Mulan (1998)

Based on the legendary Chinese folk story of Hua Mulan, a tale that has been told and retold across Chinese culture for well over a thousand years, Disney's 1998 animated feature arrived at an interesting point in the studio's history. The so-called Disney Renaissance, that remarkable run of films that had begun with The Little Mermaid in 1989, was beginning to show signs of fatigue by the late 1990s, and Mulan represented something of a conscious shift in direction, geographically and tonally. Co-directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, the film was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released through Walt Disney Pictures, and it carries a noticeably different register to the European fairy tales the studio had leaned on so heavily earlier in the decade. It sits in interesting company among the animation films of the period, and if you want to see how varied that landscape was, our review of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, another animation from the same Disney era, gives a useful point of comparison. For a very different flavour of animation altogether, there is also the review of Josep, which demonstrates just how wide the medium can stretch.

Bancroft and Cook were both Disney veterans working on their first feature as lead directors, and there is something appropriate about that, given the film's own themes of individuals proving themselves against expectation. The production drew on research trips to China, consultations with cultural historians, and a visual approach that borrowed from Chinese ink painting and traditional artistic motifs, all of which gives the film a look that is polished but recognisably its own. It was not the biggest budget production of Disney's Renaissance period, though it was by no means modest, and it performed respectably at the worldwide box office, particularly well in international markets. Mulan also sits in that late-1990s moment when popular cinema was doing interesting things across genres and continents, as our coverage of other films from that period, including reviews of Kirikou and the Sorceress (1998) and Salaam Cinema, reflects.

The voice cast is well assembled. Ming-Na Wen carries the central role with a quiet, grounded quality that suits the character well. Eddie Murphy, voicing the small dragon Mushu, was very much at the height of his mainstream popularity in 1998, and his casting was clearly designed to bring some sharp comic energy to proceedings. BD Wong voices the lead male character Shang, Miguel Ferrer provides a genuinely menacing turn as the villain Shan Yu, and Harvey Fierstein is reliably funny as one of Mulan's fellow soldiers. It is a cast that mixes warmth and wit, which reflects the film's own tonal ambitions, though whether those ambitions are fully realised is, of course, the question.

There’s no denying the heart and ambition in Disney’s 1998 animated Mulan. It stands out in the late-era Disney canon for its bold themes (duty, identity, and a woman defying tradition to find her own part) all wrapped in a story that’s more about courage than romance. The film moves with energy, blending humour, action, and emotion in a way that feels balanced and sincere. And while it sticks to some familiar beats, it also quietly subverts them: Mulan isn’t saved by a prince, she saves her people, and earns respect on her own terms. The animation is strong, especially in the battle sequences and the sweeping Chinese landscapes. The use of colour, composition, and traditional motifs gives it a visual identity that feels more distinct than many of Disney’s other films from the time. The music, while not packed with show-stoppers like earlier classics, has charm. “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” is both funny and rousing, and “Reflection” is a genuine emotional anchor, sung with quiet strength. It’s not flawless. Some of the comedy, especially from Mushu, veers into dated territory, and the character’s exaggerated antics sometimes undercut the film’s more serious moments. And while Mulan herself is compelling, the story doesn’t always dig as deep as it could into her internal struggle. It’s a good film. Spirited, respectful of its inspiration, and meaningful for many viewers, but not quite a masterpiece. My girlfriend loves it, and I can see why. I just don’t quite feel it all the way. Good, yes. But not great.

I think that balance between admiration and reservation is probably the honest place to land with this one. There is real craft here, and real feeling in places, and I do not want to undersell the significance the film holds for a lot of people who grew up with it. But caring about a film and thinking it is a masterpiece are two different things, and I would rather say that clearly than oversell it for the sake of nostalgia. Mulan earns its place in the canon. It just does not quite earn the very top shelf of it.

Rating: ★★★½  | Year: 1998  | Watched: 2025-07-29

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Trailer

▶ Watch the official trailer for Mulan (1998) on YouTube

Where to watch

Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi

Watch in the US
Stream: Disney Plus · fuboTV
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US

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