Film Music Central

Mulan “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” (1998)

Mulan “The Huns Attack” (1998)

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Mulan “The Huns Attack” (1998)

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After discovering that the Huns have wiped out the Imperial Army, Shang and his small group of men move towards the pass that leads to the Imperial City, as they need to warn the Emperor of the danger. They seem to be alone…but as they move through a snowy valley, Mushu inadvertently sets off one of the rockets (he tries to blame Lucky Cricket), which quickly reveals that the Huns have been following them all this time as they launch an ambush, destroying many of the valuable rockets in the process. Most of the ambush party is taken out, and suddenly only one rocket is left.

But now the true attack is coming: the smoke clears to reveal Shan Yu up on the hillside, alone. But then his advisors ride up to join him, and then more men and more men…suddenly the entire top of the mountainside is bristling with Hun soldiers, and a loud roar indicates that there are thousands more behind them. Shang orders everyone to prepare to fight, but this is really a suicide mission now (and everybody knows it). Even if they had a hundred men, they wouldn’t even put a dent in Shan Yu’s massive army, which now comes spilling down the mountainside as their leader charges forward.

This moment never fails to send chills down my spine: the sight of the army pouring down in this huge wave, it really is incredible. In fact, so determined were the Disney animators to get this right, that a whole new software program was invented just to render the Hun army realistically. And Jerry Goldsmith’s music for this moment adds the right level of tension, even though the whole army hasn’t crossed over the mountain yet, you know that this is a huge and awesome force, nothing stands a chance against them!

With one cannon left, Shang decides to use it to take out Shan Yu. But as Yao prepares to fire, Mulan looks up and realizes that the taller mountain above them is thick with snow. A cannon blast there would trigger a huge avalanche….with no time for explanations Mulan grabs the cannon and runs ahead to get in proper range to fire. With Shan Yu quickly advancing, Mulan is forced to use Mushu to light the cannon, which fires just as Shan Yu rides up. It’s a perfect hit and Mulan can’t help but smirk a little as the massive avalanche begins. It’s also worth pointing out that the music momentarily vanishes during the beginning seconds of the avalanche and all you hear instead is the rumble of the falling snow (a good example of when it’s better to have no music).

A stunned Shan Yu looks back and sees his massive army being slowly wiped out. Enraged, he swings back to Mulan who suddenly remembers that there’s a really angry Hun standing in front of her. He swipes his sword across her chest but Mulan has no time to react as she needs to run with everyone else to safety before the avalanche takes THEM out as well.

Mulan and Shang are saved in just the nick of time, while the entire Hun army (Shan Yu) included appears to have been taken out. All seems to be well, except now that the adrenaline is wearing off, Mulan suddenly remembers that she has a serious chest wound and quickly passes out. Things are going to be very different when she wakes up….

Next time: Mulan is finally caught, the Huns aren’t all dead and the Emperor is in serious danger!

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See also:

Mulan “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” (1998)

Mulan “I’ve Heard a Great Deal About You Fa Mulan…” (1998)

For more great Disney songs and films, check out the main page here: Disney Films & Soundtracks A-Z

Don’t forget to like Film Music Central on Facebook 🙂

*all images are the property of Walt Disney Studios

Mulan “A Girl Worth Fighting For” (1998)

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Mulan “I’ll Make a Man out of You” (1998)

Believe it or not, this is the last song in the film (though I plan to cover several more orchestral moments to round out the film). Here’s the set up: while Mulan’s training is now going very well, there have been no orders for the soldiers to move out to battle, making it very possible that they won’t see any combat at all. This goes against Mushu’s plans of making Mulan into a hero (to improve his reputation back home) so he conspires with Lucky Cricket to create some fake orders that are ostensibly from Shang’s father General Li. According to the “urgent news”, Shang and his troops are needed at the front, so they quickly head out on the march.

During the long march, the soldiers begin to complain about the never-ending boredom of marching along, but Ling has an idea to keep their minds occupied: talking about girls! Specifically, the dream girls that they’d love to have waiting for them when they get home after the war.

For a long time, we’ve been marching off to battle
In our thund’ring herd,
We feel a lot like cattle
Like the pounding beat,
Our aching feet aren’t easy to ignore
Hey, think of instead
A girl worth fighting for

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The “dream girls” are animated in a style similar to traditional Chinese art

That’s what I said: a girl worth fighting for

I want her paler than the moon
With eyes that shine like stars
My girl will marvel at my strength, adore my battle scars
I couldn’t care less what she’ll wear or what she looks like
It all depends on what she cooks like
Beef, pork, chicken…
Mmm…

Bet the local girls thought you were quite the charmer
And I’ll bet the ladies love a man in armor
You can guess what we have missed the most since we went off to war
What do we want?
A girl worth fighting for

My girl will think I have no faults
That I’m a major find
Uh… How ’bout a girl who’s got a brain
Who always speaks her mind?
Nah!
My manly ways and turn of phrase are sure to thrill her
He thinks he’s such a lady killer

Ling, Yao and Chien-Po each have their idea of the “perfect woman,”: Ling wants a really pretty girl; Yao wants a girl that admires his physical strength; and Chien-Po (predictably enough), would like a girl that can cook really well. When pressed on the type of girl Mulan/Ping would like, she lamely sings about a girl with “lots of brains, who always speaks her mind” but that idea is rejected as being “unrealistic.” Chi-Fu (the stuck up advisor from the Emperor’s court) claims to have a girl waiting for him back home (but Yao is of the opinion that the only girl who could love Chi-Fu is his own mother).

But when we come home in victory they’ll line up at the door
What do we want?
A girl worth fighting for

Wish that I had
A girl worth fighting for
A girl worth fighting-

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Now approaching the mountains, the men continue to whistle about “girls worth fighting for” and everything seems about to break down into a snowball fight when suddenly-the song abruptly ends (this is one of the few Disney songs to end this way). The reason for the song ending is frighteningly clear: the small army has encountered a burned out village in the mountains. Incredibly, while Mushu’s news was meant to be fake, there really IS danger up at the front, because this is where General Li is supposed to be with the bulk of the Imperial Army.

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But the bad news isn’t over. Just over a rise, Chi-Fu sees the full extent of what’s happened: the entire Imperial Army has been slaughtered, including Shang’s father. Heartbroken, Shang sets up a small memorial to honor his father’s memory and then makes ready to pursue the Hun army. With the Imperial Army wiped out, the only thing standing between the Huns and the Imperial Palace are Shang and his men (and one dragon and a cricket).

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What should have been an easy mission to support General Li’s forces has now turned into a life or death scenario: Shang’s forces are hopelessly outnumbered by the Hun Army, how are they possibly going to defeat them? It’s going to take a lot of ingenuity on the part of a certain soldier named Ping….

Next time: the Huns begin their attack!!!

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Mulan “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” (1998)

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Disguising yourself as a man and then running off in the middle of the night to take your father’s place in the Imperial Army is all well and good, but unfortunately Mulan really hadn’t thought out what to do after that. Despite looking like a man, she has no idea how to act like one, and is therefore skulking in the woods outside camp, unsure of how to get inside without being found out as a girl. Enter Mushu!

No sooner was Mulan gone than her ancestors held a little conference to decide what to do with her. All agreed that Mulan had to be forced to come back, lest catastrophic damage be done to the family name. Mushu (Eddie Murphy), a small red dragon, offered to go, but seeing as the last time he tried to help that person lost their head, he is soundly rejected. Instead, Mushu is ordered to wake The Great Stone Dragon and have HIM bring Mulan back. After convincing the Great Ancestor Spirit that the Great Stone Dragon is on the way, he heads off himself to instead make Mulan a big war hero and thereby put himself back in the good graces of Mulan’s ancestors.

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Which brings us back to where Mulan is hiding outside camp and Mushu puts his plan into action. Convincing Mulan that he was indeed sent by her ancestors to help her, the pair make their way into camp. Due to a series of errors, Mulan causes a huge brawl in camp, and she also falls afoul of two guys named Yao and Ling (a third guy, Chien-Po, is friendly to everybody). The fight is broken up by the camp commander, Captain Li Shang (son of General Li, the head of the imperial army), who demands to know who Mulan is. Introducing herself as Ping, the training begins with a lesson. Shang shoots an arrow into the top of a tall pole, and challenges Yao to climb up and get it. But there’s a catch: he has to do it using two heavy weights. Yao makes it halfway up, but the weights pull him back down, and one by one everyone fails in the task. This failure prompts the training song “I’ll Make a Man out of You” which follows Mulan in her attempts to train for war.

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Let’s get down to business to defeat the Huns
Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?
You’re the saddest bunch
I ever met
But you can bet before we’re through
Mister, I’ll make a man out of you

Tranquil as a forest
But on fire within
Once you find your center
You are sure to win
You’re a spineless, pale pathetic lot
And you haven’t got a clue
Somehow I’ll make a man out of you

To say that her training goes badly at first is a massive understatement. In fact, no one is doing well in the beginning. Various skills are shown: shooting arrows through tomatoes before they hit the ground, deflecting rocks with a staff while balancing a bucket of water, launching primitive rockets at a target, hand to hand combat, etc. Finally, after Mulan falls behind in an endurance walk, Shang brings Mulan her horse and tells her to go home, she’ll never be a soldier. At this point, Mulan could go home, but having come this far, she’s not ready to give up.

I’m never gonna catch my breath
Say goodbye to those who knew me
Boy, was I fool in school for cutting gym
[spoken] This guy’s got ’em scared to death
Hope he doesn’t see right through me
Now I really wish that I knew how to swim

(Be a man)
We must be swift as the coursing river
(Be a man)
With all the force of a great typhoon
(Be a man)
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon

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Time is racing toward us
Till the Huns arrive
Heed my every order
And you might survive
You’re unsuited for the rage of war
So pack up, go home
You’re through
How could I make a man out of you?

(Be a man)
We must be swift as the coursing river
(Be a man)
Shang: With all the force of a great typhoon
(Be a man)
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon

She sees the arrow at the top and makes another try for it, and then it hits her: everyone has been letting the weights hang at their sides, but if one ties the weights TOGETHER, you can use them to pull you up to the top. Doing this, Mulan sends the arrow down to Shang at sunrise, and is allowed to stay. Not only do Mulan’s fighting skills improve , she is now accepted as “one of the guys” and is quickly becoming an accomplished warrior.

I really like this song: Shang’s singing voice is performed by Donny Osmond and it’s really awesome to watch the training montages as everyone progresses from clumsy to skilled. Next time: Everyone is thinking of “A Girl Worth Fighting For.”

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Check out the YouTube channel (and consider hitting the subscribe button)

See also:

Mulan “The Huns Attack” (1998)

Mulan “I’ve Heard a Great Deal About You Fa Mulan…” (1998)

For more great Disney songs and films, check out the main page here: Disney Films & Soundtracks A-Z

And don’t forget to like Film Music Central on Facebook 🙂

*all images are the property of Walt Disney Studios

Mulan “Mulan’s Decision” (1998)

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Note: This moment has also been known as “Short Hair”

Mulan has already had a pretty bad day: she’s been humiliated by the matchmaker, her future is uncertain and now…soldiers have ridden into town, led by the sniveling Chi Fu (one of the advisers to the Emperor) and they bring news: the Huns have invaded China! By order of the Emperor, one man from each family must leave to serve in the Imperial Army. Though suffering from some type of illness (or perhaps injury, or both), Mulan’s father steps forward to receive the scroll giving him orders to report to military duty.

Unable to restrain herself, Mulan attempts to intervene and is publicly rebuffed by her father, upsetting things even more. That night, Mulan and her father get into an argument over whether someone should “die for honor” and Mulan’s father snaps “I KNOW my place, it’s time you learned YOURS.” Mulan flees the house in tears and a storm eventually breaks out.

As the music begins, Mulan sits and watches while her parents bid each other good night (Mulan’s mother is visibly upset). There is no dialogue, but as her father blows out the lights, you can see a decision has been made in Mulan’s eyes as she rushes off to the family temple. Jerry Goldsmith uses his full musical talents in this sequence as Mulan prepares for what is essentially a suicide mission: in ancient China, women were strictly forbidden from combat; if Mulan is caught, the sentence will be death.

Despite knowing this, Mulan cannot let her father go and gives her parents a last look as she grabs her father’s orders and leaves to finish her tasks (being observed by the “lucky” cricket that she released during “Reflection”)

Mulan “Mulan’s Decision” (1998) Alternate Goldsmith Score

The biggest change that must be made is, Mulan’s long hair needs to go. Taking her father’s sword, she hesitates only a moment before cutting most of her tresses away; now she’s passed the point of no return. The next step is to put on her family armor, and by the time she is finished, Mulan is the very image of a young man dressed for war. So complete is the transformation that her horse, Khan, initially doesn’t recognize her.

Mulan leaves, knowing that she may very well never see her home or her family again. In this entire scene not a word is spoken, the music tells us everything we need to know. And speaking of the music, I was surprised to discover that there are actually TWO pieces of music written for this scene. The film version that we all know and recognize is not the original piece that Jerry Goldsmith composed. THAT version is completely orchestral and more traditional Chinese in sound (for lack of a better description), whereas the film version features a synthesizer for most of the sequence (used to great effect I might add). Personally, I enjoy both versions, and if I prefer the synthesizer score, it’s only because it’s the version I’m used to.

This really is my favorite scene in the entire movie, the art, the music, everything combines together and nothing is lacking or overdone.

Become a Patron of the blog at patreon.com/musicgamer460

Check out the YouTube channel (and consider hitting the subscribe button)

See also:

Mulan “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” (1998)

Mulan “A Girl Worth Fighting For” (1998)

Mulan “The Huns Attack” (1998)

Mulan “I’ve Heard a Great Deal About You Fa Mulan…” (1998)

For more great Disney songs and films, check out the main page here: Disney Films & Soundtracks A-Z

And don’t forget to like Film Music Central on Facebook

Mulan “Reflection” (1998)

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To say that Mulan’s visit with the matchmaker went badly would be an understatement: it was an unmitigated disaster. And what’s more, the matchmaker pronounced these words of doom: “You may look like a bride, but you will NEVER bring your family honor!” In other words, Mulan has been deemed incapable of making a good marriage, and considering she’s the only child of her family, that’s nothing short of catastrophic. Upset because she’s let everyone down, Mulan heads home to think about where her place in life really is. This is the song “Reflection” and it touches close to my heart because I’ve been where Mulan is at times.

In “Reflection” Mulan expresses how she is suffering from an identity crisis. Her whole life she’s been prepared to be the “perfect bride”, and now that she’s failed, where does she go from here? She can’t really be herself, because that upsets her family. In her guise as a perfect young lady, Mulan doesn’t even recognize herself:

Look at me, I will never pass for a perfect bride, or a perfect daughter.

Can it be, I’m not meant to play this part?

Now I see, that if I were truly to be myself, I would break my family’s heart…

I think this song speaks to everyone, male or female, that is struggling to discover who they really are, not what society dictates they should be. I find the chorus to be very powerful.

Who is that girl I see? Staring straight, back at me? Why is my reflection someone I don’t know?

Somehow I cannot hide, who I am, though I’ve tried,

When will my reflection show, who I am inside?

And this image of Mulan with half the makeup on is really striking: this is the visual evidence that she is caught between two worlds: a world where she can be herself, and the traditional world where everyone wants her to live.

I also really like the conversation Mulan has with her father under the cherry tree. He doesn’t yell or rant, he doesn’t even act angry. Instead he talks about how beautiful the cherry blossoms are this year. One blossom, however, hasn’t bloomed with the others. But when it does bloom, it will be the most beautiful blossom of all. This is a beautiful analogy: as her father sees it, Mulan is simply a late-bloomer, and someday he’s sure she’ll make him very proud (despite what the matchmaker said).

One last note: people keep trying to tell me that this is Christina Aguilera singing in this scene and it is NOT. Christina Aguilera sings the pop version of “Reflection” while Lea Salonga sings in the movie version. What do you think of “Reflection?” Leave a comment below and tell me what you think 🙂 Next time, we’ll take a break and look at an orchestral selection with “Mulan’s Decision.”

Become a patron of the blog at: patreon.com/musicgamer460

Check out the YouTube channel (and consider hitting the subscribe button)

See also:

Mulan “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” (1998)