*SHE IS INCREDIBLE!!* Mulan (1998) | First Time Watching | (reaction/commentary/review)
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- Опубліковано 24 кві 2024
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I think this may be my favourite Disney Renaissance film! Absolutely incredible music, characters and a beautiful story about the strength and determination of a woman in Imperial China! Enjoy :)
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SHE IS INCREDIBLE!! Mulan (1998) | First Time Watching | (reaction/commentary/review)
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Fun fact, the writers intentionally cut the "girl worth fighting for" song short with the implied death of a little girl to show that they aren't fighting for glory or a bride but for the future generations. The " girl worth fighting for" is a little girl who gets to grow up in a world of peace.
Reading that gave me chills
I love that, especially when Mulan lays the doll against the General's sword, basically emphasizing what the soldiers are really fighting for.
Damn, reading this brought tears to my eyes.
Plus Shan Yu has that line about a little girl missing her doll, which also factors in.
@@ashleypanzica2696 I like to also see that part as Mulan, being the only woman in the army, represents the women who are killed in war when all the men have always been representing (and concerned about) the men who die due to war.
"Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!" is too iconic of a line 😂
Yep 😂
I use the meme regularly on facebook when people say dishonorable things 😂
I use this regularly 😂😂😂😂😂😂
I always use to shame someone 😅
Mushu always hilarous is
"The greatest gift and honor is having you for a daughter" I think that's one of the most precious things a parent can say to his children
Too true! Makes my mom cry every time 🥰
It’s the one thing I wish my own father said to me, but he said the exact opposite to me, repeatedly. But it’s made me who I am so can’t complain too much
Well, unless you're a boy.
I bawl every time I hear him say it 😢❤
@@taylorhall1988 The _exact_ opposite? So your father said, "The worst punishment and disgrace is having you as a son"? That's awful. :(
36:00 fun fact. The reason Atilla the Hun called Mulan "the soldier from the mountains" and wasnt shocked by her gender, was because the Huns did have female warriors.
Except he's not Atilla the Hun. He's Shan Yu, a completely fictional character. 🤦🏼
@@MontgomeryWenis fine, I got his name messed up. He is still the leader of the Huns and the Huns had female warriors
@@MontgomeryWenisthat’s not even the point of their comment 🤦🏼♀️
@@Brandy_2228 So? It's incorrect information whose correct info is literally spoken multiple times in the film. How do you get that wrong? They mention Shan Yu by name several times. 🤦🏼
@@MontgomeryWenis Not to mention the Huns never attacked China and this is a completely different group (though some scholars think the Huns were descended from them, but it's debated), so I'm not sure why anybody would call him Attila in the first place. He would be way out of time and place.
"Would you like to stay for dinner?"
"Would you like to stay forever?"
Kills me every time lmfao
granny is an icon
Sign me up for the next war👀 lmao I love the granny🤣
“Who are they?”
“Concubines… ugly concubines”
Hilarious
Lol, the JUDGEMENT on the guy's face when he says that!! He's like 'Guess there's no accounting for the Emperor's tastes...' 😂
I feel sorry for the parents who got asked what a concubine was when their kids first saw this movie hehe
@@imogenonscreen8054lol I learned that word from the Bible when I was little, along with some really fucked up stories.
@@abbiejo6822 oh I feel you on that one lol
The score when Mulan chooses to take her father's place will never not be one of the most badass and impactful tracks ever composed for a Disney movie. And the ending of "Girl Worth Fighting For" is one of the most instantaneous gut-punches and still bone chilling all these years later.
Shout out to Mathew Wilder of break my stride fame for working on the soundtrack and being the singing voice of the male love interest
@@nevetstrevel4711Donny Osmond did Li Shang's singing voice.
And that is the last musical song of the film! The tone completely changes and it works so well
I literally cannot hear or say "Let's get down to business" without following it up with "to defeat the Huns." It's simply not possible.
Same thing with “you missed” 😂. You HAVE to follow with “how could you miss, he was 3 feet from you.”
I still use the “Great Stone Dragon, have you awakened?” line on family members when they wake up from sleeping in.
@abbiejo6822 bruh that's hilarious i love it
It's funny cause I'm sure if I sung it in my discord groups, I guarantee you someone would finish it. Wouldn't matter if they were in the thick of another discussion, lmao
I've been in meetings where the manager says "let's get down to business" and have to suppress the urge to blurt out the rest of the line... Doesn't help that everyone else my age at the table are thinking the same thing.
"Nothing more masculine than embracing your feminine side"
Never thought I'd hear a guy say this, but I completely agree! 😊
It's been years since I've seen Mulan, I forgot how amazing the "be a man" sequence is!
Yeah, I'm agree too, I wish more people thought that way
@SilvanaPuris2310 I wish so too. And not in the sense that people ARE trying to do, by claiming they are women when they are men.
But more like, being confident to confide in a someone about something sensitive, or embracing be a dad of a lil girl and trying to understand their brain and sensitivities, being more comfortable with sharing emotions, defying stereotypes like loving to be a cook and homemaker, etc. There are ways to enjoy the feminine side as a man without crossing lines.
And women could also learn to do likewise, embrace some of their more traditionally masculine traits without fear of judgement.
Everytime I watch this movie, I can't help but think "That's how you write a strong female character!!" ❤
Fully agree. A problem with many of the female leads in recent movies (especially Marvel, but also the live action Mulan) is that they follow the same idea that "you are already perfect, all you need to succeed is to get rid of your self doubt". This can be a powerful message if done right, but it is hardly ever done so.
What makes Mulan here a strong female character is not that she is prefect and completely capable at the start, but is a human, as flawed as anyone else, and that used her flaws to find her own way, to become unique and turn them into strengths. She has a complete character arc where she isn't suddenly all powerful just because the plot demands it, but even in her final fight, she is all on the defensive and only succeeds through cunning and finding the opening (and the help of a little dragon).
I have the feeling, too often, movies take a shortcut in writing female leads, by reducing the complexity and the difficulties of their character arcs (in contrast to male lead movies) from a flawed person that can grow and learn, that becomes a better version of themselves.
Seriously, she can have both feminine and masculine traits. She can make mistakes but learn from them. She can be heroic but also vulnerable. Just write a great character, that's all. I think the issue we see today is superficial appeal to the female audience, it's corporate contrived "feminism" it's pandering and hollow. As a woman it sucks to be shown something so fake and expected to care like I should be happy about it, I just want a great character that's all.
Exactly! Not just that she learns how to fight well, but she's smart and can be comedic as well. She's such a well-rounded character. Female leads so often now can't be comedic or physically weak. And either have multiple romantic interests or is positively against having any. I always go back to this movie when having the discussion about the problem with a lot of "strong" female characters in movies now
Yeah, exactly, I liked she can have both traits: She doesn't quite fit in with the femenine group or completely with the masculine group, she can go her own way that's what I felt. By making human her character, we can feel her complete
That's how female leads in CDramas basically are. Yes they do have the "badass" fighter type (usually an assassin) but she's not presented as invincible and she works best with her love interest who helped her do a face-heel turn thus a character growth.
A few things that make this movie so special
1. When Mulan challenges her father on how he is prepared to die for honour
He replies
"I will die, doing what's right"
This hints to us that the father is less about honour as a duty but principle
He does think it's the right thing to give your life to defend your country and family from invaders
2. The film tackles the idea of masculintiy and gender norms
Long before that was a heated issue
Mulans first attenpts to "be a man" fail cause she follows both her preconceived ideas and mushu's ideas of what a man is
And over time the line gets blurred as what saves the day is not manly strength but ingenuity and that is genderless and sexless, it is available to everyone.
The trio even surrender their manliness to disguise themsevles to overcome the huns
3. When Shan-Yu sees Mulan and recongizes her, he doesn't look at her as a woman, but as the soldier, becasue huns had less oppressive gender roles for females
4. When shi fu goes at mulan at the end, the trio put themselves in front of her and protect her
Defying the high councilor, and showing their trust and friendship is solid.
Well said, and I also love that they all ultimately succeed through both ingenuity and working together as a team, leveraging each others’ strengths. Yes she’s the hero, but she’s not so ridiculously OP that she does everything on her own.
@@abbiejo6822Yes, the three guy are comic reliefs but never shown as incapable soldiers once they completed training. And they can do things Mulan can't. Like lifting a horse to save her for instance 😅
This movie changed my life as a kid. I was always more of tomboy but grew up with Cinderella and Snow White princesses. Here we had a woman using both (traditionally seen as) female and male attributes to face challenges and make her own way. There is not one right way to be a woman and be worthy and seen and appreciated. 9yo me felt inspired. It meant so much
Yes absolutely!! I also realized later in life that I can disappoint my parents and still make them proud
A true Disney Renaissance appreciator, unlike the new generation of Disney producers.
Absolutely I was always a tomboy and sometimes resonated in me watching Mulan fight!
I never understood this line of logic. I'm a Mexican, and I never once felt like I wasn't represented by Disney movies or anything because the characters were white or Chinese or what have you.
I look at Mulan and I see myself reflected in her because she exhibits some qualities that I admire and strive for. We don't need someone to look like us or anything silly like that. We can just find the things worth admiring in each individual and identify with that.
@@NovusIgnisI don’t really understand how your comment relates to the previous comments. But I’m going to try to explain why I agree with that logic.
Show White was a very passive character who was "classically" beautiful, fragile, innocent, naive, waiting for someone else to rescue her… attributes that are often seen as feminine and are often told to girls as something to strive to look/make yourself like, too. When you’ve already realized that you are strong, curious, adventurous (or nobody has told you that girls "shouldn’t" be like that), characters like Snow White can make you feel like you’re failing as a girl or you are not normal. And girls who were already told to be passive or not be inquisitive or only focus on looking good for a man to rescue them feel validated because characters like Snow White are admired and serve as "perfect" role models.
It can also just be a movie or just a character for some kids. It depends on your environment and what other characters or real life people you’re confronted with. If you only ever see passive female characters and rescuing male character, you very likely will think that that’s the way it should be. Because children think that what they see, what adults show them, is the way the world works.
A character like Mulan can - potentially - show or remind you that, for example: there are different types of people no matter the gender, that it’s okay to be strong and curious, that it’s okay to want to be strong but also have empathy/"female" attributes, that you can find friends in unlikely people, that you don’t have to look or behave a certain way to be a girl,…
You can transfer that concept to race/racism just as well because it mostly depends on what your parents/society showed and told you. If your parents managed to make you relate to lots of different people (disregarding gender, skin color, age, body type,, …), it won’t matter to you what attributes a fictional character might have. In most societies or cultures, that’s something your parent actively have to work for, though. Because while children are born without (e.g.) racist tendencies, lots of people/media around them will show racism, making the children think that that’s the correct behavior. And some children are also more receptive or observant than others, too.
I think the most impactful moment is when you realize that the "girl worth fighting for" has changed from a romantic partner to the little girl with the doll who was killed by the Huns.
I didn`t notice this, because I am german and in this version the soldiers sing a woman fighting for. So sadly, it doesn`t work so well
I feel that having Mulan not be a rebel at the beginning of the movie makes her more interesting. And it's a more interesting way to deliver the message that society is unfair than having the leading lady flat out say at the beginning that society is unfair like other Disney princesses from the 90s.
Yup. It’s exactly what I’ve never liked about Jasmine.
I like that it *does* place that emphasis on duty and social/familial responsibility too. It isn't just some story about "you're an individual and you need to express that individuality even at other peopels' expense."
So often these movies preach the message that you should never abandon whatever specific thing you want to do because everyone else is telling you to do so. They're in the wrong and you're in the right, follow your truth, etc etc. It's one thing I loved about Coco too. By the mid point in the movie, the main character sees the value of family and decides that if he has to sacrifice his dream so save someone else, that's a worthwhile thing to do. And through that growth, he's rewarded by that same family.
I dunno, I'm just sick of this hyper-individualism that suffuses all of American culture. Heaven forbid someone put the community or family first instead of themselves.
but iirc unlike all the other disney princesses from the time mulan was actively trying to fit the expectation of society and family had placed on her where the others were actual princesses and such and were rebelling against those expectations. mulan wasn't really rebelling so much as trying to keep her father alive by tricking everyone like she did
@@lionheartt15 That's kind of what I'm saying. I think it's more interesting to criticize society without having the main character criticize society (at first anyway.) Sort of a show-don't-tell thing
@@NovusIgnis Because that's a cultural thing. Extremes of both isn't good tho
Fun fact, during the song Honour to Us All, the women are singing Mulan can bring honor to her family by striking up a match. (Meaning finding a good husband) Although she would literally strike a match to cause the avalanche that wiped out the Hun army.
no theres no hidden meaning there. if you want something thats at least plausible the line "boys will gladly go to war for you" is at least a little believable as instead of fighting to marry her they're inspired to fight with her
OMG I love foreshadowing. Never thought about that before now!
Except she didn't strike the match to light the cannon, she used a dragon.
@@teamninjabug8287 Eh close enough
@@teamninjabug8287 again, she didn't do the same as everyone to fit in, instead she made her own way.
Fun fact! That move she does with the fan when fighting the villain, actual martial arts move! The crew drew from life!
That move is so bad ass and is one of my favorite parts of the movie
That looks a lot like Aikido, though, which is a Japanese fighting style. Was it a similar move from a Chinese fighting style?
The amount of detail that Old School Disney drew from real life is the hallmark of their golden age. It shows the amount of love and passion they had for their craft. For The Lion King, they sat down with actual Lions to learn their mannerisms, they went into the wild to capture the true spirit of the African Savanna. For Aladdin they delved into deep Arabic lore and traditional stories, and spent weeks to get individual seconds of animation *just right*. Old School Disney were Artists first, movie-makers second. And their downfall into propaganda-pushing, short-cut narratives, and vitriolic fan-shaming is one of the great tragedies of the new millennium.
I always wanted to learn that... still do.. 😂
@@choalithikanthe2422 Basically do a research on the subject. It's practically mandatory for anyone writing a setting.
Heck Tom Clancy did his research into military aspects of his novels so well that you'd think he was an ex-military.
Don’t know if you’ve seen it yet but definitely add The Prince of Egypt to your animation watch list!
Yes yes yes
Yessssss
YESSSS
Yes please!
YES HE NEEDS TO WATCH PRINCE OF EGYPT
i love how the stone dragon couldnt be awoken by mushu because the dragon had already awoken in mulan to protect her family i find that truly beautiful
You do realize that mushu basically murdered another dragon
@@JoshuaNelson-kl5zb not really. By then, it’s strongly implied that the statue was just a statue. There are dragon motifs all over Mulan’s decision, which comes as she sits under the Great Stone Dragon, very much suggesting that in truth, Mulan was the Great Stone Dragon. Additionally, while dragons in Chinese culture represent many things, one of the most potent is wisdom, which is a trait that allows Mulan to succeed. The statue by that point was no longer a symbol of the Great Stone Dragon, bc its spirit was now within Mulan.
@@agwarddd no that's not it at all the Great dragon was not a symbol he was an individual creature remember mushu was a statute then The Great ancestor woke him up this means the Great dragon was one of his kind and he died in his sleep
@JoshuaNelson-kl5zb that's probably how it reincarnated as mulan, if that's what the writers were going for. Assuming I got the timing right, reincarnation was a belief back then
@@Fairygoblet in order for that to work Mulan would have to have been born after the Great dragon died he could not have been reincarnated as someone who was alive at the same time as him
I love the friendship/broship Mulan develops with Ling, Yao and Chen Po.
Fun fact, there's actually countless women through history who fought in wars, fully uncredited because of their countries' laws against women. Obviously there's no way of knowing how many or how often it happened, because successful women warriors were never caught and they never recorded any achievements.
If you are talking about China, maybe you can check up Fuhao (妇好). She is the first Chinese female general recorded. Her story as well as her tomb discovered in 1976 are both quite interesting.
I studied China and Chinese in college, and that gave me soooooo much more historical context for this movie. Fun fact, there’s debate on whether or not Hua MuLan was a real person or not. There’s an ancient Chinese poem called The Ballad of Hua MuLan that’s the basis of the debate.
Would probably be less of a debate if it wasn’t for China’s cultural revolution. So much history wiped off the surface of the Earth, "cleaning the slate" for China. I’d like to think the stories have some basis in reality, but any old temples or libraries that might’ve held that sort of knowledge got pretty much wiped out.
Let's get down to business...
To defeat the Huns
did they send me daughters
When I asked for sons
Your the saddest bunch I’ve ever met
But you can bet
38:40 the way her father threw the sword and crest away like it doesn't matter just to hug his daughter still makes me teary eyed to this day :')
For a lot of us Asians, Jasmine and Mulan made us feel seen for the first time. We saw someone from our regions be celebrated and represented in a way that wasn't caricaturish or stereotypical. Mulan in particular is a perfect movie in my opinion. There's nothing too little or too much in it. It has everything from a female protagonist struggling with being a misfit in her society to the movie celebrating her innocence and intelligence to fascinating character arcs, a unique plot, fabulous humour and incredible songs.
Mulan is so different from the movies before it. It didn't end with a wedding or a kiss. The villain doesn't have a song of his own. Mulan and Li Shang don't even have the typical Disney love song. Despite all of this, the villain managed to be iconic and Mulan and Li Shang's slowburn affection bloomed so beautifully into love. They also managed to show over the course of the film that strength and femininity aren't mutually exclusive concepts. It's my absolute favourite Disney movie followed by Hercules and the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
I think the first part of your comment is kind of sad, but not for the reasons you'd think. I'm white and growing up I seen myself most in Mulan over all the other princesses. Even to this day I many of the characters I connect with most aren't white or even women. The first one I think of is actually the giant, black man in Green Mile (iirc), I instantly recognized his tender nature and being misunderstood since I was much taller than most girls and boys my age.
I am looking more at traits, desires, and goals when I'm looking at storytelling. So I just find it really sad that for you it was about color and background, not the spirit of the character. When I watch something, I'm trying to draw parallels in characters and can appreciate so many wildly different characters by focusing on a different thing within them.
The favourite Disney of my mom! I grew up with it and loved it so much!
Funfact about the real ballad of Mulan: she never fought Huns but rebels. She became a war captain and her soldiers loved her so much that they all escorted her to her home while they didn't know she was a woman. Then, she thanked them in her regular feminine clothes before going back to her sewing work as if she never left home
@@strawberrysoulforever8336She was already a symbol of feminity and courage in China before the movie. Disney made her discover to western audience but destroy it all by making a terrible live movie. (Also your line about China seems a bit racist… I would have let you know that every countries has its history of misogyny and terrible things made to women and it didn’t change the fact every country has also those feminine figures as heroins)
@@lysfranc8782 I don't know much about other cultures. I meant Disney picking her up gave Western audiences a strong symbol that China already had. And I was just talking about foot binding. But then, England had crippling styles, too. Some Victorian women died of internal bleeding from corsets. China is not unusual, but it did have very rigid gender roles not so long ago.
Honestly, as much as I love how sassy Mulan's grandma is, my favorite part of the movie is Yao roasting Chi-Fu in the song "A Girl Worth Fighting For".
Chi-Fu: 🎶I've a girl back home who's unlike any other🎶
Yao: 🎶 Yeah, the only girl who'd love him is his mother🎶
Just the look on his face ALONE is priceless. 😅😂🤣
“Would you like to stay forever??”
It was the first time I heard that line, given that I'm French and used to watch the movie in french. In the French song, the song goes like "a young woman's been waiting for me for 40 years" "after all this time she surely has no teeth anymore". I can't say which line I prefer x)
Mulan is the best Disney movie IMO. The story, the action, the music. It's perfect!!!
My favourite is Encanto, but Mulan is easily top 3, and definitely the best of the Disney Renaissance movies.
I'm more of a Hercules man myself
Ratatouille if we include Pixar
@AnEnormousNerd Maybe I'm biased. I love Aladdin, The Lion King & A Goofy Movie too, but I remember seeing Mulan in theaters, and the song reminds me of Basic Military Training
@@johngreen6521 🎶Let's get own to bussiness🎶
This movie was something so special watching it as a little girl. Mulan climbing the pole always makes my eyes water.
For me it's also the strongest moment! When I face challenges in my life, I listen to the song like 20 times + 15 times just that climbing part to give me strength
It’s the transformation scene for me
"I will never pass for a perfect daughter,"
"If i were truly to be myself, i would break my family's heart,"
These lines really hit hard for me
My dad hated me being a nerdy, rugby playing theatre girl, but that's who i am.
As well as when she is looking in the helmet. For years, i couldn't see the worth in myself
I know the Poem of Mulan was never confirmed to be based on a true story, but in the Balkan war and WWI, a woman named Milunka Savić served Serbia in her brother's place just like this, when she was wounded and discovered she was offered a place in a nursing division, but she refused, and since her record as a soldier was too good, they didn't want to get rid of her, she got awarded so many medals.
This movie was so important to me when I was a little girl. I remember struggling with stereotypical role models when I was in primary school. All the other girls wanted to be a princess, and I would much rather be a police officer or a fireman or president. So I started wearing boys clothes and I was asked several times if I identified as a boy. But I just didn't have the vocabulary to express that I clearly feel like a girl, but I just couldn´t imagine women doing all the cool and important jobs. And then I saw "Mulan" for the first time in 2005, and that same year Angela Merkel became German Chancellor (I am German). I realized that I can have any job I want and that physical benefits don't matter if you're determined and smart. I'm sure this movie has changed my life in a positive way.
I get chills and tear up everytime “A Girl Worth Fighting For” gets cut short. It’s such a gut punch
"I know this voice from Avatar"
To celebrate the day, the Avatar was NOT Boiled in hot oil !
doesn't that va have like 300 role credits?😂 hes so iconic
Yes, James Hong. Also Po"s (kung fu panda) adoptive dad
"why doesn't China have a bigger fighting force?" They did. Our crew just walked through the field of their corpses. On a less sad note, the charge of the Huns is one of those 'we have to completely reinvent the field of animation in order to create this scene' moments of Disney animation. The behind the scenes for it are really cool.
🧧Here’s why I like “Mulan” : she actually tried to bring honour to her family the traditional way first she didn’t decide on extremes until it was her only choice, her path in life was simply meant to be interesting because she’s different. I relate quite a lot to her character . Probably the only princess i related to a child in all Disney princess movies .
I’m an only child too like Mulan🖤
After the cut from 'A girl worth fighting for' to the scorched village is brutal, and after that there's no more songs for the rest of the film which is a great creative choice!
Fun fact: the First Fa Ancestor who awakens Mu Shu is voiced by George Takei, who voices the warden of the earth kingdom prisoners in ATLA.
And the council man is voiced by James Hong, who also does the mayor of Chin Village.
One of my favourite Disney movies, just so special.
Also love (and hate lmao) the scene right after "A girl worth fighting for". During the song, they sang about their own selfish needs from the girls they thought they were fighting for. But when they came upon the destroyed village, they all found their girl worth fighting for: the little girl who lost her doll and her life.
fun fact, the artwork at the beginning of the movie is made to mimic the look of ink on rice paper, which is a traditional chinese art medium!
The scene of the destroyed village is still one of the most eerily brutal moments in a disney movie. The writers and animators absolutely knew how to maximize the tragic impact by contrasting the joy of the song number with the destruction of the following scene.
This is unmistakably an expertly directed movie. There's few even among the Disney catalog that can even try to hold up to Mulan.
At so many times growing up training for sports or doing outdoor activities, someone would start singing "let's get down to business" and within 5 minutes everyone would be chanting "BE A MAAAAN"
The training montage set to “Be A Man” is my favorite training montage in a movie, period. I always get chills when Mulan, through intelligence and determination, overcomes the arrow challenge when no one else could. It was a great lesson and something I needed to see when I was a young girl.
This is my all time favourite Disney film. As a kid I was the only girl playing with dinosaurs and trucks instead of dolls and was more interested in swords and castles than "playing house". I always felt soul-bonded to Mulan as I also was a people pleaser who never seemed to be enough no matter how hard I tried or how well I did. I was always a step out of time with everyone else. When I watched Mulan for the first time (a very long time ago) I felt like "yeah, this should have been me..."
On a small note when Li Shang is supposed to execute her she says "I did it to save my father's life" and he's only just lost his father so that really resonates with him and touches his vulnerability and empathy. The transitions in this film are so impactful and the music is incredible. I'm so glad you loved this film too.
Same here as a kid, I’d much rather use my imagination in playing out an adventure than playing house; and also struggled with people pleasing. I’ve since then accepted myself and learned to not please people nearly as much.
'Mulan' is truly one of the greatest Disney movies ever. There are so many raw, heart-wrenching, and moving segments throughout. The musical numbers stopping once the army reaches the destroyed village in order to remind audiences that this is really a movie about the tragedies of war, Shang placing his father's helmet on his sword in dedication, and the entire congregation bowing to Mulan at the end of the film are some of the most powerful moments in all of animation.
this might be my favorite Disney Renaissance movie of all time
For anyone wondering Mulan's father was a veteran war hero who gained respect during a previous war by fending off enemy forces resulting in his debilitating injury, he "retired" as a result of it but was seen as a warrior of great honor for his service so the fact the family didnt have a son to preserve the family legacy left them in a complicated situation. The only way for the family to hold onto that respect during those times would have been if Mulan had married into another well off family, and thats why the pressure to impress the matchmaker the person in charge of making the introduction to all the highly respected families was so important in the beginning of the film
one of my favorite observations:
a girl worth fighting for ends with them seeing the village all burnt up, with mulan picking up a little girl's doll. that little girl is the girl worth fighting for.
The part where the hand pops out of the snow, still makes full grown adults who have watched this since this movie came out, jump.
This movie has one of the greatest depictions of war and violence of any movie ever. And it does it in one scene.
I LOVED this movie when I was a kid. Alas, my mom was a fundie and did't like how "masculine" and "independent" Mulan was. I thought she was a badass. LOL Great music in this one too.
I remember my dad taking to see this in theaters when it came out. It was amazing! One of my favorites.
Me too!
and one of my favorite theories from this movie is that the reason why mushu couldn't wake up the stone dragon was because the dragon's spirit had already left as mulan (she was sitting on the statue when she made the decision to leave).
and if you notice, the movie is a musical up until the army comes across the destroyed village. from that point on, the only song is the "be a man" reprise that lasts all of 30 seconds. the horrors of war were powerful enough to straight up change the genre!
Yes! And you can see dragons in the whole sequence when Mulan decides to leave implying that the dragon was already in her the whole time.
Something cool this movie has that most Disney animated movies don't is that the hero and the sidekicks have storylines that parallel each other. Mulan, Mushu and the cricket all disgraced themselves and lie about themselves for a chance at redemption. (Mulan and the cricket even disgraced themselves in the exact same scene.) It looks like they're going to succeed, only for their deceptions to be revealed, disgracing them again. And then they really do succeed at redeeming themselves.
I also like that even though he isn't as important as those other characters, the love interest has insecurities and an arc of his own. (Like Mulan, he's trying to bring honor to his family, specifically his father.)
I love the part where the leader of the leader of the Hun army says "The soldier from the mountains..." Because it doesn't display any surprise that Mulan is a woman. He doesn't care about her gender, only that she was the one that destroyed his army.
I really liked this movie it is still one of my favourites. It holds a place in my heart, the way that the story was about HER not about a love story not about being saved, but about her fighting for what she wanted. One of the first Disney movies about a princess and that was not too focused on a love story, it was there but it was not the main aspect! She was her own woman
My mother loved this movie so much that not only did we see it in theaters twice, but we brought her mother the second time.
It was the only animated movie my grandmother liked. .
One of my top five Favorite Disney Renaissance films from the music, the score by the late Jerry Goldsmith, and the voice performances of Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong, James Hong and Mr. Miyagi himself: Pat Morita. Plus Mulan is one of my Top Three favorite Disney Princesses and in my top five.
Lastly, it’s worth mentioning is that compared to the other Disney Renaissance films which were animated at the Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, California with a few assistance from the Paris Disney Animation Studio that helped out with some of the animation for _Hunchback of Notre Dame_ and _Tarzan,_ Mulan along with _Lilo & Stitch_ and _Brother Bear_ were animated at the Disney Animation Studios in Orlando, Florida up until its closure in February 2004. Also, Jackie Chan does the voice of Li Shang in the Chinese dub (both Mandarin and Cantonese) of the film along with doing the singing voice of him.
Thanks for the reaction and hope you react to _Aladdin._
Don't forget for singing voices you have Lea Salonga and Donny Osmond. I also just learned that George Takei is the First Ancestor.
One of my favourite things about the ending fight is that Shan Yu said the solider from the mountain when recognising Mulan as Ping instead of saying something along the lines of “you’re a women!?” Because to the Huns it was normal to see the women fight too as they had female worriers
this movie was my favourite disney movie for years and years. as a trans guy, the way mulan felt and the demonstration of her supposed inability to fulfill her place as the ideal daughter and struggle in demonstrating masculinity was always so relatable to me and even to this day 'reflection' makes me cry. even if thats not at all how it is for her, i still find it an incredible and touching movie
34:32 "Nothing more masculine than embracing ur feminity." I agree. My boyfriend used to have a shirt that said real men wear pink. He can't find it anymore, but he loved wearing it 😊
Love ur videos. I've found myself saying "shivers" a few times.
Btw hi from Hollywood, Florida 😊
Got so excited seeing you react to this one, been wanting to watch this movie again for a while, so it was a highlight of my day seeing this. I was quoting along as I watched haha, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Fun Fact: in case no one else mentioned it or noticed, but the songs/singing had stopped after they arrived at the attacked village for the remainder of the movie, just to show the reality and heartache of the situation happening. And I love Mulan as a Disney Princess, she's incredibly brave, creatively intelligent and yet still maintains a kind, understanding heart.
In the legend this movie was based on, Mulan was actually a very traditional woman of her time.
She can sew, she had makeup, and she was in every way a traditional woman, but because her family have no older brother who was old enough to fight in the war, her little brother didn't meet the age requirement to have a recruit notice sent to him, and her older sister also couldn't do it, that's why she decided to take on the responsibility for her father was too old to fight.
It actually took her a while to get everything she needed for the war, she had to go to four different markets just for the equipment, after 12 years of fighting, she finally came back, she rejected the emperor's offer to work as assistant for the emperor after they won the war, and asked the emperor to send her home, her family welcomed her back, she went into her room, put on her makeup, changed her clothes before she came out of her room to meet the soldiers that fought with her in the war, they were surprised because for the 12 years that they spent fighting in the war with her, they never knew she was a woman all along.
Huns society was actually different from traditional Chinese society, female Huns could take on more leadership roles, they can own land, their society was completely different from traditional Chinese society, because they lived in the north, the resource was pretty limited, that's the reason why they often went down south to China for resources and they had been a constant problem for the Chinese for generations until they were finally forced to move to what is known as the modern day Hungarian area.
In China's history, there were two times when China was actually ruled by what Chinese would call "barbarians" from the north, once was Mongolia, and then Manchus, but never by the Huns, there were historical records of the Huns being more of a problem to China in the 127 BC, and it persisted to be in the history books until they became Hungary.
In different periods of time in China's history, China was at war with different groups of what they call "barbarians"
300 BC-127BC Huns
1279 AD-1368 AD Mongolian
1644AD-1911 AD Manchus
What is now commonly known as "Chinese" as people call it was actually spoken by the "barbarians" living north of China who called themselves "Manchus", China itself have different dialects spoken across the country, some provinces even have two different dialects within the province(North and South), as such, in some provinces, people living in the northern area would have no idea what the people living in the south are saying in spoken language, if you write it out it may have more of a chance to be understood since all Chinese dialects use the same sets of Chinese characters, it's just being pronounced differently with different dialects, but they''ll also have a chance to sound similar because people use the same characters when creating the dialects.
The original legend was less about Mulan defying social norms and how she's not feminine, in the original legend, what I think was interesting was the fact that Mulan could take the responsibility to fight in the war "as a man", but after the war ended, she's just Mulan, a woman who sews, have her makeup on and fits perfectly with her society, the legend was less about her not fitting into her society, as in the legend she fit into her society perfectly, the original legend was more about how she loved her dad so much, how she was so concerned about her dad not being able to fulfill the responsibility that she decided that she would do it for her dad, and this is not the only thing about the original legend that is admirable, in the original legend, she was able to return to her everyday life before the war happened, she was able to take off her armor for the war, put on her usual clothes, put on her makeup and be a lady, a woman, and almost no one can do that after 12 years of fighting in the war, but Mulan did, that's the point of the legend, the original legend also focused more on Mulan's love for her family and she had no identity crisis in the original legend.
If you're doing Renaissance movies, you're still missing Little mermaid, Aladdin and Pocahontas. Some of the early 2000 are worth a watch also (Lilo&Stitch, Treasure planet, Kuzco, Brother Bear). And last recommandation, not a Disney but a perfect animated from the 90s: Prince of Egypt. The music is just magnificient
Just a note that Kuzco's movie is called The Emperor's New Groove. It's a very fun watch!
All of these!!!
38:52 Yep. Got me also. As someone from an Asian family (Filipino) making your parents proud of you is one of greatest accomplishment you'll ever have.
You're on a roll with awesome movies. I could barely see this one cause my aunts always borrowed the VHS and rarely returned it to me. Now I want to listen to the songs again.
Mulan was always the best "princess" to me. She did all the work and saving, without waiting for a man to do all the rescuing. True, she needed to dress as a man, but that wasn't really her fault. And it was all for her father. Family subjects are so welcoming 😄
in "A girl worth fighting for" the part about his mom the only one loving him, is also funny in german, in which he sings: my wife at home is a beauty and gets countert with: she has lot of hair on her tooth xD
Haha in French it goes:
-A beautiful woman has been waiting for me for almost forty years.
-By now she has no teeth left!
In Polish I believe it was, "The one awaiting me is the best of them all! - Listen how nice he speaks of his mom" 😸
In Russian it's also that "there's a dame waiting for me at home - the only woman who's in love with him is mum". But the being in love makes it extra punchy compared to just love
In swedish it's:
-At home there's a lady, she is my own flame
-The only girl that wants him, it's his mom/mommy
Seems like i started something, we need more translations and create a ranking xD
The grandma is my absolute favorite character. She is no nonsense and funny at the same time.
Oh! Mulan was such a role model in this movie! I loved the songs… my two favorites are Reflection and I’ll Make A Man Out Of You.
I just cant believe u are watching literally everything i love and not a lot of people are reacting to
Eddie Murphy is iconic 🔥💯
Agreed although the funny thing is I didn’t know he voiced Mushu when I watched Mulan the first time as I only knew him as the voice of Donkey from _Shrek._ So it wasn’t until I rewatched Mulan the second time until I realized Mushu and Donkey were voiced by Eddie Murphy.
The gravely voiced Yao was voiced by Harvey Fierstein. He is best known as the author of the “Torch Song Trilogy,” for which he won two Tonys (for Best Play and Best Actor). He also originated the role of Edna in the Broadway production of “Hairspray.”
This is probably one of my favorite Disney movies of all time. The interactions with her dad, especially at the end, make me tear up every time (even more so since my dad has passed). It's also one of the most quotable movies from Disney. 😊
What really gets me about that cutaway from “a girl worth fighting for” is that that’s exactly the girl worth fighting for. That child, that little girl who died that they couldn’t protect in time. That’s the real one worth fighting for, and it’s not a glamorous fantasy. It’s their reality.
"They're gifts to honor the Fa family." And Fa Zhou throws away priceless heirlooms away like trash to hug his daughter & tell her in one simple phrase how proud he is of her & how much he loves her
This is one of my favorite movies ever and I'm so glad you liked it too! As an Asian woman raised in a predominantly white country Mulan was one of the first movies where I saw someone like me on the screen and that meant so much to me. I'll always hold this movie dearly to my heart
This movie is so good!
Her relationship with her dad is so beautiful!
The actress voicing Mulan is Ming Na Wen, who also plays Agent May in Agents of Shield. She is so bad ass! And could have totally been the live action Mulan, if she was the right age. She does appear in the live action though.
She is also in The Mandalorian and Boba Fett. Playing Fennec
This is such a good movie. I love how you picked up the arrupt end to a girl worth fighting for changed the genre of the movie. As someone already said that moment changed the girl from a future wife to the innocent they protect but also the end of that song changes the movie from a musical to no longer a musical. There are no more full songs after that point. The only song after that is a very small reprise of be a man. And there is full sure enough time left for a couple or more full songs.
I do love the be a man reprise though cause a lot of times the men dressed as women would be played as a joke but here its this is a strength and good.
There are several scenes that are cinematic Gold in this movie .
1- The song reflection and how the simplistic movements really convey the songs meaning
2- The workout montage and her realizing her brain is needed.
3- The Girl worth fighting for abrupt ending Jars you everytime and adding the deaths reminds you what a girl worth fighting for can cost a man.
4- Finally the scene where she reveals shes the soldier by a simple change of her hair.
All of these plus many more were put just right making this an Amazing movie. Movie 2 on the other hand is typical Disney princess drama
The singer during "I'll make a man out of you" is Donny Osmond
Dishonour on you, Oscar and Dishonour on your cow for not having watched this masterpiece till 2024!!!
Why? It's better to watch now with us
Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your couch!
I love this film so much. Plus reflection is such a great song that has personal meaning to me.
I remember reading someones analysis of why the dragon statue crumbled when they tried to wake it.
Someone pointed out that the dragon was cradling Mulan and staring at her when she made the decision to run away.
So Mulan was inspired to become the family's guardian.
I'm sure someone else has already said this, but the reason why the dragon statue crumbles so easily is that Mulan is actually the great dragon spirit herself, and the protector of her family. It's also why once she decides to run away, you keep seeing dragon iconography over and over and over again. It's brilliant symbolism.
And it's more that Donkey is Mushu than the other way around. Mushu came first. 😉
As a little boy, I loved this movie! It wasn't until I was an adult that one of the reasons I loved it is because Shang very clearly starts to fall in love with Mulan BEFORE he finds out she's a woman, which made my little closeted heart swoon!
+
DISTURBING....
@@breezymango4113oh, gawd. Shut up.
Army: A girl worth fighting--
Steven He: EMOTIONAL DAMAGE!
This is one of my top favorite animated films! There are so many great moments and I feel like you really caught onto them in your reaction. It was like watching it for the first time again. Mulan is so much better than any of the "strong" female protagonists we have these days. The serious parts hit deep. The comedy parts never get old. Even the cultural aspect, which is of course inaccurate in many ways, captures the feeling of that time just enough to be immersive.
Fun fact the actress who plays Mulan is also in Agents of shield as melinda may... definitely give it a watch its one of my favorite shows of all time. This and Hercules were always my top 2 disney movies as a kid
And Star Wars as Fennec Shand. She’s become a Disney triple threat lol
Can I nominate Prince of Egypt, On the Road to El Dorado and Sinbad: Legend of the 7 seas? All great dreamworks movies!
Seconded! They're all fantastic!
I can never listen to Reflection without thinking about Lea Salonga. Her voice in this movie and in Aladdin remains iconic ❤🥰.
She's only 16, I believe, literally my favorite Disney princess movies of all time. Also, love you and your channel! ❤
Still looking forward to your viewing of The Great Mouse Detective!
😎
Criminally underrated!
0:02 hell yea, one of my fav disney
5:00 chinese value filial piety very much
11:05 Eddie Murphy
12:49 and yet she isn't a princess by either birth or marriage x:
14:23 my fav. Mulan quote. Dishonor on you, dishonor on your cow! (this comes from the philosophy that if one rises in rank, the full household will rise with time, even the dog, and ofc the same if someone falls in rank/status)
19:07 and her starts prolly the most iconic Mulan song and one of the most iconic disney songs
22:33 yes x:
27:28 I remember playing a very old mulan game, and whan of the levels was basically this fight, with fireworks and avalanche and armies... was my favorite
3629 another nice quote
Re: “Not a princess”:
-No, Mulan was neither born royal nor married into royalty. But, she serves the Emperor. That should count, in my opinion.
Seriously though, as far as I’m concerned, the truly necessary requirements for a Disney Princess- other than being female, human, and a character in a Disney movie- are that she must be:
• the main protagonist of her *_own_* story- NOT the love interest of someone else’s (sorry Meg, Esmerelda, AND *_Jasmine)_*
• of an age where romance and marriage are a consideration, whether she is actually interested in a relationship or not. Or more simply let’s just say, she is coming of age as a young adult (neither a child, nor fully matured)
…though an animal sidekick and a pretty dress don’t hurt. And neither does doing really well at the box office.
I feel like man or woman. the message of the movie is " Look what you can accomplish when you give your all even when everything and everyone around you is telling you 'you cant' "
Mulan did find the 'girl worth fighting for' -- the little girl that owned that doll. Her and other girls like her.
i just know you’re gonna love this one
Really Mulan is one of my fav movies and one of my fav heroines, I needed to see this movie again and I did admire it as a child. Because of how Mulan find her way, surpassing herself to fight, doing it more for love to her family, that's how you write a character! Also Mushu as a partner is cool, and now I'm realizing why he and Mulan go well together, as you said, even though they both start out a bit clumsy, they form a good team and Mushu in a friend to Mulan
Mulan and Aladdin are my all time favorite Disney movies.
So glad to watch this today!
You uploading makes my day! :)
This movie came out the same year I was born ❤