Mulan (1998)

When the Huns, led by the ruthless Shan Yu (Miguel Ferrer),

invade China, each faily is given a c!nscri"ti!n n!tice#
Mulan$s father, Fa %h!u has t! serve in the ary, but due t!
his age and "revi!us &ar in'uries, is d!ubtful that he &!uld
survive# Fa Mulan disguises herself as a an, then ta(es her
father$s c!nscri"ti!n n!tice, ar!r, and &ea"!ns s! that he &ill
n!t have t! g!# She rides a&ay !n her h!rse, )han, t! '!in the
ary, (n!&ing that if she &ere caught she &!uld be (illed#
Mushu (*ddie Mur"hy), a sall Chinese drag!n, has been
a&a(ened by the faily$s First +ncest!r (,e!rge -a(ei)#
Mushu had been de!ted t! g!ng ringer after a isha" &ith
!ne !f the ancest!rs &hen the !ther ancest!rs &ere a&a(ened#
+fter vari!us ch!ices !f &hich guardian t! send after Mulan,
he is as(ed t! a&a(en the .,reat St!ne /rag!n.# Mushu
accidentally destr!ys the /rag!n but reali0es that this c!uld be
an !""!rtunity t! earn his "lace a!ng the guardians again if
he can a(e Mulan a &ar her!#
Mulan trains &ith a gr!u" led by Ca"tain 1i Shang (2#/#
W!ng), including fell!& s!ldiers 1ing (,edde Watanabe), Ya!
(Harvey Fierstein), and Chien 3! (4erry -!nd!)# -he tr!!"s
c!"lete their training, but Chi Fu (4aes H!ng), the
*"er!r$s eddling and is!gynistic advis!r, refuses t! let
the see battle, accusing the tr!!"s !f being ill "re"ared#
Mushu f!rges a letter fr! the ,eneral, !rdering Shang t!
ta(e his en t! battle# -he tr!!"s set !ut t! eet ,eneral 1i
(4aes Shigeta), &h! has already left !n a issi!n# H!&ever,
Shang and his tr!!"s disc!ver that his father, the general and
his en &ere (illed in battle#
Shang and his tr!!"s c!ntinue, disheartened by their l!ss,
&hen they are abushed by Hun archers# +fter an initial
attac(, the Huns are believed t! be defeated, but the tr!!"s
s!!n disc!ver !ther&ise# +s they are setting u" the last cann!n
t! fire at the Huns, Mulan s"!ts a "recari!us !und !f sn!&
!n the u""er !untainside# +s the Huns charge d!&n the
!untain Mulan ta(es the cann!n and fires the r!c(et at the
sn!& !und# -he c!llisi!n !f the r!c(et and the sn!& !und
causes an avalanche &hich s"reads !ver the charging Huns,
burying the# Shang$s s!ldiers ta(e refuge &hile Mulan
rescues Shang fr! being s&e"t a&ay by the sn!&# -he
Chinese s!ldiers initially cheer f!r their vict!ry, but 5uic(ly
bec!e s!ber after Mulan disc!vers that she is bleeding6 she
had been &!unded by a s&i"e !f Shan Yu$s s&!rd# Shang
5uic(ly su!ns a d!ct!r 'ust as Mulan faints#
/uring treatent, Mulan$s true identity is disc!vered# Shang is
n!tified and is e7"ected t! e7ecute Mulan, but s"ares her life
and c!nsiders his "ard!n an e7change f!r Mulan saving his
!&n life# 8nstead, Shang e7"els her fr! the ary# Mulan
decides t! return h!e but hears the Huns eerging fr! the
sn!& that had blan(eted the during the earlier battle# She
tries t! &arn Shang$s tr!!"s as they are heralded by citi0ens in
a "arade f!r their &ar eff!rts, but they d! n!t listen# +s the
*"er!r (3at M!rita) addresses the cr!&d, the Huns,
disguised as "arade characters, (idna" hi#
Shang and his tr!!"s try t! f!ll!& the Huns int! the "alace but
are unsuccessful# Mulan devises a "l!y &ith the !ther s!ldiers
t! dress as c!ncubines, scale a "alace &all and infiltrate the
"alace# When the Huns l!&er their defenses in the "resence !f
the .&!en., Mulan and her friends s&iftly dis"atch the all#
/uring this attac( the *"er!r is safely re!ved fr! the
"alace by Chien 3!, but Shang and Mulan are b!th tra""ed !n
the balc!ny &ith Shan Yu# Shan Yu is ab!ut (ill Shang &hen
Mulan gets his attenti!n# He rec!gni0es her fr! the !untain
battle and gives chase# Mulan lures hi !nt! the "alace r!!ft!"
&here they face each !ther in "ers!nal c!bat, until Mushu, as
arranged by Mulan, "r!"els a huge firecrac(er that hits Shan
Yu and carries hi !ff t! his death# -he fate !f the reaining
five Hun &arri!rs is never fully discl!sed#
-he *"er!r eets Mulan and, in an accusat!ry t!ne, lists
Mulan$s cries, but he "ard!ns her# -he *"er!r then b!&s
t! Mulan, &hich is c!nsidered an e7treely high h!n!r as it
i"lies being !f a higher status than the *"er!r, &hile the
hundreds !f !bservers (!&9t!& (an *astern b!&ing "!siti!n
&ith !ne$s face and "als t! the fl!!r)# -he *"er!r then
!ffers Mulan a "!siti!n in his staff, but Mulan "!litely refuses
the !ffer and c!nfesses that she &ants t! return h!e# He gives
her Shan Yu$s s&!rd, al!ng &ith his crest, f!r her t! bring
h!e and give h!n!r t! her faily#
:"!n her return, Mulan e7"ects t! be re"rianded but is
instead ebraced by her faily# Shang arrives t! tal( &ith
Mulan, having been enc!uraged t! "r!"!se by the *"er!r#
-he ancest!rs reluctantly agree t! a(e Mushu a guardian
!nce !re#