Mulan II | 
| Directors: Darrell Rooney, Lynne Southerland
Actors: Ming-na, B.d. Wong, Mark Moseley, Lucy Liu, Harvey Fierstein
Studio: Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.99
Buy Used: $2.89
You Save: $27.10 (90%)
New (75) Used (81) Collectible (4) from $2.89
Rating:  113 reviews
Sales Rank: 11711
Format: Ac-3, Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: G (General Audience)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 79 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: DISD33122D
UPC: 786936231403
EAN: 0786936231403
ASIN: B0002YLCH4
Theatrical Release Date: February 1, 2005
Release Date: February 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The courageous heroine is back along with your favorite characters and some new friends - including the mischevious mishu who wants to keep mulan singel as long as possible in order to retain his job as her guardian dragon. Its an exciting and hilarious adventure the whole family will love. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 02/01/2005 Starring: Voices Of Ming-da Pat Morita Run time: 79 minutes Rating: G
Amazon.com
With less drama and more slapstick than its predecessor, Disney's Mulan II continues the animated saga of the young Chinese heroine, Fa Mulan (voiced by Ming-Na Wen, sung by Lea Salonga). The story picks up one month after Mulan has saved her country through bravery and determination. Revered by all, she now returns to her village and becomes engaged to General Li Shang. Wedding plans must wait, however, when the Emperor assigns the couple to a secret mission to escort his three princess daughters across China where their arranged marriages to waiting princes will secure an alliance with a rival kingdom and save China from invasion. Meanwhile, Mulan's wise-cracking guardian dragon, Mushu (voiced by Mark Moseley), realizes that if Mulan's marriage takes place, he is out of a job and so he undertakes his "18-phase master plan" of relationship sabotage to breakup the happy couple. Most of the film's jokes come from Moseley's Mushu (as quick-witted as Eddie Murphy's earlier performance), while a trio of prankish soldiers provide additional comic relief. While the film's overall effort is not as sensational as the original, it offers solid family entertainment, healthy female role models, and a handful of catchy songs. (Ages 6 and older) --Lynn Gibson
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| Customer Reviews: Read 108 more reviews...
 UGH! July 12, 2006
Luella (CT)
28 out of 31 found this review helpful
I'm so angry! I LOVE the original Mulan, and I was hoping this would be half as good as the first. It wasn't even that.
First of all, the music is awful and the animation lacks the romance, vision, and flow of the original. The original team worked hard with their concepts, which was obvious. Whoever made made this...did not.
Second, the voice talent was severely lacking this time around. Even the characters who ended up with the same voice actors sounded a bit flat. Like the actors were rushed or as if they just didn't really care.
Third, everyone seemed out of character! Not just their speech patterns, but in some cases their movements, manner, and ENTIRE PERSONALITIES were just...severely diminished or entirely changed. These are not the characters I fell in love with! At all!
Fourth, everything was disgustingly predictable. Gee...Mulan's three male friends are looking for wives and just HAPPEN to help guard the three beautiful princesses? Golly...WHAT WILL HAPPEN? DUH. Can we say formula-written? The whole story was just...disappointing and derivative.
Fifth, I found it insulting to ancient Chinese culture. Just because our modern Western culture does not think highly of or participate in arranged marriage doesn't mean it didn't happen, or that it wasn't accepted THERE. In fact, it is still widely practiced in many countries, and you know what? It often works out! It was a part of peoples culture, still IS a part of peoples culture, and ISN'T evil. I found this movies' villifying of arranged marriage and all who participate in it to be very insulting and typical "our USA way is the BEST way and the ONLY way, and everything else is WRONG". I hope they never showed this movie over in China, or else I'll be very embarassed for the USA.
Sixth...ugh, nevermind. I don't even want to think about this awful movie anymore. They should have left the Mulan series as a single movie - the one that retold the original legend. But, being Disney, they just HAD to add a crappy sequel and capitalize on the wonderful original movie.
The only reason this got 2 stars instead of one? Although the scene at the bridge has been done a million times over and is NOT original at all, it was well-done. Brought a tear to my eye, I admit. But it was a cheaply gained tear, because I've seen the same scene in 92752375 different movies.
DO NOT see this movie if you love the original and don't want your vision of it tainted. This movie is crap.
 Fun Family Fare February 3, 2005
Cynthia Sue Larson (San Francisco bay area, CA USA)
46 out of 56 found this review helpful
The story of Mulan II begins with Mulan thinking about marrying General Shang... which upsets one of Mulan's spirit guides (Mushu) so much that he decides to sabotage their relationship. Mushu is worried that he will be demoted if Mulan goes through with her plans to marry General Shang, because tradition calls for the wife's spirit guides to lose their pedestals in the household shrine at the time of marriage, meaning that they would then be subordinated to the husband's ancestors. The story moves back to Mulan and Shang, who are asked by the Emperor to provide safe passage for the Emperor's three daughters across China, so that they can be married to three princes in order to bring peace to China. Mulan and Shang travel with three trusted soldiers, who fall in love with the princesses in their care... as Mushu begins his plans to break Mulan and Shang up. Mulan II is full of jokes, songs, and an important message about following your heart. My favorite part of the film was one of the opening scenes, in which Mulan describes the importance of yin and yang in a beautiful song and dance number. This is a fun family movie, with interesting special features, too.
 Insults Chinese culture and values February 27, 2006
Newinocean (USA)
19 out of 22 found this review helpful
The original Mulan is one of my favorite Disney movies. I wasn't sure what to expect with Mulan II, but I didn't expect it to make me angry! But it did. I am not Chinese, but I know and admire much about their culture, particularly the high value they place on honor and duty to others outside of yourself. This movie openly puts down and mocks those values, as well as the ancient tradition of arranged marriages which still exists today in many cultures. To me, this movie was a fine example of typical Western arrogance, thinking 'our' way is the only right way to live.
In the original movie, Mulan takes great personal risk to save her father's life, and then to save her country. In the second movie, her philosophy seems to be just the opposite: fulfill yourself even if it endangers the country and others.
Mushu was completely annoying with the miscommunications he caused between Mulan and Shang in his selfish attempt to break up their engagement so he could remain her guardian. These scenes were frustrating, not funny.
The only redeeming features were the cute, catchy songs and some great humor. But to me, it's not worth giving the wrong message to your kids. American society already places too much importance on self-fulfillment over all else, and we don't need a kid's movie teaching our kids the message of 'self first' too!
Excellent for a sequel, not as great as the original February 6, 2005
Wesley (Chicago, IL United States)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
Being the father of a daughter, it's very important for me to find examples of strong women in real life and in art or anything else that she can see. The original Mulan is not perfect in this respect but is surprisingly amazing in comparison to so many other films without going overboard with it (sometimes, the attempt to create strong female characters ends up causing them to be caricatures who talk about how strong they are rather than just showing it...or making them so one-dimensional that it would be impossible to relate to them). I'm very weary of sequels, especially if they are straight to video years after the original release. It always seems like Disney has run out of ideas and so they make sequels far removed from the original films or rush to retell in a strange fashion a historical figure. It's often the case that it's uninspired and far from entertaining. Mulan II avoided that. It's been mentioned before, but I think it's important to say there are some tonal changes here. It's far more slapsticky than the original and plays to laughs more than drama. I don't think that's necessarily a negative. I was surprised, for example, not to be totally disappointed by the replacement of Eddie Murphy and to find the character of Mushu still very entertaining. On the other hand, I think the film's displacement of certain dramatic aspects makes it a little more one-dimensional than its predecessor. I know this is a kids' film and needs not overcomplicate its concepts of relationships or of duty, but I also think that Disney has in the past (and with the first film) really excelled at making films that are classics and not just genre pieces for children. This sequel certainly does not fail. It's entertaining. The songs were a delight to my daughter. The humor was well-done and well-suited to her. I think, though, that it will suffer over time in comparison to the first film. She's more likely to go back to it than the sequel. Does this make it a bad film? No, not at all. I would actually give it a 3.5 star rating. If not for the first film, it would probably be a 4.
This movie could've been so good . . . . January 14, 2007
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Have you noticed that sequels, for the most part (Toy Story 2 is an exception) just don't feel the same as the original? The music is different, the animation is different, something. You just can't quite put your finger on it; the movie bothers you somehow.
This movie does that. The story and characters were OK, but the plot could have been carried out so much better! Mushu was being selfish, although I admit the scenes when he tried to get Mulan and Shang apart made me laugh. And while the whole "duty to your heart" thing gets most people mad about this movie, I think it just wasn't done right. What I'm saying is, the movie has a decent plot but it was carried out weakly. Yeah, that's the word that describes this movie: weak.
The beginning song is just bad. I agree with the person who said they felt the scene with Mulan teaching the girls to fight was uncomfortable. It was poorly done. As with most aspects of this film, it coul've been better. The song "lesson nuber one" or whatever is terrible; I was almost to the point of cringing. The "other" "Girl We're Fighting For" was OK. Not as good as the one in the original, but really, what can you expect? Not much. I don't think many people ahve high expectations foor sequels anymore. At least, I don't.
The scenes between the princesses and warriors are funny, but too cute and quick. It could've been better. Wait, didn't I just say that?
At the end how Mushu retends to be the golden dragon or whatever is funny, but it bothers me. I mean, that's how the problem was resolved? It would be okay if they had it once in the movie and the resolution was different, but Mulan, Shang, Mushu and the princesses got what they wanted by tricking a whole country. If the country were to find out the truth, all the protagonists would be in some serious trouble and that's an understatement. (If you're confused, you probably haven't seen the movie).
I also agree with the person who said mixing modern stuff into the story was bad. It is OK for kids, but it's just too cheesy for adults.
Like I said, the movie could have been better. It does NOT "capture the majic of the original" (as the back says); the tone is completely different.
However, I must say that the scene when Shang falls into the river is done really well. It will either send chills down your spine or make you shed a few tears. I was not expecting that to be done well. The princesses' song was the best song in the whole movie. Oh, and the princesses themselves were all right characters. I like Ting-Ting the best; she seems serious but inside she's a joker. Her and Ling go great together. The other two couples go great together, too. And while Mushu's plans were practically evil, I have to admit they were funny.
And speaking of Mushu, I personally didn't find Mushu that bad, just a little naughty. He was really selfish at first about his precious pedestal, but he eventually found out that if Mulan wasn't happy, then neither was he. However, I think that he shoudn't have gotten his pedestal back. I think it sends the wrong message; that you will eventually get what you want even if you do really evil things or something. Or maybe he shouldn't have gotten it back the way he did in the movie.Anyway, just like almost evryting else, it could've been done much better.
To sum it up, the movie was poorly done. I don't even think Disney even tried to make it good. It could have been done better. I know I've said that a thousand times, but it's true.
Kids will like this movie because I can grudgingly admit it's funny, but adults will probably find it poorly done. Some aspects send the wrong message to kids, like what I already said about Mushu and his epdestal. The "duty to your heart" is a great theme, but I think it was represented falsely.
I own the movie. I suggest you rent it if you really want to see it. The back cover is wrong. It is not a "movie you want to see again and again".
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