A Critique in
English for Academic Purposes Program
(EAPP)
“Mulan (1998)”
A film
Produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation
Submitted by:
Kathy Pepito
Anika Jade Lasco
Juris Kim Paring
Reina Chesen Petallo
Orlan Mendoza
Disney Felias
September Valmoria
Vassily Cuenca
Submitted to:
Mrs. Rhea A. Cayabyab
MULAN (1998 FILM) SUMMARY
When the Huns invade China by breaching the Great Wall, the Emperor realizes
that he must conscript his male subjects to the Imperial Army. He sends a letter to every
household in China requiring every family to send one man to fight with the army. Fa
Mulan, a young girl who has proven ineligible for marriage and is worried about the
safety of her ailing father, decides to disguise herself as a man and take her father's
place in the army. Wearing his armor, she leaves early one morning.
When her family awakens, they realize what she has done. Mulan's grandmother
is distraught and prays to the family ancestors to keep Mulan safe. The ancestors
respond and decide to send the great stone dragon to protect Mulan, and they send a
smaller dragon, a demoted guardian, Mushu, to summon the stone dragon. When
Mushu breaks the stone dragon accidentally, he decides to go help Mulan fight himself,
in the hope that his success will win him favor with the ancestors, who will reinstate him
as a guardian.
At first, Mulan—now disguised as the young man "Ping"—is not much of a
soldier, but with her fellow beginners, Yao, Ling and Chien-Po, she gradually learns how
to become a warrior. They are all guided by the brave and competent Li Shang, whose
father is leading the Imperial Army in the mountains. Mushu wants to see Mulan
succeed and shine in the army, so when Chi Fu, the Emperor's assistant, decides that
Shang's troops are not fit for battle, Mushu sends a fake instruction from the Captain's
father, General Li, telling him to bring his men to the mountains as reinforcements. The
soldiers set off for battle, but when they arrive, they find that the Huns have beaten
them there and the General and his men have been massacred.
Shang sadly leads his troops away, but as they go, they are ambushed by the
Huns. Thinking strategically, Mulan uses a canon to cause an avalanche, which buries
the Huns in snow. Shan Yu, the brutal leader of the Huns, is angry and slashes Mulan in
the torso. When a doctor examines Mulan, he finds that she is a woman and reveals her
to her fellow soldiers. While Chinese law dictates that Shang should kill Mulan for her
deception, he is too impressed by her bravery and simply banishes her from the army.
As Mulan is trying to decide how she will leave the mountain and get home, she
sees Shan Yu and some Huns have survived the avalanche and are heading for the
Imperial City. Meanwhile, in the city, Shang and his army are being celebrated as war
heroes. Mulan rushes to the city and tries to warn Shang about the Huns, but he does
not believe her. The Huns capture the Imperial Palace and take the Emperor prisoner,
at which point Mulan helps Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po to disguise themselves as
concubines and gain entry into the palace. Shang also enters with them and together
they defeat Shan Yu's men. Shang stops Shang Yu from personally assassinating the
Emperor, and Mulan tricks him into chasing her onto the roof of the palace. They
engage in hand to hand combat until Mushu, on Mulan's instruction, fires a rocket
directly at Shan Yu, which propels him into a tower where fireworks are stored. There is
a huge explosion and he is finally killed.
Mulan is a hero; the Emperor awards her his crest and she is also given Shan
Yu's sword. She is offered a position on the Emperor's Council, but politely turns it
down, requesting instead that she be allowed to return home to her family. Her request
is granted and when she arrives she gives her father the awards she has received.
Shortly after, Shang arrives at Mulan's, ostensibly to return her helmet, but clearly with
the intention to see her again. Mulan's family invites him to stay for dinner, which he
readily accepts. During the celebration that ensues, Mushu is reinstated as a family
guardian.
CRITIQUE
The 1998 film Mulan was made in the third wave of feminism and was produced
by Walt Disney Feature Animation. Mulan is no ordinary damsel in distress. Mulan is
about a woman who takes responsibility and fights for her family's honor in the most
unfeminine way imaginable, proving to her family that she is more than just a clumsy girl
who cannot get a husband. This film teaches girls self-development, reinforces
stereotypes about men, and strengthens and breaks stereotypes about women.
The movie Mulan teaches girls self-improvement by showing them to accept that
they can be their true selves and mislead those who doubt them. At the beginning of the
film, Mulan sings the song "Reflection". In her song, she sings that she is heartbroken
for her family to be themselves. Everyone in her town knows she's disappointed in
society, and everyone expects her to fail when she tries to be like the other women in
town. By not becoming like other women, but becoming a heroine and being herself,
she saves all of China. In addition, Mulan reinforces and breaks stereotypes about
women. Mulan emphasizes her clichés. Due to the fact that in the movie women were
caretakers and brides, and especially in her 1920s society, women weren't known for
being smart but as someone tending the family around the house and always being
there for their husbands. Because they were known to be there. In Mulan, this is her
exact definition of what it means to be a woman. Mulan also breaks stereotypes, Mulan
is about women having masculine qualities and doing what men can do and even more.
Breaking stereotypes by showing what you can do.
This movie reinforces stereotypes about men. A classic example of male
stereotype reinforcement is the scene where the captain sings the song "I'll Make A
Man Out of You." There's a part in the song, "Did they send me a daughter when I
asked for a son?" Before it ends, you can bet: a man¨ This part of the song alludes to
men being strong, brave, and fearless and having ¨ feminine¨ qualities is not acceptable
in society. Men are supposed to be the Action Hero. Action Hero is “strong, but not
necessarily silent. He is often angry. Above all, he is aggressive in the extreme and,
increasingly over the past several decades, he engages in violent behavior.”
Mulan is a great example of how women are and can be in power and overpower
men and be just as great as them in anything they do. Women are beautiful and very
interesting creatures, people should stop underestimating women and what they can do
seeing as they can be powerful and would prove anyone wrong who thinks otherwise.
Type of Approach Used:
Feminist Approach – is the literary analysis that arises from the viewpoint of
feminism, feminist theory and/or feminist politics
REFERENCES
Cook, Barry. 2021. “Mulan (1998 Film) Summary.” GradeSaver.
https://www.gradesaver.com/mulan-1998-film/study-guide/summary.
Disney. 2016. “Mulan | I'll Make A Man Out Of You | Disney Sing-Along.” YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVcLIfSC4OE.
Disney. 2016. “Mulan: Reflection | Disney Sing-Along.” YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGGXsm0a5s0.
Noyer, Jérémie. n.d. “Mulan (1998 film).” Wikipedia. Accessed November 6, 2022.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulan_(1998_film).
