Mulan | 2020 | PG-13 | – 2.5.1

Why is “Mulan” rated PG-13? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “sequences of violence.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes several discussions of arranged marriage and gender roles, and some partial nudity, many fight scenes with people using swords, arrows, reeds, and flaming boulders leaving many people dead but with very little blood and gore shown, and some name-calling. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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A somber live-action remake of the 1998 animated Disney hit: Based on a Chinese legend, a strong-willed woman (Yifei Liu), who has trouble behaving as a proper young lady, disguises herself as a man, steals her disabled father’s sword and drafting papers and joins the emperor’s army. When her gender is revealed she is dismissed as a fraud but comes back to heroically save the empire from an invading army. Also with Donnie Yen, Li Gong, Jet Li, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Tzi Ma, Rosalind Chao, Jun Yu, Chen Tang, Doua Moua and Jimmy Wong. Directed by Niki Caro. [Running Time: 1:55]

Mulan SEX/NUDITY 2

 – A young woman undresses and wades into a lake where a man joins her (we see her bare back and legs and the young man’s bare chest and shoulders); she rebuffs him and he leaves. Many men in a tent are shown in their underwear and we see bare chests, abdomens, backs and legs; a young woman closes her eyes when she sees that one man has dropped his towel and it is implied that he is fully nude (we see his chest and abdomen). A shirtless man is shown and we see his bare back, chest and abdomen. A young woman pretending to be a man unwraps her chest at night and lies in bed with two men; one man rolls toward her and his arm is placed across her, she flinches and jabs him with her elbow to make him turn to the other side and he lays his arm across the other man.
► A young man and a young woman touch hands tenderly. A young woman is taken to meet with a matchmaker and a woman dresses her daughter, puts makeup on her face and decorates her hair in order to meet a matchmaker.
► Several men and a young woman (she’s pretending to be a man) talk about their ideal woman while one looks at a rendering of the woman he has been matched with. A man says, “I like my women buxom.” A man asks a young woman pretending to be a man how to talk to women and worries that his match won’t like him. A young girl is told that a daughter brings honor to her family by marriage.

Mulan VIOLENCE/GORE 5

 – Many men on horseback charge toward a fort where soldiers shoot arrows at them; one man on horseback catches an arrow shot at him, while a woman inside the fort fights many men with stabbing and slashing of swords and stabbing with knives and daggers, and many men climb the outside walls and kill other soldiers (we do not see blood but we hear slashing and stabbing). Many men in a fort are attacked and we see several thrown, stabbed and slashed, a woman sprouts claws and stabs a man in the chest, wraps another in a banner, spins him and he crashes to the ground, and a spear is snapped across a man’s throat (they are presumably dead, but we see no bloodshed or gore). Many men on horseback ride toward a garrison and come upon a large army waiting for them; bowmen loose arrows and we see several men struck, the two factions fight with swords and arrows and a few on horseback run away chased by others and they exchange arrows, knocking a few off their horses and leaving a young woman pretending to be a man alone and she follows them (we see no bloodshed or gore). A young woman is knocked off her horse by a large bird (she is OK), a woman appears and moves toward her threateningly, they fight and the young woman slashes the woman’s hand (we see blood dripping from the wound), and the woman throws a knife and hits the young woman in the chest (she falls to the ground and no blood is shown). Many men fight with other men with spears and arrows and swords and we see slashing and stabbing without blood shown; one group retreats and the other is swarmed by birds, they hide under their shields and the other group launches flaming boulders at them blowing them up when they are struck (we see the explosion but not the injured or dead); a young woman creates a distraction and the men fire a boulder at her causing an avalanche and one group of men are overcome by the tumbling snow, and the other group gets away safely except for two men trapped under the snow that the young woman pulls to safety. Many men climb across rooftops in a city and drop down to attack others; one man is led to an area surrounded by scaffolding and the guards with him are struck down by arrows while the other man is tied with rope and a man threatens to set him on fire; many men fight in the city with slashing and stabbing and kicking, and a smaller group fights in a narrow passage with swords and maces. A man fires an arrow toward a young woman and a bird flies in its path hitting it and it falls to the ground where it transforms to a woman and she dies (no blood is seen). A man and a young woman fight while climbing on and between scaffolding, the young woman drops her sword and she continues to fight using a reed, they each stand on either end of a beam that swings from a rope and when the man falls to the ground below he shoots an arrow at another man and he catches it before he is struck, and the young woman kicks the arrow at the man on the ground stabbing him in the chest and killing him.
► Men enter the scene of an attack and one man says, “There’s no one left,” while we see piles of dead bodies and armor, and a spear with what looks like hands or gloves with claws on them (we see no bloodshed or gore). A man sees a woman moving toward him in the desert and we see her shadow move into his body. A woman transforms into a bird and flies away. A young woman wakes up in a mountain and fears that she is lost, but follows a phoenix that guides her.
► A man and a young woman pretending to be a man spar with spears and the man knocks the spear out of the young woman’s hand, she picks it up, flips and kicks to the surprise of many men watching them. Men and a young woman pretending to be a man in an army camp practice with swords and bows and arrows in several scenes. Men and a young woman pretending to be a man are ordered to climb a mountain while carrying two vats filled with water (we see this several times).
► A young woman pours tea at a ceremony with a woman, she moves the pot to trap a spider when her sister is frightened by it and when she is told to move the pot, the spider jumps on the woman causing her to kick over the table and the young woman catches the pot and the cups while standing on the table that then topples and she falls to the floor breaking the dishes. A young girl chases a chicken through a small village, knocks a bowl of fruit over in a shrine, breaks the wing off a sculpture and is scolded by her mother, she climbs onto a roof, slips and falls, stops herself and then lands softly on the ground and the townspeople scowl at her. A young girl practices martial moves with a stick. A young woman takes her father’s sword and armor and runs away in the night; her parents panic when they cannot find her the next day. A man unwraps a brace on his leg and presents himself for duty in the army; his leg gives way and he falls to the ground, but gets back up, embarrassed.
► We hear discussion of disruptions of trade and many citizens being slaughtered by attackers. A young woman reveals herself to her commanding officers and she is expelled; she says, “I would rather be executed” and she is threatened with death if she returns and when she does return later the commander asks for his sword (presumably to kill her, but he does not). Men and young women in an army are told that stealing, desertion, and consorting with women will lead to death and that dishonesty with led to expulsion. A man scolds his daughter by saying, “Learn your place.” A woman says that a young woman has brought dishonor to a family and that her parents have “failed to raise a good daughter.” A man tells his daughter to hide her martial gifts away. A young girl teases her younger sister by telling her that a spider is crawling in her hair; she tells her that if she holds still she will squash it. A man asks others, “Is there anything you want me to tell your mothers when you die?” A young woman pretending to be a man jokes with a man and says, “I might take the opportunity to kill you myself.” A man tells a young woman pretending to be a man that she stinks. Three men tell a young woman pretending to be a man that she wreaks.
► A man’s leg is shown in a brace and he uses a cane to walk; we understand that he sustained injuries in battle. A man is shown with large scars on his face and chest.

Mulan LANGUAGE 1

 – Some name-calling (witch, scorned dog, alien, savage tribe, donkey, idiot, impostor, coward, foolish pride). | profanity glossary |

Mulan SUBSTANCE USE

 – None.

Mulan DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Sexism, responsibility, honor, pride, tradition, matchmakers, parenting, sacrifice, fear, doubt, revenge, legacy, loyalty, bravery, courage, evils of war, the Silk Road, arachnophobia, duty, legends, devotion to family, sorcery.

Mulan MESSAGE

 – Gender is of no consequence when it comes to bravery and martial skills.