Mulan spins a tale based on an ancient Chinese legend about a young woman who becomes the hero of China by joining the army masquerading as a man, so that her ill father doesn't have to. When word of war with the invading Huns begins spreading throughout the Chinese countryside, the Emperor issues a decree that one male from each family must serve. Mulan's father, a disabled veteran, gladly agrees to take his spot in the army. Mulan (Ming-Na) is devastated and makes the decision to take his place.
With the help of her screw-up guardian, a wacky little dragon named Mushu (Eddie Murphy) and a chipper little cricket named Crick-ee, Mulan becomes "Peng" and begins her warrior training. While in service, she begins to fall in love with Captain Shang, a handsome young soldier following in his father's footsteps. When the Huns threaten the Emperor and the rest of the army is demolished, it is up to Shang, Peng and their three best friends to save the day, which they do. But when Peng's secret is discovered and they realize it was Mulan, a girl, that saved the day, she is shunned for her deception. However, when the Huns storm the Emperor's palace during a celebration for the heroes, Mulan once again uses her clever thinking to save the day.
Mulan II finds our heroes, Shang and Mulan, getting engaged to be married. All seems perfect when the Emperor calls them back into service. It seems China is once again being threatened by the Mongols and the best way to avert war is to form a strong alliance with another kingdom by an arranged marriage to the Emperor's three daughters. It is up to Shang and Mulan to deliver the three princesses safely to their new kingdom. Mushu realizes that once Mulan marries Shang, he will lose his job and prized pedastal among the ancestors. He decides to do his best to break them up and then he and Mulan can be a team again. During the journey, the princesses begin to fall in love with the three soldiers who joined Shang and Mulan in this mission, while Shang and Mulan discover that maybe they are too different to marry. Can this recipe for disaster work out? There are plenty of songs and a few tears worthy of Bambi throughout Mulan II, but it all ends well.
As a package for fans, The Ultimate Mulan Two Movie Collection is a no-brainer. Not only do you get both films, but you also get scores of special features, including deleted scenes, music videos, games and tons of really neat featurettes on the making-of and all the work that went into making the movies truly reflect the beauty and legend of China. While I wasn't convinced I'd enjoy the straight-to-video Mulan II, it was really, really good. The beginning had a bit too much singing, but by the end, I was really sold on the story. I still don't see how war was averted based on the outcome, but see it for yourself. I won't blow the ending for you. Kids will dig this collection and will get some extra mileage out of the included music videos and games.
