Mulan
Premise - A draft is sent out to the people of China, where families are ordered to send one man of the family out to war. In the Fa family, the only eligible male is Mulan's father, who already served time in the war and is now old and disabled. Already at war with herself for the dishonor she has brought on her family for being born a woman, Mulan takes the risk to go undercover as a man and enter the war against the Huns herself.
Review - This film is ICONIC. I grew up a Disney kid, but all things considered, this may very well be my favorite Disney film of all time (Well, this and Tarzan, which I also reviewed saying something very similar). The pervasive level of nostalgia I get from watching this film is unparalleled. This was the first film I ever saw in a movie theater, as far as I know, and was a defining part of my early childhood. I have memories of being four years old, standing in front of the TV belting out the lyrics to "I'll Make a Man Out of You," and acting out the choreography.
Some of my favorite memories involve playing the Mulan PC computer game. I never got to play video games as a kid, but for some reason, PC games were allowed in the house, and I devoured them. There were fun puzzles, ringing the gongs to awaken her ancestors, and fighting off the Huns I'm sure. But really all I cared about was the very beginning of the game, dressing up Mulan in all sorts of pretty outfits and makeup when she gets ready for the matchmaker. In hindsight, I find it somewhat ironic given her indifference to it all, but at the time, it felt perfectly normal. She was a strong war hero, for certain, but I still also saw her as this beautiful princess. Of course, I was about 5 when I was playing this game, and obsessed over pretty princesses. Actually, I still love things that are beautiful and feminine and "pretty", no shame whatsoever.
I think early heroine figures in my life such as Mulan were part of the reason why sexism never even truly occurred to me until much later in life. Sure, this is a film entirely about sexism, but those nuances don't capture you as a four-year-old. You just see this strong, beautiful Asian woman being awesome and the hero of her own story, so that becomes your normal. I didn't understand that society understood being pretty and being strong as mutually exclusive. Only upon rewatching as an adult do I realize the social power of the film. Mulan was pretty, and capable, but she was never particularly graceful, with an inability to conform to this sort of passive, silent woman that men want. So, as a four-year-old, I valued the same things. I thought Mulan was beautiful and enjoyed dressing her up in my computer game. I thought Mulan was strong and pretended to fight like her while watching "I'll Make a Man Out of You." But also, I knew Mulan was independent, as was I. As a child I never, EVER associated women with passivity.
I watched all Disney movies growing up, and I actually can take a lot of the same lessons from every Disney princess, even the ones that are not war heroes. For socially "woke" people of today, the current bandwagon praises Mulan (as it should) but disses on other Disney princesses (as it shouldn't). That young girl who never associated women with passivity, and always associated women instead with independence, intellect, and strength, learned those lessons from all of the Disney princesses who were the heroes of their own stories - who had a strong persona in one way or another. It's kind of unfair to erase all of those powerful character traits just because of the relationship each of these women inevitably form with a man. It's a reductive analysis, because what really sticks with me is the willfulness of each of these princesses. So many of my favorite Disney films had females as protagonists.
I guess the only real problem is that all of these women, Mulan included, are somewhat "perfect." Sure, they have their blunderous moments (and Mulan has plenty!), but inevitably they live a life of success, and look the part while doing it. Mulan dresses much of this film as a man, but once she is back to herself as a woman, she's absolutely gorgeous. And she gets Shang all to herself. But, I don't know, simply put, success stories make us feel good. Especially for kids, it makes us feel like anything is possible. So I don't think is something to be particularly upset about, unless ALL stories were this way. I think it's crazy how, in the name of feminism, so much time is taken to bash on women and women characters, proclaiming they are supposed to be a certain way. Isn't that the opposite of feminism?
I realize now that this whole review said very little of the film itself. I've just been reading a lot of feminist books lately and have my own, very strong, personal opinions that were brought up again by my impromptu rewatch of this film on Netflix. To be honest, I don't really need to say much more about the film itself because my overall impression is just, "It's a classic. It's great. I love it." (99/100).
Quote - I could go and list out ALL of the lyrics to "Reflection" or "I'll Make a Man Out of You" but if I were to go for a straight quote, it would be "The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all."
What to watch for - All of the music scenes! I remember playing an Mulan medley arrangement for my school band, where I played the flute (super fun during the "Girl Worth Fighting For" part!). And at one point, I could play "Reflection" on the piano. I mean, the music in this film is phenomenal.
If you liked this movie, I recommend Aladdin!
Based on the Chinese legend
Directed by Barry Cook and Tony Brancroft
Produced by Disney
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
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