A movie only a kid could like

Rating: 4/10 (25 November 2000)

_Mulan_ might have been a masterpiece at a time when Disney films had strong creative voices behind them, but the film has been badly marred by Disney's current committee-style production process. The film simply can't seem to figure out what it's trying to achieve. It's nominally feminist, but undermines that feminist message with its overuse of male gender stereotypes and regressive ending. It is a musical in format, but features uninspired and forgettable tunes that play only a subordinate role in plot and character development. It attempts to realistically portray war, but stretches the laws of physics and basic concepts of military strategy in a way that only a six-year-old could ignore (Run! It's an army of six Huns!). Finally, it tries to lighten this rather somber mess with a wacky sidekick, but Eddie Murphy's voicing of the dragon is so over-the-top that it destroys what could have been the film's greatest strength -- the mystical, exotic mood created by the sweeping Chinese landscape. _Mulan_ seems to me to be compelling evidence of Disney's schizophrenic 1990s creative philosophy: it tries to be feminist and conventional at the same time, and attempts to deal with issues of war while still being comprehensible to toddlers. The result is a confused mess so full of holes and inconsistencies that older children and adults will find it very difficult to suspend their disbelief.