Dragon!

Rating: 7/10 (12 October 2015)

Coming out at the end of the Disney renaissance and after a small string of films with a more mixed reception, Mulan can be seen as the film that called back to the earlier films of this period. It took a simple yet interesting premise and gave it plenty of emotional heft as well as comedy in an attempt to reconnect with a general audience. For the most part it is successful in achieving what its original aim with even a little extra added because of its more cultural and historical basis. Though it is by no means amongst Disney's strongest works, it is a very well made and frequently enjoyable piece.
The story of Mulan is loosely based on the Chinese legend of the same name. It sees the Huns invade ancient China and the man of every house must join the army. Because Mulan's father is too ill to fight she takes his place and must impersonate a man or face the death penalty if found out. This is a very good premise and an area Disney has only really touched on before, with the themes of fighting for your country and war. It gives us something Disney enjoy which is a main character fighting against adversity and here it's in more ways than one. It also successfully walks the fine line between seriousness and comedic, balancing both out effectively within the story.
Mulan (Ming-Na Wen) isn't that interesting yet she is meant to be a normal person thrown into a crazy situation and for that she's just fine, she is likable and does get plenty of comedic moments. The army men, including the likes of Yao and Ling, are amongst the best things here. They all have distinct personalities and provide a number of laughs, whenever they're on screen its always funny. Li Shang is just okay and doesn't have much development, but he is heroic and easy to route for on the whole. Chi-Fu is a good snobbish character and James Hong is always enjoyable. I'm not a big fan of Mulan's dragon aid Mushu and think his more self-aware comedic stylings don't fit the film at all, Eddie Murphy provides a lot of energy but it just doesn't work for me.
The animation is really impressive. It is very smooth and scenic for the most part, while managing to get across the beauty of China. When I think of the film I think of a lot of wilderness and mountains which always look picturesque throughout. The scenes showing the vast army of the Huns are very striking too. It also perfectly lent itself to the comic scenes and allowed for some amusing slapstick. The situation comedy is a highlight. Mulan's interactions with her fellow troops are usually hilarious and the comedy flows very naturally as a result, most of it is timeless slapstick or smart wordplay as she tries to hide her identity and fit in. The action scenes are good too. There is a genuine tension to the battle scenes and the film manages to convey just how big they are.
It isn't all without issue however. Shan Yu (Miguel Ferrer) is such a dull villain. Apart from an intimidating design there is absolutely nothing of note about him. I can't recall a line of his dialogue or any actions of his. He shows up to fight and that's effectively it, he has next to no development. The music isn't that good either. None of the songs featured where memorable and most of them didn't really fit the scenes that they were playing over. Jerry Goldsmith's score is serviceable, but again it's just a touch forgettable overall. We don't get as much of a look at the Chinese culture as I'd have liked either, but then that isn't really the films focus.
Mulan is another very entertaining Disney film. It doesn't go as serious with the story as it could have done or try anything new with it, but what it does do it does very well. The animation is excellent, the story is something a bit different and the situational comedy was a lot of fun. Of course some characters are a bit unbalanced, the villain is extremely weak and the songs are forgettable. Yet none of these issues truly harm the rest of the enough to damage it as a whole. It is nearly always engaging and delivers more than enough amusement throughout.