Posted By: Katie Lowery
Posted On: January 11, 2016
Disney's "Mulan" tells the story of Fa Mulan and her journey from a woman who "may look like a bride, but will not bring [her[ family honor" to the woman who saves China from the Hun attack. After an unfortunate series of events with the matchmaker, Mulan's father is approached to return to the Imperial Army to fight against the Huns. Mulan worries for her father's health, and decides to take his armor and sword, disguise herself as a man (Ping), and take her father's place in training and recruitment. She eventually becomes one of the top soldiers in her group.
She stops the initial Hun attack on the Tung Shao Pass and is given praises for her efforts. However, her injuries from the battle lead to the truth of Ping being Mulan, and at the time, women were not allowed to serve in the Imperial Army. Mulan is abandoned by the troops. Mulan discovers that the Huns survive the avalanche she created, and she follows the troops to the Emperor's Palace where the final battle between Mulan and the Huns ensues. The result is a victory for Mulan, and more praises are given to her, this time from the Empror. Mulan returns home safely and her family his happy to see her home.
This movie is full of action, adventure, and a touch of Disney magic through fantastical characters like Mushu and various musical numbers scattered throughout. Although this movie is directed towards younger children and families, Disney's "Mulan" can be applied to lessons in almost any age group. At the elementary level, students can learn about the legend of Mulan through animation and song, while also diving into some overarching ideas related to culture. As the students get older, teachers can put more emphasis on cultural elements (ex: patriarchal society, relations between China and the Huns during the time period of the story, comparison of other variations of Mulan's story to the Disney re-telling...) which can be modified to the age group as needed. I have seen this film used at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels, all with great success.
Chances are the students have seen this movie as a child, which helps with the application of the film in older grades. Because students have most likely seen the film before in their younger years, it may be easier for the student to focus on the cultural elements and items you want them to search for. Rather than just observing the movie at face value, the students can push the familiar content aside in order to find more about the movie they may not have noticed before.