Mulan

Mulan is a 1998 cartoon film released by the Walt Disney corporation, based on an epic poem of the same name. The film is set in China during an invasion by the Huns, and is somewhat known for its controversial depiction of what appears to be feminist messages and occultism.

Plot

Mulan is a young woman who, following the custom of her people, is sent to a matchmaker for an arranged marriage, but is rejected as unworthy to marry for her clumsiness, which carries a scourge of dishonor on her family. Meanwhile as the Huns invade China, her crippled father is drafted to fight the Huns. Mulan sneaks out of the house and disguises herself as a man to take the place of her father, and becomes a hero by helping defeat the Huns.

Criticism

The underlying message in Mulan is feminism. The film frequently takes aim at the custom in her society that women are unfit to fight. The film also has a strong occult content, including worship of ancestral spirits (which is actually not present in Chinese faiths such as Taoism or Confucianism), and a miniature dragon who has a central role in the movie serving as Mulan's familiar spirit; therefore, some people think that this makes Mulan questionable fare for Christian youth to view without parental guidance.

Alternate View

However, despite the obvious occult influences and feminism, user WilsonB notes on his blog that it might also have a conservative message too. For the Chinese army clearly is not in the mood for appeasing (used commonly by liberals) the invading Huns, who, through the laying of several Chinese villages to waste, are not even in the mood for appesement. Mulan also clearly acts selflessly and puts sevice to her country over herself. Thus, the fact that the film was released in 1998, which was 3 years before 9/11 and around the time of the US Embassy Bombings in Africa, suggests that the title character is an allegory for the USA and that the Huns are to be one for al-Qaeda terrorists. Also, to address occultic allegations, WilsonB reminds his opposition that, whether it be in the original poem or in the movie, the tale takes place in a BC (Before Christianity) era, so practices that would nowadays be concsidered "occultic" would have been common in Eastern countries.