Not Just an Ordinary Cartoon

I love cartoons as a kid.

Cartoons then were funny and generally harmless. Now cartoons are mostly violent. Violent imagery leaps up greater than life on television screen and feeds this notion of brute force into the subconscious of the kids who view them.

The latest Disney animated movie Mulan is not just an ordinary cartoon that we usually see on TV. In fact, this film adaptation of the story of a brave Chinese girl who went to war has a very strong message to communicate to young kids today. Ideas like duty to one’s family, personal honor, obedience, courage, and leadership spice up the story of this animated movie. Indeed nice notions for kids today to think about.

Mulan is touted to be the most expensive animated movie to date. It used computer-generated imagery to create different elements in the film, more than what had been used in previous Disney films.

I have seen an older version of the cartoon on video, which I guess was produced for television programming. The figures were of inferior quality compared to the highly computerized elements in the movie version.

Who is Mulan, by the way? We are familiar with other Disney characters like Snow White and the Little Mermaid since we have read the stories even long before these were transformed into films. But Mulan?

Mulan is the heroine of an ancient Chinese poem that was later expanded into a novel. As the story goes, Mulan disguises herself as a man to serve in the army in her father’s place. While in the army, she is recognized as a courageous soldier. It was only much, much later, when she decides to go back to her family and puts back on her lady’s garb that her fellow soldiers realized she was a woman.

It is a film that makes a strong statement on cultures that regard women as second class citizens and less important than men. Young women struggling to find their place in society can look up to Mulan and draw inspiration from her firm determination to succeed and prove herself.