--- title: "Mulan: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/mulan/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/mulan" critics_score: 67 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Mulan (1998): what the critics said Critics' score 67 from 11 reviews: 7 positive, 2 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics come away pleased. Seven of the eleven reviews are positive, and the praise gathers around the animation: angular, richly coloured, with the Huns’ charge down the mountainside singled out repeatedly as the set piece that justifies the film. Several see it as a more adventurous and serious picture than Disney had lately been making, with a heroine who earns her victories and a villain who frightens. The songs are the one weakness admitted even by admirers: pleasant at best, endurable at worst. The spread is wide. The reservations cluster on formula: the wisecracking sidekick, the production numbers, the patter, all felt to be the studio’s usual habits in a new setting. The New York Times finds it inert and formulaic, and Slant Magazine calls its picture of China soulless despite the research, while still admiring the animation. Others note the liberties taken with history and an Americanised heroine. Nobody, though, faults the drawing. ## Time Out — DA Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 April 2014. The critic calls the 1998 Disney film immensely entertaining and a cracker, praising its vibrant, richly hued angular animation, tight script full of gags, and standout action and comedy sequences including the Huns' mountain charge and Eddie Murphy's dragon sidekick. The songs are described as merely endurable. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/mulan-1) ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Jettisoning the saccharine cutesiness of recent Disney outings, Mulan serves up stunning animation, sharply defined characters and catchy tunes woven into a simple, powerfully told yarn. Ancient China is beautifully evoked with compelling dramatic beats and an unadulterated treat emerges thanks to a strong heroine and scariest villain in years. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/mulan-review/) ## The Guardian Rating B+. 9 September 2010. The critic finds the 1998 animated film an entertaining but historically inaccurate take on the Mulan legend, assigning it a solid entertainment grade while criticizing its liberties with Chinese history. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/sep/09/mulan-disney-reel-history) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 June 1998. The film charts a new direction for Disney animation with a more adventuresome story based on a Chinese folk tale, and Ebert enjoyed it as story and animated art. The songs are pleasant but not memorable enough to make it a four-star film. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mulan-1998) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 1998. Disney's anachronistic take on Chinese history and culture nevertheless turns out to be one of its better animated offerings in recent years. The story concerns a feisty girl who dresses as a man and joins the army to save her father's life. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-mulan-u-1186399.html) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 8 June 1998. Mulan is one of Disney's most adventurous and serious animated features, a female empowerment story that should appeal to adults as well as kids. It is lightly stained by strained comedy, rigorous political correctness, and some adherence to formula. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/mulan-mulan-blazes-new-femme-territory-1200454130/) ## The AV Club — Maggie Donahue Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 August 2018. The review praises Mulan as a strong female lead with purpose who blends masculine and feminine traits and challenges gender roles, crediting her victories to her own qualities, but criticizes elements like the song 'A Girl Worth Fighting For' and the ending that reinforce traditional expectations without broader societal change. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/mulan-s-gender-politics-haven-t-aged-so-gracefully-1828367475) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 19 June 1998. Mulan has its accomplishments as a spunky heroine story but comes off as more manufactured than magical, relying on standard hip patter, tepid songs, and familiar animation cliches. The formula is showing despite the new cultural flavor. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jun-19-ca-61328-story.html) ## The New York Times — Janet Maslin Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 19 June 1998. Disney takes a sledgehammer to gender stereotyping but produces the most inert and formulaic of its recent animated films, with familiar sidekicks and production numbers. It ratchets up the violence level for children's animation without advancing the studio's renaissance. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/19/movies/film-review-a-warrior-she-takes-on-huns-and-stereotypes.html) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 16 October 2004. The critic finds the 1998 film's cultural depiction soulless and stereotypical despite research, with ridiculous songs and mismatched characterizations, but praises the impressive animation, striking backdrops, adorable animals, and bravura action sequences like the Hun charge. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/mulan-dvd/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2001. The critic finds the film isn't daring enough and sticks too closely to Disney traditions like songs and an Americanized heroine. They single out the positive energy of Ming-Na Wen's voice performance as an asset by the end, while noting the animation and humor fall short of prior Disney peaks. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/mulan-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/mulan.md