Mulan - Nostalgia Critic

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The original Mulan did well on the big screen, but has won even more fans over the years. Nostalgia Critic takes a look at why a seemingly passable Disney film has hooked so many fans.
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Mulan is a 1998 American animated musical historical action adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation for Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, and was Disney's 36th animated feature and the ninth animated film produced and released during the Disney Renaissance. It was directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, with story by Robert D. San Souci and screenplay by Rita Hsiao, Philip LaZebnik, Chris Sanders, Eugenia Bostwick-Singer, and Raymond Singer. Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, Miguel Ferrer and BD Wong star in the English version, while Jackie Chan provided the voice of Captain Li Shang for the Chinese dubs of the film.
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[@ChannelAwesome]

Let's get down to business....favorite animated Disney movie? Support this week's charity - www.crisisaid.org/ Watch more Nostalgia Critic here - bit.ly/NCPlaylist13 Make sure to join us this Saturday on Twitch - www.twitch.tv/channelawesome

[@redred8478]

This upcoming Nostalgiaween could there be Nostalgia Critic reviews of Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein and Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman?

[@jessetorres8738]

Suggestions for future Reviews: The Mummy Returns, The Belko Experiment, City Of Ember, Weekend At Bernie's 2, Superman 3, Old Vs. New of Watership Down, Episode Vlog of Amphibia.

[@JSPokemonYT]

The Lion King (1994)

[@fredtheinfredible9646]

Toy Story.

[@animationnerd2748]

Toy Story (1995)

[@jongon0848]

Something really cool I didn't realize as a kid is that Yao, Ling, and Chen Po are all individuals who don't fit the traits of what it means to be a strong male. Ling's the skinny one, Chen Po's overweight, and Yao is short so he has a bit of a Napoleon Complex. So we're not just seeing Mulan's growth, we're seeing theirs too.

[@julialevelle6384]

Great insight! I never noticed that!

[@HeroLanding]

Napoleon complex doesn't exist. Napoleon was average height.

[@jongon0848]

@@HeroLanding he was average height, but it's still a term used to describe short people who are overly aggressive.

[@jordinagel1184]

JonGon Productions exactly, it’s simply been given a non-fitting name by the Brits who felt that they needed to (physically) look down on Napoleon.

[@reliant1701]

Maybe not Yao's so much (had to be said, goodnight Cleveland)

[@lilangelarishi]

Shang Yu freaked me out as a kid. He wasn't fun or charismatic; he didn't sing; he didn't have a grand scheme. He wasn't Disney, and that scared me. He wasn't someone who would let you "temporarily" live as part of his grand plan. If he wanted something, he would slit your throat for it is the vibe he gave off. No negotiating, no bribing, no persuading, nothing but sheer force could stop his hand, and that terrified me. Also the transition of "A Girl Worth Fighting For" to the silence of the burned village clicks for me more as an adult. War is built up through propaganda to draw in young blood by promising honor, glory, and prestige, but the devastation, the horrors of war are never mentioned. The transition from the song, or lack thereof, really just feels like their realization that war isn't just training, or a game of strategy, or all the good stuff everyone told them going into it. It's devastation, ruin, suffering, and sorrow. Hearing something second-hand is completely different than experiencing it first-hand - the sight, the sounds, the smells. That cut felt like a flashing sign saying "Welcome to War"

[@ИринаМ-ю1е]

Double that. Despite "Mulan" seeming a romantic adventure, it's still about war, cruel society standards and sacrifice. What should Disney have shown? Shan Yu burning alive small children? His army pillaging, slaughtering and raping? That was masterfully omitted, but is IS there - in the back of your mind. I also liked how the whimsical song about ladies ended abruptly. It showed how dreams get crushed by the horrors of reality. And that there's no glory in war.

[@DarthBiomech]

Yeah. Doug says it would be good to see the villain do more villaining, but I think that abrupt switch from happy-go-lucky song to crimson red scene of devastation and death is one of the best "oh shit" moments of if not the whole animated movies as a whole, but at least Disney specifically. It would fall completely _flat_ if we would've shown Shan Yu attacking the village prior to that. Another favorite moment of mine is that in the climax Shan Yu doesn't even pay attention that Mulan is a woman. It's just "Oh so it was _YOU"_ and then he attacks. It just doesn't matter to him.

[@snowangelnc4669]

@@DarthBiomech "It would fall completely flat if we would've shown Shan Yu attacking the village prior to that." Yeah, now that you mention it, that does make sense. Kind of like in the movie Jaws. The less we see the shark, the scarier the scene is.

[@raahim11]

@@snowangelnc4669 basically, less is more.

[@truekiropfan8329]

Ирина Рейнхардт As the saying goes, “War is hell.” No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

[@Vaxtris]

Fun fact: Jackie Chan voiced Captain Shang in the Chinese dub and even sang “I’ll make a Man out of You”.

[@autumbreeze1129]

And they even included a music video of Chan singing the song in Chinese in the DVD special features... well, originally. Nowadays they're stingy with special features on Disney DVDs and since I have an older DVD WITH the special features, I haven't NEEDED to pay attention to instore ones to know if Disney has become stingy with Mulan's special features nowadays

[@astrowolvez]

Well shit! That's awesome.

[@jongon0848]

Makes sense. If anyone can make a man out of you, it's Jackie Chan.

[@PsyberKing48]

Jackie Chan’s rendition of the song is very awe inspiring.

[@Yoshimori19]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4Sve32Zbdicr7c there you go

[@GlassesnMouthplates]

The doll thing still gets me. I'm amazed by how one object could tell us the dark moments happening offscreen and how merciless Shan Yu's troops would go to eliminate an entire village, without even having to show us the child who used to own that doll.

[@laureneras9523]

That doll FUCKED me up!

[@SephTheHuntress]

And it follows "A girl worth fighting for" the Chinese army finally found a girl worth fighting for.

[@Stomaia87]

Man, you cut my favorite line. Mulan: "Do you wanna stay for dinner?" Grandma: "Do you wanna stay forever?"

[@uke4eva283]

He also missed Mushu's line. They popped out of the snow like daisies!

[@tammie1078]

ha yeah i was gonna say that lol it's one of my favorites too hahhaa

[@Loremastrful]

Ah June Foray. Never thought I'd see the day she'd be in a Disney flick.

[@dewjade4897]

"Dinner would be great."

[@lessismore8533]

That Grandma is too much 😂. What a great character!!

[@Ayden_B]

Ok but the coolest part about “Girl worth Fighting for” is that through the whole thing, they’re talking about a girl romantically, until they find the village. More specifically the doll, and that little girl who was killed becomes the real girl worth fighting for

[@DisneyLover258]

Even more poignant is there are no songs after "A Girl Worth Fighting For." The closest song is the reprise of "Be a Man" as the five heroes climb the columns, but that's more a vignette as it isn't a full song and added on more for thematic and illusory purposes. The war completely stops the fun, music and childlike nature in its tracks and it doesn't return until the vignette. Afterwards, things get silly again, but everything in between is actually rather serious.

[@AndreNitroX]

That’s profound

[@swanpride]

Honestly, "Honor for us all", "Be a Man" and "A Girl worth fighting for" all belong together, because they are exploring gender roles from different perspectives.

[@Dargonhuman]

Mmhmm, that was a really poignant tonal shift that I truly appreciated them having the balls to go all in on. Up to that point, the soldiers were treating the whole thing like some sort of summer camp adventure, but when the reality of what they were really getting into hit, you could see their innocence drop off of them like water.

[@dustyrose192]

Also the ending song was dope as fuck. I had the dvd with the second disc with added features and you get true to our heart in both english and spanish

[@tjjordan4207]

“I like too that Mulan isn’t naturally a fighter. Nothing about her background or environment would indict that she would be. In fact, if anything it makes her risk and sacrifice all the more meaningful, she’s going into a fight not knowing how to fight. She has to learn like everyone else. Which allows growth for the character, as well as growth with the army.” This right here is what is going to be missing in the live-action remake. Mock words and throw whatever insult you can come up with, I promise you that is what’s going to happen!

[@-.__-.__]

They better pick up the phone cause you called it

[@wolfthornnholtzklau4913]

From what I've heard, you are right.

[@IsleofJaya]

You were right it did happen. They made Mulan a natural fighter and perfect from the begining.

[@salthesalmonshark6849]

Do you come from the future? Because if you do, you could have stopped the remake from being made.

[@MASTEROFEVIL]

The live action is going to suck

[@adriannaa545]

Shan Yu is arguably a scarier Disney "Villain" in comparison to Ursula, Jafar, Captain Hook, and Gaston. Sure, he wasn't given a menacing, catchy theme song, but he was CERTAINLY more gruesome. He literally killed one of the messengers, which was heavily implied with the whole, "how many messengers does it take to send a message" and one of the Huns go "one" shooting the guy point blank, sending a message to both the emperor and China. He was a real conquerer and although he wasn't given a lot of screen time, he was still interesting. For example, he didn't care that Mulan was a man or women, because the Huns were nomadic and had significantly less gender biases than that of China. Shan Yu still attempted to kill Mulan in revenge regardless. He wasn't a traditional antagonist, but he still played his part as the villain well.

[@MASTEROFEVIL]

In a deleted scene he kills one of his own men that tried to save a bird

[@Notyourstodisclose]

They could've given him a backstory trying to finish what his predacessor couldn't: and he had a grudge against the Emperor and Fa Zhou since then.

[@silverblade357]

The statement about Shan Yu not having biases is a point I had never considered. While Chang, the advisor and the other Chinese soldiers were all shocked and shaken by Mulan's true nature, Shan Yu just goes "the warrior from the mountain" and moves to take his revenge. He is not explicitly humiliated that a woman beat him nor does he treat her as a lesser warrior. He only sees an enemy to be vanquished.

[@captainrex6484]

Shan Yu legit scared me as a kid

[@miaria2049]

He scared me the most because he or one of his people killed that small girl with the doll.

[@mstevensh]

"you're humming that song on your head right now" - Me: Yeahh..........

[@platypusbunneh]

Yeahhhh....

[@isaackang683]

Yeahhh...

[@ashleightompkins3200]

I can't actually say or even think those words without hearing drums in my head.

[@shepherd8171]

"To defeat the hun" *hoooaaaah*

[@mstevensh]

@@diggerfan9319 "to control the world" ..... no, wait

[@罪のアリス]

"I've a girl back home who's unlike any other" "The only girl who'd love him is his mother"

[@alphabo2776]

Oooooooohhhhh dam

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@brandon roberts "HA! JOKE'S ON YOU! It's is not My mother. She has made very clear how much she hates me"

[@darknessrising2453]

HA! BA-ZING!

[@tlotpwist3417]

In the french dub, retranslated "My girl is waiting for me for nearly 40 years" "After all this time she must have lost all her teeth"

[@nicholas104]

@@tlotpwist3417 Thats a weird dub, but ok.

[@bpsara]

To be fair, while Shan Yu is the “bad guy”, he isn’t the main antagonist of the movie. He’s not supposed to be that interesting. I think The Huns and the war are more of a framing device as well as the action conflict. Mulan isn’t linked to him as personally as other heroes are to their villains (Even Maleficent was directly slighted by Aurora’s parents), she’s just another soldier in the bunch until she throws an avalanche at him. Less personal to Mulan means less personal to the audience (until she throws an avalanche at him). We want to defeat the Huns, but saving father and avoiding discovery in the army is first and foremost. The actual main conflict is the Chinese army itself and their expectations/rules on gender, represented by Shang, the advisor, and her army buddies (Ling, Xiao, and Chien Po). And as such, they are more interesting to watch. Mulan’s stakes are that she can be sentenced to death by her fellow soldiers for hiding her gender and taking her dad’s place. Her family will be disgraced and dishonored. Sure, the Huns could kill her, but that’s not as important to her as saving her father is.

[@Dargonhuman]

Well said; the main "villain" isn't the bad guy threatening to kill everyone, the main "villain" is cultural expectations and the potential consequences of defying them.

[@JMilutinify]

And the one thig Mulan never gets credit for is just how inteligent and competant she is. The scene of her figuring out how to climb the pole without using phisical strength was one of the favourite scenes of my childhood. And all the victories she had were because she had a briliant plan that she executed well. Like, she defeated 99% of the Hun army with one canon. That is amazing!

[@jarrodedson5441]

@@JMilutinify I'm excited for the new Mulan.. only 1 more day

[@scottbruckner4653]

You know... I know one way that could have been changed. If the Fa family lived closer to the mongolian border. After that riviting speech with her father having shan-yu slaughter her family and then have her ancestors come out of a burnt out temple, now hell bent on helping mulan win this war with all their might.

[@prinegonbevaris1788]

@Mystical Luna Melody Nah, she doesn't have a conflict with being a woman, but with the role model forced upon women. It's not that she has a gender-identity-crisis, her transformation to a man (and later the disguise of soldiers as women) is based in necessity, not of feeling trapped in the wrong gender. This movie is not about transgenderism, but about breaking free from sexist rolemodels. It is exactly how @Introvert Sara said: The huns are just a setup, not the main villain. That is why Shan Yu's side of the story is not important to this story and his defeat isnt played out as a climax. Her climax is getting the respect her actions deserve, not being denied that respect due to her gender. To put it more bluntly, if she had defeated Yu but got thrown out the emperors place in dishonor, she would still have failed her mission. You can also see this struggle refelct in the song list: Honor to us all: A woman can't get honor to herself, her actions give/ or take honor to her family. Reflections: Mulan's main conflict about the independent person she wants to be versus the cog in the wheel the society wants her to be Make a man out of you: Again the theme of you are only worth something, if you are manly. Li Shang evens spells it out in the song "Have they send me daughters, when I asked for sons?" Women are useless for his purpurse. A girl worth fighting for: Again a song about gender expectations. The soldiers describe their girls of their dreams, they are quite superficial and the only "worthy" girls are those that meet their demands. The song gets quite disrespectful with Mushu catcalling fieldworkers and Mulans contribitions being dismissed by the others as unimportant for a girl. To me Mulan is one of the strongest, if not the strongest of the Disney movies with the message, don't let society dictate who you'd be in life. The only downside this movie has is how it ends on her being Li Shang's love interest. This movie doesn't need a romance in the first place (as movies with similar messaging Brave and Moana show), but if you want to put a romance in, first of all it should have been hinted at stronger throughout the movie and second of all I think Mulan should have initiated the first move (perhaps something like asking Li Shang to escort her home, mocking him with her being a "weak woman" and while Li Shang gets upset by the mockery a hint from the emperor about how he shouldn't loose common sense over his pride makes him understand the invitation).

[@xhagast]

Shang Yu is an unappreciated villain. To me his strength is his realism. He was winning until Mulan. And he took his defeat as temporary. He was ruthless, relentless, his plans were solid, he feared nothing. He was serious about things. He was serious. NOT a cartoon. The emperor was the other utterly serious character. Pragmatic and cool-headed. They were not playing. Too bad they had so few scenes.

[@mysteryman9488]

"He was serious NOT a cartoon" *Shang Yu after hanging from the palace like a bat* BOO!!!

[@Deep-Truth]

To me he was a meh villain, like he wasn’t terrible, but I’ve seen better.

[@beaniebean4885]

**laughs in Claud Frollo**

[@galaxy_kitten95]

I never thought that much of him as a kid. Years later, he’s still pretty... meh.

[@rachelleredd8803]

I agree. I wrote a whole comment about how I love him because he's not supposed to be important, he's just an obstacle. An enemy in war. To make him anything else would take away from the story as a whole.

[@WorldinJeopardy]

The villain in Mulan was for me one of the scariest as a kid. I didn't know his intentions or his reasons, and that's what caused him to rise above other villains. We didn't know hat he would do next and the vagueness of moments such as when he said he would "return the doll" and you immediately see a burning village was creepy. What did he do? Did he torture anyone? Was everyone killed without a second thought or were they allowed to escape? These questions, these uncertainties, followed by seeing the doll and finding out that Shang's dad died, lead me to imagine the very worse as a child and having to get to that conclusion on my own versus having the movie point-blank show what had occurred made it all the more real. We only knew what Mulan knew, the worst she could imagine was what we imagined too. That is what made those scenes hit so hard and made this movie that could be so light and cheery at times become instantly serious. I enjoyed that about the movie - it didn't force you to live in one narrative. You could fill the blanks in for yourself as Mulan would have been forced to.

[@theanimeunderworld8338]

I just wonder if they'll expand on him during the remake. If they're getting rid of Mushu and her love interest, why not expand the villain like in other remakes?

[@jarrodedson5441]

@@theanimeunderworld8338 question for you

[@dustinvance243]

@@theanimeunderworld8338 from what I heard they're replacing him with a new villain. And apparently it's some kind of witch.

[@rabbidcreature9681]

Another great thing is unlike most other Disney villains, he was a actual threat to a country, not just wanting revenge or to have power (Marring into power or other means). He showed he had power and let everyone in his path know it. Is he as "smart" or cunning as the others, no, but when you lead an army. It doesn't matter as much. As a side note I did wish we got more time to flesh him or his army out a bit more, but I think just seeing the burnt village was enough to give a good picture of what they were like.

[@jbcatz5]

Shan Yu is also the only character besides the Emperor who doesn’t demonstrate the institutionalised sexism, recognising Mulan as a soldier in her own right instead of seeing her as a woman.

[@nathanielhokokfoong6416]

Normal people: my girlfriend loves me General Shang: my girlfriend saved China

[@EMoney0527]

Sokka: My girlfriend became the moon

[@ViviChenny]

Spartan Jameson Locke Zuko: That’s rough, buddy.

[@jp3813]

@@EMoney0527 "...So I can never bang my new girlfriend at night."

[@gothicglypso5197]

r/notlikeothergirls

[@lessismore8533]

LOVE this comment!!!♥️♥️

[@rustyshackleford6906]

"How many men does it take to deliver a message?" "Just one." *arrow thud noise* "you missed" *arrow thud noise* "you missed again." *arrow thud noise* "there you go" I had to keep myself from laughing so hard I would have woke my roommate. Well played Doug, well played.

[@isaacgleeth3609]

Could've cut to the Monty Python and the Holy Grail clip: "Message for you, sir."

[@johnstriker480]

10:07

[@prinegonbevaris1788]

They really missed a joke there: "How many men does it take to deliver a message?" " About five diligent men... ...or one woman."

[@jareththegoblinking3191]

They could've also killed both men and sent the dead men to wherever as a message, that would've been very intimidating

[@samkresil6011]

Yeah, after that cut to black, it made me wonder if one of them WAS killed while trying to escape.

[@DSGodiva]

I think it's important to note that it's not necessarily that her father was too old to serve in the war, though he is definitely older. It's that he's injured from being in the army previously. That's why they make a point about him tripping or having difficulty standing up.

[@BlueDiamonds103]

Really? I just thought he had arthritis! When we first see Mulan, she’s giving her father tea and talking about a doctor. Certain teas are known to help with arthritis pain. I thought that was why he was struggling to walk. It never occurred to me that he was struggling from a war injury 😯

[@mckenzie.latham91]

@@BlueDiamonds103 When he practices with his sword after being given the draft papers he clutches his stomach, hinting that it’s an old war injury

[@mckenzie.latham91]

She does it to make sure no one confuses her for a girl and to pas off as a bit i think the point was to show how much she is willingly o give up for her father, and you can see her reluctance and closed eyes when she does it,

[@darknessrising2453]

I remember that particular scene. Actually winced when I first saw it

[@little_ghosty1854]

Fun fact: Mulan was one of the last animated movies made by the Florida Animation Studios before it closed down, along with Lilo and Stitch.

[@VCJunkie]

Fun fact: Mulan was actually the FIRST full-length animated film made by the Florida animation studio. Even though this division of Walt Disney Feature Animation did create major scenes for films like “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King,” and produced a few short films on their own (the last two Roger Rabbit shorts were animated entirely in Florida), they had never been given the chance to make their own full-length film. “Mulan” was that chance, and it was successful enough for the Disney executives to grant much more creative freedom for the studio’s next film, “Lilo & Stitch.” Unfortunately, the box-office failure of “Treasure Planet” led Disney to cancel all 2-D films at Disney Animation, and make the studio produce only CG films, to better compete with the likes of Pixar and DreamWorks Animation. To prove their decision was correct, the executives purposely hurt the opening weekend of Disney Animation Florida’s third (and final) film, “Brother Bear,” releasing it on a Saturday, rather than the standard Friday/Wednesday premiere date. The entire staff was laid off the day after Brother Bear’s premiere, with only a small number of transfers being offered to the main studio in Burbank. The facilities were immediately shut down, while the building served as a spot for Disney character meet-and-greets, before being changed to a Star Wars gift shop some years later. Such a sad fate for such a great studio.

[@truekiropfan8329]

VCJunkie Yep. I hope to see them get the last laugh and all Disneylands and Disneyworlds into Universal Studios, and Disney out of business and Disney HQ turned into, I don’t know, a Harry Potter or Transformers gift shop.

[@VanguardJester]

My main defense with this villain is that he is probably the closest thing to a monster the real world can offer us. I'm not saying mulan is in any ways realistic, but for me personally, the scariest part about shan yu was the fact that people just like him existed. Ghengis khan, hitler, Vlad the impaler, these are people who have taken countless lives. For different reasons, sure, but they are all warlords in their own right. Monsters and demons in human form. Shan yu was the one that made me realize that the fiction spawned from these men were merely watered down tales of their true brutality.

[@MASTEROFEVIL]

You really know your history kid

[@KokNoker]

This post makes me wonder what Khan really did and how bad his legacy was smeared.

[@VanguardJester]

at one point a man shot him in the eye, he pulled the arrow out, ate his fucking eye and told the archer "That was a good shot, join my army." that's just one of his many tales, but at the same time, russia had tried really hard to suppress his memory and stuff. Because he was seen as such a hero and badass for mongolia, his name was banned, all sculptures, statues, and painting of him were destroyed and all textbooks about him were burned. didja know ghenghis khan wasn't even his real name? the word Khan itself means "ruler" in a way similar to saying "King so and so." There are even legends that say when he was born, his hand had already taken the shape of a fist! As if he was already planning on taking over all the known world! he DECIMATED persia, united the warring nomadic tribes of mongolia, and even used corpses as weapons to try and give their opponents plague! if you ever wanna know more about him, the internet is a huge, huge wealth of knowledge. The king of mongolia was undoubtedly a fierce and ferocious man!

[@thethirdsicily4802]

@@KokNoker Genghis Khan? The guy who conquered all of central and continental east asia? Whose empire stretched from Minsk in Russia to Shanghai? His legacy hasn't been smeared, it's been watered down, He butchered the population of Samarkand after they surrendered. He razed Bukhara to the ground, and the sacking or Urgench is considered one of the largest massacres in human history. You don't conquer all that land by being a good person.

[@blondbraid7986]

@@VanguardJester "There are even legends that say when he was born, his hand had already taken the shape of a fist!" This must be the least impressive legend about him considering all babies have a natural instinct to ball up their hands into tiny fists to keep warm, especially if he was born in a cold yurt.

[@TonksRules]

When I hear the emperor say "And you have saved us all" after all that build up...I always get so emotional. I love this movie so much. Do have to disagree a tad on the Shan Yu front though I see what he's saying. I liked having a villain who even off screen had such a body count and was so serious. No songs...not a lot of goofy moments...he felt real and intimidating though he did deserve more screen time. Also my favorite moment with him was in realizing Mulan was the "soldier from the mountains." There's no "Whaaa??? A WOMAN???" He just went immediately into murder mode. Love it. Lol.

[@cartooncritique6625]

Ironically, I guess we could say Shaun Yu was a supporter of gender equality...both men and women were equal under his blade. XD

[@Starfire861]

Cartoon Critique You’re really not far off. The Huns were nomadic and Mongolian women held higher status than their counterparts in other parts of East Asia at the time. They weren’t exact equals, but Shan Yu’s widow and concubines would have taken on the responsibility of managing his tribe/territory in his absence.

[@Starfire861]

Torika Gomutsutchi Mongolian women weren’t exactly warriors who went on raids but they did have to be able to defend themselves in the even their camp got raided. Women were also expected to be able to ride horseback and hunt as everyone had to pull their weight to survive on the steppe. Mongolian women watched over the livestock while the men were off hunting (often for weeks at a time). Women could own/inherit their own property, divorce their husbands, and participate in religious ceremonies. The senior wives of tribal leaders also gave speeches and held banquets to promote loyalty to her husband, could rule in his place for several years if he died, and represent her late husband at important tribal meetings that decided future rulers.

[@cartooncritique6625]

@@Starfire861 The Mongolians were surprisingly progressive for that point in history.

[@Lovinia1]

There is always something intimidating about a villain who’s too jaded to play around.

[@sakurap95]

21:23 Don’t forget that Mulan disarmed Shanyu with *just a fan!* The very symbol of her femininity since the beginning of the film! And the fan combined with her incredible resourcefulness and basic combat training in a split second decision speaks to the epitome of her character. Backed into a corner, with no more options left, she’s able to disarm the greatest threat to her country; the biggest, strongest, scariest enemy she’s ever faced... with ‘just a fan’ as ‘just a woman’ that couldn’t compare to the might of the hierarchy. She’s mastered herself. She understands how to combine the best sides of herself. The masculine with the feminine. She’s no longer lost. She knows her reflection now. She did finally bloom. *She’s herself.* The whole movie was leading up to this very important moment! 😍 I love it! Plus, the whole conversation with her dad is so beautiful! 😭

[@ChasehaWing]

Actually some fun facts about that scene: fans in china are used by both males and females, a fan on it's own is not a symbol of femininity. In fact, the fan Mulan uses specifically to disarm Shen Yu, is a MALE fan. This means to a Chinese watcher, the fan is Mulan using her masculine strength to disarm Shen Yu, while she is dressed and portraying herself as a girl. The roll of gender, and gender portrayal in this film is amazingly complicated and very interesting.

[@sakurap95]

ChasehaWing very well said! I learned something new today!

[@crocodilepoet]

A strong female character is a female that uses the strongest aspects of femininity. This Movie nailed it which is why it's so refreshing to watch even to this day.

[@jedibusiness66]

You win the prize for perfect comment! ❤️

[@laureneras9523]

Yassssss Queen!!!!!!

[@Lelouchxzero1]

"Ugly concubines" Daddy whats a concubine? Missed a possible joke

[@nicktechnubyte1184]

I'm still pissed he didn't mention the Szechuan Sauce!!!!!

[@teneesh3376]

@@nicktechnubyte1184 he did. At the very start

[@ludenunes6606]

I actually went and looked it up in the dictionary after watching this movie...

[@Bostonterrierslol]

I actually got it when I was a kid

[@DrDrystal]

@@nicktechnubyte1184 he mentioned it..but not by name, still he showed the whole over the top douchebaggery some people did over some Sechuan Sauce..no need to get pissed.

[@jacobvhs]

What's great about Mulat is that the movie got "strong female character" right. She doesn't go to war because she wants to prove something. She does that so her father doesn't have to go. But in meantime she does prove something. At the beginning she can't do the same thing as other soldiers because she never trained. But she takes an advantage of her own skills. She struggles to achieve her goal. But she has no special gifts to do it. She doesn't want to "be like men". At the end she remains very feminin. Perfect female character which is not a copy of man actions in female body.

[@neo-didact9285]

Rey is a better character.

[@Dr.Meme-Man]

Ah. You’re going to be VERY disappointed with the live-action then.

[@beanieguitarguy4070]

Well no, Mulan the movie got Mulan the character right. You’re right that it’s important to modern culture because it was a movie about a strong woman staying “feminine” while still being as capable of not more than the men. However, there’s absolutely no “right” way to do a strong woman protagonist, only bad writing. Women can me more masculine and there’s nothing wrong with that.

[@bengodwin2572]

Am I the only one who noticed the "Mulat"? XD

[@albireotheredguard1599]

@@bengodwin2572 She's a very distant cousin of Borat! 👍

[@cutie48371]

I'd say "a girl worth fighting for" is one of the strongest songs. It acts like a funny ego song after training hard and is so cheery that you get whiplash seeing the reality of what the villans can do, making the scene more powerful

[@sentinelrex4600]

I'm ex military. We literally do this just without the musical number. It is 100% accurate.

[@h.rtheater8321]

There is also the fact that the meaning of the song changes within a millisecond. It first starts out like a song for a really pretty girl then changes the girl to be a defenseless little girl who couldn't fight back against the hun army.

[@lessismore8533]

It's a great song indeed! But my favorite is make a man otta you

[@NachoCheeseDorito-Kun]

@@h.rtheater8321 Oh dayum I never made that connection.

[@theenderdefender8620]

Best of all? After that song, there are no more musical numbers in the entire movie

[@UnprofessionalProfessor]

>Mu Shu disguises himself as a messenger, passing off a message he wrote (cricket ghostwrote) that sent them down that snowy pass >Mu Shu set off the battle in said pass >Mu Shu literally killed the Hun leader ...is Mu Shu the real hero of China?

[@italianlovecake]

So you're saying he fired that cannon on purpose!?

[@UnprofessionalProfessor]

@@italianlovecake Not necessarily, since we historically do make a habit of crediting those accidents to our heroes anyway...but yes, I absolutely think he would have in order to get some action going.

[@matheusmariani3108]

After Mulan 2, hmmm nah

[@UnprofessionalProfessor]

​@@matheusmariani3108 Fuck Mulan 2

[@alicenolfi2095]

"I've heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan. You stole your father's armor, ran away from home, impersonated a soldier, deceieved your commanding officer, dishonored the Chinese army, destroyed my palace, and...you have saved us all."

[@lessismore8533]

If not were that last line, if I were Mulan I would've passed out lol

[@elementsfanfics3859]

#Dumbledore'sLostBrother

[@oliviamackenzie9725]

"would you like to stay for dinner?" "WOULD YOU LIKE TO STAY FOREVER?!"

[@chasehedges6775]

Love the grandmother.

[@GBmovieluv]

Cracks me up everytime

[@chasehedges6775]

@@GBmovieluv The entire ending is a riot. *Chickens run in the ancestors temple* Main Family Ancestor: Mushu! Mulan and Mushu: Uh Oh. Credits.

[@GBmovieluv]

@@chasehedges6775 I agree. It was bizarre how it cuts to the credits when the main ancestors calls to Mushu, tho. Also I do see what the critic's talking about the song True to Your Heart not having the same affect as the other songs like in The Little Mermaid. But I do like it on it's own.

[@chasehedges6775]

@@GBmovieluv Reason the song doesn't work: Late 90s pop song.

[@V4Now]

I still get a chuckle out of the "Dishonour On Your Cow!" Line, it's just so random :)

[@jenyjen94]

well not really random, since the line might as well have been "Dishonor on your horse!" It's just the detail that Mushu for some reason thinks the horse is a cow. In context, there is sense to it. Out of context... it does sound random

[@optimusprimus89]

Oh it's one of the best in the movie lmao

[@passerbytanuki2456]

still quote it to this day

[@rainliongod7493]

I still say it to this day and random variations of it. I remember watching the "True to Your Heart" video when Disney would play it during commercials its still my favorite song.

[@V4Now]

@@kevinmitchell6466 I think it's becoming one :)

[@monsterhanna6691]

I can't believe you skipped the "I never want to see a naked man again" *A dozen naked men run past* moment. 😂

[@matrix91234]

He skipped one good part in the song "Girl worth fighting for" where Yao says "The only one who loves him is his mother" that part always makes me laugh

[@monsterhanna6691]

​@@matrix91234 Same. 😂

[@fedoraking3611]

I'm sad he skipped over; "You missed! How could you miss, he was 3 feet in front of you!"

[@dguiol15]

Also, "They popped out if the snow! Like daisies!".

[@dustyrose192]

Also "Would you like to stay for dinner? "WOULD YOU LIKE TO STAY FOREVER!?"

[@MargaretRodriguez9GenY]

Mulan: "Okay any questions"? Yao: "Does this dress make me look fat"? (gets slapped) "OW"!

[@sabster79]

“Cooking outdoors...” 🤣🤣🤣

[@wesleysobik9137]

Mulan drinking game: take a shot every time they say honor. Happy alcohol poisoning

[@alessandrosignore7500]

We could do it on avatar too. A shot every time there's a blind joke or zuko says 'honor'

[@sc2_Nightmare]

@@alessandrosignore7500 16 honors from Zuko and about as many blind jokes. Considering you would have to watch all three seasons to get them all, I doubt you would even get drunk. I think there is more "honor" from "Zuko" in the NC list of the 11 best ATLA episodes. And yes, I know it was a joke.

[@LetsTakeWalk]

I'm still recovering from Zuko saying honor in AtlA.

[@freakytapir]

@@alessandrosignore7500 You found something worse than the Stephen King drinking game.

[@wendyhaun2559]

You'll be passed out before they even get to the Army.

[@TheIdiotHimself42]

“You should accept it for what it is instead of what you want it to be.” That is waaaay too true for pretty much everything these days. Whether it’s movies or video games, it still counts for it all.

[@Dargonhuman]

I agree to a point, but there have been some movies and video games that were clearly meant to piss people off on purpose, and those should be called out for their b.s. But generally, yea, people need to learn to chill. If a remake or adaptation isn't a 1:1 copy of the beloved original, that's not anything to start riots online over (again, exceptions for those that change things just to piss off the fans of the original), mainly because there's no real point in doing a 1:1 copy in most cases. What a lot of people seem to forget is that they're not going to die if something gets made or remade that they don't like. There's nothing wrong with just saying, "Eh, I didn't like it as much as the original," and moving on with their lives - not everything needs an overblown, hyperbolic "They ruined my childhood!!!" declaration to the heavens.

[@bresea702]

@@Dargonhuman omg yes especially the part about over exaggerating about their childhood movies, it's not like the movie suddenly goes away because they remade it. It still exists, you can still make your kids watch it. Believe or not, it's the original that will stick around for years, not really the remake. Although I'm glad their remaking more realistic and historically accurate version of Mulan. It's looks really, really good.

[@bryanbutchmartin9260]

To avoid this I go into games, movies, events, and life in general with no solid expectations of what I will get. That way I am never disappointed and almost always satisfied with what I get.

[@creativeplanetentertainmen7868]

Shame he doesn't apply that to the Sonic movie...

[@elizabethburns-gundel1052]

As a girl who didn't fit into stereotypes of femininity but still wanted to make my family happy, this movie very much spoke to me. Instead of forcing me to wear skirts and dresses and only complementing me when I wore make-up, I wanted was my family to say the same thing her father did at the end, "The greatest honor is having you for a daughter." I just wanted to be me. Mulan was the first hero to give me some hope. It took many years to feel comfortable in my own skin.

[@deniseweigand6580]

No joke on granny’s “would you like to stay forever?” Hands down the best line and character in the film!

[@SamiShukayr]

18:12 it was Mushu. He was shown throughout the film that he's trying to properly breath fire without success. So in that moment he was practicing and accidentally lit a fire work on.

[@dustyrose192]

I know hes a moron but BREATHING FIRE IN A FIREWORK CART YEAH GOOD IDEA

[@raahim11]

@@dustyrose192 you'd be surprised how many people actually do this type of stupidity.

[@suchomimustenerensis]

What School Doesn't Teach You Wolfie hey mushu good boi

[@SuperSongbird21]

I always thought he sneezed or something and set it off by mistake. That's totally something Mushu would do.

[@Evilriku13]

@@SuperSongbird21 Which is more believable cuz u see him later sneeze around the cold weather too, after Mulan was left off by her own. But maybe its a mix of both, we dunno.

[@CyrilOfTheWind]

If I'm being honest I think it was pretty refreshing to have a straight forward villain, not everyone needs to be hyper complex to be intimidating. His whole thing was strength etc, and thats all he did. His strategy? Brute force and overwhelming numbers.....end of strategy. His goal? Make those that think they are stronger submit, thats why he didnt just kill the emperor

[@CyrilOfTheWind]

@@BWMagus lol excellent point

[@AndreNitroX]

Not to mention no plot twist villain, the Huns are evil not misunderstood victims

[@matthewmuir8884]

That said, when he lost most of his soldiers, he was quick to come up with a new strategy and did surprisingly well with limited numbers, suggesting he did at least have some sense of tactics.

[@nathanielclaw2841]

Another thing. They are huns. They do not have "complex reasons"

[@GeneralKenobi75]

I agree. In fact, Shan Yu is one of my favorite Disney villains. Partly because he is so straightforward. He simply wants to prove his superiority over the Emperor. That said, he's no simple brute. He's cunning, tactically brilliant, and a excellent commander. The huns under his command follow him without question and even after losing most of his army they still follow him. Also, Doug doesn't seem to realize most Disney villains are pretty straightforward characters.

[@Hollyclown]

When Shan Yu said “how many men does it take to deliver a message?” I felt that.

[@zarakkhan4489]

I never got that as a kid believe it or not, I thought he was asking a simple question Now i get it, And WOW....

[@lessismore8533]

@@zarakkhan4489 could you explain?

[@zarakkhan4489]

@@lessismore8533 watching as a little kid, I litteraly thought he was asking a question, maybe to gloat or something... NOW i understand why he asked that and what he did It just gave me the shivers

[@cheyblake2475]

@@lessismore8533 after he said that, one of his men killed one of the men running off

[@ursaminor9780]

“My 10-inch pianist.” I am ashamed how long it took me to get this.

[@-12Sided]

I thought he said penis. 🤣🤣🤣

[@TakeruDavis]

@@-12Sided The genie with terrible hearing did too

[@sarmeister1699]

It's all good, I'm still ashamed it took me years before I finally realized what Shen Yu meant when he asked how many messagers it took to deliver a message.

[@chacrawarrior]

I wonder if he said "cock" he would get a little chicken.

[@kenjihirata6834]

Mu-wah!!! Goodnight, everybody!

[@walrus3132]

Mulan killed more people with snow then Elsa ever dreamed of.

[@adamgray1753]

Yeah, well, @brandon roberts, they were just begging for it with such a poor military decision and they had been slaughtering countless Chinese villages for quite some time up that point in the movie. So screw the Huns, really.

[@TYcarterTracks]

@@adamgray1753 way to ruin the joke bro. next time just keep scrolling

[@adamgray1753]

Oh, whatever, @@TYcarterTracks. No running gag(s) was or were established by the time I commented in this thread. So get over it, and quite acting like such a child.

[@thrackerzodthefandomnerd4267]

I don't think Queen Elsa dreamed of killing anyone with snow, so Mulan overshot maybe? Like, just one would've got the record

[@walrus3132]

Thrackerzod the fandom nerd You get the point.

[@TreeckoJedi9]

"Why else would I come back? You said you trust Ping. Why is Mulan any different?" One of the most powerful lines in the movie.

[@LucyLioness100]

That was her best line in the film & her expression is excellently animated with Ming-Na’s vocal delivery. Mulan called out the b.s. on ignoring her because she is a woman yet she fought like a man

[@JulienneRoman]

Personally I thought Shang's cold shoulder was less about her being a girl and more of her lying to him, which Shang took as a betrayal. But I see your point. ☺

[@JulienneRoman]

@Sarah Yes I'm aware of that. The reaction of the folks she tried to convince about the Emperor being in danger proved that they were dismissive of her because she's a woman. But we are talking about that line she said to Shang and the rest of the army. Yes I know that a part of their dismissal of her was because of her gender, but (especially for Shang) it was because of the feeling of betrayal. It isn't right, but the it is there nonetheless. And I think that's why Shang did not trust Mulan at the time. Not just because she was a girl, but more of because she lied to him as Ping and he's taking out his anger and hurt in a petty way that nearly cost the Emperor his life. Of course it ended fine so it's all good. 😊

[@Kamina.D.Fierce]

Powerful... But also strange when you think about it. Hear me out: "Why is Mulan any different?" Why IS Mulan any different? Toss out the gender part, and look at it this way. Shang and the others saw Ping as a brave (though kind of crazy) comrade in arms, they fought and defeated the Huns together. Turns out she was an imposter who joined the army and decieved them all. With good reason/intentions certainly, but it was still that she lied to them that would have made it harder to accept her back.... Along with the fact that if not for Shang repaying his debt, he WOULD have had to execute her. Which in all honesty is probably the bigger reason he was trying to get her to leave. HE spared her life, but if word got out about her infiltrating the army, she might have faced execution again and Shang wouldn't be able to help her that time. Also, everyone was clearly shaken by it. They were being hailed as heroes and yet none were even smiling or looking up, much less celebrating.

[@JulienneRoman]

@@Kamina.D.Fierce Well said! I never saw it that way before but your interpretation really made sense!

[@nellasalmi6424]

Mushu being Donkey and the Dragon' s son explains.... I think everything 😂

[@lessismore8533]

Eddie Murphy does well in kids movies

[@nitewanderer]

“A Girl worth fighting for” isn’t a weak song. As soon as there’s a drastic scene change and mulan finds that doll, we realize the Chinese army has another girl worth fighting for. 😢 😭

[@jazz-cat00]

ehh, I have to _somewhat_ agree/disagree there. I do, personally, find the song itself weak (on its own), but you're right in that the impact and the meaning behind teh entire scene is far from weak

[@jp3813]

He's referring to the composition & singing.

[@gabriellaschmitt4487]

As soon as it plays, I remember that impactful scene of the burned down village. I think it was a great unexpected way to show the devastation AND give it even more of a shocking feel

[@MrAuthor3DS]

Yeah, I think that song was the one lagging behind, but it becomes meaningful with that mood whiplash at the very end. The song is purely to keep the soldiers' spirits up on their long march...which becomes more difficult when they come face to face with the destruction.

[@PhoenixRising87]

"A Girl Worth Fighting For" succeeds at what...I think "Fixer Upper" from Frozen was going for.

[@aquatus1]

Nobody seems to notice that when Mushu accidentally sets off that rocket, he saves everyone's lives. If they had kept on marching, they would have been caught in the center of the valley with archers on one side and the ground troops on the other. This led to the decimation of the archer squad by rocket death, and forced the Huns to charge towards the largely undamaged enemy, instead of waiting for the survivors of the arrow attack to come to them.

[@manuelalbertoromero9528]

...Ok, in retrospect, what is with this dragon's head count!?

[@heatherwills3404]

Mushu: Did you see those Huns? They popped out of the snow, like daisies! (I love that line) I think why Mulan resonated so much with me as a kid was because it was the first time I'd seen a Disney heroine take real agency and her goals had nothing to with romantic interests, but saving her family. The movie also highlighted what made her a good soldier wasn't necessarily her strength with weapons, but using her mind to problem solve, hence the montage coming to a climax with Mulan using the weights to help her climb the pole rather than how the others treated them as additional obstacles against their brute strength to climb it. All of the obstacles in the film are solved by using her mind and the resources around her (including making her fellow soldiers dress in drag to distract guards.) But that's just me.

[@swanpride]

Also, Mulan isn't one of those "I want" princesses, since Mulan herself doesn't know what she actually wants other than making her parents proud that is. That is so relatable, since most of us have no idea what they want to be at 16 year old.

[@pundertalefan4391]

I agree. :-)

[@pinky75910]

It could be because it was before your time, but for me, that "break out princess/heroine" was Jasmine. The moment when Aladdin and Abu's jaws drop learning that Jasmine can perform the same pole vault as them without aid. Finally, a princess on the level of the guys. This is why Jasmine is my favorite. Her character is further developed in the series, and I wish we saw *that* Jasmine in the live action remake. Jasmine had a dream of starting a school for the kingdom-

[@swanpride]

@@pinky75910 Eh, no. I am most likely older than you. Hence Jasmine being allowed to do a stunt didn't impress me all that much. I mean, she isn't even the protagonist of the movie. All I like about Jasmine came from the TV show.

[@Sharikacat]

But Disney still dropped the ball in Mulan's agency when they basically hooked her up with Shang at the end and then have them as a couple in the sequel. She hadn't shown any hint of attraction to him the entire movie. She respected him as her military leader. Instead, we had to wait until Moana before the lead woman and man end up with no romantic angle (as far as Disney royalty goes). For the praise of Moana not having an attraction subplot (in part because she's what, 14? in a movie made in an age where people are a lot more conscious of that sort of thing), Mulan was thiiiis close to doing it first but fell inches from the finish line.

[@shirophoenix01]

I guess Im one of those rare unicorns that loves Mushu then, I love how he makes no sense culturally, his sass, particularly when he presents himself to Mulan with the televangelist tone; hes anachronistic. I also like the villain because he is just an aspect of the conflict. The reason I like this movie is because her conflict isnt linear or just one villain, its more naunced as she is mainly fighting against society and herself which makes her growth more cathartic.

[@lessismore8533]

Yah I love Mushu too! Diseny is a hypocrite anyway. Because adding a witch and giving Mulan powers makes no sense!

[@theman9048]

A lot of people love mushu. He just didn't

[@LadyOnikara]

Mushu is a pocket sized dragon. That's just cool in itself.

[@littlecharizard426]

@@LadyOnikara I LOVE your pfp

[@torstenscholz6243]

I love Mushu, too. I'm German, and in the German dub, he was voiced by Otto Waalkes, one of our best comedians, and he did a pretty great job, imho he hit the tone of the humor even way better than Murphy in the original English version. He also did the German voice for Sid in the Ice Age films btw..

[@BudokaiTH]

"Say that to my face! You limp noodle!" Kid me: Hahaha! He called him a noodle! Adult me: *laughing even harder*

[@s29nv1sr1]

oH MY GOD- I just understood that-

[@totallynotabarofsoap...3626]

i- I GET NOW!!

[@Sonichero151]

Me, just realizing what else that means: *W H E E Z E*

[@sabaibaikari7023]

I think I get it but I’m not really sure if it’s the same thing you guys are thinking. 😐

[@tr973x]

I JUST GOT IT 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 LOL

[@shinigamijack4208]

I agree that Shan Yu is a pretty generic bad guy, but I actually feel that's part of his menace. He has no goofy moments, when he's on screen, he's legitimately intimidating, and, let's be real. Would you really buy it if he were more... well, animated? The other Disney villains have more character, yes, but I feel that that detracts from their menace. A villain like Shan Yu is perfect for this movie. He's a warlord. In a movie about a war, that's what's needed. I can buy captain hook leading a ship of rowdy pirates, but I couldn't take Jafar seriously if he were, say, leading an army. Shan Yu was the right call for THIS movie.

[@mayaklast6334]

I agree. They did him with the 'less is more' approach in mind and I think it works well. It's all shadows and hints but it let's you imagine horrors well beyond whad other Disney villains ever did... Also...his voice is perfect as it's calm, borderline amused, while really intimidating.

[@Dargonhuman]

@@mayaklast6334 "Shadows and hints" is a great way to describe him, and I agree that *not* showing what he's capable of makes him more intimidating in the same way horror movies not showing the monster clearly is more intimidating (i.e. Alien) as it's far more effective to let the audience's imagination fill in the gaps.

[@clarkside4493]

I'm glad other people like him too. I always felt he was underrated.

[@angrytheclown801]

He's the DCeU version of a Disney villain. He obviously enjoys what he's doing as much as Cruella or Ursula. In fact given he never lists a motive, I would say he's even darker than even Frollo. He was "invited", he's just savoring the kills and slaughter with no one standing toe to toe against him because there's almost a cannibalistic or sexual edge to his violence. He kind of reminds me of an iceberg. Easy to overlook surprisingly, Nostalgia Critic did, but destructive as hell.

[@LeeroyTheWrathBear]

I’m more than certain its just simple animation to make him look menacing but I for the longest time, I was under the impression that Shan Yu was some sort of demon of all the Huns, especially the eyes, his towering hugely built appearance, the fact that he’s destroyed some man-made structures with his bare hands, oh and the fact that he survived a huge devastating avalanche that would normally kill almost anybody. All of that, for the longest time use to put me under that impression.

[@Beacuzz]

I think Shan Yu is a villain but not the antagonist. He is the one who causes the plot and the people they are to fight against but he isn't the one who blocks Mulan's path or is a foil to her. I'd say that goes to Chi-Fu, the advisor. He is dumb where Mulan is smart. He is stubborn when she is flexible. He is a man in a position of power and she is a woman just trying to save her family.

[@KathyH684]

Something I didn't realize until recently was the line, "A girl can bring her family great honor in one way. By striking a good match, and this could be that day." Mulan later brings great honor to her family by striking a good match to light the cannon to cause an avalanche. And again in the climax I think.

[@katlicks]

That is amazing wordplay.

[@undertakernumberone1]

I'm willing to say: if Shan Yu had been the "Evil Plans, backstabbing etc." kind of villain, it'd been "He was kinda a rip off of Maleficient/Frollo/etc. I think he works fine for what he is, the leader of the Xiongnu invading China. Could he have been written better? Yes. But he IS NOT a schemer or backstabber, rather he is the "(Mostly) Sadistic, little non-sense Warlord" kind of guy. "All he says is 'kill people' and his army kills people!" is in my opinion Appropriate, considering how the Huns and Mongols acted in their invasions. Utterly ruthless when faced with resistance. He is a strong fighter and leader, and for hte kind of villain, that is utterly serviceable. If he had been like Jaffar, or Scar, or Frollo etc. IN MY OPINION it wouldn't really have fit into the story. Shan Yu btw isn't an actual name... Shanyu is basically the Xiongnu equivalent of Emperor. In the comparison with Hunchback: I'd say that also partly boils down to the difference in Setting. Hunchback is basically a maniac of a villain, here the Villain and the hero have a much more personal connection... Mulan is a war, Shan Yu is the villain because he leads the Xiongnu, not because of some connection with Mulan, and seeing the destroyed village for the first tiem WITH the heroes, as part of hte mood whiplash after the song, imho is more powerful than KNOWING that they are too late.

[@johnking9943]

Also, something not a lot of people seem to notice... he was one of the few people that didn't really seem to have an issue with Mulan being female. He was surprised, sure, but he never made a misogynist remark or acted differently towards her. It just didn't matter to him.

[@undertakernumberone1]

@@johnking9943 xiongnu society apparently was RELATIVELY lax on gender roles

[@BrightWulph]

@@johnking9943 Yeah, if anything he was pissed at Mulan for being the soldier who caused the avalanche that almost killed him and his forces.

[@sansthedrummer]

@@undertakernumberone1 plain and simply, he's a brute. May not make for an interesting character per say, but it's enough for what the story requires him to be. Besides, not like Disney can show the kind of atrocities his army, or himself, are committing.

[@alphawolf7417]

While i do agree with all of this i do kinda wish we got more from him in this movie. He doesn't always feel like the constant issue in the film. Other Disney villains are constantly popping up and or planning in certain scenes but shan yu never really has a scene where he is involved for more then a minute. Because of this I'd watch this movie and then when he showed up I'd be like "who is...oh right main villain." I get it was a 90's kids movie so they couldn't go way overboard but honestly it felt like the movie kinda neutered him as a villain.

[@joshyboy9804]

"She's not technically a princess, though." Finally, someone is brave enough to say it!

[@laurabaut2184]

She’s better than a princess...she’s a hero

[@carlotta4th]

Yes. But Disney's criteria for who gets to be considered a princess is so vague that they could literally pick anyone.

[@codysonic1]

Like Kuzco

[@marywinchester1322]

Warrior princess?....

[@fabulousmyriad267]

Disney's criteria of "must be royalty to sell merchandise" is ridiculous. Especially when its characters are POC. I know there were vague attempts made with Esmeralda but what about Nani & Lilo? They were the best sister duo before Frozen came out with....royal sisters 🙄

[@DramoolVecone]

what I love about mushu is his relationship with mulan. how it slowly evolves from him being a self-serving ass to genuinely caring about mulan. my favorite moment is when he confesses to her that her ancestors didnt really send him, and when they hug after he tells her things will work out. they started it together, and they'll end it together. that's friendship. and i do see what you mean about Shon Yu, but come on, wasnt it bad ass and intimidating when he survived a freakin avalanche and dug his way out of the snow?

[@PmpknHead]

The line, “the little girl will be missing her doll, let’s return it to her” was fucking terrifying

[@joshentertainment2]

@@PmpknHead why

[@PmpknHead]

@@joshentertainment2 it was just obvious he was gonna go kill her. Whats not scary

[@98953812]

@@PmpknHead And it's heavily implied that in that burned village they did kill that little girl.

[@ArtFalcon02]

Mulan 2 ruined his character. That movie can burn

[@angrypenguinreviews2798]

Fun fact. Theres a deleted scene were one of the villain soldiers frees a bird and his eagle eats it. And the he aproaches to the soldier and says "freedoom has a cost" and stabs him

[@scottdanielson4955]

I go hard when "I'll make a man out of you" comes on. I'll be having a whole concert in my car.

[@Aang133]

ah i see you are a man of culture as well

[@Roknikus]

It would actually be wrong NOT to.

[@MajinnTheBlack28]

Same that song makes me want to exercise 🔥🔥🔥🔥😂😂

[@BigSmoke-xh5hi]

Gay

[@ton3016]

I have found my peoples xD

[@CAL112100]

There is actually a deleted scene where Shun kills one of his men for being too merciful.

[@CAL112100]

@@tornadodee148 Doesn't Disney have history of having the most BRUTAL villain deaths in cinema?!?

[@suchomimustenerensis]

Tornado Dee Yeah cuz genocide on an entire population of animals is kid friendly.Still wonder why they deleted the scene where the falcon that Shan Yu owns killed a bird that survived the fire, even though falcons have a diet made 80% OF BIRDS!

[@MASTEROFEVIL]

Dark

[@clarkside4493]

I really enjoy Mushu. He's one of the best parts of the whole movie. He never got on my nerves even once.

[@inukaiya1509]

Mushu is the best.

[@raahim11]

See the 2nd movie. You'll hate him.

[@nine_tails137]

Same here. A lot of his lines got a chuckle outta me. For example: "If I was my normal size, your cow here would head for the hills.(chomp!) Down Betzy!" "Look you get portage. And it's happy to see you.(Criki pops up) Hey! Bit outta there! Don't you have any manners?!" "You missed! How could you miss he was 3 feet in front of you!?"

[@inukaiya1509]

@@raahim11 There was no second movie. What are you talking about, their is only one.

[@thunderpantz]

Prime Eddie Murphy.

[@therapcave]

I like “Girl worth fighting for” especially when he says “I couldn’t care less what she wears or what she looks like. It all depends on what she cooks like. Beef pork chicken, mmmmmmm” BARS. Bars right in the feels.

[@sebastiantrias1529]

He didn’t say he dislike it, it just the weakest song compare to Make a men out of you.

[@RIlianP]

"She is going into a fight not knowing how to fight" - yea just like every miserable peasant ever drafted into a lords army, the difference is she is doing it by choice (kinda since her father was basically drafted) . For me the funny thing is that they actually sparing time and resources to train the commoners, beyond "here is a spear, the sharp end is towards the enemy" if you survive and by some miracle are not maimed by the meat grinder you will go back into basically two steps above slave labor.

[@pluna3382]

I think the nuance here is that the men, no matter their background or livelihood, has been through some sort of strength conditioning or some delving into combat training. Some nations do in fact require all men at some point to serve some military service. In this case, likely no women at all were ever expected to fulfill that role and were especially defenseless. Even as somewhat a tomboy, you could tell Mulan wasn't more physically adept than other females. So, she was truly at a disadvantage compared to everyone else. Even at the end, she was never physically superior in strength, but in cunning and flexibility instead.

[@RIlianP]

@@pluna3382 Peasant Men and women were required to work the fields at that time which I think counts as a training, women were drafted only at most dire circumstances as they were deemed more valuable than men, but there a cases that it happened. Mulan was low nobility which put her at disadvantage. Her only advantage is her plot armor and wits. My point is that her volunteering doesn't make he more brave than a regular peasant who is forced to fight by his lord and wanting to protect his family. But hey It is based on a fairy tale so suspension of disbelief applies.

[@jf8350143]

The soldiers in ancient china do get training before being sent to the battle ground, especially during big war.

[@RIlianP]

@@jf8350143 The ordinary troops were conscripts or captured soldiers; convicts could also be pressed into service. There were also volunteers, typically young men from noble families who joined as cavalrymen looking for adventure and glory. The had organised army that required training but, as everywhere where else in a feudal society the lowest class of soldiers were trained minimally. the training probably consisted of fighting in formation, learning to follow orders and that is about it, the officers were professionals. Mulan (of the film) probably should have joined the cavalry not the grunts . And the typical strategy against the Huns and the like was cavalry based at the time.

[@joshuakusuma5953]

@@RIlianP During the Han Dynasty, at the reign of Emperor Wu and after, there was a rule of conscription that every peasant who comes of age gets trained for s year and serves one more year in the army. They were usually placed in the Northern Army and everyone who decided to go career get sent to the Southern Army. So they did have a year's worth of training and the professional Southern Army keep getting trained since they are career soldiers. Their training, as of the Han Dynasty, more than likely consisted of firing a crossbow (which was standard issue), getting into formations and how to maintain the complex and sensitive trigger mechanism to make sure it works.

[@darknessrising2453]

4:15 To quote Azula: "Don't you know fans only make flames stronger?"

[@ryanpeacock9004]

Ah. I see you too are a man of culture

[@Rhaivanna996]

When did she say that?

[@TomatoRoll]

@@Rhaivanna996 the episode is called Appa's lost days. The scene with the Kyoshi Warriors.

[@TheDeathmail]

Here is the thing, while in many ways, Mulan was probably not as special to adults, it should be noted that for kids, it was probably something more new... and it was a well done something new... to the point that if they see another movie with a girl pretending to be a guy or an underdog rising above the challenges, or a girl proving herself, they'd compare that to Mulan. And to many kids, the Hun was scarier than most comical villains they were used to seeing...

[@terhazza]

I watched this in its theatrical run and my reaction to this was much like Doug's - it is okay but too simple, too short, ending is anticlimatic. I was slightly disappointed. But I guess those things make it more accessible to kids - scenes are just long enough for short attention spans, plenty of physical comedy, not too much stuff which goes over their heads. And just enough sad and serious moments to give you some emotional hits. Mulan herself is sympathetic and pretty without being unrelatably gorgeous. It's more of a kids movie than most other Disney features, but I suppose it works as one.

[@davido3927]

17:47 I LOVE the whiplash I get every single time I watch this scene. We go from ,”a girl worth fighting for!” to an entire village razed to the ground. Juxtaposition like this is what I live for.

[@lulujenkins9509]

"Would you like to stay for dinner? :)" "WOULD YOU LIKE TO STAY FOREVER?? 8)"

[@Goremaid]

I didn't get Reflection when I was younger, but I get weepy at it now

[@roseberzerker2989]

Omg saaame, also the girl singing this song was straight up fantastic, it always Is and will always be one of my favorite Disney songs

[@trentonhamilton645]

This song reminds me of Hinata Hyuga from Naruto, her identity to uphold the main Branch's reputation can leave a heavy burden on her.

[@MonkofVibes]

Oh please

[@lens_hunter]

I always remember thinking "reflections dont work like that."

[@gars129]

I think the song suffers a bit for feeling like it was designed for a pop crossover while it was written. Compare it to the two version of the title track from Beauty and The Beast, who's two versions are completely different with the end credit version being worse. There Will be Miracles from Prince of Egypt also feels like the writers always intended for Mariah and Whitney to have that end credit version, since that had become a cliche at that point.

[@mechazoic]

Let’s be honest, most of us had to go listen to “I’ll make a man out of you” after watching this review.

[@Sabrinajaine]

TUNE

[@thefreerepublicofadmiralpr2935]

Sabrina Jaine I did that and the song has never left my head since. Big mistake. Now I have an everlasting earworm. But…I have no regrets. ✅

[@MASTEROFEVIL]

Yeah

[@RJALEXANDER777]

I did, but listened to the version sung by Jackie Chan.

[@angie.castle]

Calling me out like this

[@richardconaway9720]

Also something I want to point out is that the recruiter says "Every ABLE-BODIED male of age", even if they accepted her father in the initial recruitment the army would have sent him home after maybe a day or so after failing a physical or something. At most they MIGHT give him a desk job or a comparatively cushier role like training troops as a purely vocal/demonstrative instructor. Also two murders specifically by decapitation on Mushu's body count, he sure does love beheading people doesn't he?

[@silverblade357]

Also, remember how they reacted to the conscription notice, how Chang and the Advisor were all like "THE Fa Zhou?!", astounded and starstruck. The man was a well-known war hero from a distinguished family. Chances are that Chang would have differed to him on tactics or asked him to manage training. He wouldn't put an old man on the front when there were sooo many peasants to throw at the enemy! Also, Mushu did nothing wrong! That great stone douchebag refused to get his ass up and that level of dishonor caused him to crumble! ...Seriously, why was the Great Stone Dragon the only statue without a guardian spirit? Or did the ancestors sonehow forget GSD was just a badass statue?

[@coolcat7011]

silverblade357 With the great stone dragon, I always assumed that was Mulan herself. It’s supposed to be a protective spirit for her family, and she was sitting under it when she decided she was going to take her father’s place. She is her family’s protector.

[@powerist209]

@@silverblade357 Yeah, seems that he DOESN'T WANT TO DO IT. I mean he passed his cane to his wife before walking up to the scribe.

[@jamieclarke2622]

i saw a bunch of videos on that topic a few years ago the framing seems to suggest it too. the theory I saw was the dragon had allready woken up giving mulan the inspiration to defend her family in the war @@coolcat7011

[@crazywolfj7674]

“My eyes can see straight through your armor “ RATED G 😂😂🤣💀💀

[@langbo9999]

Dragon get slapped. 🐲

[@RYMAN1321]

The MPAA was much more lenient back then. In fact, most of these old animated films would at least be PG today.

[@Zinervawyrm]

Meanwhile Frozen: Who cares about shoe size? Rated PG

[@LadyOnikara]

@@Zinervawyrm Tarantino cares, people. Tarantino cares.

[@QuantaSolace]

Shoot, even the lake bath scene was risque for a Rated G movie.

[@shanemacmillan5732]

"Admit it, you're humming that song in your head right now." No, I've been singing it since the video started.

[@alexpollock6932]

It was in my head when I saw the thumbnail

[@PikaLink91]

I didn't catch the cue until he said that.

[@astrowolvez]

I actually was thinking it just as he said it which was very weird. 😂

[@3fatkid]

Um, Critic? It's not that Fa Zhou is too old. He IS elderly but he's also permanently crippled.

[@mikewarns]

It's like how I'm not allowed to join the Army because I have Epilepsy

[@Sonichero151]

@@mikewarns and I can't join because I'm a Diabetic

[@theeldenringenjoyer1872]

@@Sonichero151 I can’t join because I am deaf

[@alim.9801]

@@mikewarns oh hey epilepsy twins!! Hope you haven't had any episodes recently :)

[@rachelleredd8803]

I actually love Shan Yu, and here's why: He completely stands apart from other Disney villains, to the point where I often forget he is one. We never explore his past or motivation. It's unclear who he is. We have no real reason to love or hate him. He has very little screentime. This all seems negative, right? I actually disagree. This is what gives his character its charm. This is the point of him. If he were given a long set of motivations and a backstory or reason to hate Mulan, it would distract from the main story. This is war. Not everyone is a perfect little character package. Really, when you think about it, he's done nothing wrong. He kills a guy, burns down a village, etc. But it's war. Both sides want the other side dead. I don't believe that he has any personal grudge against his opponents, it's simply warfare. There's not always a good and evil. Really, Shan Yu was neither a villain nor true antagonist in Mulan. He was simply an obstacle. Mulan didn't join the army to fight him, she joined to save her father. Therefore she was his enemy. But he wasn't anything more. The true conflict has nothing to do with him. He fits his role perfectly and does exactly what he's meant to do. He's not supposed to be interesting or unique, because he's not important at the end of the day. Also, he's incredibly real. Intimidating and powerful, but real. He wants to win the war, and doesn't care who his opponents are. He has no magical powers. No sad backstory. Just an enemy. The thing most people love about him is how intimidating he is, which goes along with the 'real' thing. He's no goofy cartoom, doesn't sing a song, doesn't try to convince anyone that he's something he's not. He just holds a threatening presence that never crumbles. So, I'm sorry I just kinda rambled, this is all my opinion and interpretation. I completely see why someone would call him boring. I just think he perfectly fits the role and was the best choice. Feel free to discuss with me!

[@Maria_Miciano_5]

I can't believe your comment is so underrated. I agree with everything you said about Shan Yu. Despite how little screen time he has, he owns it until his explosive death.

[@torstenscholz6243]

Yeah, I agree, He's a villain that doesn't need a backstory or a song to explain his motivation. He's just there to be a scary villain, and he's certainly good at it.

[@0g0dn0]

Re: Mushu accidentally killing the other dragon: I don't know if it matters to your review, but I read that the reason Mushu wasn't able to wake the other dragon and ended up destroying its statue was because Mulan herself *became* the dragon in her preparations to go to war in her father's stead, highlighting all the dragon imagery in her armoring sequence.

[@DisneyLover258]

That's exactly what happened. Like, the Stone Dragon is supposed to be the protector of the Fa family. We first see him in Reflections when Mulan literally leans on him for support before going to unmask herself before her ancestors. The next time we see him, she is sitting in his lap in the rain and then she moves to become the protector. Stoney's already awake and gone. Mulan is the Great Stone Dragon. Mushu is superfluous in waking him up. The imagery in the previous scene is screaming it. It's AWESOME! I love that scene.

[@TheRezro]

Speaking about Mushu and why he is not in the movie. HE IS IN THE MOVIE! But his depiction of cartoon was made by people not understanding Chinese culture and basically treated as comic relief. Zhuque from the movie is a type of the dragon and way closer to actual believes. Plus he could be actually funny if they give him trolling sage personality, without being a joke. We will see as people tend to hate on this movie without actually watching it.

[@questworldiangreenknight7455]

HOLY COW THATS AWESOME!!!!

[@TheRezro]

I just watch the movie and they fuck it up! They remove all interesting elements of they original story and at the same time give Mulan magical powers turning it into classic safe chosen one flick 0_0 So how I would make it to not suck: First of movie of course would be more serious, so vastly limit songs. But I think ones could stay when she making a choice and movie should make emotional focus on that! She was still a girly girl back then so it would not stand out. For example her singing Reflection on the lake. That was whole point of the original story! Yes, she was always bad ass, but she shouldn't want go to war. She was forced to make a choice what could discredit her family in order to save her father. That should be whole focus on the movie! I would also keep ancestors arguing over that in underworld (though without direct interaction with her) to give perspective for how unusual that was in context of the tradition. Then Zhuque intervene making few funny smart ass liberal comments and prohibiting them from action. She make a choice and end in band of misfits, but train hard to learn how to fight case she maybe weak but she still bad ass, also motivating other misfits to become better soldiers. No magic powers but underdog story for at least whole first arc with her making brave but also smart stand out with causing avalanche. But Shan Yu survive and thanks to witch, it is when magic wuxia stuff start playing major point. Not before (people speculation over stuff if she is actually hallucinating and dying, is what make Disney work). Then we could have usual wuxia jumping heroes after she is saved by the Zhuque (who she still concussion call mumbling Mushu) and thanks to her bravery given task of saving Emperor (it is also when we make clear that Zhuque gender is ambiguous. It is dragon-bird after all, what is also why he/she chose her). After some jumping action she save the day and as in original story Emperor who is asshole (what is also something Chinese wouldn't mind as they dislike Empire) sentence her to death. Because she totally was killed for having boobs when saving China 0_0. But then Zhuque intervene shielding her from Execution squad. And jump cut to her going back to the family. And again, play on ambiguity what actually did happen (as she totally could be dead). Be smart Disney like in the past! Or at least like with Cinderella and Jungle Book! Because fanboys are unappreciative assholes, it doesn't justify not trying 0_0

[@HisRoyalMajestyKingofWeedshire]

Plot Twist: Mulan is Maleficent

[@mr.kevin1209]

"DISHONOR ON YOOOOUUU DISHONOR ON YOUR COOOWW!!" - Eddie Murphy Dragon 1998

[@Shambhalaubie]

I will always remember this quote 🤣

[@MytokyokittyStudios]

In a deleted scene, Shan Yu killed one of his own men for saving a canary. If that scene was in the movie, I think fans would have seen Shan Yu a little more interesting and definitely more evil. True the movie doesn’t revolve around him, but damn that deleted scene shows he doesn’t f*** around and executes anyone that shows weakness.

[@MargaretRodriguez9GenY]

MytokyokittyStudios- Yeah I've heard of that scene. Personally, I'm glad they cut it. To me the appeal of Shan Yu is the possible connection he has with his men. Shan Yu viewing China and their Emperor as his enemy, not his own people is more nuanced and interesting to me.

[@Sonicfalcon16]

This!

[@toruslp]

Actually, I'm also glad they cut that scene. I really love Shan Yu as a villain. He is just so darn interesting. Like okay: He doesn't have a lot of screentime and all he does is "I'm eeeeeeevil"... or at least most of it. But it really draws this picture of a real conquerer. A man who shows no mercy as shown multiple times. And still: He has a respect for his men, and they return this respect. Unlike other Disney movies, the Hun army is not made of idiots. But actually quite skilled individuals (ignoring the last battle scene though). One of my absolute favorite scenes in the movie is when, Shan Yu gets the doll, and lets his men inspect it, asking them what they can see. All of them get a very important piece of information out of it, concluding in the location of the entire Chinese Army. When a henchman suggests to simply avoid the army, Shan Yu doesn't attack him, or scream at him or anything really. He respects the suggestion, but goes on with his own plan. And it's not only that scene. In almost every interaction between him and his men, he either entrusts them with a important job, fully trusting that they will succeed. Shan Yu really has trust in his men and their abilities. That makes him such an interesting Villain in my mind. He feels strangely human, although he doesn't have a lot of screentime... On the other hand maybe I'm just being crazy here^^

[@MargaretRodriguez9GenY]

@@toruslp - Exactly!! This whole assessment is great! To me, Shan Yu is one of the few grounded villains in the Disney roster that managed to leave an impression. It's a shame the film didn't flesh him out a bit more, but the mystique wrapped around him is what I think makes him a interesting character. Plus like you pointed out, his respect for his subordinates make Shan Yu feel not so one note. Also, big ups for him not making a big stink of Mulan being a woman😂🙌.

[@stefanmakara373]

is there a scene of that on youtube? I'd love to see it....

[@elizabethmann2290]

The song Reflections is actually longer and you can find the full version on KZbin. Lea salonga said in an interview that they cut it due to time and she was disappointed by that. I wish they would have put the full song in.

[@wendyhaun2559]

"I've never seen a Disney Princess who wielded a weapon." May I introduce you to Rapunzel and her frying pan?

[@sweetcinnamonpnchkin]

She came later.

[@ChasehaWing]

And also, frying pans don't have the same impact as swords.

[@diegokaqui60]

THIS ISN T TF2

[@larryconnors6161]

What about Merida

[@ChasehaWing]

@@larryconnors6161 She's from Pixar.

[@oliviamackenzie9725]

This mushu line makes me laugh: "You missed! How could you miss he was three feet in front of you?!"

[@AriochStarr]

6:27 - this scene in the film is by far one of my favourites in almost any Disney film, and he just glosses over it like it's nothing? The scene tells you everything she's thinking and understand every feeling she goes through without any dialogue whatsoever. The music is epic, the animation is freaking incredible and the expression everyone gives is perfect. It's a shame he didn't elaborate on this part, but I guess it really isn't essential to the story or the review. Still, would've been nice to at least give it a mention.

[@pundertalefan4391]

That scene always made me uncomfortable when I was younger. It was just...so intense.

[@OliverTCrowe]

Yeah, I was a bit disappointed that he glossed over that as well. From the revelation she makes to the music that plays, and that moment when she cuts her hair were just such big moments for her character. This was her realizing she had to be more than she was if she wanted to make sure her father lived, even if that meant doing something that could lead to her death (whether by the action of war or being discovered) and her getting the resolve to do it. If anything, this was one of the biggest turning points for her character, and he turned it into a one note moment.

[@LeeroyTheWrathBear]

Well I guess comments can make up for that cuz you pretty much elaborated on that well enough that it wouldn’t matter if he did. (And I don’t mean that in a sarcastic way, just throwing that out there cuz nowadays it feels like almost anything can be taken sarcastically..)

[@AnnauraK]

Shang Yu is one of my favorite Disney villains. He is intimidating in a very real, very raw way to me. Other Disney villains can be more interesting as characters, but few are as fun to watch as Shang Yu to me. I would like to note on the doll scene how cool the entire scene was to me. Because in that scene, what happens is, the Huns find the doll. They then take a look at the doll, and together come to a conclusion. That there's a village nearby, that the village houses Imperial forces, that the forces are strong and plan an ambush on the Huns. They manage to deduce all of that from a doll. This makes the Huns - and Shang Yu as the embodiment of these Huns - seem animalistic and fierce, but also really dangerous and intimidating

[@newtoatheism5968]

Same I find Shan Yu fascinating

[@torstenscholz6243]

True. He may not be the best villain in terms of character or backstory (actually he doesn't even have any of these things, lol), but he's certainly one of the scariest and most brutal ones, and that was his purpose. And that doll scene was really great and intense indeed.

[@matthewlightwood5412]

Also, when the Emperor's aide says "I can see why," apparently in Chinese "Hua Ping" (Hua being the proper translation of Mulan's family name) means "flower vase." It's also slang for "camp gay."

[@junethanoschurchill6750]

Fa ping actually works too, just in Cantonese

[@prettyinpink903]

This made my day

[@jbcatz5]

Or Fa Ping, which sounds like a means of self pleasure.

[@thrackerzodthefandomnerd4267]

@@jbcatz5 OOOHHHH, I never thought of that

[@thrackerzodthefandomnerd4267]

@@junethanoschurchill6750 doesn't ping mean worthless? I think my teacher read us a picture book about self worth that said that, I could be wrong

[@gurglequeen433]

Doug: Your humming this song right now Me: what... No, no not at all...... LETS GET DOWN TO BUSINESS!!!!

[@MrDUneven]

TO DEFEAT

[@metazoxan2]

TO DEFEAT ... THE HUNS!

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

@@metazoxan2 DID THEY SEND ME DAUGHTERS? WHEN I ASKED FOR SONS?

[@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose]

@Ethan Kellerman AND YOU HAVEN'T GOT A CLUE. MISTER I'LL...MAKE A MAN...OUT OF YOOOUUU.

[@farkbett699]

@@DJtheBlack-RibbonedRose I can hear this song in my head

[@thephantomsplit]

Had a feeling you would do Mulan, since the remake is this Friday. Edit: I DIDN'T SEE THE HINT FROM LAST WEEK'S VIDEO!!!!

[@jarrodedson5441]

Yeah no shit what gave that away he did the same thing with Bill and Ted last week

[@thephantomsplit]

@@jarrodedson5441 well I didn't see that, so I didn't know.

[@jarrodedson5441]

@@thephantomsplit ok fair enough... Speaking of which have u seen any of the Bill and Ted movies

[@thephantomsplit]

@@jarrodedson5441 to be honest, I never watched *ANY* of the Bill and Ted movies. I never even knew about them until the news about the new movie.

[@jarrodedson5441]

@@thephantomsplit I recommend u see Bill and Ted excellent adventure and Bill and Ted face the music.... All three have Keanu Reeves in it and it's a very corny cheesy stupid humor movie series with literally lack of logic.... But Bill and Ted bogus adventure is my least favorite because it way to different to the first movie.... And I don't like that... It doesn't have the same tone or feeling we the first... But I really love the new one.... It had the same feeling as the original.... An it combined element from the first and second film together

[@madelineschramm2657]

Fun facts about Mulan: - The drawings in the opening were created by putting watercolor on either rice or parchment paper - The reason why Chi Fu is a ass is because his name is a play on the Chinese word for “to bully”. - The version of “Reflection” that made it into the movie is the short version of the original. If you look up and listen to the extended version, it’s amazing!

[@IsleofJaya]

Critic: "My 10-inch pianist!" Yakko: Your what? Critic: "My pianist" Yakko: "*blows a kiss* Good night everybody!!!

[@introvertednerd0252]

Everyone is like "oh mulan has gender problems." Actually no, she has problems with the roles for the genders. She conplains about "shes a woman so should this". She never said "i wish i was a boy" she said "i wish i wasnt doing this role." So there people.

[@parisknight1840]

Yeah plus That’s a sexist view anyways, to say Mulan is trans or the equivalent of man because she doesnt confirms to gender roles is just plain misogyny. I can’t stand this woke sexism anymore. People still to this day can’t just accept some women are powerful and complex, a combination of masculinity and femininity but it’s doesn’t make any LESS of a woman

[@kittykat123425]

Honestly the way I see it is that at first she doesn’t feel right but can’t exactly figure out why, but it’s through disguising herself and joining the army that she discovers that she’s a transgender male.

[@introvertednerd0252]

@@parisknight1840 I didnt think anybody would agree with me.

[@parisknight1840]

TheTheatreQueen yeah because if a woman is strong and capable it must mean she is really a man inside🤦🏾‍♀️ why can’t see you the obvious sexism in this statement

[@hayleybartek8643]

I think the woke views on gender are more sexist than the traditional views. A strong woman must actually be a man on the inside? Like women can’t wear dresses AND kill monsters? Er, no, she’s just a strong woman. A man doesn’t enjoy the pressures of society expecting him to throw his life away in war? Clearly he’s a woman, throw him in a dress! A woman doesn’t want to get married to a specific man? Gasp! Must mean she’s a lesbian! Really, people. This is a story about filial piety, not being a transgender.

[@ChristionGirl45]

"But isn't this what she doesn't want to be in the movie?" *I SAID MAKE HER PERFECT!!!!* 😳😳😳😳😳😳 My favorite part of the whole review! 😂

[@gamecube8885]

How ironic

[@possummagic3571]

I pretty sure she never says she doesn't want to be a bride, she just has trouble fitting in to the graceful, quite woman role society wants her to fill.

[@ChristionGirl45]

I just like some of the edits Doug puts in to make the review funny. This comment really had nothing to do with the movie or Mulan tbh.

[@GamerGrovyle]

That commercial always pissed me off.

[@SukiNoKoe]

Would absolutely buy a Mushu shirt that says "Dishonor on your cow".

[@ChristionGirl45]

They make them, I own one!

[@LowellLucasJr.]

In Disney's defense, the animators waited for Eddie Murphy to voice his lines so if he adlibbed anything, they could animated it; kinda a lesson learned from Robin Williams.

[@lunabearsong2043]

That's so terribly sweet. Awwww.

[@brandontherabboat4850]

"Make A Man Out Of You" really DOES make me want to get into shape.

[@Macandbloo11]

Which is why it fits so well when you listen to it while you're at the gym.

[@clonedelta22]

It is a great addition to my work out playlist.

[@Akard517hell]

Not as much as Mick Gordon's work

[@tohpingtiang4878]

The meme where they say Mulan has more kill count than the other princesses.

[@michellewarns1330]

When will people understand that Mulan is not a princess? 🤦

[@AuroDHikoshi]

@@michellewarns1330 and elsa is a queen

[@donovanblackwelder4301]

@@michellewarns1330 That still doesn't change her five-digit kill count.

[@lessismore8533]

@@michellewarns1330 who cares lol

[@anniechlarcy]

22:27 Critic cut off the funniest line in the movie!!! It should have been: Mulan- Would you like to stay for dinner? Grandmother (offscreen)- *Would you like to stay forever?!*

[@averymerrick]

Mushu: Donkey Lite. That makes a lot of sense, Critic.

[@cristhianmunoz7025]

In Latin America they have the same voice actor, Eugenio Derbéz.

[@campkira]

more like prototype..

[@НурниязКазалиев]

@@cristhianmunoz7025 they are literally both voiced by Eddie Murphy

[@cristhianmunoz7025]

@@НурниязКазалиев also

[@greenprimalranger]

It doesn't though. Mu Shu was one of his earlier Voice Acting roles, critic isn't taking that into consideration when analyzing the movie.

[@SaxophoneODST]

Disney: you have yet to finish our Disney catalog Critic:Let’s get down to business

[@haihai9022]

To defeat the huns

[@mounne13]

@@haihai9022 Did they send me daughters, when I asked, for sons

[@SaxophoneODST]

@dope92 your the saddest bunch I ever met. But you can bet before we’re through.

[@haihai9022]

Th3 Gojihunter Mister, I’ll make a man out of you

[@SaxophoneODST]

@potato man tranquil as a forest but a fire within.

[@ghostdragon4164]

And now I can no longer forget the idea of Mushu being Donkey and Dragon's son

[@gamingdemigodxiii5630]

10:05 I will concede that Shan Yu doesn't have as much gravitas as the other Disney Villains, but there is another scary thing about him. Unlike the other soldiers in the Chinese army, he never comments on Mulan's gender. This is shown when he has Shang at his mercy and Mulan distracts him and explicitly shows that she is "the soldier from the mountain." Realizing exactly who he's dealing with, Shan Yu immediately switches targets to the person he feels to be the bigger threat to his plans. From when he chased Mulan through the palace to his pyrotechnic death, Shan Yu NEVER ONCE commented on Mulan being a woman. Before encountering Shang's army, he was steamrolling more experienced soldiers before Mulan took out most of his army. When he adapted his plan and used stealth tactics, he would have killed the Emperor if it weren't for Mulan's intervention. His competence is what I like about him. Not as much as the other characters, but still enough to consider him " underrated."

[@tomnorton4277]

I love that Shan Yu is the least sexist man in the entire movie. When he sees "the soldier from the mountain", he doesn't see a woman. He sees a legitimate threat. The way he delivers the line is perfect because it's menacing but there's a quiet respect in there too. Mulan single handedly destroyed most of his army, so Shan Yu immediately dismisses Shang, who's no threat to him, and storms after the only Chinese soldier whom he sees as a worthy opponent.

[@hannahmellinger6789]

3 mins in and already there’s a Monty Python joke, perfections.

[@DeadRounds]

Mushu is one of the most brutal anime characters in history. Kills without remorse.

[@lessismore8533]

I thought that was the Shan Nu

[@KevenThePuma]

Li Shang; “I can’t believe I fell for a chick. 😔”

[@infinitefloydtribute]

@@FlameOnTheBeat Amanda Bynes Tried should be her full name.

[@bandotaku]

@@FlameOnTheBeat To be fair, it's a very common story plot.

[@JackalopeBunny]

@@FlameOnTheBeat I remember that movie. lol

[@PrimeCypher]

I give defense to Shan Yu: he is a generic villain, with an army. Most of the other villains needed to prove why they were evil or worth considering a threat, but he simply the looming evil from the start. I personally think they did him justice by making him seem cold, ruthless and efficient. Also I admit it helps that the Hun’s theme is really good

[@BigTeix]

He’s Thanos

[@bellkanen1998]

In Harry Potter terms, Shan Yu is like the only Gryffindor Disney villain in a sea of Slytherins. That's why I actually find him refreshing.

[@the-Albino-Rhino]

Miss Madam Mim is clearly Hufflepuff.

[@melissam597]

Wouldn’t Gaston be Gryffindor?

[@bellkanen1998]

@@melissam597 Nah Gaston is actually really cowardly underneath all his bluster. He shows his true colors when he's fighting Beast. Also, he's very ambitious and cunning when it comes to forcing Belle to marry him.

[@swanpride]

Isn'T Shan Yu more a Ravenclaw?

[@OliverTCrowe]

@@swanpride He'd probably be a Gryffindor/Ravenclaw hatstall. He's got that boastful bravery and arrogance of a Gryffindor which is evident in why he chose to invade (because he saw the Great Wall as a challenge to him), but he did have a clever and intelligent side when it came to getting close to the emperor (hiding in a dragon costume rather than just charging in).

[@MegaKnight2012]

"Make a Man Out of You" is even better when you find out that many of the lyrics are paraphrased from Suz Tzu's 'The Art of War'

[@xanzibar5374]

He knows a little more about fighting than you do pal because he invented it.

[@LordSvzklx]

@@xanzibar5374 I hear he used his fight money to round up two of every animal, and then beat the crap out of all them

[@jasonrip347]

10:46 Kronk: “oh yeah, it’s all coming together”