Reviews

The Huns, who are led by the ruthless Shan Yu, invade imperial Han China by breaching the Great Wall. In the Imperial City, the Emperor orders a general mobilization, with conscription notices requiring one man from each family to join the Imperial Chinese Army. Fa Mulan learns that her elderly father Fa Zhou—the only man in their family and an army veteran—is being conscripted and fears for his life due to his poor health. To protect him, she cuts her hair and takes her father's sword and armor, disguising herself as a man so that she can enlist in his stead. The family quickly learns of her departure, and Mulan's grandmother prays to the family's ancestors for Mulan's safety. The ancestors decide that the "Great Stone Dragon" will bring Mulan back and send a disgraced former guardian, a small red dragon named Mushu, to awaken him. Mushu accidentally destroys the guardian's statue but then resolves to go instead, desiring to redeem himself to the ancestors by making Mulan a war hero. Reporting to the training camp, Mulan passes as a man named "Ping", with Mushu providing encouragement and clumsy guidance throughout her deception. Under the command of Captain Li Shang, she and her fellow recruits—including Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po—gradually become trained soldiers, but the Emperor's belligerent counsel, Chi-Fu, threatens to dissuade the Emperor from allowing Shang's men to fight. Mushu then crafts a fake letter from Shang's father, General Li, ordering Shang to follow the main imperial army into the mountains. The reinforcements set out and arrive at a burnt village, discovering that the Huns have massacred General Li and his troops. I love this movie because it’s such an empowering movie because she doesn’t fall in love until the very end of the film, and a woman joining the Imperial Chinese Army and saving the emperor of China to prove her worthiness to men and herself, as well as not wanting to let her family down. I would definitely recommend this movie to young girls to see that they can do whatever they want and unlike some other Disney movies, where it’s love at first sight, the main characters don’t fall in love until the end of the movie.