could have been great

Rating: Null/10 (1 August 1999)

Seeing the early previews of "Mulan," I got chills, because I thought we were going to receive Disney's first serious production: something akin to "Braveheart" and "The Last Emperor," with an epic sweep, and without intrusive musical numbers and unnecessary comic relief.
Unfortunately, aside from one breathtaking shot of the Huns thundering down a snow-covered mountainside, the "epic" part of "Mulan" isn't as good as those jokes and musical numbers. When the action-packed climax arrives, it also is played for laughs (look at those guys in drag, ha ha!), and there's a ridiculous scene where a horse plows through an avalanche as if it were just a bit of dust. Sorry, Trigger, but it's off to the glue factory for you.
The music is great, however, probably the best of any Disney film since "Beauty and the Beast." The comedy is much better than the usual fare; Eddie Murphy is just right as the mini-dragon Mushu, and Mulan's grandmother has the best line, near the end.
All said and done, we lost a really awesome epic adventure, and gained a pretty good musical comedy. Excuse me, I have to go watch some Anime now.