P.O.Box 100114, Anchorage, Alaska 99510-0114 1-800-646-5967
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P.O.Box 100114, Anchorage, Alaska 99510-0114 1-800-646-5967 |
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Running Time:88 minutes Subject:Solid entertainment from a new group of Disney animators. The story source is a Chinese fable about a young girl who disguises herself as a man to help her family and her country. When the Huns attack China, a call to arms goes out to every village, and Mulan's father, being the only man in the family, accepts the call. Mulan (voiced by Ming-Na Wen, sung by Lea Salonga) has just made a disastrous appearance at the Matchmaker and decides to challenge society's expectations (being a bride). She steals her father's conscription notice, cuts her hair, and impersonates a man to join the army. She goes to boot camp, learning to fit in with the other soldiers with some help from her sidekick, Mushu, a wise-cracking dragon (voiced by Eddie Murphy). She trains, and soon faces the Huns eye-to-eye to protect her Emperor. The film is gorgeous to look at, with a superior blend of classic and computer-generated animation. Directors Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook make the best of it: a battle in the snowy mountains is as thrilling as the best Hollywood action films. The menacing Huns are not cute but simple and bad. The wickedness is subtle, not disturbing. The film is not a full-fledged musical, as it has only five songs (the best, "Be a Man," is sung during boot camp). Eddie Murphy is an inspired choice for the comic-relief dragon, but his lines are not as clever as Robin Williams's in Aladdin. These are minor quibbles, though. The story is strong, and Mulan goes right to the top of Disney animated heroines; she has the right stuff. --Doug Thomas 
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Author: Jeff Kurtti Subject: With Mulan, its latest animated feature, Disney deviates ever so cautiously from its rigid formula for other recent animated releases. Based on a Chinese legend of a girl who disguises herself as a soldier to take her father's place in the army, Mulan plays down the love interest prominent in newer Disney animated features and plays up the heroine's brains, courage, and skill. The coffee-table commemoration of the film, however, adheres to its predecessors' format. It details the movie's history and production and presents more than 350 beautifully produced illustrations that include early conceptual drawings and character designs, background paintings (many evocative of classic Chinese watercolors), and production stills. The text discusses the animators' visit to China to research the story's setting and the film's overall visual design, which stresses elements and simplifications that are common to both traditional Chinese art and effective animation. Any library possessing a shelf of the handsome volumes chronicling Disney's animation renaissance of the past decade shouldn't hesitate to add this one to it. -Gordon Flagg
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Editted: Disney Subject:A beautifully illustrated book that tells the ancient Chinese legend of Mulan, 48 pages.
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Author: Russell Schroeder Subject:Disney's Mulan is nicely illustrated with animation art from the film in this version by Russell Schroeder. The real bonus is the extra chapter on teh making of this classic animated film complete with storyboard sequences, drawings and other backgrounds not previously published in Jeff Kurtti's book. It makes a nice addition to any collectors library on this film.
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Editted:Katheleen Zoehfield, Judi Clarke and Brent Ford Subject:Based on a Chinese folktale, a young girl dresses up like a boy and goes off to battle in order to keep her elderly father safe at home. Along the way she meets a cast of unforgettable characters who teach her all about acceptance and self-respect. This full color edition is the childrens' storybook published by the Disney Press and was the book from which artwork was sold at auction by Sotheby's in March of 1999. 
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Running Time:75 minutes Subject: After viewing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote to Walt Disney about adapting his novel of an ape-man into a feature animated cartoon. Sixtysome years later, the tale is finally told with brilliant design work that looks unlike any previous animated film. The story is a natural for Disney since the themes of misunderstood central figures have been at the heart of its recent hits. Disney's Tarzan doesn't wander far from the familiar story of a shipwrecked baby who is brought up by apes in Africa. What gives the film its zing is its clever use of music (the songs are sung by Phil Collins himself rather than onscreen characters) and the remarkable animation. Deep Canvas, a 3-D technology, was developed for the film, creating a jungle that comes alive as Tarzan swings through the trees, often looking like a modern skateboarder racing down giant tree limbs. The usual foray of sidekicks, including a rambunctious ape voiced by Rosie O'Donnell, should keep the little ones aptly entertained. The two lead voices, Tony Goldwyn as Tarzan and Minnie Driver as Jane, are inspired choices. Their chemistry helps the story through the weakest points (the last third) and makes Tarzan's initial connection with all things human (including Jane) delicious entertainment. Disney still is not taking risks in its animated films, but as cookie-cutter entertainment, Tarzan makes a pretty good treat. (Ages 5 and up) --Doug Thomas
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