The girl who saved China

Rating: 9/10 (2 May 2012)

Disney is probably the best known name in animation but because their films are almost never on television I don't think I'd seen one since I saw Pinocchio in the cinema in 1972 when I was five! For that reason when I saw 'Mulan' was going to be on television I just had to watch it.
This film tells the tale of the eponymous Mulan; a Chinese girl living with her invalid father. When China is invaded by the Huns every family must send one male to fight for the emperor; as Mulan has no brothers this means her father must go for the sake of the family's honour. Knowing that he will almost certainly be killed Mulan cuts her hair short before taking her father's armour and sneaking out of the house at night to enlist. This is a foolhardy move as it would mean instant death and dishonour should her true gender be exposed. In order to save her the family ancestors are summoned and Mushu, a small dragon goes off to help her he too wasn't meant to go but he is determined to regain his position. When Mulan gets into the army things don't go too well at first and more than once it looks as if she will be caught; eventually however she and her comrades go into battle against the dreaded Hun and due to Mulan's bravery and quick thinking they prevail. Unfortunately for her though they learn she is a girl; because of her bravery she isn't killed but she is left behind in shame. When she sees that the Hun aren't all dead she must tell her friends and save the emperor this time she won't be hiding her gender they will!
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this; the story was great and I really liked the protagonist, Ming-Na did a good job providing her voice. The most recognisable voice was provided my Eddie Murphy, who played the comedy sidekick Mushu; he did a good job and provided plenty of laughs from a character I initially thought might turn out to be irritating. While there are plenty of laughs there is also a good amount of drama and action; the scenes where Mulan sets off to join the army and where her unit finds the site where the rest of the army had been defeated were particularly poignant. The action scenes were quite dramatic; especially the 'avalanche scene'. Being a Disney film there were some songs and while they didn't have me humming along they did add some enjoyable moments. Being a U certificate there is nothing in this film that makes it unsuitable for young children and it is nice to see a children's film where the female protagonist doesn't need a man to rescue her from danger; here it is she who does the rescuing! Given how much I enjoyed this; I just hope it isn't another forty years till I catch another Disney animation!