The magnificent legend of MULAN continues in an all-new movie that “captures the magic of the original,” says Geoffrey Kleinman of DVD Talk. The beautiful and courageous heroine is back, along with her hilarious guardian dragon Mushu, for more excitement and adventure. After saving her nation from the evil Huns, the spirited Mulan gets the surprise of her life when General Shang asks for her hand in marriage. Before the wedding, however, Mulan and Shang must complete a dangerous mission as they escort three princesses, Ting-Ting, Mei, and Su, to a distant city. The future of China hangs in the balance when, in the middle of their journey, Mulan and Shang clash over their duties. Breathing fire into all this mayhem is the mischievous Mushu, who wants to keep Mulan single as long as possible in order to keep his cushy job as her guardian dragon. Featuring irresistible new music and great wall-to-wall laughs, MULAN II is “timelessly fun and touching. You’ll want to watch it again and again,” raves Tony Toscano of Talking Pictures.With less drama and more slapstick than its predecessor, Disney’s Mulan II continues the animated saga of the young Chinese heroine, Fa Mulan (voiced by Ming-Na Wen, sung by Lea Salonga). The story picks up one month after Mulan has saved her country through bravery and determination. Revered by all, she now returns to her village and becomes engaged to General Li Shang. Wedding plans must wait, however, when the Emperor assigns the couple to a secret mission to escort his three princess daughters across China where their arranged marriages to waiting princes will secure an alliance with a rival kingdom and save China from invasion. Meanwhile, Mulan’s wise-cracking guardian dragon, Mushu (voiced by Mark Moseley), realizes that if Mulan’s marriage takes place, he is out of a job and so he undertakes his “18-phase master plan” of relationship sabotage to breakup the happy couple. Most of the film’s jokes come from Moseley’s Mushu (as quick-witted as Eddie Murphy’s earlier performance), while a trio of prankish soldiers provide additional comic relief. While the film’s overall effort is not as sensational as the original, it offers solid family entertainment, healthy female role models, and a handful of catchy songs. (Ages 6 and older) –Lynn Gibson

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