MULAN (1998). One of the better Disney animated features of recent years, Mulan admittedly does adhere more often than not to the studio's strict toon guidelines, with the plotline once again centering on a young person coming of age with the help of some colorful friends. In this case, the protagonist is a headstrong young woman (voiced by Ming-Na Wen, sung by Lea Salonga) who, in an attempt to save her ailing father's life, disguises herself as a man and takes his place in the Imperial army on the eve of a great battle against the invading Huns. Concerned about her well-being, the family's spectral ancestors elect to send a fearsome dragon to protect her from harm, though she instead ends up with a runty, fast-talking dragon (Eddie Murphy) by her side. To its credit, Mulan does strive to present its characters as something more than potential Happy Meal toys, and the theme of tradition versus progress is presented in an interesting context. The mediocre tunes by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel are a major debit, but on the bright side, the studio has once again done a stellar job of finding the right people for the right roles: The casting of Harvey Fierstein as the toughest and most boorish of Mulan's soldier buddies was a nice touch, and Murphy's hilarious turn served as a dry run for his similar work as Donkey in the Shrek films. Extras in this two-disc set include deleted scenes, music videos by Jackie Chan, Raven and Christina Aguilera, and kids' activities.
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