I have a lot to thank Disney for. Apart from supplying my iTunes library with a large number of catchy tunes and introducing me to the concept of "happily ever after," Disney brought to life a woman warrior that I probably never would have known about otherwise. Disney's take on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan may not be the most historically accurate, but it was, without a doubt, exciting and extremely well-done. Within a matter of minutes after starting the movie, I fell in love with the plucky and tomboy-ish Mulan. Throughout the movie, Mulan's bravery astounded me ("She will be beheaded if anyone discovers her identity!"), her strength awed me ("How did she climb on top of that pole?"), and her cunning amazed me ("I can't believe she was able to start an avalanche with that small rocket!"). Unsurprisingly, I came out of the theater that day with a new role model.
Even though most of the animated film followed the adventures of the warrior Mulan, there was an important scene towards the beginning of the movie. After being dolled up and having her face covered in a ridiculous amount of makeup, Mulan was sent to the village matchmaker by her parents in hopes of finding a husband. This scene shows what Mulan COULD have been--a beautiful but underappreciated wife whose smarts and skills would never be tested. Because that scene took place, the audience is able to appreciate and admire the soon-to-appear warrior Mulan so much more. Mulan's many victories during her stint as a soldier prove to her and the audience that success as a woman is not limited to being a good wife. Rather than her beauty or ability to recite Chinese idioms, Mulan's unwavering courage and loyalty are what she utilizes to find success.
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ReplyDeleteFirst off, I must say I always loved Mulan as a kid, too. As you mentioned, she was unlike the other Disney Princesses in that she was openly tom-boyish and willingly took her father's place to participate in the war. I actually found the picture that you choose for this post very interesting as well, as this is the scene where Mulan sheds her long hair for short hair, then starts cross-dressing as a man. I found a youtube clip of this scene, which starts at around 1:20 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VPA_W2Ass4). She symbolically leaves her hair comb in place of her father's scroll, then proceeds to cut her hair and change. As she cuts her hair, she is at the same time stripping her femininity, and this marks her transition from being a girl who's secretly a tom-boy to a man who is in actuality a woman. It's crazy to think how much a simple change in hair can mean so much for Mulan's development. It's almost as though shorter hair on a girl just screams more powerful and rebellious, especially during Mulan's time.
ReplyDeleteI love Mulan! I definitely think she can be viewed as one of Disney's most superhero-ish princesses. I love your points about the scene where they depict what Mulan could have been.
ReplyDeleteWinnie, I love your point also. It completely goes along with what we talked about in class about why men's hair is shorter than women's.
When I think of Mulan, I always think of the song, "I'll Make a Man Out of You," about training the soldiers and turning them into "real men." The real irony of this song is obviously that Mulan is really disguised as a man while the song is being sung. I think that the song is so reflective of the theme of the movie - that you don't have to be a man in order to be a "man." When I say "man," I mean a strong, heroic soldier. (If you've never heard the song, you can watch it on youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSS5dEeMX64)
I love how you paralleled what Mulan "could have been" to what she actually became. I noticed that the "You'll Bring Honor To Us All" scene of that movie is riddled with gender roles of Disney Mulan's culture...timidity, fan-waving, tea pouring evaluation, and always being flirtatiously "silent" were what the Matchmaker was aiming to "skill" Mulan in, and when she failed, it brought "great dishonor" to her family. Imagine a life so miserable where your greatest accomplishment is being good at keeping silent and being a top-notch tea-server? Seriously? I was so relieved that Mulan ruled as an example of women having non-domestic options in this world, and I hope that other forms of media will more heavily follow in this example
ReplyDeleteI love Mulan! I agree with you that she is one of the most super heroic disney princesses...
ReplyDeleteWhat do you guys think about Pocahontas? I think Pocahontas is a great example of how women can go beyond social expectations as caregivers, wives, and mothers. Although Pocahontas's way as a heroine isn't like Mulan's, I think the fact that she is capable of embracing differences and seeing beyond what's superficial makes her admirable and heroic.
I agree Katherine, Pocahontas definitely is in the same category as Mulan as one of the few strong women in the Disney movies. Most of the "Disney princesses" were nothing more than princesses, whose only goal in life was to find their prince and marry him. Mulan and Pocahontas, on the other hand, always had aspirations to do more than the other girls. They wanted to break away from their traditional roles as wives and mothers and follow their own, independent dreams, which is an important concept for the kids watching these movies. These Disney heroines show children that it's okay to do something other than what everyone expects of you, and that you can still get what you want if you try for it, even if what you want is not what others want you to want.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you all Mulan was one of the few Disney princesses that I admired because of her courage to do what was right and going against what was expected of her of becoming a compliant wife, but instead she chose to take her father's place in the army. She became a fierce warrior admired by many of her comrades. She was not a superficial beauty but she embraced her true self and became a heroic female character.
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