Mulan (1998)

Technically The Jungle Book was Disney’s first full-length animated film set on the continent of Asia, but Mulan is the animation giant’s first full-length visit to the Far East. As with many of Disney’s other ‘first visits,’ this film features unique and exotic visuals. Another unfortunate similarity to some of Disney’s recent films is a story that just doesn’t make the grade.

The Han dynasty is under siege by the vicious Hun tribes from the north. The Han emperor commands every family within the kingdom send forth one male in order to assemble a grand army to resist the invaders. Fa Mulan, a young woman, bucks social norms and risks her family’s honor by disguising herself as a man to take her aging father’s place on the field of battle. The spirits of her ancestors send Mushu, a wise-cracking tiny dragon, to guide Mulan on her quest of honor and bravery.

The ancient Chinese setting brings with it some lovely scenery, backdrops, and architecture. The animators even go to great lengths to animate certain characters, animals, and objects in a style similar to ancient Chinese art- lean, sharp angles, and vivid color contrast. Disney really learned their lesson from Oliver & Company; the quality of their 2-D animation has not disappointed me since. Yet, here again I must complain about the failings of the CAPS 2-D/3-D hybrid system. The scenes where it is used still do not look right.

Upon Mulan’s release, Disney hadn’t had a musical powerhouse since The Lion King. As a casual fan of Asian instrumental music, I had hope that Mulan’s songs and score might be a breath of fresh air. Instead, we’ve got zero memorable songs and minimal effort to make the incidental music new or invigorating. In fact, an early song where girls were dressing up to impress potential suitors is just weird. The girls are singing about being beautiful and marrying a man of stature to bring honor to their families. Maybe this was done to set up Mulan as different from the sheep-like mentality of her peers, but the song turned me off and even creeps me out to think that any young girl might find it catchy and sing it while playing with her dolls.

The character of Mulan has a lot in common with Ariel from The Little Mermaid. She’s spunky and isn’t satisfied with the status quo. Her story arc will likely earn the ire of diehard feminists much in the same way Ariel did, but this is a kid’s movie after all. The villain is intimidating and powerful but he lacks presence. All he does is ride his horse, wield a big sword, and growl a lot. Flat villains are weak villains. Mushu is like a sarcastic blend of Jiminy Cricket and the Genie from Aladdin, but nowhere near as endearing as either of them. The rest of the cast is forgettable, as the heavy drama of invasion and war drown out most of the humor.

Mulan’s rise against the sexism of ancient Chinese culture relates well to the modern Western world post-women’s lib. The Chinese devotion (some would call it obsession) to honor and family spirits does not translate well, which means roughly a third of Mulan’s story arc won’t faze audiences. Coupled with a lackluster cast and a no-luster soundtrack, Mulan suffers a fate similar to The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the live-action film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; they’re all pretty to look at but ultimately boring to watch.

RATING: 3 out of 5

SECOND HELPINGS: How Green Was My Valley** (1941)

Does anyone really believe that this film deserved Best Picture anymore? The Academy needed a fallback film because they were too scared to recognize the masterpiece that was Citizen Kane. What gets the award instead? An emotional tale of poor Welsh coal miners that band together to fight for the right to work for a decent wage.

I must admit that this film is well made if you look at the technical aspects. It is also a very emotional film, as we watch a young boy named Huw grow up in the midst of the Industrial Revolution. The coal mines change his town and his family forever. There is also a subplot involving a new pastor in town who takes a liking to Huw’s sister and speaks controversially in support of unionizing the town’s coal miners.

How Green Was My Valley is far from pro-union propaganda, but it certainly wears its liberal-leaning heart on it sleeve. The Industrial Revolution was a time when unions were actually desperately needed to help laborers get fair wages but this sentiment is laid on thick enough to the point where it is obvious that the story also advocates for the urgency for unionization in the present. Through this and other early films, it seems clear to me that it took decades for much of Hollywood to master subtlety as a filmmaking tool.

Maybe I am jaded, having grown up thinking films like this are cliché-ridden. It’s got emotional manipulation through focusing on a child, advocacy for social change, a David v. Goliath tale, and a largely negative portrayal of Christianity. Pretty standard old-school Hollywood stuff, really. Maybe in some circles How Green Was My Valley was considered important. You’ll have a hard time justifying it as great though.

Through re-watching some of these old films, some of which I was overly harsh on as an 18 and 19-year old, I have had a kind of epiphany. There are great films, there are important films, and then there are those rare few that are both great and important. These categories are still largely subjective but, for the most part, consensus builds and opinions are collected.

Maybe the vote was split widely in the Academy. Maybe this film rode the wave of being a safe and uncontroversial pick. How Green Was My Valley may not be the weakest Best Picture winner in Oscar History but it certainly doesn’t make much of an impression. If nothing else, watch it for the curiosity that it is- a mostly harmless, well-made film that beat one of the greatest American films ever made on Oscar night.

Original Rating: 3.5 out of 5

New Rating: 3.5 out of 5