Honoring Chinese New Year - The Secret of Mulan

UAV Corporation, 1998

Voices of Abigail Revasch, Leo Burmester, Tom Clifford, and George Bettinger

Directed by Chad Nigeringston

Music and Lyrics by Megan Calaveri 

The major studios weren't the only ones who tried to cash in on the popularity of Disney's films in the 90's. Everyone wanted a piece of that epic animated musical pie, even the lowliest direct-to-video chop shops. Several studios existed primarily to make animated films based on Disney's blockbusters and other films of the time. UAV actually began as video distributors in the 1980's. They entered film production in 1996, churning out B movies and cheap imitations of the latest animated hit like the "Secret of" series. Does this...unique...take on the Chinese legend deserve to fly, or should it be left in a cocoon? Let's begin with the opening number in China, as the towering Mongol beetle Mala Khan and his bug army invades an all-animal China, and find out...

The Story: After Khan's army manages to breach the river, the Prince of China puts out the call for more soldiers. Mulan, a female caterpillar, runs away to take her father's place. She dresses as a male bug and joins the Army, becoming their top captain. Mala Khan would do anything to get rid of this new intruder, and he's helped by a jealous bug general who wishes the prince would lavish praise on his efforts. Only two creatures know Mulan's secret, the female courier Zhing Zhing and her family's loyal mouse retainer Yi Wu. Zhing Zhing is tricked by the traitorous general into bringing Mulan to him. He thinks he's gotten rid of her, but Mulan's only getting ready for her biggest transformation yet.

The Animation: Not great. The backgrounds are actually pretty detailed, and the story is certainly colorful enough. Those colors, however, seem to be thrown together without rhyme or reason and often don't compliment each other. Some of the bugs look so much alike that it's hard to tell what a lot of them are. The characters move stiffly and there's a lot of awkward cuts and transitions in the battle scenes. 

The Song and Dance: Well, at least they tried for a slightly different approach to retelling the legend. I've certainly never seen Chinese folklore done with talking insects before. I suspect it may also be an imitation of Pixar's A Bug's Life and Dreamworks' Antz, which also came out that year and involved crawly critters going to war. Zhing Zhing and Mulan have a rather sweet relationship in the second half, and Yi Wu is a far less annoying sidekick than Mushu in Mulan. Mulan's no clumsy tomboy, either. She's a tough cookie who knows martial arts from the start and won't back down to anyone, including the Mongol Army. The score by Nathan Wang is surprisingly lush for such a cheap production, giving the battle scenes and the finale more feeling than they warrant. 

Favorite Number: The movie opens with the Mongols invading, leveling villages as they sing the praises of "Mula Khan." Mulan's "Reflection" equivalent is "For Honor, For Country," which she sings to the moon as she tries to figure out what to do about her father leaving. Khan's much-abused fly assistant Bowtie finally gets a moment away from his boss as he celebrates his part in getting rid of Mulan with "They Call Him Bowtie." Mulan and the Prince soar in the stirring finale, as they glide over China and Mulan declares "My Heart Is My Kingdom."

What I Don't Like: There's some decent ideas here. I wish they had the budget to expand on them or go further into them. Mulan has a more feminine sister in the opening sequences who chastises her for being a tomboy. She vanishes after Mulan goes to war and is never seen or mentioned again, even after her parents turn up briefly in the finale. Yi Wu isn't a bad sidekick, but Bowtie's whiny Brooklyn accent and weird vaudeville jazz number are totally out of place, and the mouse and rabbit who take the emperor to safety and turn up occasionally thereafter are just annoying. There's that terrible animation, too. And though I did like the majestic "My Heart Is My Kingdom," the other songs are just dull or even more out of place than the ones in the Disney film. 

Not to mention, there's historical inaccuracies going out the wazoo, from the strange mix of clothes styles, to the fact that the Mongols wear Japanese samurai armor. 

The Big Finale: You get what you pay for. There's worse animated movie imitations out there...but there's also better ones. Unless your kids are really bored while wandering around streaming or are huge fans of Mulan or A Bug's Life, I'd fly on by this one. 

Home Media: The DVD is out of print and expensive nowadays. If you must see this, it can be found on several streaming sites for free with commercials, including Tubi. 

DVD

Tubi

Family Fun Saturday - A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish

Warner Bros, 2019

Starring Laura Marano, Gregg Sulkin, Isabella Gomez, and Johannah Newmarch

Directed by Michelle Johnson

Music and Lyrics by various

Here's another one I didn't know about until a few months ago. I had no idea the Cinderella Story series continued on DVD and digital for over a decade after the first sequel Another Cinderella Story came out. How does this modern holiday fairy tale compare to the other movies in this series, as well as similar Christmas-themed musicals like The Mistle-Tones? Let's begin with our Cinderella in this entry, Kathrine "Kat" Decker (Marano), as she dreams of stardom at her favorite time of the year and find out...

The Story: At the moment, Kat lives with her snobbish stepmother Deirdre (Newmarch) and her two spoiled daughters, shy Grace (Chanelle Peloso) and obnoxious and Internet-obsessed Joy (Lillian Doucet-Roche). Kat works at Santa Land, a local Christmas amusement park, as an elf singer with her seamstress best friend Isla (Gomez). She has a crush on the new Santa Claus...who turns out to be Domenic Wintergarden (Sulkin), the song of wealthy Terrance Wintergarden (Barclay Hope). He tells her who he is, but she can't bring herself to give away her identity after Joy humiliated her online. 

Deidre's delighted when she gets an invitation to the Wintergardens' Gala Christmas Ball. Turns out it's for Kat, whose father was a good friend of Terrance's. Deidre takes the dress Isla bought for Kat and has it redone for Joy and burns the invitation Domenic gave her. She wants to pass Joy off as Kat and get at Terrance's money, as she's spent her own. Kat's upset when she's insulted by Domenic's rich friends, including his girlfriend Skylar (Maddie Phillips), and doesn't want to attend the Gala anyway...until her dog Bruno leads her to the letter that gives away her stepmother's plot and finally pushes her to reclaim her life and her identity. 

The Song and Dance: A few cute performances brighten this otherwise routine story. Gomez, who would later star in the remake of One Day at a Time, is lively and funny the few times we see her as Kat's supportive best friend. Sulkin is slightly more interesting than most of the love interests in this series, and even gets a really cute duet with Moreno mid-way through. And at least they do make some use of the Christmas setting, including Kat and Isla's fairly amusing jobs working for the barking drill sergeant manager (Garfield Wilson) in the awful holiday suit at Santa Land.

Favorite Number: We open with "The Best Christmas" over the credits as Kat dreams herself into a computer-generated winter concert fantasy. "Toys Toys Toys" is Kat and Isla's number as they sing about what Santa will hopefully bring all the children in the audience at Santa Land. Kat and Domenic perform a charming dance around Santa Land's attractions as they sing about how "Santa Brought Me to You." "What Elves are For" is the cheesy chorus number Kat inadvertently ruins at the Gala, including rock group The Math Club dancing with candy canes. We end with "Everybody Loves Christmas" as Kat makes her big debut at the Gala in a white gown Isla created, dancing with the chorus in strange white wire costumes.

What I Don't Like: Unfortunately has the same problems as the other musical entries in this series. The story is bland and has been done to death (including five other Cinderella Story films). Newmarch and the stepsisters are annoyingly over-the-top, and don't even get much of a comeuppance other than being escorted out of the Gala when their plot is discovered. Marano really isn't much better. Kat's too gullible and silly. Why would she believe a word her stepmother said, especially when she was well aware of how untrustworthy she was? 

There's also a lot of complaints online about the "autotuning" on the songs. I think what they mean is the songs have been too heavily processed and digitized, and they do sound a little off as a result. I'm more concerned about the music being stale pop that could fit into any Hallmark romantic comedy without missing a beat. It belies all the constant dialogue praising Kat's so-called "talent." 

The Big Finale: I think I'm the wrong audience for this series. Cute enough time-waster if you need background music for your 8 to 14-year-old girl's Christmas party or sleepover; completely unnecessary for anyone else. 

Home Media: Easily found on all major formats. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Family Fun Saturday - A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song

Warner Bros, 2011

Starring Lucy Hale, Freddie Stroma, Missi Pyle, and Megan Park

Directed by Damon Santostefano

Music and Lyrics by various

The Cinderella Story musicals offer an interesting glimpse into the minds of what was popular with teen girls and their parents from 2004 through 2021. Shoe Fits came out around the time Hamilton, Come from Away, and other musicals incorporating modern genres and stories were suddenly making Broadway trendy with teens. Once Upon a Song debuted during the tail end of the craze for Indian culture and music that also produced Cheetah Girls: One World. How does this tie into the story of a girl who almost loses her voice and her identity to a very wicked stepmother? Let's begin with another fantasy musical number, this one in a more typical concert setting, and find out...

The Story: Katie Gibbs (Hale) is forced to slave away for her ditzy stepmother Gail Van Ravensway (Pyle), spoiled stepsister Bev (Park), and annoying little stepbrother Victor (Matthew Lintz). Gail is the principal of Wellesley Academy of the Arts, and she's absolutely delighted when the wealthy owner of Kensington Records, Guy Morgan (Dikran Tulane), enrolls his son Luke (Stroma), in the hopes of turning him into a top music businessman. Luke's more interested in singing than seeking new talent, but his father wants to mold him in his image.

Katie sneaks a CD with her song on it into Guy's briefcase, in the hope of appearing in the upcoming Showcase he wants to produce at the school. Gail, hoping to promote Bev as a major star, lies and says she was the singer and Katie stole it. Bev, however, can't sing a note and is frankly almost as ditzy as her mother, if not nearly as vindictive. She forces Katie to pose as Bev's voice and take care of Victor instead of attending the Bollywood Ball. Gail's so-called "guru" Ravi (Manu Narayan) helps her and her best friend Angela (Jessalyn Wannlin) attend, but Gail catches them. Now Katie has to go along with the deception if she wants the people she loves, including herself, to have a happy ending...but she has a lot of friends in unexpected places who will help give Gail her comeuppance, including Victor and Ravi.

The Song and Dance: After the annoyingly over-the-top and silly stepmother and stepsister in If the Shoe Fits, I really appreciate Gail being played as a slightly nastier piece of work. At least her plot is a lot more interesting than just shoving her daughter in the limelight. We even get a twist in not only a younger stepbrother instead of a second stepsister, but both are just as abused as Katie. They only go along with their mother to gain her approval, but there's no making Gail approve of anyone but herself and her whims. I also appreciate the complicated plot that does a little more with the "modern Cinderella" premise than just winning an audition. There's real stakes here; Katie stands to lose her home and her chance at success if she doesn't go along with Gail.

Favorite Number: We once again open in a dream, this time as a music video for Katie's big song "Run This Town," complete with dancers and skimpy costumes. "Bless Myself" is heard twice, once as the demon Katie gives to guy, and again in the finale when everyone comes together to celebrate Katie finally being heard. (Listen for a bit of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" towards the end here.) The girls come "Knockin'" when they hear Luke and his buddy Mickey O'Malley (Titus Makin Jr.) writing songs of their own. 

"Oh Mere Dilruba" is the big Bollywood dance-off between Angela, who has studied dance, and Gail, who doesn't know what the heck she's doing. No prizes for guessing who wins that contest. The second version of "Make You Believe" is supposed to be Katie sing for Bev, complete with backup dancers...but thanks to Luke, Angela, and Victor and his cameras, Katie's brought out into the limelight once and for all.

What I Don't Like: The Cinderella is the problem here. Hale has a decent voice, but she's also bland, boring, and is frankly no more fun to watch than her dim stepsister. Stroma's even worse; he's so dull, you'd never believe he'd rather be writing his own songs than taking business courses. The running gag with Mickey throwing increasingly strange bands at Luke in the hope of them being discovered stops being cute the third time they use it. That complicated plot can get to be a little too much at times. You start to lose track of who's doing what to whom by the end. There's also the fact that Ravi comes off as a silly Indian stereotype; him turning out to be only half-Indian doesn't make it better.

The Big Finale: If the Shoe Fits has the better Cinderella and (mildly) better music, but this one has the more interesting plot and villains. Both would make cute slumber party background noise for 8 to 14-year-old girls and their parents.

Home Media: Same deal as Shoe Fits - on DVD and streaming, the latter free with commercials at Tubi.

DVD

Tubi

Family Fun Saturday - A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits

Warner Bros, 2015

Starring Sofia Carson, Jennifer Tilly, Thomas Law, and Amy Louise Wilson

Directed by Michele Johnson

Music and Lyrics by various 

From 2008 to 2021, Warner Bros released a series of Cinderella fairy tales for teen girls set in modern times. The original from 2008 with Hilary Duff as the put-upon young woman who finds love isn't a musical, but the subsequent four direct-to-home-media movies were. This one may be the most musical of the bunch, given it involves the making of an actual Cinderella stage musical. Let's begin with a rousing musical number set around a car repair shop, as Tessa (Carson) dreams of stardom, and find out...

The Story: Tessa works hard as a mechanic to support her whiny stepsisters Athena (Wilson) and Olympia (Jazzara Jaslyn) and her obnoxious and silly stepmother Divine (Tilly). She accompanies them to a luxury hotel, where auditions for a major Cinderella musical featuring pop star Reed West (Law). Tessa bonds with makeup artist Georgie (Nicole Fortuin), who thinks she has what it takes to win that audition after seeing her dance with the other teens working at the hotel. 

Georgie gives her a mole and a blonde wig and convinces her to audition. She aces it, and Reed's smitten...but he's also smitten with Tessa when she's able to repair the vintage motorcycle they're using for the show. Tessa's exhausted trying to be two people at once and frustrated over her relationship with Reed, especially after his director and manager Freddie Marks (David Ury) claims he's seeing singer Harper Halston (Ashley De Lange). Divine and her daughters have their own plans for this Cinderella, and they have no intention of letting her make it to the big finale! 

The Song and Dance: Carson makes a charming Cinderella, both in the actual show that plays the story straight, and the film itself. She has fun with her two roles, reveling in showing up the boys when she can fix the motorcycle and the stagehands can't and attempting a (very bad) British accent as Bella Snow. 

Favorite Number: We open with "Full Throttle," as Tessa dreams of stardom in a Grease-esque dance routine set in a fantasy car repair shop...which ends abruptly when she's brought back to real life by a fellow mechanic. "Stuck On the Outside" turns up several times, including for Reed when he's announcing the auditions and as the song Tessa/Bella sings at the audition. Georgie encourages Tessa to "Do You." Their routine is so infectious, the entire kitchen staff ends up dancing along, first around the appliances, then on the beach.

What I Don't Like: Tilly, Wilson, and Jaslyn are annoying and way too over-the-top, even for a wicked stepmother and stepsisters. They're too much for a story that should have been played more delicately. It's also more than obvious that this is a low-budget, direct-to-home-media feature. The musical is put on at a hotel? They couldn't try to get a larger theater, especially for a show featuring a supposedly huge pop star? The costumes are bargain-basement, off-the-rack prom gowns and goofy 80's-inspired neon travesties for Tilly and the stepsisters. The songs aren't really all that memorable, either. 

And there's the obvious fact that the story is pure cliché, no matter how modern it is. You've seen this a thousand times before, and will see it many more times (including twice more in this series). It's not for those looking for a more original twist on this fairy tale.

The Big Finale: Cute time-waster for families with 8 to 14-year-old girls or those who must see every Cinderella adaptation that comes down the pike. 

Home Media: Easy to find on DVD and streaming. Tubi currently has it for free with ads.

DVD

Tubi