Disney's Mulan II

One of the biggest problems with Mulan II is the characters. Mulan seems to have lost much of her quiet strength and determination. Instead of being a driving force, she mostly reacts to things--and not in a believable way. She's upset by the princesses' arranged marriage, and she preaches about following your heart. She seems baffled by her own culture.

This Mulan promotes the idea that your heart's desire should always come first, even if lives are at stake. That's the opposite of what she did in the first movie: That Mulan didn't join the army for her own happiness. She made a sacrifice so that she could save her father from certain death.

Li Shang is in bad shape here, too: He throws temper tantrums. He was stoic in the first movie, holding in his anger for the most part. Here he transforms into a spastic, ugly fellow when he gets mad.

Ling was a silly and fun-loving character in the original movie. Here, he's terribly obnoxious with his corny jokes.

Mushu isn't voiced by Eddie Murphy this time around. Although Mark Moseley does an admirable job trying to imitate Murphy, Mushu still doesn't sound quite right. But otherwise, he hasn't changed much. Some people were upset that Mushu comes off as a selfish jerk, but I don't think his efforts to break up Shang and Mulan were entirely out of character.

These are the following lessons that Mulan II teaches:

• Arranged marriages are bad. This is a very Western way of thinking, which just doesn't work in the culture the movie tries to portray. Besides, Mulan didn't wail about arranged marriages when she had an appointment with the matchmaker last time. Her first concern was honoring her family.


• Follow your heart no matter what. Even if your heart tells you to shrug off your solemn vow and pursue your happiness at the expense of thousands of lives.


• Using deceit to get your way is OK. Come on, it's all in the name of love and happily ever after, right?

OK, OK, Mulan II might be mostly bad, but it's not a total wash. Here are some of its redeeming qualities:

• Funny bits. Nothing is uproariously funny, but it might make you crack a smile every now and then.


• There's a surprising, emotional, and unexpected scene that might bring a tear to your eye.


• The scene where we see the princesses for the first time is nicely done. Shadowy, moody, emotions in the eyes, etc.


• The songs were cute, even if they're not especially memorable.

Muland and Mushu Disney by disney
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