MULAN

SYNOPSIS:
There are many versions of the Mulan legend, some dating back to 386 – 534 AD, but all with the common theme of a young daughter saving her father’s life. When the Emperor calls for one male from each family in every village to join his army in defence of the Chinese Empire from threatening Huns, Mulan takes on boy’s clothes to stand in for her ailing father in the army. After enduring the training, barely, Mulan gets into the front lines, and endures several hardships. Battles rage and when the invading Huns descend on the Emperor’s palace, everything hangs in the balance. For Mulan, survival is secondary to bringing honour to her family.

"Mulan is a wondrously created animated film with some of the greatest nuanced animation I’ve ever seen (I’ll explain this later). It shows the positive and quite modern sensibilities of a young woman in the setting of ancient Chinese (paternilistic) culture. I really enjoyed Mulan, both for its technical flair, which helps create the necessary suspension of belief, and for its robust story telling. The nuances I refer to earlier concern the animation of the Mulan character in particular, whose body language is extraordinarily sophisticated at times. There are also some striking, epic aerial sequences of Hun hoards riding across snowfields, and some excellent action scenes. The romantic undercurrent is handled with finesse, making it work for adults and children alike. BUT – you must first of all accept the fact that this is a Chinese story told through entirely (modern) American sensibilities and with Americanisms. Now, don’t go frothin’ at the mouth, this is an American film….a Disney film."
Andrew L. Urban