Disney's latest animated feature hearkens back to its heyday fare, a sweet and captivating tale that pits gentle, enduring goodness against dark, malevolent forces.
83
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
It took long enough, but Disney has finally come up with an animated heroine who's a good role model and a funky, arresting personality at the same time.
80
Empire
Empire
Mulan serves up the sort of classic entertainment the Magic Kingdom was built on: stunning animation, sharply defined characters, a smattering of catchy tunes all seamlessly woven into a simple, powerfully told yarn.
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
This high-quality Disney animation combines strong pictorial appeal with amiable voice-performances.
Though Disney's animation department does deserve credit for shaking up its formula and delving into relatively mature drama, the movie is flawed in numerous aggravating ways.
Mulan has its accomplishments, but unlike the best of Disney's output, it comes off as more manufactured than magical.
60
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
Mulan, like all the characters in this movie, is a cookie-cutter American prototype, lazily ripped off from the Disney boilerplate that fashioned Pocahontas et al.
50
San Francisco ExaminerBarbara Shulgasser
San Francisco ExaminerBarbara Shulgasser
It's hard not to keep thinking that this movie is basically "Yentl" with a nose job.