Alright, I saw this ages ago, and the only parts I can stomach at all are the first song (not the best I've heard from Disney, but for me, the best in a sequel they produced direct to DVD that wasn't from Aladdin) and an opening scene that was completely cut. These two things and the fact that Ming Na actually came back for the role of voicing Mulan are completely overcast by the many issues held in this film.
First, I have to say that, aside from the Aladdin sequels (which need to be watched with the TV series as well as the main film to really be appreciated), none of the direct to home entertainment sequels produced by Disney have satisfied truly. So, frankly said, it's not as bad as it could have been, if we were to compare it to other non-theatrical sequels from Disney, if you enjoy them. It's not much to go by, though, in my opinion.
Second, I have to state that a lot of these opinions are formed based on my being a feminist and an Asian-American. The first Mulan was refreshing, since it had clear feminist themes and a vastly understated romantic connect without having to re-imagine the characters from the original material, as Disney has done prior in the '90s. On top of that, the original feature film was actually a fair treatment of Chinese culture, or at least as you'd get from Disney. Yes, the exaggeration of the importance of honor was very much a western viewing of Asian culture that has tired itself out, but all things considered, it was a nice enough representation of Chinese culture to not out right offend. The serious action in the film and the comedic but helpful sidekick of Mushu was also a nice icing to the cake.
In Mulan II, Disney completely disregards all of the things that made Mulan appealing.
To start, a lot of the film feels more like it's about Mushu (who is utterly selfish and unlikable here), Mulan's three war buddies--Ling, Yao and Chien Po--and the three princesses they fall in love with. I honestly couldn't be bothered to care for Mulan and Shang past the first ten minutes and forgot that she's the central character until towards the end. The only good thing in this is that the two trios are endearing, if show-stealers, but not by much.
The next point is that, where the first film simply exaggerates certain Chinese values, the sequel completely disregards them in favor of modern western ideals. The main theme in the first is duty to one's family and nation and the need to find your place in society while also being yourself. The sequel disregards duty in favor of personal desire. This is where Disney throws Chinese values out the window for their ideals of true (but shallow and unrealistic) love. The duty that was key is ignored for love matches, disregarding that the arranged marriage will secure national safety. Forget Asian values; I can't even imagine a soldier that has risked life and reputation for her country would disregard that on a basis of "my duty is to my heart". Nor would three princesses that agreed with their father's request, having likely be reared with the understanding that their position is because of their responsibility to their country. Anyhow, the short version of this point that got away from me is that the sequel disregards a valuable and universal idea of duty in favor of an unnecessary ideal of romance that's overly stressed on girls as is, thus taking away from a good thing and offering less.
The final thing that makes this irksome is the offensive stereotyping this movie contains. Mulan I was actually researched to an extent and the worst of it was the exaggeration of honor and the treatment of women (which was more a dramatic device). While not deeply accurate, there is the illustration that much of the spiritual veneration in medieval China was ancestral, with totem-like guardians being much more secondary and more a device to bring in Mushu. Then, in the sequel, we get the "Great Golden Dragon of Unity". The first mention of this Dragon of Unity had me honestly asking, "What the hell is this, Disney?" aloud while watching Mulan II. It's such a blatantly stereotypical fabrication on Disney's part that I wouldn't be surprised to see it in Vegas as a tourist trap in some Chinese-themed casino and drive-thru chapel. The fabrication of the nation "Qui Gong" (again, a verbal comment was made at this mention, along the lines of, "The country of Energy Flow? Said incorrectly?") is also eye-roll worthy, as well as several other Chinese-stereotyping features throughout the film.
These are the kind of stereotypes that are actually limiting what Asian entertainers can get jobs portraying in major western entertainment, and I can only picture the cast cringing internally at they things they had to say and see after getting to do the first film. I feel especially bad for Gedde Watanabe, since he's basically back to being in a film with the same stereotypes he had to do in Sixteen Candles twenty-one years before.
At least he's not named for a duck's donger in this one...
Honestly, my only advice is to borrow it from your local library if you seriously want to subject your kids or yourself to this, and if you had as bad a taste in your mouth as I did after credits roll, watch the deleted opening scene. Five minutes of cut footage gave me all of what I enjoyed in Mulan; scenery, action, and nice dialog between Mulan and Shang that only is outright romantic at the end. It only made it to pencils and storyboards with voice overs, but it's the best the movie has to offer.
First, I have to say that, aside from the Aladdin sequels (which need to be watched with the TV series as well as the main film to really be appreciated), none of the direct to home entertainment sequels produced by Disney have satisfied truly. So, frankly said, it's not as bad as it could have been, if we were to compare it to other non-theatrical sequels from Disney, if you enjoy them. It's not much to go by, though, in my opinion.
Second, I have to state that a lot of these opinions are formed based on my being a feminist and an Asian-American. The first Mulan was refreshing, since it had clear feminist themes and a vastly understated romantic connect without having to re-imagine the characters from the original material, as Disney has done prior in the '90s. On top of that, the original feature film was actually a fair treatment of Chinese culture, or at least as you'd get from Disney. Yes, the exaggeration of the importance of honor was very much a western viewing of Asian culture that has tired itself out, but all things considered, it was a nice enough representation of Chinese culture to not out right offend. The serious action in the film and the comedic but helpful sidekick of Mushu was also a nice icing to the cake.
In Mulan II, Disney completely disregards all of the things that made Mulan appealing.
To start, a lot of the film feels more like it's about Mushu (who is utterly selfish and unlikable here), Mulan's three war buddies--Ling, Yao and Chien Po--and the three princesses they fall in love with. I honestly couldn't be bothered to care for Mulan and Shang past the first ten minutes and forgot that she's the central character until towards the end. The only good thing in this is that the two trios are endearing, if show-stealers, but not by much.
The next point is that, where the first film simply exaggerates certain Chinese values, the sequel completely disregards them in favor of modern western ideals. The main theme in the first is duty to one's family and nation and the need to find your place in society while also being yourself. The sequel disregards duty in favor of personal desire. This is where Disney throws Chinese values out the window for their ideals of true (but shallow and unrealistic) love. The duty that was key is ignored for love matches, disregarding that the arranged marriage will secure national safety. Forget Asian values; I can't even imagine a soldier that has risked life and reputation for her country would disregard that on a basis of "my duty is to my heart". Nor would three princesses that agreed with their father's request, having likely be reared with the understanding that their position is because of their responsibility to their country. Anyhow, the short version of this point that got away from me is that the sequel disregards a valuable and universal idea of duty in favor of an unnecessary ideal of romance that's overly stressed on girls as is, thus taking away from a good thing and offering less.
The final thing that makes this irksome is the offensive stereotyping this movie contains. Mulan I was actually researched to an extent and the worst of it was the exaggeration of honor and the treatment of women (which was more a dramatic device). While not deeply accurate, there is the illustration that much of the spiritual veneration in medieval China was ancestral, with totem-like guardians being much more secondary and more a device to bring in Mushu. Then, in the sequel, we get the "Great Golden Dragon of Unity". The first mention of this Dragon of Unity had me honestly asking, "What the hell is this, Disney?" aloud while watching Mulan II. It's such a blatantly stereotypical fabrication on Disney's part that I wouldn't be surprised to see it in Vegas as a tourist trap in some Chinese-themed casino and drive-thru chapel. The fabrication of the nation "Qui Gong" (again, a verbal comment was made at this mention, along the lines of, "The country of Energy Flow? Said incorrectly?") is also eye-roll worthy, as well as several other Chinese-stereotyping features throughout the film.
These are the kind of stereotypes that are actually limiting what Asian entertainers can get jobs portraying in major western entertainment, and I can only picture the cast cringing internally at they things they had to say and see after getting to do the first film. I feel especially bad for Gedde Watanabe, since he's basically back to being in a film with the same stereotypes he had to do in Sixteen Candles twenty-one years before.
At least he's not named for a duck's donger in this one...
Honestly, my only advice is to borrow it from your local library if you seriously want to subject your kids or yourself to this, and if you had as bad a taste in your mouth as I did after credits roll, watch the deleted opening scene. Five minutes of cut footage gave me all of what I enjoyed in Mulan; scenery, action, and nice dialog between Mulan and Shang that only is outright romantic at the end. It only made it to pencils and storyboards with voice overs, but it's the best the movie has to offer.