Seven years ago Disney’s
Mulan was released theatrically to great critical acclaim but slower-than-expected box office numbers. Video copies of the movie sold briskly tough, making its lead characters and sidekick dragon Mushu (voiced by a pre-
Shrek Eddie Murphy) recognizable staples in the Disney pantheon of animated stars. On the heels of the best-selling release of the original
Mulan on DVD Disney capitalizes on the renewed popularity of its franchise by releasing a direct-to-video sequel. The rule of thumb with direct-to-video Disney sequels is that they’re halfway-decent but poorly-animated attempts at mimicking their predecessors on the cheap. You know,
Aladdin without Robin Williams voicing the Genie or
The Lion King without new Elton John songs.
Not so with Mulan II. Most of the actors from the original Mulan return (sans Murphy for obvious reasons) and the quality of the animation/songs/humor is surprisingly on par with those of the original. Mushu, now voiced by Mark Moseley (who does a pretty good job filling Eddie’s giant shoes as the wise-cracking dragon), features more prominently in a plot that’s lighter on tone than the first movie (though the story gets serious and even mature at times). The sequel picks up just weeks after the story of its predecessor ended, which saw the young Chinese warrior (voiced in both movies by Ming-Na) save her homeland and in the arms of General Li Shang (Law & Order: Special Victim Unit’s B.D. Wong).
Mulan and Li Shang are planning to get married but before that happens both are sent on a mission by the Emperor (The Karate Kid’s Pat Morita) that could prevent China from being embroiled in an avoidable military conflict. The duo must escort the Emperor’s three daughters, which have to enter arranged marriages with the Princes of another family to avert, across a treacherous journey. Along for the ride are Chien-Po, Yao and Ling, the three stooge-like comic relief soldiers from the first movie. Mushu is also along for the ride but for very different reasons. Rather than see his beloved Mulan married and no longer in need of his company the dragon wants to break-up Mulan and Li Shang so they won’t be married.
The predictable failure of Mushu to break the couple apart is a constant running gag throughout Mulan II’s rather short 79 min. running time. Unlike the first movie there aren’t massive armies of enemies to defeat or sinister bad guys lurking around every corner in this leisurely-paced sequel. Yao (hilariously voiced by Harvey Fierstein) and his inept soldier friends, in fact, do more to put the expedition at risk than any outside force. Aside from the jokes and a couple of musical numbers (which mix contemporary music rather well with the movie’s historical setting) the plot in Mulan II grows more serious as the lead character grows dissatisfied with the mission she and future-hubby Shang are carrying. Mulan feels guilty for escorting women into a lifetime of unhappiness with men that don’t love them just as her romantic attachment with Shang is growing. Betrayal of the Emperor’s command becomes a serious possibility that Mulan considers, but one that could threaten her yet-to-happen marriage to a military General with a code of ethics as strong as his own convictions. Mmmphhh…
Young viewers who don’t know what arranged marriages are or how they fit with modern day society’s view of marriage are bound to ask questions after watching Mulan II. Discussion of serious topics is the best contribution an animated movie can bring to the table, but Mulan II also works as an entertaining road picture for the entire family. Mushu gets so much screen time he’s almost a co-star instead of a sidekick, but the writers and directors don’t let the dragon’s shtick get out of hand. Ming-Na and Wong haven’t lost a bit of the chemistry they had in the first Mulan flick, and the musical interludes are integrated into the story as to not feel out of place. Why Disney didn’t release this one in theaters while mediocre stuff like Home on the Range did is beyond me. This is quality Disney stuff that only suffers in that viewers must be familiar with the original Mulan to enjoy the sequel.
The Disc:
Presented in a Widescreen Anamorphic (1:78:1) Video Transfer Mulan II looks terrific. Pristine colors, no film imperfections and animation on par with (or just below) that of the original Mulan feature film are a perfect fit for the DVD medium. It’s rare for a direct-to-video Disney release to not be full screen and to have such high production values invested in its presentation. The English, French & Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Soundtracks are equally well-mixed and professional across all three languages (another exception to the rule). Music and audio effects make appropriate use of all speakers, and voices are crystal-clear.
Only English Closed Captions are offered as subtitles. Extras are very slim though. We get Two Deleted Scenes that are hand-drawn and incomplete (Disney obviously didn’t feel the need to spend the extra $50 it would have cost to finalize them for this DVD), a Music & More segment featuring Atomic Kitten singing over a portion of the movie and a Backstage Disney: Voices of Mulan featurette. Interviews with the actors of the movie are wrapped-up with Mushu showing up at the end and complaining about his lack of involvement with the featurette. When you consider Disney didn’t bring Eddie Murphy back to voice the Mushu character for Mulan II the cartoon character’s outburst at the end of the interviews is doubly funny.
bottom line:
Mulan II
doesn’t soar as high as its predecessor but it’s a worthy follow-up. Disney obviously put some effort into the project and the digital transfer does the widescreen picture & 5.1 soundtracks justice. A few more bonus features would have been nice, but the well-told story, decent songs and nicely-voiced characters make the movie itself the DVD’s best asset. Worth checking out.
By - J.M. Vargas
