[Movie Monday] Mulan

Movie: Mulan

Genre: Animation

Happy Movie Monday!

Our first spotlight of the day goes to Mulan!

For those of you that don’t know, Mulan is not your everyday, stereotypical princess. In fact, she doesn’t even hold the title of a princess.

This story takes place in China, and it begins just as the Huns begin to invade. Because of the attack, the emperor’s assistant to go out and gather one man from every family must come forth when their name is called upon to fight in the war for the army.

As for Mulan herself, she is getting herself ready for a little test of her own with the town’s matchmaker to see if she will make a great bride to someone or not. And it’s after even her mother, grandmother, and two other women that gets her prepped and ready that she gets told that she won’t be making an acceptable bride for anyone for having to have ruined even one meeting with the matchmaker. In fact, she gets told straight to her face right out in the public that she will be bringing dishonor to her family and herself, and the matchmaking ceremony ends there.

Due to feeling disheartened at what she was told, her father tries to ease her mind by trying to talk to her, but it’s then and only then that they come to hear all the families come out into the streets. And they get told of the news that one man from every family is to go into war, and if a son wishes to go in their father’s place, the son may do so. As the scene goes to show few of the families do have their fathers have their sons go in their place, and when Mulan’s father gets called, it’s the case where Mulan isn’t able to step up for him for being a woman. She stands up for her father, believing it’s the right thing to do, as she begs the emperor’s assistant to just let this one go by not letting her father enter the war. Not just because of his old age, but because he has trouble walking straight as it is without his cane. Her family sees this is something dishonorable and Mulan’s father accepts to be entered into the army. He takes the scroll and begins to head back inside with his cane in his wife’s hands.

Later that night, when her grandmother and her parents are all asleep, Mulan pays respect to her ancestors before she goes into her father’s room with the armor and sword, and she cuts off all the hair, making it only just long enough to tie it up the way the men of the time period does. She soon follows it up with gearing up by putting on her father’s armor, places the sword around her waist, and proceeds to mount her horse and leaves. Before she leaves, however, she leaves her comb with her father in her parents’ room at their bedside table. It’s then and only then where her grandmother wakes up due to the ancestors calling out to her, and discovers that Mulan has gone running off to join the war in her father’s place.

A woman disguised as man, and fighting the war is considered to be a punishable by death of a crime. So the question is if whether or not Mulan will be able to not just help save China from the Huns, but rather if she will survive through the entire war without being discovered she’s actually a woman disguised as a man infiltrating the army to take her father’s place or not. Furthermore, if she’s to get discovered, will that mean death for her? Or will the military and the emperor forgive her for her crossdressing as a man to protect her father’s life while fighting to save China?