Editing Mulan (Disney character) (section)

=== Critical response ===
Reception towards Mulan's personality and characterization have been generally positive. ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' hailed Mulan as "A feisty young go-getter [who] rises above the male-dominated world in which she lives."<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.timeout.com/london/film/mulan|title = Mulan|website = Time Out|access-date = February 25, 2014|last = A|first = D|year = 1998|archive-date = February 28, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140228200741/http://www.timeout.com/london/film/mulan|url-status = live}}</ref> Ken Fox of ''[[TV Guide (magazine)|TV Guide]]'' wrote, "Intelligent and fiercely independent, Mulan&nbsp;... runs afoul of social expectations that a woman will be always obedient and duty-bound to her husband." Bridget Byrne of ''[[Boxoffice (magazine)|Boxoffice]]'' wrote that "Mulan&nbsp;... has pride, charm, spirit and aesthetic appeal which prevents her from being upstaged by the vigorous and exciting action in which she participates."<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.boxoffice.com/reviews/theatrical/2008-08-mulan|title = Mulan|website = Boxoffice|date = June 19, 1998|publisher = BOXOFFICE Media, LLC|access-date = February 25, 2014|last = Byrne|first = Bridget|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140302090622/http://www.boxoffice.com/reviews/theatrical/2008-08-mulan|archive-date = March 2, 2014}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]''<nowiki/>'s [[Todd McCarthy]] praised the character for inspiring "a turn of the circle from such age-old Disney classics&nbsp;... in which passive heroines were rescued by blandly noble princes." McCarthy continued, "Here, it's the girl who does the rescuing, saving not only the prince but the emperor himself from oblivion, and this in a distant culture where women were expected to obey strictly prescribed rules."<ref name=":11">{{Cite web|url = https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/mulan-mulan-blazes-new-femme-territory-1200454130/|title = Review: 'Mulan – 'Mulan' Blazes New Femme Territory'|website = Variety|last = McCarthy|first = Todd|publisher = Variety Media, LLC|date = June 8, 1998|access-date = February 25, 2014|archive-date = March 7, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140307173540/http://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/mulan-mulan-blazes-new-femme-territory-1200454130/|url-status = live}}</ref> Similarly, Margaret A. McGurk of ''[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]'' lauded Mulan for "solv[ing] her ''[[G.I. Jane]]'' dilemma by proving that brains can do more than brawn."<ref>{{Cite news|url = http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/movies/mcgurk/mulan.html|title = Magic of 'Mulan'|access-date = February 25, 2014|website = The Cincinnati Enquirer|date = June 19, 1998|last = McGurk|first = Margaret A.|agency = news.cincinnati.com|archive-date = October 20, 2006|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061020184508/http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/movies/mcgurk/mulan.html|url-status = dead}}</ref> Hailing the character as "Among the strongest heroines in [[Disney canon|Walt's cartoon canon]]," [[Ian Freer]] of ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' enthused, "Mulan's engaging mixture of vulnerability and derring-do becomes incredibly easy to root for."<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=10319|title = Mulan|access-date = February 26, 2014|website = Empire|last = Freer|first = Ian|year = 1998|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140302055026/http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?DVDID=10319|archive-date = March 2, 2014}}</ref> Hollis Chacona of ''[[The Austin Chronicle]]'' dubbed Mulan a "winning [[protagonist]]."<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.austinchronicle.com/calendar/film/1998-06-19/mulan/|title = Mulan|website = The Austin Chronicle|date = June 19, 1998|access-date = February 26, 2014|last = Chacona|first = Hollis|archive-date = March 4, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140304124039/http://www.austinchronicle.com/calendar/film/1998-06-19/mulan/|url-status = live}}</ref> Likewise, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''<nowiki/>' [[Kenneth Turan]] wrote, "As a vivacious rebel who has to be true to herself no matter what, Mulan is an excellent heroine, perfect for the young female demographic the studio is most anxious to attract", additionally calling her a "more likable and resourceful role model than [[Pocahontas (character)|Pocahontas]]".<ref name=":14">{{Cite web|url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-jun-19-ca-61328-story.html|title = 'Mulan': Formula With a New Flavor|date = June 19, 1998|work = Los Angeles Times|last = Turan|first = Kenneth|access-date = March 10, 2014|archive-date = March 7, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140307171207/http://articles.latimes.com/1998/jun/19/entertainment/ca-61328|url-status = live}}</ref>

Although largely well-liked, Mulan's characterization has drawn some mild criticism and speculation, inspiring a series of generally mixed to positive reviews from some film critics. ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''<nowiki/>'s [[Owen Gleiberman]] wrote, "Far more than ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'' or the stolidly virtuous ''[[Pocahontas (1995 film)|Pocahontas]]'', ''Mulan'' showcases a girl who gets to use her ''wits'' ...&nbsp;a testament to the power of mind over brawn." However, Gleiberman continued, "''Mulan'' finally falls a notch short of Disney's best&nbsp;... because the [[feminism|heroine's empowerment]] remains&nbsp;... an emotionally isolated quest."<ref name=":9">{{Cite magazine|url = http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,283718,00.html|title = Mulan (1998)|magazine = Entertainment Weekly|date = June 19, 1998|access-date = February 26, 2014|last = Gleiberman|first = Owen|archive-date = February 27, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140227204348/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,283718,00.html|url-status = dead}}</ref> Similarly, Moira Macdonald of ''[[The Seattle Times]]'' hailed Mulan as "a strong, engaging character who, unlike many of her Disney counterparts, needs no one to rescue her from danger," while questioning her personality, asking, "was it really necessary to bestow Mulan with self-esteem problems? Because she seems so confident and intelligent, her sad statement that she wants to 'see something worthwhile' in the mirror comes as a bit of a shock."<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19980619/2756869/disneys-mulan-surprising-words-and-scenes---and-visual-beauty-too|title = Disney's 'Mulan': Surprising Words And Scenes – And Visual Beauty, Too|website = The Seattle Times|date = June 19, 1998|access-date = February 25, 2014|last = Macdonald|first = Moira|archive-date = October 5, 2013|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131005235350/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?slug=2756869&date=19980619|url-status = live}}</ref>

Critics were not unanimous in their praise. ''[[The Phoenix Nest|The Phoenix]]''<nowiki/>'s Jeffrey Gantz felt that character was unoriginal, inaccurate and [[Westernized]], writing, "[her] costumes (particularly the [[kimono]] and [[obi (sash)|obi]] Mulan wears to the Matchmaker) and hairdos look Japanese&nbsp;... Give Mulan [[Native American peoples|Native American]] features and you have Pocahontas."<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|url = http://www.bostonphoenix.com/archives/1998/documents/00525230.htm|title = Romance takes a back seat to action in Mulan|date = June 18, 1998|website = The Phoenix|access-date = February 25, 2014|last = Gantz|first = Jeffrey|location = Boston MA|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141029080946/http://www.bostonphoenix.com/archives/1998/documents/00525230.htm|archive-date = October 29, 2014}}</ref> Similarly, [[James Berardinelli]] of ''[[ReelViews]]'' felt that the character's depiction was too "familiar," reviewing, "Although she looks different from [[Ariel (The Little Mermaid)|Ariel]], [[Belle (Disney character)|Belle]], [[Jasmine (Aladdin)|Jasmine]], and Pocahontas, Mulan is very much the same type of individual: a woman with a strong, independent streak who is unwilling to bend to the customs of her culture, which decree that the role of the female is to be ornamental. The film isn't very subtle in reinforcing the idea of equality between the sexes".<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|url = http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/m/mulan.html|title = Mulan|website = ReelViews|access-date = February 25, 2014|publisher = James Berardinelli|year = 1998|archive-date = March 27, 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190327035054/http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/m/mulan.html|url-status = live}}</ref> Additionally, some critics, such as [[Alex von Tunzelmann]] of ''[[The Guardian (newspaper)|The Guardian]]'', have criticized Mulan for her violence, writing, "Disney struggles to make Mulan both a killer and a heroine&nbsp;... Gingerly, the film attempts to tread a middle path, implying that Mulan annihilates most of the Hun army by causing an avalanche, and having her dispatch Shan Yu with a load of fireworks. Very pretty. But still technically killing."  However, von Tunzelmann did conclude more positively, "as Disney heroines go, Mulan herself is a clear improvement on the standard-issue drippy princess."<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/sep/09/mulan-disney-reel-history|title = Disney's Mulan takes a hammer to a Chinese puzzle|website = The Guardian|date = September 9, 2010|access-date = March 9, 2014|last = von Tunzelmann|first = Alex|archive-date = March 9, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140309222041/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/sep/09/mulan-disney-reel-history|url-status = live}}</ref>

Liu's portrayal as Mulan in the [[Mulan (2020 film)|2020 film]] was generally well received by critics. [[Richard Roeper]] of ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' described Liu's performance as "star-turning" as well as "a boundaries-shattering, stereotype-defying hero-warrior for her time and for ours."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Roeper |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Roeper |date=September 3, 2020 |title=Dazzling 'Mulan' comes to life with flying colors |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2020/9/3/21418468/mulan-review-disney-disney-movie-yifei-liu-remake |url-status=live |access-date=September 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200903220602/https://chicago.suntimes.com/movies-and-tv/2020/9/3/21418468/mulan-review-disney-disney-movie-yifei-liu-remake |archive-date=September 3, 2020}}</ref> Writing for ''[[IndieWire]]'', Kate Erbland found Liu, "engaging" as Mulan and adding, "she delivers, easily inhabiting both the reticent, shy Mulan and her bombastic evolution into unmitigated badass."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Erbland |first=Kate |date=September 3, 2020 |title='Mulan' Review: Niki Caro's Sweeping Live-Action Disney Epic Reimagines a Heroine Worth Fighting for |work=[[IndieWire]] |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2020/09/mulan-review-disney-live-action-1234583522/ |url-status=live |access-date=September 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910191754/https://www.indiewire.com/2020/09/mulan-review-disney-live-action-1234583522/ |archive-date=September 10, 2020}}</ref> Mick LaSalle of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' wrote, "Liu is so strong in the role of Mulan that it's only later that you might realize that you were not watching Mulan herself, but someone giving an exceptional performance in a difficult part. In addition to the challenge of portraying Mulan's journey from insecurity to glorious attainment, there were the physical rigors, which Liu had to accomplish with balletic grace."<ref>{{Cite web |last=LaSalle |first=Mick |date=September 3, 2020 |title=Review: Disney's 'Mulan,' visually rich and beautifully acted, has everything |url=https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/movies-tv/review-disneys-mulan-visually-rich-and-beautifully-acted-has-everything |url-status=live |access-date=September 14, 2020 |website=San Francisco Chronicle |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116202510/https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/movies-tv/review-disneys-mulan-visually-rich-and-beautifully-acted-has-everything }}</ref> In her review for ''[[London Evening Standard]]'', Charlotte O'Sullivan said Liu played, "a Mulan whose fighting skills — and emotional life — dazzle. Liu often looks 13, but is actually 33. She has the kind of face you never get bored of. There's something [[Meryl Streep]]-y about her soulfulness and all her moves are magical."<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/mulan-review-disneys-smart-update-is-an-ass-kicking-triumph-a4540096.html|title = Mulan review: Disney's smart update is an ass-kicking triumph|website = London Evening Standard|date = September 3, 2020|access-date = January 12, 2021|last = O'Sullivan|first = Charlotte|archive-date = January 14, 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210114102733/https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/mulan-review-disneys-smart-update-is-an-ass-kicking-triumph-a4540096.html|url-status = live}}</ref> While [[Christy Lemire]] of ''[[RogerEbert.com]]'' wrote, "Liu's performance might have been more powerful if she'd been a bit more emotive", she still overall described it as "lovely" and that "the steeliness and physicality she displays make her a convincing fighter."<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mulan-movie-review-2020|title = Reviews: Mulan|website = RogerEbert.com|date = September 3, 2020|access-date = January 12, 2021|last = Lemire|first = Christy|archive-date = September 8, 2020|archive-url = https://archive.today/20200908102318/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mulan-movie-review-2020|url-status = live}}</ref>

==== Relationship with Shang ====
Unlike the generally positive reviews received by Mulan, critical reception towards the character's romantic relationship with [[Li Shang (Mulan character)|Li Shang]] has been largely negative, drawing much speculation from critics who accused ''Mulan'' of having "a typical girl-hooks-up-with-boy ending."<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.ram.org/ramblings/movies/mulan.html|title = Mulan|access-date = March 9, 2014|last = Samudrala|first = Ram|year = 1998|archive-date = March 9, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140309113819/http://www.ram.org/ramblings/movies/mulan.html|url-status = live}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' observed, "The message here is standard feminist empowerment: Defy the matchmaker, dress as a boy, and choose your own career. But ''Mulan'' has it both ways, since inevitably Mulan's heart goes pitty-pat over Shang, the handsome young captain she's assigned to serve under. The movie breaks with the tradition in which the male hero rescues the heroine, but is still totally sold on the Western idea of romantic love."<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mulan-1998|title = Mulan|work = RogerEbert.com|access-date = February 25, 2014|publisher = Ebert Digital LLC|last = Ebert|first = Roger|year = 1998|archive-date = March 5, 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140305100421/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mulan-1998|url-status = live}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]''' [[Janet Maslin]] negatively opined, "For all of Mulan's courage and independence in rebelling against the matchmakers, this is still enough of a fairy tale to need Mr. Right."<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C00E3D91E3DF93AA25755C0A96E958260&partner=Rotten%2520Tomatoes|title = Mulan (1998) FILM REVIEW; A Warrior, She Takes on Huns and Stereotypes|website = The New York Times|date = June 19, 1998|access-date = February 25, 2014|last = Maslin|first = Janet|archive-date = July 8, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180708194608/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/19/movies/film-review-a-warrior-she-takes-on-huns-and-stereotypes.html|url-status = live}}</ref>

Citing Mulan's relationship with Shang as an example of [[sexism]], a film critic writing for ''[[Teen Ink]]'' wrote:

{{Blockquote|text = "Mulan has been hailed as a feminist Disney movie because it showcases a young woman who leads China to victory using her quick wit, pride, and a strong sense of family honor—all while masquerading as a man named Ping. Even though Mulan (as Ping) gains the respect of the army commander and her comrades, once they discover that she is a woman, her army commander and potential love-interest, Shang, loses respect for her and even hates her. "Ping" had been doing an even better job than Shang, but when Shang finds out Ping is a woman, his stupid male ego breaks on impact. Mulan is sentenced to death, and Shang, the macho man of the film, ultimately gets to decide her fate. The only reason she survives is because Shang decides he'd rather just send her home. Wow. To add insult to injury, at the end of the film, Shang fixes up his shattered ego by claiming Mulan as a suitor. Even as Mulan is being praised and cheered in the Forbidden City after she almost single-handedly saves China (this time, as a woman), at the end of the film, the audience is reminded that Mulan is really just another woman looking for a man. Mulan's real victory isn't saving her country from invasion. No, it's marrying Shang."|sign = ''[[Teen Ink]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=Mulan: Just Another Princess|url=http://www.teenink.com/hot_topics/pride_prejudice/article/289610/Mulan-Just-Another-Princess/|work=Teen Ink|access-date=March 9, 2014|archive-date=March 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310072032/http://www.teenink.com/hot_topics/pride_prejudice/article/289610/Mulan-Just-Another-Princess/|url-status=live}}</ref> }}

Betsy Wallace of [[Common Sense Media]] observed that Mulan "doesn't fit the princess mold, and most moviegoers had never heard of her." Conclusively, Wallace wrote, "it's too bad that in the end she still needs to be married off to a 'Prince Charming' who saves the day."<ref name=":10">{{Cite web|url = http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/mulan|title = Mulan|date = August 1, 2005|access-date = March 9, 2014|publisher = Common Sense Media Inc|last = Wallace|first = Betsy|archive-date = September 17, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200917215703/https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/mulan|url-status = live}}</ref> In contribution to the book ''Beyond Adaptation: Essays on Radical Transformations of Original Works'', Lan Dong wrote, "Even though Mulan achieves success after she resumes her female self&nbsp;... it is compromised by Mulan and Li Shang's potential engagement at the end of the film."<ref name=":15">{{Cite book|title = Beyond Adaptation: Essays on Radical Transformations of Original Works|last = Dong|first = Lan|publisher = McFarland & Company|isbn = 978-0-7864-4223-2|location = United States|chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ii6IPUuHThYC&q=the+making+of+mulan+interview&pg=PA159|editor-last = Frus|editor-first = Phyllis|access-date = March 1, 2014|page = 165|publication-date = March 2, 2010|chapter = Mulan: Disney's Hybrid Heroine|date = 2010-03-01|archive-date = March 31, 2024|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240331212708/https://books.google.com/books?id=ii6IPUuHThYC&q=the+making+of+mulan+interview&pg=PA159#v=snippet&q=the%20making%20of%20mulan%20interview&f=false|url-status = live}}</ref>