Mulan (1998 film)

Mulan is a 1998 American animated musical action-comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation based on the Chinese legend of Fa Mulan. The 36th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics, it was directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, with story by Robert D. San Souci and screenplay by Rita Hsiao, Philip LaZebnik, Chris Sanders, Eugenia Bostwick-Singer, and Raymond Singer. Ming-Na, Eddie Murphy, Miguel Ferrer and BD Wong star in the English version, while Jackie Chan provided his voice for the Chinese dubs of the film. The film's plot takes place during the Han Dynasty, where Fa Mulan, daughter of aged warrior Fa Zhou, impersonates a man to take her father's place during a general conscription to counter a Hun invasion.

Released during the Disney Renaissance, Mulan was the first of three features produced primarily at the Disney animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida. Development for the film began in 1994, when a number of artistic supervisors were sent to China to receive artistic and cultural inspiration. Mulan was well received by critics and the public, grossing $304 million, earning Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations, and winning several Annie Awards including Best Animated Feature. A 2005 direct-to-video sequel, Mulan II, followed.

Plot
The Huns, led by the ruthless Shan Yu, invade China, breaching the Great Wall via grappling hooks. This prompts a panicked soldier to light the sentry fires. As a result of the invasion, each family is given a conscription notice. On the same day Fa Mulan's meeting with the local matchmaker goes awry, her father, Fa Zhou, is ordered to serve in the army. Due to his age and previous war injuries, however, it is unlikely he will survive. Against her family's wishes, Mulan secretly disguises herself as a man, then takes her father's conscription notice, armor, and weapons so that he will not have to go. She rides away on her horse, Khan, to join the army, knowing that if she gets caught she will be killed, as women are strictly forbidden from joining on pain of death.

Mushu, a small Chinese dragon, has been awakened by the family's First Ancestor. Mushu had been demoted to gong ringer after a mishap with one of the ancestors from the last time they were awakened. After various choices of which guardian to send after Mulan, he is asked to awaken the "Great Stone Dragon". Mushu accidentally destroys the Dragon but realizes that this could be an opportunity to earn his place among the guardians again if he can make Mulan a war hero. Cri-Kee joins him in this task.

In the meantime, Shan Yu and the Huns pillage a city on the way to the Imperial Palace. Leaving the wreckage, they locate two spies. Shan Yu asks them to send a message to the Emperor telling him that the Huns are coming and are ready to engage the Imperial armies. However, as they leave, Shan Yu orders his archer to murder one.

Despite bad advice from Mushu leading to a rocky start at the training camp, Mulan (under the alias "Ping") trains with a group led by Captain Li Shang, including fellow soldiers Ling, Yao, and Chien Po, and slowly earns their respect and trust. At some point during this, Shan Yu's falcon, Hayabusa, uncovers a doll from a mountain village, revealing that the Imperial army is waiting for them. One of the Elite Hun Soldiers claims that it will be easy to avoid the ambush, but Shan Yu insists they proceed through the mountains, remarking they should "return" the doll to its rightful owner. Soon after this event, the troops complete their training, but Chi Fu, the Emperor's meddling and misogynistic advisor, refuses to let them see battle, accusing the troops of being ill-prepared. Mushu forges a letter from the General, ordering Shang to take his men to battle. The troops set out to meet General Li, who has already left on a mission. However, Shang and his troops tragically discover that his father, the general and his men were killed in battle against Shan Yu. As they leave, Mulan finds the doll Shan Yu found and places it in front of the General's grave marker.

Shang and his troops continue, disheartened by their loss, when they are ambushed by Hun archers due to a misfired cannon. After an initial attack, the Huns are believed to be defeated, but the troops soon discover otherwise, and Shan Yu orders a massive cavalry charge to finish off the remaining men. While the rest of the troops set up the last cannon to fire at Shan Yu to cut the head off the snake, Mulan spots a precarious mound of snow on the upper mountainside. During the charge, Mulan snatches the cannon and fires the rocket at the snow mound on the mountainside. It hits the mound near the summit and triggers a large avalanche, spreading all over and swallowing the now fleeing Huns, including Shan-Yu, burying them. Shang's soldiers take refuge while Mulan rescues Shang from being swept away by the snow and falling off a cliff. The Chinese soldiers initially cheer for their victory, but quickly become somber after Mulan discovers that she is bleeding; she had been wounded by a swipe of Shan Yu's sword before the avalanche buried Shan Yu and his army. Shang quickly summons a doctor just as Mulan faints.

During treatment, Mulan's true identity is discovered. Shang is notified and is expected to execute Mulan. Instead, he spares her life (she having saved his own life during the avalanche), and promptly expels her from the army. Shang and his troops promptly continue their path to the capital, leaving Mulan behind. Mulan decides to return home, but spots the Huns emerging from the snow from the avalanche. She tries to warn Shang's troops as they are heralded by citizens in a parade for their war efforts, but they do not listen. As the Emperor (Pat Morita) addresses the crowd, the Huns, disguised as parade characters, kidnap him and barricade themselves inside the palace.

Shang and his troops try to follow the Huns into the palace but are unsuccessful. Mulan devises a ploy with the other soldiers to dress as concubines, scale one of the palace walls and infiltrate the palace. When the Huns lower their defenses in the presence of the "women", Mulan and her allies swiftly dispatch them all. During this attack, Shan Yu demands the Emperor bow before him, but the Emperor calmly rebuffs him. Before Shan Yu can kill the Emperor, Shang intervenes and the Emperor is safely removed from the palace by Chien Po. Unfortunately, Shang and Mulan are now trapped on the balcony with Shan Yu. Shan Yu is about to kill Shang when Mulan gets his attention with her shoe. He recognizes her from the mountain battle and gives chase. Mulan lures him onto the palace rooftop where they face each other in personal combat, until Mushu, as arranged by Mulan, launches a huge firecracker that hits Shan Yu and carries him off to his death. The fate of the remaining five Hun warriors is never fully disclosed.

The Emperor meets Mulan and, in an accusatory tone, lists Mulan's crimes, but nevertheless pardons her for saving China and himself. The Emperor then bows to Mulan, which is considered an extremely high honor as it implies being of a higher status than the Emperor, while the hundreds of observers kow-tow (an Eastern bowing position with one's face and palms to the floor). The Emperor then offers Mulan a position among his staff (even offering to have her replace Chi-Fu), but Mulan politely declines the offer, admitting that she'd rather go back home to her family. The Emperor accepts this, and he gives her Shan Yu's sword, along with his crest, for her to bring home and give honor to her family.

Upon her return, Mulan expects to be reprimanded but is instead embraced by her family. Shang arrives to talk with Mulan, having been encouraged to tell her his feelings for her by the Emperor. The ancestors reluctantly agree to make Mushu a guardian once more and celebration ensues.

Cast

 * Shan-Yu - Miguel Ferrer
 * Yao - Harvey Fierstein
 * Fa Li - Freda Foh Shen
 * Grandmother Fa - June Foray
 * Chi-Fu - James Hong
 * The Matchmaker - Miriam Margoyles
 * The Emperor - Pat Morita
 * Mushu - Eddie Murphy
 * Singing Voice of Grandmother Fa - Marni Nixon
 * Fa Zhou - Soon-Tek Oh
 * Singing Voice of Shang - Donny Osmond
 * Singing Voice of Mulan - Lea Salonga
 * General Li - James Shigeta
 * First Ancestor - George Takei
 * Chien-Po - Jerry Tondo
 * Ling - Gedde Watanabe
 * Khan - Frank Welker
 * Mulan - Ming-Na Wen
 * Singing Voice of Ling - Mattthew Wilder
 * Shang - B.D. Wong

Additional Voices

 * Mary Kay Bergman - Female Ancestor
 * Julianne Buescher - Young Bride
 * Corey Burton - Male Ancestor
 * Robert Clotworthy - Hun
 * David Cowgill - Man in crowd
 * Beth Fowler - Bather
 * Don Fullilove - Various Man in Crowd
 * Elisa Gabrielli - Various Female Ancestor
 * Sandie Hall - Chorus
 * Richard S. Horvitz - Chinese Soldier
 * Mark Moseley - Mushu (singing)
 * Patrick Pinney - Fa Deng
 * Frank Welker - Cri-Kee

Uncredited

 * Jeff Bennett - Ancestor
 * George Dvorsky - Additional Voices
 * Merwin Foard - Singer
 * Wilbur Pauley - Singer
 * Chris Sanders - Little Brother