Cast: voices of Ming Na-Wen, Eddie Murphy, Miguel Ferrer, Harvey Fierstein, Pat Morita, George Takei

Director: Barry Cook, Tony Bancroft

Previews Shown: A Bug's Life, Mighty Joe Young, The Parent Trap

One of the things that moves animated movies to a new level in my mind, is if the movie can make me forget that I am watching a cartoon. Disney's 36th animated feature (and soon to be a classic), Mulan, does just that, and more.

The story is based upon an old Chinese folktale of a daughter who takes her ailing father's place in China's war against the Huns. This differs from the normal Disney faire, in that a romance and the villain, are almost secondary, to the main character and her search for identity and independence. The characters are all effective, well created, and useful to the storyline. Eddie Murphy's turn as the usual Disney sidekick, obviously inspired by Robin William's genie in Aladdin, works quite well, although a bit too scene-stealing at times, as he is given the best lines, but he does pull them off with an exuberant energy. He seems to be having fun here.

There are two main keys to this movie's success. One, the range of emotions covered..you will laugh, you will cheer, you will think, and you will be touched deep in your soul, and two, the animation is stunning. Once again Disney has taken great detail, and raised the bar with some stunning scenes (including one of the most amazing, involving the Huns, and a charge in the snow

This is Disneys best effort, in my opinion, since The Lion King..and yet it is different, and better in so many ways.  This time they take they chance of not making the love story, or revenge, the central story line, but rather, a tale of independence, soul-searching and personal honor.  Also, they took a chance by tackling a known folktale, and risked alienating and offending that demographic of people, similar to the Native Americans in Pocahontas, and any literature fan in Hunchback.

But in my eyes, they have achieved every goal and aspiration, with flying colors (literally..the flag scene, the Emperor's Palace scene, among many, explode with color and life)  Overall, this movie brims with energy, it will make you laugh,   make you cry, make you cheer, and restore your faith, that there is still hope in the House of the Mouse.  See this one at any cost, and see it many times