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 is n't gon na 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 .
a memorable , show - stopping musical interlude kids will no doubt go ga - ga strongest female character to date everything comes together spectacular cavalry charge