Mulan

The Huns have invaded China! They scaled the great wall and, led by the evil Shang-Yu, are heading towards the Imperial Palace. The Emperor has declined the extra guards, or any guards as it turns out, and sent them out to protect the people of China. He also has reserves being called up from every province.

We then see Mulan. She is preparing for battle. Against the matchmaker. This will decided her future as a wife and so forth. I don't really pay attention to the beginning of the movie. Anyway there's a song and then a funny scene involving the matchmaker where Mulan fails miserable all because of the "lucky" cricket her grandmother gives her.  I can tell you why she failed: you are supposed to give someone the cage and they are supposed to catch their own cricket. Then it becomes a lucky cricket. Geez.

Anyway, Mulan is all depressed, but her father cheers her up a bit, after another song about her reflection not being the person she sees. Got to love the songs in Disney, but I digress. The guys with the conscription papers show up and since there is only one man in the Fa family, Mulan's father has to go.  Not wanting her father to die, Mulan steals his armour and heads off.

The family ancestors wake up and have a very funny conversation where Mushu, the once guardian, now ringer of the gong has to go wake up the Great Stone Dragon, so the GSD can retrieve Mulan. Instead Mushu smashes it into a billion pieces by accident. So he pretends to be the GSD and fools the ancestors.  By the way, the ancestors? Been dead way too long if they were fooled by Mushu holding up the head of the GSD, but that's besides the point. The point is that Mushu meets up the cricket and decides that the only way for him to be a guardian again it to bring Mulan back with a medal. So they're off. They meet up with Mulan and "help" her. In reality they only cause problems for a little while. There's one of those montages where we see them train to music, but it's a good song, so whatever.

At the end of the song they are all soldiers. Funny how it always works out like that. Anyway, Mushu gets the cricket to write a letter pretending to be General Li calling for reinforcements. So they go off to war. They are all in high sprits at first, you can tell by the singing, right up until they see a village burnt down to the ground and General Li's troops dead. Shang, Mulan's captain, was General Li's son and is all depressed until he realizes that they are the only ones between the Huns and the Emperor.  They keep going, until Mushu lights on of the canons and brings the Huns right on top of them. But it's alright because Mulan is smarter than everybody else combined and saves the day and Shang's life, by causing an avalanche. Unfortunately she is hurt and the medic discovers that she is not a man. Wouldn't be much of a doctor if he didn't notice that. Shang is now supposed to kill her but spares her life before leaving.

Mulan, her horse, Mushu and the cricket are all sitting in the snow being depressed for various reasons. Mulan decides it time to head home before she brings anymore dishonour on her family, only Shang-Yu and a handful of other Huns survived the avalanche and keep going to the Palace. Mulan races after them and warns Shang, only he doesn't listen to her. But she was right and the Emperor is grabbed the the Huns and locked in the Palace. See what I meant, he has no guards. It's a palace the size of a city and there are no guards. Anyway  Mulan convinces her friends that she has a plan and together they go rescue the Emperor. Yay!

The Emperor grants her a position in the High Council but she turns it down, saying that she's been away from home too long. She returns home with the spoils of war; a sword, the crest of the Emperor and most importantly Shang. And even Mushu is allowed to be a guarding again.

I really like this movie. Every single time I watch it, I always get choked up. I have no idea why. No other movie has that kind of effect on me. It's very touching and funny at the same time. The only major problem I have with it is the fact that the Huns all looked evil, almost like demons with their yellow eyes. I always have that problem with Disney. You can always pick out the bad guys by the way they look (except for Beauty and the Beast, by that was the point of that movie).

Anyway, excellent movie. Avoid the sequel.

Grade: 7.5/10