Mulan/Awesome

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • "I'll Make a Man Out of You". Possibly one of the greatest musical montages in the history of Walt Disney Animation.
  • It's pretty impressive that Mulan's grandmother was able to jaywalk down a crowded street without getting injured.
    • Particularly, after Shang tells Mulan to leave, she refuses to give up and passes the Secret Test of Character that had previously beaten everyone else in the camp. She could have gone home at that point without the fear of losing her father to the war, but she decided not to.
    • And everyone cheers her on, and are inspired by her example to stop sucking at being soldiers.
  • Though it quickly becomes comedic when they discover the approaching avalanche, it's pretty impressive Ling, Chien Po, and Yao were willing to take on the entire Hun army by themselves.
  • The eponymous heroine single-handedly buries the Hun army by igniting an avalanche with a rocket.

Mushu: You missed! How could you miss?! He was THREE FEET IN FRONT OF YOU!
SFX: boom

    • Her knowing smirk as Shan-Yu looks behind him to see what's going on is the icing on the cake.
      • Especially when paired with his epic Oh Crap expression.
  • At the film's climax, she shoots the evil warlord into a giant stockpile of fireworks. Ooh, shiny!
  • Right before the above example:

"Looks like you're out of ideas."
"Not quite."

  • The sequence in which Mulan cuts her hair, and the accompanying music.
  • Followed by her defeat of Shan Yu - in particular, facing him down with nothing but a paper fan against his sword and succeeding in disarming him - is a Moment of Awesome not only for the character herself but for Disney's animated heroines as a whole.
    • Made even more awesome when you realize that the fan is one of the ultimate symbols of femininity!
  • The emperor, and subsequently all of China, bows for her. The end.
    • Which builds on a previous Moment of Awesome where the emperor shows Shan Yu just how much his military prowess is really worth: "No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it."
    • Shan-Yu then tries to kill the Emperor in rage, but Shang blocks his blow just in the nick of time. Despite this all happening behind him, the Emperor calmly and indifferently walks out of the way as though he knew it was going to happen the whole time. Now that's composure.
  • How about the scene in which Mushu straps fireworks to his back in winged costume and launches himself in fiery red glory?

Guard: Who're you?
Mushu: Your worst nightmare!

    • Hayabusa takes his master's sword from Shang's hands, flies up with it, then lets go of it so that Shan Yu, standing in a shadow on a rooftop, can catch it? When Shan Yu catches the sword, he emerges from the shadow, grinning, and you can hear shocked gasps from the crowd below. There's a reason why Mulan tried to warn everyone.}}
    • The sheer, complete shock that Mulan gives Shan Yu by simply tying up her hair: "The soldier from the mountains...!"
  • Chien Po pulling EVERYONE up.
    • Including the horse!
  • In terms of animation quality, it's amazing in its own right that they were able to make Mulan look male while still retaining feminine qualities. The audience can recognize her instantly while still believing that the other soldiers thought she was male.
  • The entrance of the Hun army (granted, in the scene before they're completely obliterated, but still) in the mountains. THAT is how you make an entrance; it was a (thankfully averted) "Oh Crap" moment for all of China.