Disney is a really odd entity. People live to hate the corporation, yet it still entertains millions every year. The managment system of Disney is one of the most ordered and conservative around, yet it manages to produce films that are fairly liberal. The latest contradictory offering from the Land of the Mouse is Mulan.
At first glance, the movie has all the earmarks of the formula Disney has employed for a majority of it's animated films. There's the heroine, who appeals to the young female audience that Disney has always excelled at attracting. Male leads are rarely seen in full-length features; when they are, their actions often focus around trying to make themselves look more attractive to the female lead. There's a few song numbers sprinkled in, including the nauseating trend of having one song that can cross over to adult-contemporary radio. [The radio version will inevitably be sung by Pebo Bryson for some odd reason.] Funny anthropomorphic sidekicks will hang around to provide comic relief and a nearly bottomless supply of merchandising possibilities. Mulan has all this, but why is it so different?
In an effort to keep the same basic premise fresh, Disney has managed to turn their formula on it's ear. If the independance of Ariel and Belle struck a chord with the audience, it only stands to reason that if Mulan is made even spunkier it will be a hit. Since audiences were entertained by Robin Williams doing his same tired schtick in Aladdin, why won't they be entertained by Eddie Murphy as a wise-cracking dragon? Since Beauty and The Beast was such a hit with adult audiences- even to the point where it got a best picture nod at the Oscars- a stylish ad campaign that courts an older audience only makes sense. The thing is, once all these things are put together, the film becomes something that doesn't fit into the old mold anymore.
Mulan [speaking voice by the wildly attractive Ming-Na Wen] is so independant that her interest in the male lead rings in dead last in her priorities. She has to worry about protecting her disguised gender, uphold her family's honor, and save the whole of China; it's hardly surprising that she doesn't have a lot of time for ol' Shang [speaking voice by B.D. Wong]. Plus, Shang's singing voice is provided by Donny Osmond, so that instantly invalidates him as a character worth listening to. Nathan Lane projected more masculinity in his role of Timon in The Lion King.
Speaking of music, the songs were pretty unmemorable, and they were hardly used. The loss of the talented Howard Ashman is still being felt, I'm afraid. Even the hoped for show-stopper song "I'll Make a Man out of You" is tolerable only because it sets up a gender-bending joke at the end of the movie. Plus, having brawny, shirtless Shang singing that he's going to "make a man" out of a camp full of men who are all doing synchronized excercise routines is... different to say the least. The Village People didn't play around with double entendres this much.
So what
am I to make of a movie that seems to assign gender roles at random, features a
heroine that spends so much time kicking ass and taking names that she can't be
bothered getting married off at the end of the flick, and showcases the surreal
thrill of having George Takai, Pat Morita, and Harvey Fierstein working on
the same project? Personally, I liked it. Go catch it while you can before it
gets buried under a mountain of merchandise, direct to home video drek sequels, and
everything else that Disney uses to beat the life out of it's movies.
Plus, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Disney tries to give this one a push
when Oscar time comes around. The film is primed for a shot at best picture,
and since there's been slim pickings so far for other films to fill the slots
Mulan might just have a chance.
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