Women in Disney’s animated films are becoming more realistic and modern through their hopes, aspirations and narratives that don’t revolve solely around men. Look at characters like Elsa from the 2013 film “Frozen” and Tiana from 2009 film “Princess and the Frog.” Elsa’s goal was to overcome the fear of her powers, and Tiana’s dream was to own her own restaurant. However, the most feminist Disney princesses can be found in a film from 1998.
“Mulan” tells the story of a young woman in ancient China who takes her ill father’s place in a war with the Huns. The catch is, however, that only men are allowed to serve in the army. But Mulan doesn’t let that stop her, and she disguises herself as a man in order to save her father.
The film begins with a sequence in which Mulan is dressed and made up to meet the town matchmaker to discover her marriage prospects. In the patriarchal system in which Mulan lives, this is the only way a woman can bring honor to her family. The sequence includes a song, which Mulan’s family and the town sings together, with the following lyrics: “A girl can bring her family great honor in one way/By striking a good match/And this could be the day.”
Near the end of the song, Mulan pleads to her ancestors: “Ancestors, hear my plea/Help me not to make a fool of me/And to not uproot my family tree/Keep my father standing tall.” Throughout the montage, it’s clear that our female lead feels uncomfortable and out of place. Mulan is living in a world where a woman’s worth is determined by the man with whom she is “matched.”
The meeting with the matchmaker is a disaster and as she leaves, the matchmaker screams to Mulan “You will never bring your family honor!” Mulan feels hopeless and struggles between wanting to bring her family honor and to be herself.
In "Reflection," her struggle is brought to light and Mulan sings “Who is that girl I see/Staring straight back at me.” She does not recognize the woman that society made. When she looks in the mirror, she knows that the woman looking back at her with a fancy hairstyle, a gown and makeup is not who she wants to be. In agony, she sings “When will my reflection show/Who I am inside?” as she takes down her hair and wipes off her makeup.
This scene shows Mulan beginning to disrupt the standard for women in her society. She understands that she is different and does not want to conform to fit in with society. Mulan becomes determined to find her own way to bring her family honor.
After her epiphany, Mulan runs away from home to serve in her father’s place in the army. Training proves to be a struggle because Mulan does not have as much power and strength as the other soldiers. However, she is determined and does not allow herself to fall behind. She accomplishes the task that no other man could do: she scales a pole using only a rope and her own strength. Through her own willpower, Mulan even saves General Shang in a battle against the Huns. Disguised as a man, she gains the respect of her fellow male soldiers.
Eventually, her true gender is revealed to the army when she is hospitalized for an injury related to saving the general. Even though she has done incredible tasks, her peers and General Shang turn against her.
Mulan discovers that the Huns were planning to kidnap and kill the Emperor of China. She manages to catch them in time and confronts the leader of the Hun army -- Shan Yu. During this battle, she embraces both her masculinity and femininity. She dons traditional female dress during the battle and even uses her fan, a symbol of femininity in Chinese culture, to take Shan Yu’s sword away from him to use his sword for herself. She emerges as victorious at the end of the film. The emperor thanks her for her service, gives her a medallion and bows before her. Mulan has saved China.
Upon returning home, Mulan realizes that she was able to bring honor to her family in her own way. Throughout her journey of breaking the norm for women in Chinese society, Mulan found herself. She enjoys using her skills to serve in the army, and she is good at it. Mulan strayed from the status quo for women, and she saved China while doing it.
Mulan teaches us a wonderful lesson: stay true to yourself even if society pressures you to act or look a different way. Only you can be you, and you shouldn’t let the world change you. Mulan is a pretty great role model for young girls to have
