A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

For the longest time, Disney had produce some of the worst direct to video sequels to their classic hand-drawn films, I have ever. Thank God that it is starting to die-down, due to the company new direction of remaking the classic animation movies into live-action films, instead. Because of that, we might one day, relive the adventures of Fa Mulan in the big screen, in an action packed war movie remake, rather than watching this crappy, 2005 direct-to video sequel to the 1998's film of the same name. Don't get me wrong, I really wanted to like this film directed by Darnell Rooney and Lynne Southerland. I really did. The original film is a near-masterpiece- great songs, beautiful animation, and epic action, with a heroine that young women can look up to. So, I was hoping this movie could been, just as good. However, it wasn't. I will tell you, why. For starters, I really didn't like how the film delivered on, the story of Mulan (Voiced once again by Ming-Na Wen), being sent on a special mission: escorting the Emperor's three daughters, Princess Mei (Voiced by Lucy Liu), Princess Ting-Ting (Voiced by Sandra Oh) & Princess Su (Voiced by Lauren Tom) across the country to a neighboring kingdom for an arranged marriage there in order to cement an alliance against the Mongols with the help from her fiancé, General Li Shang (Voiced once again by BD Wong) and his crew of misfits: Yao, Ling and Chien-Po (Voiced once again by Harvey Fierstein, Gedde Watanabe, and Jerry Tondo). I get that the sequel is trying to attempt to retain some of the woman empowerment feeling that made the first movie, so likable, but, the film went for it, the wrong way. For starters, I found Mulan's choice of believing the princesses should marry whom they wish, no matter how much danger it means for the entire nation of China, very odd. I get that, being forced to marry somebody else is wrong, but she doesn't know, that the marriage between the princesses and the princes would be loveless. Maybe, they will fall in love, with each other. Really, what right, does she has to play matchmaker. If anything, the princesses should be the ones to make the decision, marry or not to marry. In short, she risk the lives of her people on a hunch that the princesses would be unhappy. Doesn't Mulan see that royal intermarriage do serve to initiate, reinforce or guarantee peace between nations, during a time of a serious threat to their well-beings. I don't mind, that she question it, but sabotage the mission, before understanding, what's in stalk, felt a bit misguided, self-centered and acting on emotions. The morals of her story are directly at odds against the message of the original. At least, she tries to make it up, toward the end, by sacrificing her love-life for the duty of her nation, even if it doesn't make any sense, seeing that she isn't from any royal bloodline. Without spoiling the movie's ending, too much, I have to say, it's really bad. It turns into yet, another cheesy romantic clichés wedding interruption, with a guy coming up to confess his love to a woman, who is marrying somebody else. It's follow up by something really, really dumb with the main characters playing against the dumb-minded town folks with their spiritualism beliefs. It's really awful! Another problem with the film is the fact that the film never addressed what happen to the alliance after the fact that the wedding was ruin. For all, I know is that there was no treaty and China was invade by the Mongols. To make it, any worse, the writers turn the lovable, comedic, guardian dragon, Mushu (Voiced by now, Mark Moseley, replacing previous actor, Eddie Murphy) into a unforgivably evil jerk, who nearly kills Fa Mulan, throughout the film, because the fact that if Mulan and Li Shang get married. He will be, out of a job. I don't think, these Disney writers, even research Chinese culture, when, making this movie, because they would know, that the Tianlong AKA 'heavenly dragons" and Nāgas AKA 'heavenly dragons gods' still guard the afterlife and the life, regardless if marriage happens. Plus, dragons are used a symbol to represent good luck and harmony, not bad omens and foolish selfish actions. Not only that, but its sloppy research; seeing how dragons also represent imperial power, hints unity. So, why is Mushu trying to break up the alliance between the nations, just as much as Mulan!? Oddly, the discomfort doesn't end there. The voice acting from Moseley is just as bad. There are so many cringe-inducing "black" catchphrases and slang, by Moseley, a white actor that I wanted to turn it off. Even, the original, Mushu's voice, sound out of place. I never truly, understood, why a black man was voicing an Asian character in the first place. Regardless, it's offensive. Despite that, everybody else was alright in the voice acting. The singing was not that, bad. However, none of the new songs were that memorable. The animation, while smooth and colorful, also kind of looks out of place, because how cartoony, the range of emotion were. The expression of Li Shang is a great example. This film animation by the DisneyToon Studios felt a little too goofy, so I couldn't take, anything in the movie, really serious. Overall: I really don't like this film, at all! There were plans for a Mulan III, but thank God, they were cancelled by John Lasseter, when this movie fail to make bank. In the end, take my advice and watch the original movie, any day over this crap. It will save you, the headache and the pain. Plus, the embarrassment of owning, such garbage.

The story of this sequel seems to heavily favor individualism to an extreme when compared to the original, yet it also paradoxically implies that women (the Princesses in particular) are simply thralls of the Emperor and needed a man to 'bring them to life'. In the original: the relationship between Shang and Mulan started as trust/friendship -something that would not have been possible between a man and a women if she hadn't hidden her gender, furthermore -Shang's family seems to have a high social status even compared to Mulan's; which would have made a relationship even more unlikely. Here we have 3 Imperial princesses falling in 'love' with 3 less than sophisticated soldiers -just because? um?...they don't want to get married off so they get cozy with their guards?Everyone is pretty selfish in this movie: the princesses, the soldiers, Muushu, Shang and even Mulan. She appears to do something selfless by agreeing to marry the Gong Prince (becoming a princess and eventually the Empress) but that only lasts until Shang returns. Both she and Shang then abandon their mission to save China and get married -Shang conveniently having forgot that he and Mulan had appeared to 'break up'. Furthermore: Apart from puppet trick outside the tent -Muushu only created situations in which conflict between Shang and Mulan naturally arose (Waking up Shang so that he catches Mulan and the soldiers going behind his back -Muushu only helped make Shang aware of what was going on, he didn't make Mulan or the soldiers do what they did).So what about the Mongols? you know the whole reason for the marriages and the alliance? They kind of are guilty of treason against their Emperor/country -I can't imagine he is happy about the betrayals. I also wonder how happy-go-lucky they all will be when the Mongols are raping and murdering their way through China because of them. meh.

The first movie is always better than the sequel. Everyone who has seen a Disney sequel will tell you that! Moving on! This movie actually didn't come off as a cash-grab on the original film. Mark Moseley does a very good impression of Eddie Murphey's Mushu. Naturally, since he was Mushu's singing voice in the first film. I actually didn't even notice that Eddie Murphey wasn't in this movie until the credits! They should have done a theatrical release! Disney sequels have an infamous reputation for being bad, but this was not one of them. It was a very enjoyable film! It was mostly character development, not a lot of action. I think that's what got on many fans' nerves. It's a "chick-flick". There's a lot of romance, very little action/fighting.

This movie dosen't work much a sequel to "Mulan" (which is one my favorite Disney movies).While the first had an epic plot, this one is very simple - in fact it's almost a sitcom setup. We only get one bigger action scene in the third act and the rest of the movie is character developing their relations as they travel from point "A" to point "B". We get more Mulan/Shang relation, we get romance between three warriors and Emperors daughters (new character) and more Mushu/Mulan relations... In fact it's almost like a romantic comedy set in ancient China.And I will be honest - if this was the pilot for "MULAN THE ANIMATION SERIES" (or "MULAN'S VALENTINE DAY SPECIAL") I would enjoy it.True the animation is far from movie standards but it's still pretty darn good. All the characters relation stuff are sweet (especialy all the stuff between the warriors and the princesses) and interesting, few scenes made me laugh and I actually like the songs.So yhe, this movie isn't how a sequel should be made but if you love those characters you may actually find this interesting and enjoyable.The only thing I didn't like is the fact that they made the ancestor ghosts characters less sympathetic and Mulan doesn't get to shine like she did in the fist movie (the lack of the whole "pretend to be a boy" aspect was what made here fun was the best thing about her in the first movie and we don't get this at all in this one... they just talk abut it)