Disney Renewed
Mulan Breaths Life into Disney Animation

Disney has struck gold with the beauty and majesty in the simple story of Mulan. This film marks a number of firsts for the Disney company. Mulan is the first animated film primarily produced at their Disney Animation Studios in Orlando, Florida. It's the first time Disney has adapted a Chinese fairy tale (and a relatively obscure one at that). It's also the first film since The Lion King which may prove to be an overwhelming success.

The story of Mulan is said to be rooted in Chinese history. At the time when the Huns were attacking the Great Wall, a young girl chose to disguise herself as a boy and join the Chinese army. The title character of Mulan (voiced by Ming-Na Wen) is an awkward girl who is unable to honor her family by finding a husband. When a proclamation from the Emperor demands that one male from each family be conscripted into the army, her crippled father prepares to answer the call to uphold the family honor. Frightened for her father's well-being, she sneaks away during the night to take her father's place.

When the spirits of her ancestors find out what she has done, they prepare to summon a guardian to help her. A demoted guardian -- the small dragon, Mushu (Eddie Murphy) -- is awakened to summon the Great Stone Dragon. By accident, Mushu breaks the Stone Dragon. Disguising himself to the ancestors as the Stone Dragon, Mushu says he will go help make Mulan into a hero.

Mulan succeeds as a Disney film on so many different levels. The quality of animation clearly surpasses anything done in recent years. From the simple flower blossoms to the invading Hun armies thundering across the snow, each scene is beautifully detailed. The characters are also richer. Mulan and her quest for family honor are real, and the love shown her by her family is equally touching. As for humor, the story of Mulan is filled with a number of genuinely funny moments ranging from silly to sublime. Of course, Murphy's characterization of Mushu provides most of the best moments.

Mulan is also graced with a wonderful cast of voices, including B.D. Wong as Mulan's captain Shang. Other familiar voices present are Pat Morita (Karate Kid) as the Emperor, George Takei (Sulu from Star Trek) as one of Mulan's spirit ancestors, and Harvey Fierstein as Yao.

Perhaps the one weak point in Mulan -- by Disney standards -- is the lack of memorable music, but this has been a concern for the past few years. The film does not boast a lot of musical numbers, not in the way The Little Mermaid or Beauty and the Beast hinged on them. Still, with talent like Donny Osmond (who provides the singing voice for Shang), it is a wonder Disney didn't put more effort into the music of Mulan.

Nevertheless, this is a minor detail in an otherwise fascinating and greatly entertaining motion picture. The story is first rate, the animation is excellent, and it has a wonderful message about love, honor, and family. Maybe Disney is finally getting its act together.

MY RATING: 7 out of 10.

RATED: G
RUN TIME: 88 min.