invaded by the Hun, Shan-Yu (Miguel Ferrer). The Emperor (Pat
Morita) decrees that every household must send one male to help
fight the invader. Mulan (Ming-Na Wen), a feisty, brainy young lady
who, according to custom should be getting married, is very upset
because her aged father, Fa Zhou (Soon-Tek Oh) the only male, is
thinking of joining the army and will surely be killed. She throws
all caution aside, dresses like a male and secretly sets off to join
the army where she does heroic duty and helps save the day.
In the film, Mulan is slightly wounded, which is when it is revealed
to Captain Shang by the attending physician that Mulan is woman.
In the original poem, the revelation comes when she returns home
from the war with a medal given her by the Emperor and the treasured
sword. Adding the captain as the love interest does not hurt
anything.
There is the delightful character, the dragon, Mushu, (Eddie
Murphy) who was originally an ornament on an incense burner who
comes alive to help Mulan. There's the matchmaker (Miriam
Margolyes), there's Mulan's gruff but good-hearted comrade in arms,
Yao (Harvey Fierstein), Shang's singing voice (Donny Osmond), and
more.
One more word about the original poem which ended with a sentence
that became famous in China: If two rabbits run side by side, how
can you tell which is the male and which the female?
Songs and music by Matthew Wilder, lyrics by David Zippel, and an
original score by Jerry Goldsmith.
Everyone connected with the film should be very proud. It is
magnificent.
Directed by Barry Cook and Tony Bancroft.
4 Big Bytes
4 Bytes = Superb
3 Bytes = Too good to miss
2 Bytes = Average
1 Byte = Save your money
Copyright 1998 Ben Hoffman
Arthur Hu
Review by Arthur Hu for Asian Focus (Seattle) June 28, 1998
Kirkland WA
Email: Arth...@halcyon.com
Web: http://www.leconsulting.com/arthurhu/hu1st.htm
1,750 words
An Honor To Us All
The word is out on Mulan, Disney's latest, and it's very good. Even
the grouchiest activists admit that at least the round-eyed
barbarians didn't screw it up this time. Where I saw it, the teen
girls were swooning when Shang took his shirt off, they gasped at the
battlefield of death, they shrieked when the bad busted out, and were
rolling in the aisles at the jokes. After all the fuss over the
African themed Lion King, Native American Pocahontas, and racially
incorrect casting in Miss Saigon, maybe they finally got it right.
Disney has finally accomplished what thousands of years of Chinese
civilization couldn't do - turn an old Chinese legend into a
worldwide hit when every previous attempt has failed. Disney is even
re-releasing Miyazaki's Kikki's delivery service after signing a deal
to market Japan's equivalent of Disney's animated features which are
huge in Asia, but are still unknown except to Anime buffs this side
of the pond. Every Chinese girl might know about Mulan by heart, but
as a boy growing up with Spock, Luke Skywalker, and the Six Million
Dollar man, Maxine Hong Kingston's "Woman Warrior" was the first I
ever heard about it.
In the original poem, the girl Mulan takes her father's place in the
Chinese army, becomes a hero, goes home to retire, and her buddies
don't find out that he's a she until they visit her much later. In
other versions, she marries the guy, as it's been done with more
variations than the Hunchback of Notre Dame. One woman on the usenet
complained that the real Mulan was a tough fighter, where Disney's is
sort of a Barbie doll that uses her wits to keep up with the guys.
She falls so that Shang has to carry her load but redeems herself by
using her wits to get the arrow nobody could climb and get.
Speaking of dolls, the Mattel's matchmaker Mulan looks great. It sure
beats the "Chinese Barbie" doll and ornament for those looking for
the rare Asian doll. Most of the Disney dolls since Pocahontas have
ended up in the clearance bin, but this one might just sell out.
There's also a line about "each one a perfect porcelain doll", which
is where "China doll" came from before it came to mean exotic Asian
brides for Western men. Americans seem to love Asian women as brides,
news anchors and skaters. Maybe now we can add Disney heroine.
Disney's Mulan is a misfit as a potential bride. Her figure is modest
compared to the Cosmo girl builds of Pocahontas or Esmerelda. Mulan
is clearly skewed towards the girls in merchandising. But like most
Disney heroines, she's stuck with a bunch of guys as buddies from
Snow White's seven dwarves to Ariel's Flounder and Sebastian. Every
other McDonald's figurine is a guy, and when you put on her armour,
Mulan is one too! Ling, Yao and Chen Po are 3 stooges as backup like
Quasimodo's gargoyles or Timon and Pumba. But I doubt that they'll be
promoted to their own saturday series, and I'll be amazed if American
kids manage to memorize any names beyond Mushu, Mulan and Shang.
This one movie has more Asian American talent than Hollywood normally
hires in 5 years. It doesn't go quite as far as the 1960's Roger and
Hammersteins's "Flower Drum Song" where the entire cast, acting,
singing, and dancing, was Asian, except for the mugger, who was
white. But it's still the biggest Asian cast in a movie likely to
make the year's top 15 if not top 10.
Ming Na Wen, Mulan's speaking voice first hit it big on the Joy Luck
Club, and has had success on TV in ER and the Single Guy even in
roles originally cast for dumb blondes. Filipina Lea Salonga was the
original Miss Saigon, had a modest solo CD, and was the singing voice
of Alladin's Jasmine. Disney cast Michelle Kwan as Mulan in the
skating ABC-TV special (ha, beat that Tara!). For all that Asians
gripe about casting Caucasian men as Asians, Disney also cast Kristi
Yamaguchi as the Arabian Jasmine, and Kwan skated as Pocahontas as
well.
Captain Shang is built like Hercules, with the prowess of Bruce Lee.
In contrast to the usual complaint that the Asian guy doesn't get the
girl, he eventually warms up to Mulan after the Emporer tells him
"You don't meet a girl like that every dynasty". He sort of typifies
the real man's values when when "Save China" is number 1 on his list,
but "Get girl" is somewhere down the top 10. This must really drive
the girls nuts about us guys. The cassette storybook ending leaves
Mulan without her man at all.
Shang is played by B.D. Wong, from Madame Butterfly, Jurassic Park.
Yeah, he's not quite built like that. He's a real change from the
Asian guy loser stereotype, speaking of which, they also signed up
Gedde Watanabe who helped fill in some of the clunkiest nerd roles in
80's hits like Sixteen Candles. Gedde lightens up the high pitched
Ling this time. Shang's singing voice is the same Donnie Osmond some
of us remember from his bad 70s hits days as the mormon version of
the Jackson 5. If you can't remember "One Bad Apple", check out the
Lost 45's on KJR-FM some weekend night.
The skating Shang wasn't Asian either, but if Asian parents produced
some strong male skaters and singers instead of just doctors and
violinists, maybe we'd have better luck next time. Shang's father is
James Shigeta, the son in "Flower Drum Song". He's also been cast as
a Japanese admiral and Japanese business executive. Pat Morita's role
as the Asian American version of John Houseman or James Earl Jones is
cemented as the emporer, not bad for a guy who first hit it big as
the wiseguy cook on Happy Days.
James Hong is Chi Fu, sort of like Lost in Space's Dr. Smith who's
supposed to be on our side, but makes you wonder. He's never been the
star, but like John Lithgow, he's been everywhere including Big
Trouble in Little China, Blade Runner, and Operation Dumbo Drop. Ma
and Pa are Freda Foh Shen and Soon-Teck Oh. I looked them up on the
internet and found out that they were part of the original 1976
Pacific Overtures, a Broadway play by Stephen Sondheim about
westerners and the Shoguns. Instead of Amy Hill, June Foray does a
fun Grandma, she was the original voice of Rocky the Squirrel
(surprise!). Grandma is disappointed that Mulan returns with the
emporer's medallion, but no man. Then she wants to sign up for the
next war when the hunk arrives at Mulan's heels.
Miguel Ferrer's Shan-Yu is drawn with the sharp edges of a Jonny
Quest villian. He comes off like the Alien monster who comes back
for more just when we think he's buried. The cute stylized rag doll
is straight out of an anime epic. The scene of a burned out village
and body strewn battlefield was as nearly as striking as Luke's
burned out ranch in Star Wars.
George Takei, plays the first ancestor in a scene that looks like it
came straight out of Hercule's Mount Olympus. He was not only Sulu,
but he's making the reruns now as the poor ARVN guy who gets it
backing up John Wayne in the Green Berets. Is it PC to cast Eddie
Murphy as the black comic relief guy? No matter, as Mushu the Dragon
(yeah, the Chinese soft taco) Murphy is still a god and I've never
seen him funnier. He outdoes the Robin William's Genie without dated
cultural references or special effects
Some might be disappointed by the music. It breaks the string of
Menken hits, with a soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith. But he's up there
with Titanic's Horner and Star War's John Williams in big time
symphonic scores like the Star Trek movie. It sounds like a return to
those epic Asian movies from the 1950s. It sems that when the PC
police got rid of stereotypical portrayals of Asians, Hollywood gave
up on Asian themes. Oddly, the CD album runs through the songs first
instead of following movie sequence. It also omits the short opening
title, and the mesmerizing synthesizer sequence when Mulan
"transforms".
My wife tells us that "Honor to Us All" borrows from a common Chinese
folk tune. It might be a traditional Chinese version of the Flower
Drum Song's "I Enjoy Being a Girl", which still pops up now and then
as the one hit song FDS firmly implanted into pop culture. Liberated
American girls might snicker at Mulan's tortures, while they dress up
in wonderbras, spike heels, and big hair to land their men. "I'll
Make a Man Out of You" might show up in future training or recruiting
films as a cross between Rocky and Enter the Dragon. I think Taiwan
still trains their soldiers this way. It hits home as a reprise as
the guys go into drag to sneak by the guards. "A Girl Worth Fighting
For" sounds a bit like South Pacific's "There is Nothing Like a Dame"
another hit musical comedy about war between Asian powers. Still, the
songs stick with stereotypical gender themes, and they still promote
the idea that guys have all the fun fighting and killing.
Disney soundtracks have always managed to eek out if not score big
with one or two hit songs, but I haven't heard anything from Mulan
yet. Stevie Wonder's True to Your Heart seems tacked on the end as a
party number. Reflection appears as a pop version, though I prefer
Salonga's broadway style solo which is as stiring as Ariel's
signature "Part of Your World".
The computer graphics effects are Disney's best. They look seamless
with the awesome helicopter shot of the charging huns. The crowd
figures no long look like they're "It's a Small World" robots. Check
out the birds as the soldiers march across a signature Chinese
landscape, I think they're CG too.
Ironically, it's still too American for my parents in law, who can't
understand English dialogue, and think they know the Chinese story
and that Disney movies are for American kids. But my parents loved
it, as will anyone else who can appreciate a good Disney feature.
Check it out.
For a lot more info, check out Angela Kuo's excellent Mulan FAQ on
the web at
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/5082/mulanfaq.html
Here's the complete poem from
www.chinapage.com/mulan.html
Ode of Mulan
Anonymous (c.5 A.D.)
Form: yueh-fu
Tsiek tsiek and again tsiek tsiek,
Mu-lan weaves, facing the door.
You don't hear the shuttle's sound,
You only hear Daughter's sighs.
They ask Daughter who's in her heart,
They ask Daughter who's on her mind.
"No one is on Daughter's heart,
No one is on Daughter's mind.
Last night I saw the draft posters,
The Khan is calling many troops,
The army list is in twelve scrolls,
On every scroll there's Father's name.
Father has no grown-up son,
Mu-lan has no elder brother.
I want to buy a saddle and horse,
And serve in the army in Father's place."
In the East Market she buys a spirited horse,
In the West Market she buys a saddle,
In the South Market she buys a bridle,
In the North Market she buys a long whip.
At dawn she takes leave of Father and Mother,
In the evening camps on the Yellow River's bank.
She doesn't hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,
She only hears the Yellow River's flowing water cry tsien tsien.
At dawn she takes leave of the Yellow River,
In the evening she arrives at Black Mountain.
She doesn't hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,
She only hears Mount Yen's nomad horses cry tsiu tsiu.
She goes ten thousand miles on the business of war,
She crosses passes and mountains like flying.
Northern gusts carry the rattle of army pots,
Chilly light shines on iron armor.
Generals die in a hundred battles,
Stout soldiers return after ten years.
On her return she sees the Son of Heaven,
The Son of Heaven sits in the Splendid Hall.
He gives out promotions in twelve ranks
And prizes of a hundred thousand and more.
The Khan asks her what she desires.
"Mu-lan has no use for a minister's post.
I wish to ride a swift mount
To take me back to my home."
When Father and Mother hear Daughter is coming
They go outside the wall to meet her, leaning on each other.
When Elder Sister hears Younger Sister is coming
She fixes her rouge, facing the door.
When Little Brother hears Elder Sister is coming
He whets the knife, quick quick, for pig and sheep.
"I open the door to my east chamber,
I sit on my couch in the west room,
I take off my wartime gown
And put on my old-time clothes."
Facing the window she fixes her cloudlike hair,
Hanging up a mirror she dabs on yellow flower powder
She goes out the door and sees her comrades.
Her comrades are all amazed and perplexed.
Traveling together for twelve years
They didn't know Mu-lan was a girl.
"The he-hare's feet go hop and skip,
The she-hare's eyes are muddled and fuddled.
Two hares running side by side close to the ground,
How can they tell if I am he or she?"
From:The Flowering Plum and the Palace Lady: Interpretations of Chinese Poetry
By Han H. Frankel, Yale University Press, 1976.
+- Views do not reflect any other organization or group--------------+
Arthur Hu Join my diversity mailing list or
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Cheng-Jih Chen
Sunday, I saw "Mulan" last night, I'm supposed to see one this evening,
and I haven't thought about the weekend yet, though I know "Last Days
of Disco" and "Henry Fool" are on some list somewhere.
Amusingly, I was sitting around this morning, waiting for the cable
guy. Time Warner upgraded their system on the Upper West Side, and is
selling something called "MetroChoice", which lets me break that
mystical Channel 77 barrier. It goes up to 88 or 90 now, or something
ridiculous. In this unexplored wilderness is the Independent Film
Channel. The new cable box is spiffy, too, having weird digital stuff,
like channel info (no more Channel 40) and a neat-o new remote control
with more buttons and an instruction booklet, unlike the crappy old
remote, with many buttons but no indication of what these buttons do
except make a LED brighten up on the cable box. A definite
improvement. Yes, I'm slowly approaching TV apocalypse.
So, down to business. "Mulan" is the latest Disney animated feature,
continuing their exploration into the non-Western canon. In brief, the
Huns are invading China, and the Emperor calls up troops to fight.
Mulan's father is drafted, but, fearing for his safety, she dresses as
a boy and takes his place. She's accompanied by a small dragon, played
by a-long-way-from-"Raw" Eddie Murphy, a cricket and a horse. At
training camp, after a rough start, she wins eventually the respect of
the other conscripts and the Captain. They go off to war. She
destroys the Hun army with a bit of ingenuity and cleverness, but her
identity is discovered. So, she has to prove herself again.
This is a fun movie. Eddie Murphy is pretty good, lots of laughs.
He's morphed into a family comedian over the years, and starring in a
Disney movie is the culmination of that transformation. I've never
been a big fan of songs from Disney movies, so I'm not the best judge
for that: I thought they were fine. Frighteningly, Donny Osmond does
some of the singing, so it's possible we'll see him at the Oscars.
(Figures from the Seventies and early Eighties seem to be popping out
of the woodwork recently. Ricky Schroder, for example. And there's
that "CHiPs" reunion.)
There's actually some breathtaking computer animation, better than the
dull, predictable stuff in "Godzilla" or "Armageddon": the Hun army
cresting the ridge feels like an innumerable horde, the pan of the
celebratory crowd around the Imperial Palace is elegant.
The story choice is also interesting for Disney. Here, we have a
heroine that doesn't need rescuing: this ain't Sleeping Beauty. And,
as Mr. Cranky (http://www.mrcranky.com/movies/mulan.html) notes, "Let's
give Disney some credit here for not pasting two cannonballs on their
forty-pound Chinese heroine." The film is a conscious move away from
passive ideas of feminine beauty towards a notion of a girl who things
and can stand on her feet, at least according to one of the songs. It
succeeds reasonably: she beats the Huns (twice! Miler Time doesn't
happen after the first time), saves the Emperor, and is awarded a
counselor's position, which she declines in order to go home to see her
dad. Along the way, the Captain becomes smitten, neatly solving the
initial Man Problem for Mulan.
Being completely indoctrinated in the Western Canon, I'm thoroughly
familiar with Hercules and Xena, but I've actually never heard of Mulan
before. So, I invested effort into finding some synopsis of the
original "Legend of Mulan". Infoseek gives me the following
non-Disney-related URL: http://www.panap.com/mulan_index.html, an
outfit called "Pan Asian Publications" selling a children's book. The
synopsis plays a bit differently from the Disney movie:
The story of the female general, Mulan, was originally a folk song
dating from the Northern Wei dynasty, A.D.386-534.
According to legend, there was a young woman named Mulan whose aged
father was conscripted. Mulan, unwilling to see her father fighting
in a war, disguised herself as a man and joined the army in his
place.
For the next ten years she showed remarkable skill as a warrior and
became a female general. Her true identity remained hidden from her
comrades until the very end.
You can read the first five pages online. Actually, the divergence
begins on Page 2. Her parents know she's going off to war. I suppose
they encouraged it, giving her money to buy arms and armor at the local
markets. No subterfuge there. (Vaguely surprising is why Disney
didn't pick up the "buying stuff at markets" thing: "kids, buy Mulan's
outfit, just like she did in the movie!" I suppose that there'd be a
residual image of the Girl As Shopper if that thread were left in.)
In the original legend, at least by this synopsis, Mulan makes a career
of being a general. In Disney's version, she's offered a career as a
stay-at-palace advisor.
Actually, I shouldn't go on about this too much. Disney's version is
carefully honed for our time and our values. It is not a 5th Century
legend, whose values would probably seem alien to us. At the beginning
of the movie, when they were talking about family honor, I was thinking
of the Iliad, which I read earlier this year: Achilles version of the
ideal hero's life -- come home victorious or come home dead -- isn't
something that'll ring the bells for late 20th Century American
audiences. A straight retelling of Mulan should have similar
problems. Perhaps people will go out and read something of the
original sources: after collecting the Quasi dolls, go off and pick up
Victor Hugo. Maybe not, but it's a hope.
One quick note: it wasn't the Huns, properly, who invaded China. "The
Huns" were the name given to North Asian nomads invading the Roman
Empire around 500 or 600AD. The Great Wall and all that was a defense
against the various Mongol tribes. I suppose Disney was afraid of
living Mongols complaining that they're not bloodthirsty barbarians,
and instead picked an extinct tribe to do the evil stuff.
--
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