Disney's Mulan (2020) [DVD]

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Passing herself off as the son of an honored warrior, she attends training and dives into the battlefield as the Huns invade her country. She finally gains confidence and the respect of her fellow soldiers when she is able to scale a tall wooden pole to reach an arrow embedded at the top using two weighted discs slung together. D. Wong/Donny Osmond), with whom she is soon falling in love, and shows herself to be a capable warrior. My husband and I are enthusiastic but discerning viewers of Chinese ‘Wuxia’ films ~ meaning ‘martial heroes’.

He relays how he knows she ran away from home and impersonated a soldier and that, despite her seemingly treasonous actions, she has saved all of China from the Hun threat. The enraged matchmaker yells that Mulan may look like a bride but she will never bring her family honor. Mulan's father, already a veteran, walks forward to accept his notice and scorns Mulan when she tries to stop him.

The screenplay is based on a fairly accurate telling of a genuine, and amazingly early, Chinese folk story. Mulan warns the others to keep their eyes open and rides off to find someone who will listen to her. Pushing herself to her limits and braving the war, Mulan digs deep to find her true inherited strength. Brimming with daring adventure, hilarious characters and inspiring music, Disney’s animated classic Mulan celebrates honour, courage and a young girl’s quest to be true to her own heart.

Mulan is quickly bathed and dressed with makeup applied to her face while her mother and grandmother encourage her and give her gifts to inspire luck, including a flower hair comb and a caged cricket. Crushed, Mulan runs out into the rain and, after a moment, comes up with a plan to take her father's place in the army. She steals her father's armor and conscription and leaves behind her flower hair comb before riding out into the night. Having worked too hard to get Mulan where she is, Mushu tricks Chi Fu with a fake letter from General Li requesting the troops at the front line.Shang instructs Yao to aim the last cannon at Shan Yu who is charging ahead, but Mulan grabs the cannon out of Yao's hand and runs towards the charging Huns, followed by Shang who commands her to come back. It is well-written, engrossing, entertaining, rather touching, and with some nicely amusing moments, most particularly when Mulan is at home in her village. Mushu, shocked that Mulan missed a target three feet in front of her, rides the cannon towards the peak where the cannon explodes, causing an avalanche that crushes Shan Yu's army and rushes down the hillside.