Mulan / Mulan II Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Mulan / Mulan II Blu-ray Movie Review

"When will my reflection show who I am inside?"

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown March 5, 2013

Disney is keenly aware of the appeal and reach of its catalog, down to the best and worst films under the Mouse House banner. Titles like Cinderella and Peter Pan arrive separately and to great fanfare, while other titles shuffle onto shelves en masse, sans the red-carpet treatment afforded their Platinum and Diamond Edition brethren. Last year, it was The Aristocats, The Rescuers, The Rescuers Down Under, Pocahontas, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, The Tigger Movie and Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure, all of which released in a single week in August. This year the mois du jour is March, and the releases include Robert Zemeckis's Who Framed Roger Rabbit (the fan-favorite odd man out in the March 12th lineup) and a trio of 2-Movie Collection Blu-rays: The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Hunchback of Notre Dame II, Mulan and Mulan II, and Brother Bear and Brother Bear 2. (Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Atlantis: Milo's Return were originally set for March 12th as well but were unceremoniously and indefinitely delayed without explanation.) And, once again, the deluge is another hit or miss affair, with a classic live-action/animation hybrid, three solid (or at least decent) animated features and a near-unbearable batch of direct-to-video misfires.

Mulan isn't the classic it could have been, and remains one of the lesser films in the Disney Renaissance. And yet it's still an exhilarating animated saga at times, with epic scope and battle-ready scale, and stands as Disney's first Princess venture with a full-fledged warrior princess. Mulan II, though, doesn't even have the makings of a classic. From story to animation to execution, it fails to live up the original or even deliver on its own terms.

Mulan - 3.5/5

When the Huns breach the Great Wall of China and push deep into the mainland, the Han emperor (Pat Morita, The Karate Kid) issues a decree: each family must send at least one man to aid in the fight. To prevent her elderly father (Soon-Tek Oh, The Man with the Golden Gun) from going to war, a young girl named Fa Mulan (Ming-Na Wen, Stargate Universe) defies her parents' wishes and centuries of tradition, disguises herself as a man and joins the army. Training under brave captain Li Shang (BD Wong, Jurassic Park), facing untold odds alongside new friends Yao (Harvey Fierstein, Mrs. Doubtfire), Ling (Gedde Watanabe, Sixteen Candles) and Chien-Po (Jerry S. Tondo, Nick of Time), and with the help of bumbling dragon guardian Mushu (Eddie Murphy, Shrek), Mulan must help Li Shang stop the invading Hun forces, defeat the enemy general Shan Yu (Miguel Ferrer, Robocop) and save her nation from a terrible fate.

Dangling precariously between Chinese legend and late-90s pop culture, Mulan struggles with as much of an identity crisis as its lovely heroine. The voice cast isn't as strong as it is in other Disney greats, and the supporting characters are either deadly serious or unabashedly silly. The musical numbers strive for poignancy but feel tacked on. And the comedy bounds from one sight gag to the next, ever competing for audience attention with the film's weightier, far more effective dramatic beats. There are a number of genuine laughs to be had -- kids in particular will roll on the floor -- but they rarely serve the story (a la Aladdin) other than to stretch the attention span of its already entranced young viewers. Even so, Mulan rules with a firm fist. The avalanche battle is, to this day, one of the most breathtaking and exciting sequences in Disney animation. The blend of history, myth and Disney charm succeeds where it counts, and Mulan is one of the more nuanced princesses on Disney's roster. Moreover, the spectacle builds beautifully, with striking minimalistic animation, mounting action, an eerily determined villain and a surprising love story that would be utterly refreshing if it weren't such a Disney Princess prerequisite. Mulan never quite maintains a consistent tone, and tries too hard to replicate some of the elements that made Aladdin such a Renaissance keystone. But it has more than enough to offer, especially for those willing to overlook its shortcomings and follow Mulan wherever she leads.

Mulan II - 2.5/5

Arriving amid a string of unnecessary, late-to-the-game direct-to-video cash-ins, Mulan II commits a variety of cardinal sequel sins. Failing to grasp exactly what worked the first time around. Significantly altering the roles of familiar characters. Falling back on old themes in the Disney stable, and then accomplishing little to nothing with them. There's more, but one grievous wrong overshadows all the rest: the sequel is really about Mushu, not Mulan, shoving a comic-relief sidekick front and center as if the writers had already exhausted every idea they had for the series' empowered lead. The story is rather simple. Engaged, Shan and Mulan set out on a mission to escort the emperor's three daughters into the heart of the enemy kingdom, where they're set to be married to three princes. The hope? That an alliance can be forged and a peace bartered. The problem? Mushu (Mark Moseley, replacing Murphy), worried about his status as guardian if Mulan weds, causes trouble and inadvertently risks igniting an outright war in the process.

Mulan II suffers through a 79-minute gauntlet of subpar animation and on-the-cheap animated filmmaking. While many of the original voice actors return -- a definite plus -- the writing isn't as sharp, the jokes are groan-worthy, the songs tend to tank and the story doesn't provide the sort of intense action and battles that made the first film linger in the mind. It stops short of pitching an ongoing TV series, thank the Guardians, but all its talk of true love and arranged marriage will sail over the sequel's intended audience like a wayward arrow. A main character's brush with death is about as harrowing as the whole thing gets, even if his inevitable return is as shocking as the exponentially happier ending that follows. I'm just relived that Disney didn't pursue its direct-to-video sequel fix much further. Mulan III was no doubt on the table at some point, and I can only imagine what further mediocrity it entailed.

Mulan / Mulan II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mulan - 4.5/5

Mulan boasts a perfectly pleasant, wonderfully filmic 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer that comes to rest near the top of Disney Animation's Blu-ray standouts, particularly in terms of its faithfulness. The disarming watercolor palette evokes ancient Chinese art, yet still allows more vibrant sequences (the third-act celebration and kidnapping for example) to showcase rich primaries, vivid hues and deep, inky blacks. Detail is excellent as well, with crisp line art, gorgeous painted backgrounds and a fine veneer of well-resolved grain impervious to spiking and unevenness. Moreover, significant artifacting, banding and other anomalies are nowhere to be found, and the slightest hint of ringing and aliasing are the only issues of any note. Each instance is exceedingly minor, though, and only briefly appears in a small handful of shots. So rest easy, Disney videophiles. Mulan looks terrific.

Click here for full review and additional Mulan screenshots


Mulan II - 4/5

Mulan II is a bit more washed out, with duller contrast and dustier colors than Mulan. But so goes direct-to-video animation on a low budget. Disney's 1080p/AVC-encoded presentation doesn't involve cranked contrast or emboldened colors. It simply presents the film as is, flaws and all, which is arguably just what a responsible studio is honor-bound to do. Not that any of its technical merits fare poorly or look remotely average. Line art and other subtleties in the animation have been preserved without fault, black levels are reasonably deep, and the encode itself is free of macroblocking and other major eyesores. Some banding and ringing creep in from time to time, but nothing too serious. All of which leaves Mulan II with a faithful transfer of a less-than-jaw-dropping sequel.

Click here for full review and additional Mulan II screenshots

Mulan / Mulan II Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mulan - 4.5/5

Not to be outdone, Mulan's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track is as refined and rewarding as its video transfer. Dialogue is clean, notably grounded and perfectly intelligible, precisely prioritized and, above all, unwavering, even in the face of roaring avalanches and chaotic battles. The LFE channel joins the fight with bombast, throwing its power behind every horse charge, its weight behind every hoof-fall and its fury behind every blow. The rear speakers eagerly leap into the fray as well. Directional effects are convincing and accurate, pans are silky smooth and the soundfield is as enveloping as an animated feature should be. Impressive dynamics and fidelity round out the wholly satisfying results, and song lyrics are the only element that sound a bit disjointed from the soundscape. (Although it obviously traces back to the source.) All told, Mulan doesn't disappoint.

Mulan II - 4/5

Mulan II can't compete, no matter how technically proficient its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track may be. Still, DTV-quality sound design is the culprit, not the lossless mix itself, meaning the sequel earns solid marks nonetheless. Dialogue is clear and commendable, without any prioritization mishaps or muffled lines. Low-end output is decidedly decent, with some welcome oomph during action scenes or Mushu's slapstick routines. Rear speaker activity leaves something to be desired, though, as does immersion, which rarely delivers a full or open soundfield. That said, directionality is quaint and playful, and the track has its share of fun sonic flourishes. The track ultimately doesn't mount the kind of assault Mulan offers, but it fulfills its duty and does so with dignity.

Mulan / Mulan II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Mulan - 3.5/5

• Audio Commentary: Producer Pam Coats and directors Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook deliver a decent, largely anecdotal commentary that focuses on Mulan's development, animation, style, voice performances, songs and colorful cast of characters.
• Deleted Scenes (SD, 23 minutes): Seven storyboards-n-temp-track deleted scenes with introductions by director Tony Bancroft, among them "Keep 'Em Guessing," "The Prologue Chronicle," "Shadow Puppets Prologue," "The Betrothal," "Shan-Yu Destroys the Village," "Mulan's Dream" and "The Emporer's Dream."
• Classic Backstage Disney (SD, 56 minutes): A number of multi-part behind-the-scenes featurettes have been ported over from the previously released DVD edition, including "Mulan's Fun Facts," "The Journey Begins," "Story Artists' Journey," "Design," "Production" and "Digital Production."
• Classic Music & More (SD, 28 minutes): Music-centric bonus content includes "Songs of Mulan," "Mulan's International Journey," "Multi-Language Presentation" and five music videos: "I'll Make a Man Out of You" in Mandarin by Jackie Chan, "Reflection" by Christina Aguilera, "Reflejo" in Spanish by Lucero, "True to Your Heart" by Raven and "True to Your Heart" by Stevie Wonder.
• Trailers & Sneak Peeks (HD, 7 minutes): The Little Mermaid, Monsters University, Planes, Return to Never Land, "Disney on Ice" and "Newsies."

Mulan II - 1.5/5

• Voices of Mulan (SD, 3 minutes): Director Lynne Southerland discusses the return of several original cast members and the new voices joining them for the sequel.
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 10 minutes): "Battle Sequence," "Mei Flirts" and "The Escape Parts 1 & 2."
• Music Video (HD, 3 minutes): "I Wanna Be Like Other Girls" by Atomic Kitten.

Mulan / Mulan II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mulan is a flawed but noble Disney Renaissance warrior, with a compelling empowered princess, invigorating battles and a blast-from-the-past Disney beastie by the name of Mushu. Mulan II, though, is merely flawed. It diminishes its title character, loses sight of the things that make the first film so enjoyable and falls flat on its face when it comes to its action sequences and songs. Disney's 2-Movie Collection Blu-ray release is less hit or miss, thanks to a pair of excellent video transfers and lossless audio tracks. But only Mulan offers a supplemental package of any substance whatsoever, although with no new content, it's merely a retread of old DVD features. My advice? Treat Mulan II as yet another special feature and add a very worthy Mulan to your collection.