For the most part, what I would say about this movie is that what Disney usually does well, Disney does well again with this. The animation is fantastic, the characters are fun (especially Mushu) and the story is interesting enough to keep an adult watching all the way through. There were, however, a few weaknesses here that I wouldn't usually associate with Disney.
The first wasn't really Disney's fault - it was mine. Having not seen the first Mulan this was difficult to get started with because it's clear that the characters have a history that you're not aware of if you haven't seen the first movie. But there are a couple of more problematic things. First was the music. I didn't think the music was Disney-calibre. It was fun while the movie was on, but within an hour I don't think I would have remembered any of the songs or even been able to hum any of the tunes. None of them were particularly memorable. People who come from non-Western cultures where arranged marriages are still quite acceptable may find the movie's very blatant anti-arranged marriage message offensive (it didn't really bother me but I thought of it) and - most problematic to me - was the value system the movie promoted.
At first, the movie seemed to present an ethical dilemma. Duty or heart? Do I do what I have to do for my country or do I just follow my heart? That's an interesting dilemma. The problem was that it was answered by Mulan pretty quickly. She decided that "my duty is my heart" and that becomes the main message of the movie. It seems to me that "my duty is my heart" can be too easily understood as "my duty is to me." So - I have no responsibility to anyone or anything except to pursue what I want? That didn't strike me as a message I want to send to children.
So, there's a lot of good stuff with this movie, but my gut reaction to the message makes me give this only a 6/10.
The first wasn't really Disney's fault - it was mine. Having not seen the first Mulan this was difficult to get started with because it's clear that the characters have a history that you're not aware of if you haven't seen the first movie. But there are a couple of more problematic things. First was the music. I didn't think the music was Disney-calibre. It was fun while the movie was on, but within an hour I don't think I would have remembered any of the songs or even been able to hum any of the tunes. None of them were particularly memorable. People who come from non-Western cultures where arranged marriages are still quite acceptable may find the movie's very blatant anti-arranged marriage message offensive (it didn't really bother me but I thought of it) and - most problematic to me - was the value system the movie promoted.
At first, the movie seemed to present an ethical dilemma. Duty or heart? Do I do what I have to do for my country or do I just follow my heart? That's an interesting dilemma. The problem was that it was answered by Mulan pretty quickly. She decided that "my duty is my heart" and that becomes the main message of the movie. It seems to me that "my duty is my heart" can be too easily understood as "my duty is to me." So - I have no responsibility to anyone or anything except to pursue what I want? That didn't strike me as a message I want to send to children.
So, there's a lot of good stuff with this movie, but my gut reaction to the message makes me give this only a 6/10.