Mulan: a Mixture of the East and West

Disney’s Mulan is westernized, but not overly so. While Disney definitely added some western values to the original story, I think the movie maintains a balance between the old storyline and American additions that is necessary for its audience. The songs are typical of other Disney Classics, with a small hint of the oriental mixed in (they are also some of the most fun Disney songs to sing). The beautiful young girl ends up with the manly man, but only after proving her strength, heroism, courage, and that a girl can fight as well as that manly man. Hollywood made its mark on the story, but it also includes some of the critical points from the original. Critics may argue that the western elements hurt the story, but I would argue that the film includes those elements in order to better connect with the audience, while educating them about Chinese culture and a story that is central to it. The Disney version of Mulan enables people of nationalities other than Chinese to relate to a famous Chinese heroine. Though I enjoyed the original version, and believe Disney could have stayed closer to it, I think the film gives its young American audience an interesting look into Chinese culture, even if it is not completely untouched by western influence.