Film #187 - Mulan (1998)
As I stated in my original review, Mulan is a strong entry from Disney animation at a time when they were really blowing hot and cold. The story still has a lot of the formulaic problems that marked Disney films of the day, but it is at least executed very well, with good songs, strong performances and a somewhat different visual style. Watching it again, I was particularly struck with how it doesn’t try to moralize too much, a real danger with this kind of material. It keeps things on a valid emotional level, without trying too hard to force a particular point of view down the audience’s throat.
In the end, Mulan stands out as one of Disney’s stronger efforts at a time when good stuff from the studio was anything but a guarantee.