I love Mulan; this film is hilarious but also has a lot of heart. Mulan has such a strong character to her and she is the only official Disney Princess who is neither born royal nor marries a prince.
Premiered on: June 5, 1998 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles
Directed by:
Barry Cook
Tony Bancroft
Produced by: Pam Coats
Based on: Ballad of Mulan, a poem of unknown origin of the legend of Hua Mulan
Sequels: Mulan II (2005)
Cast:
Ming-Na Wen – Mulan (speaking voice)
Lea Salonga – Mulan (singing voice)
Eddie Murphey – Mushu
BD Wong – Li Shang (speaking voice)
Donny Osmond – Li Shang (singing voice)
Miguel Ferrer – Shan Yu
June Foray – Grandma Fa (speaking voice)
Marni Nixon – Grandma Fa (singing voice)
Harvey Fierstein – Yao
Gedde Watanabe – Ling (speaking voice)
Matthew Wilder – Ling (singing voice)
Jerry Tondo – Chien-Po
James Hong – Chi-Fu
Pat Morita – The Emperor
George Takei – First Ancestor
Soon-Tek Oh – Fa Zhou
Freda Foh Shen – Fa Li
Miriam Margolyes – The Matchmaker
James Shigeta – General Li
Frank Welker – Cri-Kee / Khan
Chris Sanders – Little Brother
Supervising Animators:
Ruben A. Aquino
Tom Bancroft
Aaron Blaise
Mark Henn
T. Daniel Hofstedt
Broose Johnson
Alex Kupershmidt
Pres Romanillos
Barry Temple
Jeffrey James Varab
Music By:
Matthew Wilder
David Zippel
Jerry Goldsmith
Songs:
“Honor to Us All”
“Reflection”
“I’ll Make a Man Out of You”
“A Girl Worth Fighting For”
“True to Your Heart”
Academy Awards: Best Score (nomination)
The Story:
Mulan begins with an ink brush painting a beautiful mountain scene. The title card is shown overtop and then the painting turns into the Great Wall of China.
At night, there are guards patrolling along the Great Wall. A falcon sweeps down and knocks the helmet off of a guard. The falcon screeches and then suddenly ropes with grappling hooks come flying up onto the Great Wall. The guard yells that they are under attack and to light the signal. He tries to reach the signal himself but Huns appear on the Great Well. Their leader, Shan Yu, is there as well and the falcon lands on his shoulder. The guard bravely lights the signal and all along the Great Wall, fires are lit as a warning. He tells Shan Yu that all of China knows that the Huns are there. Shan Yu grabs a flag, burns it in the fire and just says “perfect.”
At the Emperor’s Palace in the Imperial City, General Li approaches the Emperor and tells him that Huns have invaded their northern border. Chi-Fu, one of the Emperor’s council members, thinks that is impossible because no one can get through the Great Wall. General Li continues to say that Shan Yu is leading the Huns and he will set up defenses around the palace immediately. The Emperor tells him to instead send out the troops to protect the people of China. He tells Chi-Fu to start sending out conscriptions and to gather as many recruits as possible. General Li thinks that his troops will be enough to stop the Huns but the Emperor doesn’t want to take any chances. He says that a single grain of ride can tip the scale.
Mulan is eating a bowl of rice and is practicing her answers for the matchmaker. She is writing notes on her arm as a rooster crows and she realizes that she is late. She yells for Little Brother and gets the dog to help with her chores. Mulan ties a bone in front of Little Brother’s nose and a bag of chicken feed around his waist. Little Brother runs around the yard trying to get the bone in front of his nose and feeds all of the chickens in the process. He runs up to the ancestral temple where Mulan’s father is praying to their ancestors. Fa Zhou is praying for help for Mulan to impress the Matchmaker and then when Little Brother and the chickens run around him, he prays even harder.
Mulan walks up to the temple with a tray of tea for her father. She passes by Littler Brother and helps the dog finally get his bone. Then she turns and runs right into her father. The tray goes flying and the teacup crashes but Zhou is able to catch the teapot on his walking stick. Mulan has a spare cup and she pours some tea for him. Zhou keeps trying to interrupt her and she goes on and on about how much tea the doctor said that he should be drinking. Her father reminds Mulan that she should already be in town and that they are counting on her. She finishes his sentence with “to uphold the family honour.” Mulan tells her father not to worry and she covers her arm that is covered in her notes before rushing off. Zhou tells Little Brother that he is going to pray some more.
In town, Fa Li is waiting for her daughter and the Matchmaker’s assistant is getting impatient. Li comments that she should have prayed to the ancestors for luck and Grandma Fa asks how lucky can they be since they are dead? Grandma Fa is very proud of her lucky cricket which she has in a small cage. She is going to test how lucky he actually is. Grandma Fa closes her eyes and walks out onto the busy street. She makes it across just fine and thinks that the cricket must really be lucky! But she does not realize how much destruction she has actually caused to other people. Cri-Kee faints from fear. Mulan arrives on Khan, her horse, and doesn’t understand why her mom is so annoyed with her tardiness and how much of a mess she actually is.
Mulan is brought inside and the Matchmaker’s assistance starts to sing “Honor to Us All” as she is not pleased with Mulan’s appearance. She gets Mulan ready to be presented to the Matchmaker and Li sees Mulan’s notes and is not impressed, but doesn’t make her wash them off. Grandma Fa gives Li Cri-Kee and says that they will need more luck than that. Mulan is dressed and has her makeup done and her mother gives her a gift of a beautiful comb. Grandma Fa appears with more good luck charms such as an apple, beads, and a pendant. She sticks Cri-Kee into the folds of Mulan’s dress. Mulan also sings “Honor to Us All” and sings to her ancestors for help and prays for her family. She joins the other potential brides.
Mulan is called in first to see the Matchmaker. The woman inspects her and thinks that Mulan is too skinny. Cri-Kee escapes as Mulan recites off her arm the final Admonition. The Matchmaker grabs her arm and brings her over to a teapot to properly pour some tea. She gets ink all over her hand from Mulan’s arm and then touches her face and smears it. Mulan is so surprised that she pours the tea right onto the table. Then she spies Cri-Kee in the teacup and tries to stop the Matchmaker from drinking the tea. She ends up spilling it all over the Matchmaker and Cri-Kee goes down the woman’s dress and tickles her. She starts dancing about and knocks over a stove, setting herself on fire. Outside Grandma Fa and Li hear the ruckus and Grandma Fa comments that she thinks it is going well. The Matchmaker then runs outside and yells for someone to put the fire out. Mulan follows and throws the entire pot of tea in her face. She hands over the teapot, bows, and hurries off. Cri-Kee jumps back into his cage and the Matchmaker yells after Mulan that she is a disgrace and will never bring her family honour! Everyone in the crowd whispers around her.
At home, Mulan puts Khan in the stable and her father sees her. Mulan shamefully hides from him. She looks at herself in the water trough and sings “Reflection.” She sings about not being able to be herself and that she doesn’t even know who she is. She goes up to the ancestral temple and bows to her ancestors. She takes off her makeup and lets down her hair before sitting outside on a bench under a magnolia tree. Her father joins her and comments about the beautiful blossoms. He sees one that has not bloomed yet and says that even though it will be late, that flower will be the most beautiful of all. Mulan smiles at this and knows that he is talking about her.
Suddenly they hear drums and Chi-Fu rides into their town. Mulan’s parents go out of their gate to see what is going on but they tell Mulan to stay inside. Grandma Fa shows Mulan a spot where she can still see what is happening from inside the gate.
Chi-Fu announces that the Huns have invaded China and everyone in town gasps. He says that by order of the Emperor, one man from each family must serve in the army. He starts reading off family names and a man from each one steps forward to take their conscription scroll. Mulan’s father is called and he bravely hands over his walking stick to Li and approaches Chi-Fu. Mulan screams and runs out. She pleads that her father has already fought in the army and shouldn’t have to again. Chi-Fu tells her to be quiet and tells Zhou to teach his daughter to hold her tongue in a man’s presence. Zhou tells Mulan that she has dishonoured him and Grandma Fa quietly takes her aside. Chi-Fu then tells Zhou to report the next day at training camp and he continues to read out names. Zhou walks back to their house and ignores Li trying to give him back his walking stick.
That night, Zhou gets out his old armour and sword. He swings the sword around but then hurts himself and falls to the ground. Mulan is watching and is frightened.
At dinner, Mulan is pouring tea for everyone as a thunder storm is starting. Everyone is very quiet. Suddenly Mulan slams down her teacup and says that Zhou should not have to fight as there are plenty of young men who can fight for China. Her father tells her that it is an honour to protect his country and his family and then Mulan asks him if he will die for honour. Zhou responds that he will die doing what is right. He tells her that she needs to learn her place and Mulan runs off.
Mulan is outside and crying. It is raining out and she sees her reflection in a puddle. Though a window, she sees her father comfort her mother before the lights go out. Mulan then gets an idea after they go to sleep.
Mulan goes into the ancestral temple and prays as Cri-Kee is watching her. She then goes to her father’s bedside table and swaps out her comb for the conscription scroll. She then grabs the sword and chops off her hair and puts on Zhou’s armour. She goes to get Khan but the horse starts to freak out because he does not recognize Mulan at first. But once he does, he lets her lead him out of the stable and they ride off into the night.
Grandma Fa suddenly wakes up and runs to wake up Zhou and Li. She tells them that Mulan is gone and they see her comb and realize what she has done. Zhou checks on his armour and it is gone. He runs out into the rain to try and stop her but she is already gone. He trips and falls and Li rushes to his side. She tells him that he must go after her because she could be killed. But Zhou says that if he does reveal her, she will be killed. Grandma Fa prays to the ancestors to watch over Mulan.
At the ancestral temple, the First Ancestor wakes up. He then wakes up Mushu the dragon to wake everyone else up. But Mushu thinks that he has been woken to protect someone in the family and the First Ancestor has to remind him that he is no longer a guardian. So he wakes up the rest of the ancestors and they argue about what to do about Mulan and which guardian they should send to protect her. The First Ancestor says that they must send the most powerful of them all and once again Mushu thinks that they mean him. He accepts and everyone laughs at him. The First Ancestor says that he meant the Great Stone Dragon! He throws Mushu out of the temple to wake the Great Stone Dragon.
Mushu bangs on his gong to try and wake up the Great Stone Dragon, whom does not wake. Mushu climbs up on the face of the statue and bangs on the ear; the ear breaks off and the entire statue crumbles. Mushu thinks that the ancestors are going to kill him as the First Ancestor calls out to the Great Stone Dragon. Mushu grabs the stone head and pretends to be the Great Stone Dragon just waking up. He leaves to go fetch Mulan. The ancestors fall for it and Mushu trips down a hill with the statue head. He doesn’t know what to do. Cri-Kee appears and Mushu tries to shoo the bug away. Cri-Kee suggests that Mushu go get Mulan but Mushu doesn’t think that is a good idea. He says that he would need to bring her back with a medal for the ancestors to let him back into the temple. Suddenly Mushu thinks that is a great idea! He is going to make Mulan a war hero so that they will be begging him to go back to being a guardian. Mushu takes off and Cri-Kee follows behind. Mushu asks the bug what makes him that that he is also going and Cri-Kee tells Mushu that he is lucky. Mushu isn’t a sucker but Cri-Kee joins him anyway.
A village is burning as the Huns ride away from it. They suddenly stop and Shan Yu points to the bushes to his left. One of his troops goes into the bushes and drags out two imperial scouts. Shan Yu jumps off his horse and walks towards them. He tells them “nice work, you found the Hun army” and one of the scouts bravely says that the Emperor will stop the Huns. Shan Yu is not scared and the Huns all laugh. He grabs the scout and says that with building the Great Wall, the Emperor only challenged his strength. He throws the scout down and tells them both to go tell the Emperor to have his strongest armies ready. As they run away, Shan Yu asks his troops how many does it take to deliver a message and one of them answers “one.” He shoots the other scout with an arrow.
Mulan is practicing talking like a man and her horse just laughs at her. She stares at the training camp in the distance and thinks that it will take a miracle to get her into the army. Suddenly she hears a dragon yell “did I hear someone ask for a miracle?” She sees a shadow of a large dragon through some flames. Mulan screams and runs behind a large rock. The dragon makes a big speech about being sent by her ancestors to help her. Mushu is getting Cri-Kee to fan the flames to create the effect of him appearing larger. He shouts at Mulan that he is the guardian of lost souls and is the powerful, pleasurable, indestructible Mushu!
Mushu walks out from behind the flames and so Mulan can see he really is a tiny dragon. She is very disappointed and Khan stomps on Mushu. She calls him a lizard and he is very insulted and insists that he is a dragon. He says that he is travel sized for her convenience and if he was his actual size, her cow would die of fright, referencing Khan. He says that he has powers like how he can see straight through her armour. Mulan slaps him and he yells “dishonour!” Mulan gets him to be quiet and Mushu says that she is going to have to trust him as they head into camp.
Mushu gets Mulan to walk into the training camp with a man walk. Everyone stares at how ridiculous she looks. She walks past all of the men and thinks that they are disgusting. Mulan does not think that she can do this and Mushu says that it is all attitude. She needs to be tough like the guy standing next to them. Mushu tells Mulan to punch Yao because that is how men say hello. She does and Chien-Po is happy that Yao made a new friend. Mushu then tells her to slap Yao on the behind as well and she does. Yao grabs Mulan and says that he is going to hit her so hard that her ancestors will be dizzy. Chien-Po picks Yao up and sways him back and forth to relax him. Yao then calls Mulan a chicken boy who isn’t worth his time.
Mushu is very insulted at being called a chicken and yells back. Since Yao thinks it was Mulan, a fight starts between Yao, Chien-Po, and Ling who are all trying to catch Mulan. She manages to run away but ends up knocking over the entire dinner line. Chi-Fu makes note of the big mess Mulan has made.
Chi-Fu goes to see General Li who is in his tent planning an attack on the Huns. He tells Li Shang to stay behind to train the new recruits and promotes him to captain. General Li says that they will toast their victory in the Imperial City and will expect a full report in three weeks. Chi-Fu assures the general that he will not leave anything out. Chi-Fu and General Li leave the tent and Shang stays behind to soak in his new promotion. He thinks that he is going to be the leader of the greatest troops of all time. He leaves the tent as well and is shocked at the huge mess outside. All of the troops are fighting and Chi-Fu is very unimpressed. General Li takes off on his horse with his own troops and calls back good luck to the new captain. Shang calls after him and calls him father.
Shang yells at the soldiers and they all blame Mulan for starting it. Shang asks her for her name but she can’t think of a male name off of the top of her head. Mushu suggests Ling but Mulan points out that another soldier’s name is Ling. Mushu then suggests Achoo and tells Mulan “gesundheit” when she says it. Finally Mushu suggests Ping and Mulan goes with that, though Mushu regrets his suggestion after he remembers that his best friend named Ping did steal his girl. Shang then asks to see Ping’s conscription scroll and is surprised to see Fa Zhou’s name on it. Mulan convinces them that she is Zhou’s son. Chi-Fu comments that he can see why Zhou doesn’t talk about his son, the boy is a lunatic. Mulan tries to spit but fails and everyone laughs.
Shang then says that thanks for Ping, everyone will spend the rest of the day picking up every single grain of rice and then tomorrow the real work will begin. Everyone is very angry at Mulan and Mushu tells her that she will have to work on her people skills, despite everything being his own fault.
The next morning, Mulan’s tent is far from everyone else’s. She is fast asleep and Mushu grabs sleeping Cri-Kee and winds him up like an alarm clock. Mushu shouts at Mulan to rise and shine and she ignores him. He whips off her blanket and tells her to hurry up and get ready. Mushu made Mulan some porridge for breakfast and he stuffs it in her mouth while giving all kinds of advice. Khan neighs and Mushu panics that the other troops have left. Mulan quickly finishes getting ready and races out of the tent, knocking it over in the process. Mushu is very proud of his little baby heading off to destroy people.
Chi-Fu is trying to get the troops in order and they keep yelling out what kind of food they want. Chi-Fu does not think they are funny. Mulan arrives and Yao is about to give her a knuckle sandwich when Shang arrives. He yells at everyone to get in order and then he shoots an arrow to the top of a pole and tells Yao to go retrieve it. Yao is about to climb when Shang ties two weights around his arms that represent discipline and strength. He will need them both to reach the arrow. Yao tries and fails and then so does everyone else in the camp. Shang thinks that they have a long way to go and he starts to sing “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” while they train. Everyone is terrible at first and Shang is even going to send Mulan home but then one night she climbs up the pole and is able to retrieve the arrow. She is allowed to stay and this is a turning point for everyone’s training.
Shan Yu is surveying the land. His falcon brings him a doll and he shows it to the other Huns and asks what they see. They are able to tell that the doll came from a nearby pass where the imperial army is waiting for them. The Huns think that they can avoid them easily but Shan Yu argues that the quickest way to the Emperor is through that pass.
At night, Mulan is bathing in the stream but Mushu does not think that it is a very good idea in case someone sees her. But Mulan doesn’t want to smell like a man and tells him to stand watch. Suddenly Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po jump into the water and Mulan tries to swim away from them. They notice her and want to start over with her and be friends. Yao climbs up on a rock and declares that he is king of the rock and Ling tries to get Ping to help fight him off. Mushu then bites Ling to distract him and he thinks that it was a snake. The men all freak out and Mulan uses the diversion to escape the stream. She thinks that was too close and never wants to see a naked man again. Right then, the entire camp runs right by her, all naked.
Mulan, Mushu, Khan, and Cri-Kee walk back to camp and they overhear Shang and Chi-Fu argue about whether the troops are ready to fight or not. Chi-Fu thinks that they are no more fit to be soldiers than Shang is to be captain with the report he wrote. Mushu thinks that he has worked too hard to get Mulan where she is to not see battle.
Shang leaves the tent and Mulan awkwardly tells him that she will hold Chi-Fu while Shang punches him. He keeps walking and she calls after him that she thinks he is a great captain. Mushu teases Mulan that she likes Shang and then he sends her to her tent. Mulan smiles as she leaves. Mushu says to Cri-Kee that it is time they took the war into their own hands.
They see Chi-Fu leaves his tent to take a bath and sneak inside. Cri-Kee writes a letter politely asking for backup for General Li’s troops but Mushu doesn’t think that it is urgent enough and makes Cri-Kee rewrite it. They then approach Khan who is drinking some water and Mushu asks for a ride. Khan responses by spitting the water out at the dragon.
Chi-Fu is getting out of the stream and is very annoyed at all the men who are laughing at him. He yells that they owe him a new pair of slippers and he insists that he does not squeal like a girl. A panda suddenly appears and eats his slippers and Chi-Fu starts to squeal. Mushu and Cri-Kee are pretending to be a messenger on the panda in the form of a puppet stuffed with hay. Mushu tells Chi-Fu that he has urgent news from the general and Chi-Fu asks who he is. Mushu responds that this is war and there is no time for stupid questions. The panda then takes off and climbs up a tree behind Chi-Fu’s back. The councilman looks around but can’t find the messenger.
Chi-Fu bursts into Shang’s tent and says that he has received urgent news that they are needed at the front.
The troops head out the next day and as they travel, they sing “A Girl Worth Fighting For.” Mulan gives her opinion that a girl worth fighting for is someone who has a brain and always speaks her mind. No one else agrees.
They suddenly stop when they come to a burnt down village. Shang tells them to search for survivors. Mulan finds the doll that Shan Yu had and Chi-Fu calls Shang over to see where the bodies of the general’s soldiers are. Chien-Po brings Shang the general’s helmet and sword. Shang plants the sword and puts the helmet on top of it and Mulan then heads over and tells him how sorry she is. Shang gets on his horse and says that the Huns are moving quickly and they will make better time through the pass. They are the only hope for the Emperor now. Mulan leaves the doll by the sword and helmet and prays.
The soldiers hike through the pass and are very solemn. Suddenly a cannon goes off from Mulan’s cart and everyone thinks that it was her, though it really was Mushu’s fault. Shang is mad that Mulan gave away their position. He then gets hit with an arrow as the Huns shoot hundreds of arrows down at them. The soldiers run to find cover and get out of range. Mulan’s cart catches on fire and Shang yells for them to save the cannons. Mulan and Khan make it away just as the cart blows up. The soldiers start to fire cannons at the Huns and they think that they have defeated them so Yao saves the last cannon. Suddenly the Hun army descends down on them over the snow with Shan Yu leading the way. Shang tells his troops to prepare to fight and if they die, they will die with honour. Shang tells Yao to aim the last cannon at Shan Yu but then Mulan gets an idea and grabs the cannon from him before he can fire. She aims it right at the top of the mountain. Mushu thinks that she missed Shan Yu who was standing right in front of her but she actually was able to cause an avalanche that wipes out the Huns.
Shan Yu hits Mulan with his sword but Shang catches her and helps her run back. Mulan jumps on Khan but then gets swept away in the avalanche. Shang’s troops hide behind a large rock. Mushu is riding a shield like a sled and can’t find Mulan; he does find Cri-Kee and thinks that the cricket is one lucky bug. Mulan and Khan are struggling with the avalanche and then she sees Shang being swept away by the snow as well. She saves him and Yao shoots an arrow attached to a rope towards them to help, but he accidently lets go of the rope.
Mushu is proudly showing Mulan how he found the lucky cricket and Mulan yells at him that they need help right as the arrow with the rope lands near them. Mushu believes that was due to Cri-Kee’s luck and seats the cricket right next to him. They then all slide over the edge of the cliff but Mulan shoots the arrow up and it lands right back in Yao’s hands. The troops pull them up to safety. Shang then comments that Mulan is the craziest man he has ever met, but because of that he owes Mulan his life. The troops give a big cheer for Ping! But Mulan is hurt and bleeding from her side.
At nighttime, a tent is set up and everyone is outside waiting to see if Mulan is alright. The doctor comes out to speak to Shang and then the captain goes inside. He realizes that Mulan is actually a woman and she tries to explain. Shang storms out of the tent and Chi-Fu drags Mulan out as well. He pulls her hair down and shows everyone that she is a woman and calls her a treacherous snake. Mulan pleads that she did it to save her father but Chi-Fu fights to have her killed. Shang pulls out her sword from the side of Khan and approaches her with it. He then throws the sword down in front of her and says “a life for a life, my debt is repaid.” Shang tells everyone else to move out and they leave Mulan in the snow.
Cri-Kee makes a small fire and they all try to keep warm. Mushu says that he was so close to impressing the ancestors and Mulan thinks that she should never have come. She realizes that maybe she didn’t go for her father but to prove to herself that she could do things right. She wanted to look in the mirror and see something that was worthwhile but she still sees nothing as she looks at her reflection in her helmet. Mushu then admits that he is a fraud as well and her ancestors never sent him. They don’t even like him. He tells her that she at least risked her life for the people she loves but he only risked her life for himself. Cri-Kee then admits that he isn’t lucky and Mushu asks Khan if he is actually a sheep. Mulan suggests that they go home because she will have to face her father sooner or later. Mushu promises that they will finish it together and they hug.
Shan Yu’s falcon flies by and then flies over the aftermath of the avalanche. Suddenly a Hun’s hand shoots out of the snow and it is Shan Yu. He surveys what has happened and screams. Mulan hears the scream. A few other Huns have survived and they climb out of the snow and gather with Shan Yu. They can see the Imperial City on the other side of the pass. Mulan sees them and grabs her sword before jumping on her horse. Mushu says that home is the other way and she argues that she must do something. She asks Mushu if they are in this together or not. Mushu and Cri-Kee both look at each other and nod. Mushu says that they are off to go kick some Hunny buns and they ride off to the Imperial City.
A celebration is happening in the Imperial City. Shang’s troops are on parade and they are the heroes of China. The only one who seems to be enjoying the festivities is Chi-Fu. Mulan rides into the city and right up to Shang. She tries to speak to him and warn him that the Huns are alive and in the city. He tells Mulan that she doesn’t belong there and to go home. Mulan protests that he has to believe her, there is no other reason for her to come back. She points out that he trusted Ping and so Mulan should not be any different. Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po then ride by and she tells them to keep their eyes open because she knows that the Huns are here. Mulan then runs into the crowd to find someone who will believe her.
Shang’s troops are walking up the stairs of the palace to meet the Emperor. A dragon dance follows behind them. The Emperor makes a speech about how China can sleep safely tonight thanks to these brave warriors.
Mulan is running through the crowd trying to get someone to believe her but everyone brushes her off. She complains that no one will listen to her and Mushu points out that she is a girl again.
Shang presents the sword of Shan Yu to the Emperor and the Emperor says that Shang’s father would have been very proud. Suddenly the falcon snatches the sword out of the Emperor’s hands and drops it into Shan Yu’s hands. Shan Yu had been hiding in the shadows of the roof. Out of the dragon dance appear the other Huns and they grab the Emperor. They run back up the stairs with him and lock the doors to the palace behind them. Shang and his troops try to follow but it is too late. They start to ram the door but it is not working. Mulan appears and thinks that they will never reach the Emperor in time. She whistles for their attention and they follow her. They take off their armour and dress up as ladies to a reprise of “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.” They then use their sashes to climb up the poles of the palace.
The Huns have the Emperor on the balcony over everyone. Shan Yu appears and tells the Huns to guard the door. He tells the Emperor that his walls and armies have fallen and now it is his turn. Shan Yu tells the Emperor to bow to him.
Outside the balcony doors, Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po walk by dressed as women to distract the Hun guards. They giggle and wave to them. The falcon spots Shang hiding and is about to fly off to blow his cover when Mushu breathes fire and barbecues the bird. Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po beat up the guards and Shang races through the door.
Shan Yu is still trying to get the Emperor to bow but the Emperor still refuses. Shan Yu then threatens that the Emperor will kneel in pieces and he swings his sword at him. Shang appears and fights back. Mulan and the others also arrive and Chien-Po grabs the Emperor to take him to safety.
They slide down a rope that is holding lanterns with their sashes and Mulan is about to follow when she sees that Shang is losing to Shan Yu. Shan is about to reach the rope when Mulan cuts it with her sword. Everyone cheers as the rope flutters down to the crowd. Shan Yu is very angry that the Emperor got away and grabs his sword again. He goes over to Shang and Mulan and Shang tries to fight back with a dagger. Shan Yu kicks it out of his hand and yells at Shang for taking away his victory. Mulan then throws her shoe at him and says that she is the one who did. She pulls her hair up and Shan Yu recognizes her as the soldier from the mountains. She takes off and Shan Yu chases after her. She locks a door behind her but Shan Yu just punches through. Mushu asks what the plan is and Mulan admits that she is making this up as she goes along. She then spots some kites in the air and gets an idea. Mushu already knows what she is thinking and he jumps on a kite and soars over to a tower where there are fireworks ready to go off. Shan Yu swings his sword at Mulan and knocks over a pillar. She is then hanging over the crowd on the pillar.
Mushu reaches the fireworks and scares everyone away from the tower. Mulan runs along the roof and Shan Yu jumps up behind her. He is about to stab her when she grabs a paper fan. He tells her that it looks like she is out of ideas and stabs through the fan. Mulan twists the fan and it disarms Shan Yu. She grabs his sword and asks Mushu if he is ready. Mushu is behind with a giant cannon strapped to him. He lights it and shoots right into Shan Yu. Mushu flies into the rest of the fireworks and they all go off. Mulan needs to get off the roof and she soars down on a lantern and lands on Shang.
The fireworks are still going off and everyone cheers. Chi-Fu thinks that this was an attempt on his life and is very angry. He demands to know where Mulan is but the troops protect her. He tells them all to stand aside because she is not worth protecting and Shang says that she is a hero. Chi-Fu says that she is just a woman and Shang grabs him and starts to yell.
The Emperor interrupts and says that is enough. He approaches them and Shang starts to explain but the Emperor waves him off. They all step aside and reveal Mulan. She bows to the Emperor and he says that he has heard a great deal about her. He has heard that she stole her father’s armour, ran away from home, impersonated a soldier, deceived a commanding officer, dishonored the Chinese army, and destroyed his palace. He then says that she has saved them all. He smiles and then bows down to her. Everyone else around bows as well and soon the entire city bows to Mulan. Mushu comments that his little baby is all grown up and saving China!
The Emperor tells Chi-Fu to make sure Mulan is made a member of his council. Chi-Fu argues that there are no open positions and so the Emperor says that she can have Chi-Fu’s position. Chi-Fu faints. Mulan says that with all due respect, she has been away from home long enough. The Emperor gives Mulan his medal so that her family knows what she has done for him and also gives her Shan Yu’s sword so that the world will know what she has done for China. She gives the Emperor a big hug and Yao asks if she is allowed to do that. The other troops just shrug in response. Then she hugs the troops goodbye. She has an awkward goodbye with Shang, who just tells her that she fights good. Mulan then gets on Khan and she tells her horse that they are going home. Shang watches her ride off as the crowd cheers. The Emperor comes to Shang’s side and tells him that the flower that blooms in adversity is the rarest and most beautiful of all. He also says that Shang won’t meet a girl like that every density.
At home, Zhou is sitting on the bench as the magnolia blossoms are falling. Mulan comes home and approaches her father. He is very surprised to see her. She bows to him and says that she has brought the sword of Shan Yu and the crest of the Emperor to honour their family. Zhou tosses them aside and kneels next to his daughter on the ground. He hugs Mulan and says that the greatest gift and honour is having her for a daughter. They say that they have missed each other very much.
Li and Grandma Fa appear. Grandma Fa comments that Mulan should have brought home a man. They then hear a man’s voice ask if this is where Fa Mulan lives and both Li and Grandma Fa turn to with surprised faces to find Shang. They point towards Mulan. Grandma Fa then says that she should sign up for the next war. Shang greets Zhou and bows to him but then gets tongue tied with Mulan. He tells her that she forgot her helmet and Mulan asks if he would like to stay for dinner. Grandma Fa shouts and asks if he would like to stay forever? Shang comments that dinner would be great.
The First Ancestor is watching them and Mushu is trying to get him to admit that he did a good job. The First Ancestor gives in and says that Mushu can be a guardian again and the dragon is ecstatic! Cri-Kee hits the gong and the ancestors all wake up. They dance and party and Mulan comes and thanks Mushu. Little Brother runs by and the chickens follow again. They run right into the temple and the First Ancestor blames Mushu for it.
The end credits play to the song “True to Your Heart” and a pop version of “Reflection.”
Trivia:
- Donny Osmond’s children didn’t think he was successful until Mulan when he was finally part of a Disney movie.
- Both actresses who voiced Grandma Fa had a role in Cinderella (1950). Marni Nixon sung the opening song “Cinderella” and June Foray voiced Lucifer.
- “True to Your Heart” was sung by 98 Degrees and Stevie Wonder.
- The pop version of “Reflection” at the end of the film was sung by Christina Aguilera, which gained her a record deal with RCA Records.
- The China Pavilion in Epcot was the setting for Christina Aguilera’s music video of “Reflection.”
- A research team took a 3-week trip to China during production of the film.
- Jackie Chan voiced Li Shang in the Cantonese, Mandarin, and Taiwanese Mandarin versions of the films. He also did promotional music videos of “I’ll Make a Man Out of You.”
- Mulan was the first feature film to be primarily produced at the animation studios at Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park.
- Mulan is thought to be ambidextrous because she writes with her left hand but uses her right hand to fight with her sword.
- This was Disney’s first film to be released on DVD.
- The writing on the ancestral temple is the names of the animators in ancient Chinese.
- The name Mulan means wood orchid or magnolia.
Representation in the Disney Parks:
There is very little representation in the Disney Parks of Mulan. Guests can meet Mulan in the China Pavilion in Epcot. Mulan and Mushu lead the Lunar New Year Celebration in Disney California Adventure around Chinese New Year and also do meet and greets as part of the celebration. Mulan has a role in Mickey and the Magical Map at Disneyland. Mushu represents the Year of the Dragon in the Garden of the Twelve Friends at Shanghai Disneyland and Mulan is a scene in Voyage to the Crystal Grotto in Fantasyland.
Check out the other films of Disney’s Renaissance:
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