5 Lessons from Mulan + Parent Review with Discussion Questions

5 Lessons from Mulan, Mulan Parent Review, and Mulan Discussion Questions- written by the Elf . This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog. Images from the movie are from the DTCI Disney Media Press Kit.

Know Before You Stream Mulan:

Movie: Mulan (Live Action 2020)
Rating: PG-13
Age Suggestion:  10+*
Running Time: 2 hours
Release Date: Something ,2019
Genre: Action/ Drama/ Family/ Remake
Themes: Responsibility, Honor, Family, Magic, Honesty, Loyalty, Work Ethic
Warnings: Mulan contains battle scenes, violence, witches and magic, and a couple of jump scares. 
Rent the movie here.

How to Watch Mulan:

*Mulan will stream on Disney Plus with Premiere Access (Mulan Premiere Access is a one time fee of $30).
*It is not a rental, but a purchase on Disney Plus, so you will be able to stream it as long as you have the service.
*(As of December 4th) Mulan is not streaming on Disney Plus at no additional charge.
*Disney has also stated that this is a one time attempt to re-coup some of their pandemic losses, not something that will take the place of future theatrical releases.

*Keep reading for lessons from Mulan, Discussion Questions and a Mulan Parent Review

Mulan Quick Summary:

Every family must send someone to fight for the Emperor, but Mulan can’t bear to see her injured and aging father go off to war. Risking her life and defying her families wishes, she sneaks off to the army to fight in his place- as a boy. Can she succeed? Will she be found out? The newest Disney live action remake is action and drama oriented, but I missed the heart and character connection that came with the comedy. It’s a girl power action movie with a lot of great lessons!

Discussion Questions: 
*Light Spoilers Included*

1) Has there even been a time you were told you couldn’t do something because of the way you look or your abilities? Have you ever seen this happen to someone else? What can you do about it?

2) Out of everyone in your family, who would flip a table over spiders? Who would win in a sword fight?

3) Why is it so important not to give up hope even at our hardest moments?

4) Why are friendships so important in Mulan? In real life?

5) Mulan’s success was not only due to her friends but also how she treated her enemy. What did you think of that?

Mulan Parent Review: 

-Is the live action Mulan Appropriate?:

Many of the live action battle scenes are more intense than the animated counterparts. Some scenes are not as scary as the animated ones, others are more. The depictions of death seem a lot more real. This movie leans more towards a serious action hero movie, rather than a fun drama. There are some long stretches that might bore younger viewers if the fight scenes don’t scare them. There are very few comedic breaks and a lot of very intense action scenes. The other thing that might concern some parents is the use of magic, dark magic references, and witch character. No more magical or intense than any other Disney villain per say but framed in an outfight magical way that might not be for you if you are not OK with the use of magic or dark magic references.

-Characters & Acting:

We enjoyed seeing new areas of character development for Mulan. The movie was cast well. The group of soldiers were all very believable friends and allies. For what they were given with the script, I thought they did a wonderful job. They had good chemistry with one another.

-Script & Story:

I think that the script and the story really kept this movie from being in my top favorite remakes list. They took away the comedy and went more of an action route, but the comedy was what helped us connect and empathize with the characters in the animated version. They were missing SO many elements that could have brought it together. The enemy wasn’t detestable. The friendships were not hard won. The love interest not… interesting? There were no sidekicks. The action scenes were not thrilling at all. No great musical moments and no laughs.

I still enjoyed the movie and there were some great moments, but it was not the best remake. With Beauty and the Beast, they gave the story even more heart, but also made it more relative, dramatic and adult. I wish they had done the same with this one. Instead they threw out most the heart out with the outdated, racist portrayal of a sidekick from the animated one.

*I’ll note though that out of the six of us who watched it, MOST of us actually really enjoyed it. Some loved it! If you liked the Lion King and Cinderella live action adaptions, I think you will like this one.

-Film Quality:

In Aladdin, my only complaint about the CGI was that it was intentionally stilted in places, almost like it was animated. They used this a lot more in Mulan and it’s still not my favorite. For me, it took away from the action and didn’t add to the movie overall. Besides that complaint, it’s Disney! The quality is high budget, the scenes beautiful and the visual storytelling great!

–Favorite Moments from the Live Action Mulan:

*We loved that Ming-Na Wen (The original voice of Mulan!) made an appearance in the movie!!

*Mulan’s dad- Zhou. In the animated movie it is clear that her dad is loving, but in the live action it really shone through. I love how he stood in front of her at the end of the movie.

*The team of friends standing up for Mulan and each other was beautiful and by far the most poignant moment of the movie for me.

*While the script was written by the Jurrasic World team, the movie was directed by a female -Niki Caro. It was also cast with an all Asian cast!

*Christina Aguilera’s very first single was “Reflection” in the first animated movie and she re-recorded it for the live action movie, as well as recording a new song.

5 Lessons from Mulan (2020 Live Action)!
**Spoilers Beyond This Point**

1) You cannot succeed on your own.

Even though Mulan was amazing on her own, she still needed her new friends to help her out on more than one occasion. They were better together (And did more together) than they could have been separately.

2) Be careful not to underestimate and undervalue the strengths of the people nearest to you.

The main villain, Mulan’s parents, the people she fought alongside. There were so many times when someone was underestimated in this film and rose above and beyond the challenge set before them.

3) Hard work and a good work ethic are invaluable.

Mulan’s plan would have failed and she would not have been able to help her country if she did not have the strong work ethic that she did. She was beat down again and again and again- but she kept getting back up.

4) How you treat others, even the people you do not like, matters.

Mulan alienated an ally, but befriended Xianniang- who ended up helping her win in the end. She did not have any reason to show her kindness, but it paid off.

5) The law should not always be the last word. Especially when it’s oppressive.

Those in power saw that was happening was wrong. They listened to the voice of the people, and things started to change. But not before Mulan flouted them in the first place.

What Next? Check out these posts…

-Family friendly Disney Plus streaming suggestions
–Aladdin Remake Review
–Lion King Remake Review
–Dumbo Remake Review
–Lessons from Frozen 2
–Descendants 3 Review

Grab the new ‘Loyal, Brave and True’ song and more here….

We will stream it again, but Aladdin is still our favorite remake. What has your favorite remake been so far? And if you enjoyed this review, please take a few seconds to share it!

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