A Year With Walt: Mulan

“Let’s get down to business! To defeat the Huns!” This week’s Disney film charges into fans’ hearts and funny bones. It’s Mulan.

The film premiered in 1998 and is one that I actually remember seeing in theaters. J It is based on the legend of Mulan – a young woman in China who disguises herself as a man to join the Emperor’s royal army so that her aging father will not be forced to fight. As legend would tell it, she becomes the single grain of rice that tips the scale in China’s victory against the Huns’ invasion. The film tells this legend with classic Disney flair.

For me, this is Disney’s funniest film. Just thinking of the characters and songs makes me grin. J On top of the film’s awesome humor, Mulan makes a great heroine. She regularly acts selflessly to keep others safe, she works hard and refuses to give up, she uses ingenuity to get out of many a sticky situation, and and… and… she’s just Mulan. She’s a likable, relatable character who cares about her family and friends and works hard to protect them.

Mulan tells a heartwarming tale and it's hilarious! I don't even know where to start... The supporting cast of characters (minus the very non-humorous scary Huns lead by Shan-Yu) all contribute to the story in some funny way. I can't possibly list them all (and I don't want to give all of the funny parts away), but here are some of my favorite stand-out funny characters in the film. First up is Mulan's Grandmother Fa. She is a little old woman with enough spunk to fill a village. ("Who spit in her bean curd?")

Grandmother Fa enlists the unwilling help of the "lucky" cricket- Crickee to help Mulan as she meets the matchmaker. (Fiddler reference anyone?...) Crickee delivers comedic gold without ever actually delivering a line. (Reminds me of this funny raccoon I know...) And the academy award for comedic genius in Mulan has got to go to Mushu! He is a demoted red dragon (lizard) who ends up as Mulan's unintentional sidekick on her journey in the army. He is voiced by Eddie Murphy and he's hilarious. Seriously. Every scene. Funny stuff. :)

Like its predecessors, Mulan is filled with great music! Every song is wonderful! But I'll just touch on two here. First up is "Reflection" sung by Mulan in the film (and sung famously by Christina Aguilera in the credits). It is a beautiful song that speaks to the heart of the film about Mulan's search to balance being true to herself (credit song reference!) and meeting society's expectations. Thankfully by the film's end being herself wins!

And finally we get to my FAVORITE (non-romantic) song in the Disney Canon: "I'll Make a Man Out of You." It's in my top three favorite Disney songs EVER. It's sung in the film by Shang (Captain of the army where Mulan is training), and Shang is voiced by Donny Osmond. This song is upbeat, moves the story along well and is funny as all get out!!! I mean. "I'll make a man out of you." Sung to soldiers where there actually happens to be a woman. The irony! This is so up my funny bone alley. The song is a delight to watch from start to finish. It makes a great road-trip, open-window car tune. And it's a great addition to workout and cleaning playlists.