'Mulan' at 25: The Disney Heroine Continues to be Underrated

Mulan's father health-wise was in no shape to battle, and likely would have been killed had she not gone ahead and disobeyed his orders to stay put. Mulan loved her father so much that she was willing to sacrifice herself, and that's something to be commended. A lot of people say they'll die for the ones they love (although a parent would never want their kid to sacrifice themselves for them), but very few put their money with their mouth is. Mulan put her money where her mouth was.

Most if not all of the Disney movies have been enhanced to look more modern, Mulan included, but even before the technological advancements Mulan looked ahead of its time. The VHS version transitioned well into the 2000s in our opinion, and the HD version only enhanced what was already there.

For a minute it looked like Shang was going to turn his back on Mulan due to her "deception", but when it came down to the nitty gritty he was on her side, fought alongside her, and they made a good team. Mulan and Shang's actual relationship wasn't explored more until Mulan II, which of course wasn't as popular or memorable as the first. Because of that, they don't get ranked that highly on the "Disney" couples list.

And lastly, Mulan saved the city. There was something very touching about everybody bowing down to her towards the end, making it one of our personal favorite scenes in the film.