Your thoughts on.... Mulan: Special Edition

[Prince Phillip]

Just saw this yesterday and it was awesome! I loved the few deleted scenes that I saw and thought the few featurettes I saw were informative. I really liked what I saw of the galleries, there were some really beautiful drawing in there. It was nice to see such an extensive gallery. I really would rank this and tarzan with the fab 4, really all the movies of the 90's were great, some were just a lot better than others but I happen to think this was one of the better 90's releases. I really wish the rumours started earlierr this year about a disney home theatre mix and a gift set were true, but I am still very pleased with this release.

I went to buy this at best buy on tuesday, I got this and dawn of the dead, and when i looked around practically every guy around me, they all seemed like dvd collectors, had mulan and dawn of the dead in their hands. I thought that was very interesting, as there seemed to be some doubt about a month ago or so, that this would be a popular purchase amoung the general dvd collector, not the disney one, then again it could have just been an isolated incindent.

Any way, great dvd!

[Joe Carioca]

Another extra I enjoy is the multi-language reel of "I'll Make a Man out of You", and the Mulan II sneak peek (even though I know I won't get), because how hot can Ming-Na be? LOL She's 41 but she can pass for a 17.

She's 41?!!! Are you kidding?! My God, she looks great!! I would never imagine she is in her 40s. I thought she was in her early 30s!

[shdwrlm3]

I went to buy this at best buy on tuesday, I got this and dawn of the dead, and when i looked around practically every guy around me, they all seemed like dvd collectors, had mulan and dawn of the dead in their hands.

Heh, I saw the same thing at my Best Buy! Their display stand for Mulan was almost empty, too. There was literally one copy left in it.


Anyway, I've been enjoying the DVD immensely. The picture quality is far from perfect (the artifacting is very noticeable, especially in the opening scene). but it's still heads and shoulders above my old VHS tapes, so I'm pretty content. Strangely enough, I also thought that the picture quality got better as the movie went along.

I think that the Deleted Scenes are what really make this release. Lots of fun concepts in them. I must admit that Shan Yu's deleted scene gave me chills!

Just took a peek at the bonus features and found them to be very informative. My only big gripe is the complete lack of content devoted to the voice actors. If they were able to get Ming Wa and Lea for the Mulan II preview, surely they could've done something more with them.

Speaking of Mulan II, does anyone know what aspect ratio it was originally produced in? It looks like it will be a widescreen release, but after comparing screens from the trailer and the preview, it looks like it's simply matted:




It's really rather odd. The first shot makes much more sense, as the second has way too open space, but I wonder why they bother producing it in 4:3 in the first place (kinda like what Justice League does).

[2099net]

Well, I hate to be the only[?] voice of discontent about the set, but I really think it's disappointing.

Yes, disappointing. It may be better than a number of recent 2 disc sets, but the point it we know Disney can do better because they have done better in the past. And what's more, they should be able to do even better now, in the present.

Personally, I expect each successive product from a manufacturer to get better. Nobody expects Microsoft to release a new version of Windows which reverts back to a combination of 16 and 32 bit instructions. Nobody expects Sony to release TVs which revert back to curved screens rather than their flat screen anti-reflection screens. So why should we expect Disney to release Special Editions on DVD which are comparable to those released in 1999 (Tarzan Collector's Edition)? In fact, why should we be happy and praise Disney for releasing product that compares with product that is 5 years old and created when the DVD format was in its infancy?

As to the actual set itself, I think this most closely resembles the Tarzan Collector's Edition, but to be honest I'd give the Tarzan set the slight edge because it has more featurettes, and most importantly to me, includes all the trailers. The lack of trailers on the this Mulan set is - once again - an appaling oversight.

I'm also disappointed with the gallaries. Yes, this time they include a lot more images and are most substantial, but they lack the spoken comments on selected pictures. Once again, Disney is expecting me to be content with the same presentation for the galleries that they used in 1999, when they themselves have made a number of enhancements to the presentation themselves since.

The Backstage Disney area on the second disc was interesting, but didn't anyone else think it was all too brief? I seemed to zip through it in just over an hour. I'm not a big one for the Disney set-top games, but they clearly had room on the second disc to include some. I get the feeling that had some of the music videos and the Disneypedia been left off the first disc, the entire set could fit on one disc (similar to Treasure Planet).

Overall, it seems like little effort was taken. Initially I got the impression the featurettes could be taken from an unreleased laserdisc, but they do mention the DVD angle feature on the progression demonstration, so I guess that they must have been filmed recently.

I think this Mulan set comes under the same level as their recent Alice in Wonderland release. They both seem to be cutdown, I get the impression on both that more was planned but dropped later for unspecified reasons (time? money? desire to hold back content?) and the actual presentation of the disc seems to be almost there, but not quite.

On a lighter note, I was pleased to see that the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz is still able to get employment - this time as the composer for the songs in Mulan.

[Luke]

I agree with several of your points, 2099net, including your remark on this guy:

<img src="http://www.ultimatedisney.com/images/m-p/mulan28.jpg">

Courage!

[2099net]

Speaking of Mulan II, does anyone know what aspect ratio it was originally produced in? It looks like it will be a widescreen release, but after comparing screens from the trailer and the preview, it looks like it's simply matted:

[images]

It's really rather odd. The first shot makes much more sense, as the second has way too open space, but I wonder why they bother producing it in 4:3 in the first place (kinda like what Justice League does).

I'm not sure where Mulan II was animated. Based on the knowledge I have, DisneyToon Australia is the only remaining of their studios. Australia has a couple of CAPS systems at least (I think at least one was sent over from Florida) so I would imagine it would be 1.66:1, the standard CAPS ratio.

However, just because Australia is the only remaining satellite animation studio, doesn't mean Mulan II was animated there. It may have been contracted out to any animation studio based anywhere on the globe. Other studios may prefer to animate 4:3, but it doesn't mean this is the intended ratio.

[canon]

Well, I hate to be the only[?] voice of discontent about the set, but I really think it's disappointing.

You never like anything anyway, 2099.

[2099net]

I do, I like lots of things. I like things most people do, and things most people don't.

I like the Country Bears, I like The Great Mouse Detective, I like Hercules, I like House of Mouse, I like Teacher's Pet...

I refuse however, to heap unconditional praise on a product that shows no advancement over what Disney were selling a number of years ago.

[deathie mouse]

You never like anything anyway, 2099.

of course he does! He just does the constructive critiscism stuff better than most



Hey Netty, I've been trying to find info on the CAPS for the Disney movies. Know any place with good info? For example i haven't found at what resolution does it render them, etc. Nor have I ever seen or found an actual high resolution digital pic from it.

I know for example Toy Story for 35mm prints was rendered at a width of 1536 pixels and A Bug's Life at a width of 2048 pixels (AKA 2K)

Anyway Since MulanII is going to video, well they could do it at a "4:3" window inside whatever the CAPS renders, and then, slice a central section again for the Widescreen "16:9" video version. (which if it is like the capture shdwrlm3 posted, that letterboxed image is 1.83 wide) and still have plenty of resolution for PAL/NTSC video downconversion

let's asume a 1.66 CAPS of 2K width:
1233 x 2048

do a 4:3 area render inside that:

A: 1233 x 1644


Slice a 1.83 widescreen letterbox from that (like the capt above) for 16:9:

B: 898 x 1644


donwrez A to 4:3 (for VHS?) pal/ntsc 576/480 x 720

donwrez B to inside a pal/ntsc 16:9 frame of 576/480 x 720 for dvd

Also since 80% of Brother Bear (for example) was projected at 2.39 wide Anamorphic, maybe the CAPS is used now to render at different aspect ratios like 4:3 too.(2.39 divided by the 2x anamorphic squeeze is close: 1.195 wide) It's computers so they could change the software.

[2099net]

Sorry Deathie, I don't know much about CAPS. I suggest you try to register with www.animationnation.com and ask there, I'm sure you would get a reply. A bulk of the members are actual animators, and some have worked for Disney in the past.

I think that CAPS captures the image at a higher res than the actual final film prints, but I could be wrong. I say this bacause I think the digital scanner etc is set to only accept a single fixed size (I think this was a concern with Atlantis, as they basically had to work on smaller drawings and designs. But obviously the final resolution of the film wasn't affected).

I also think the general opinion now is that the CAPS system is dated, and could use a number of improvements to make it more flexible. I doubt this is going to happen, given the current status of drawn animation at Disney. Again, I can't remember where I read this, but it was basically an article about the budget of animated films and people were saying "If CAPS would let us xxx rather than having to yyy then we could have done it in half the time and saved $nnn"

[Jack]

Overall, it seems like little effort was taken. Initially I got the impression the featurettes could be taken from an unreleased laserdisc, but they do mention the DVD angle feature on the progression demonstration, so I guess that they must have been filmed recently.

You know, I'm now wondering if maybe the content of this DVD was made far earlier than this year, like around 2000. Perhaps they were planning an SE of Mulan a while ago, but were delaying it for the "right time." That would explain the reletively out-of-the-blue announcement of this set. It just seems so similar to the early Disney 2-Disc sets.

I first thought about this while actually watching the featurettes on Disc 2. I noticed the filmmakers referred to the Florida Animation Studio in the present tense - like saying "we do several etc, etc, etc here", like the studio still exists, making me believe they were giving the interviews before the place was shut down. Did anyone else catch that?

[shdwrlm3]

I'm not sure where Mulan II was animated. Based on the knowledge I have, DisneyToon Australia is the only remaining of their studios. Australia has a couple of CAPS systems at least (I think at least one was sent over from Florida) so I would imagine it would be 1.66:1, the standard CAPS ratio.

However, just because Australia is the only remaining satellite animation studio, doesn't mean Mulan II was animated there. It may have been contracted out to any animation studio based anywhere on the globe. Other studios may prefer to animate 4:3, but it doesn't mean this is the intended ratio.

Heh, to answer my own question, it does look like it was produced in some sort of widescreen format. Upon further inspection, the fullscreen preview was actually pan and scan; however, I just happened to take screen grabs from an oddly editted scene and didn't realize it. In the widescreen trailer, the scene that I took a screen grab of starts off zoomed in, but then zooms out to show the whole area. In the fullscreen version, there is no such zooming, which is why I thought there was matting. After comparing other scenes, though, the fullscreen scenes were defnitely pan and scan.

Oh, and semi off-topic, but did anyone happen to catch the rerun of Law and Order:SVU that was on last night? I had missed it the first time, but it guess-starred Ming Na. Like an idiot, it took me 30 minutes to realize that B.D. Wong was also on the show, and that it was a mini-Mulan reunion! To make things even better, one of the characters was even named Ping! Of course, the storyline was definitely not for the kiddies... Now, if only Ming Na and BD would guess star on Crossing Jordan.

[azul017]

Video: 8/10
- The video is pretty crisp and clean with nicely saturated colors. Yet, the image isn't as intricately rendered and visually isn't as marvelous to look at as we did with Aladdin. However, I didn't notice any color banding or digital artifacting, as in the previous DVD reviews. Still, it's anamorphic and it looks good.

Audio: 8/10
- The audio is excellent when the musical and action sequences kick in. The front surrounds and subwoofer were so active I thought Mulan was remixed in Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, but that wasn't it. The only quibble I had with the audio is that I wished the back speakers were more active during the more quieter scenes. And I love the Mandarin language track... it's funny to see all of Shang's lines spoken by Jackie Chan.

Extras: 7/10
- The extras presented were fun and informative up to a point, such as the deleted scenes, music videos, featurettes and the multi-language reel (I wasn't impressed with the song "Keep 'Em Guessing", however). I had the feeling the set could've been in-depth, such as separate interviews with the voice actors (such as Ming-Na, B.D. Wong, Harvey Fierstein, and Eddie Murphy) and a commentary with the lead animators.

[ichabod]

You know, I'm now wondering if maybe the content of this DVD was made far earlier than this year, like around 2000. Perhaps they were planning an SE of Mulan a while ago, but were delaying it for the "right time." That would explain the reletively out-of-the-blue announcement of this set. It just seems so similar to the early Disney 2-Disc sets.

I first thought about this while actually watching the featurettes on Disc 2. I noticed the filmmakers referred to the Florida Animation Studio in the present tense - like saying "we do several etc, etc, etc here",
like the studio still exists, making me believe they were giving the interviews before the place was shut down. Did anyone else catch that?

That may be true, BVHE UK were advertising a 1 disc release of Mulan back in May 2002, but it got cancelled! That was when Mulan 2 was first supposed to be released!

[Atomobile]

Hello,
Yes, when I mentioned the review for this DVD I was mistakingly refering to the review by DVD Toons website and not this one. Sorry for the mix up....
Your friend,
Louis

[Saito]

This may be just my DVD but has anyone noticed for this dvd the Interactual Player skin doesn't change to disney skin? I was just watching all my dvd's and this is the only one without the skin.

[Just Myself]

We got the DVD in the mail Saturday(the litho was missing ). The transfer is pretty good methinks, and the menus are cool. My cat Boots was staring at the Disc One menu for 15 minutes!

[MickeyMouseboy]

I was again dissapointed in the layout of the DVD and the features. yes its a improvement over the limited ED. let me go into more detailed

- The bonus features looked like they were ported over a VCD, disc 2 is a artifact fest!

- disc 2 music and more was useless since it only had a video

- what was the point of more if only music was there

- where's the galleries? I hope the artifact filled pictures that were scrolling on my screen was it? where's the 3D galleries?

- no theatrical trailers or TV spots?

[Kram Nebuer]

I just watched Mulan and the Disc 1 Bonus Features and some of Disc 2. I have to say, overall I was very much satisfied and pleased. I have to say, though, that I don't have the Limited Issue or Gold Collection DVD and I haven't seen it since it was first released on VHS. Mulan is also my most favorite Disney Animated Feature with Hunchback and Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland very close behind.

Disc 1:

Film ~ I was taken away again into the world of Mulan and it's just like how it was when I first saw it in theaters. The sound was great (well for a television with one huge speaker and surround sound) and the picture was crisp and clear and the colors weren't dull at all. I found I really liked the music, especially the singing in the opening title and the music during the battle on the mountain. Overall, I enjoyed the movie like I was watching it again for the first time.

Bonus Features:
Deleted Scenes ~ I thought these were all wonderful and some I felt would've been great in the movie. Personally I feel the Emperor's Dream opening would've been better than the real one. Also, I liked that the intros weren't too long and gave some background of the scenes.

Music and More ~ I enjoyed seeing "Reflection" and "True to Your Heart" (98º and Stevie Wonder). They were decent music videos and I think I saw them before a long time ago on the Disney channel. Christina Aguilera looked really different ! Also, gotta love how they filmed in Epcot . The Jackie Chan video was interesting. I didn't realize he could sing too. Raven's video was pointless and not needed. It was very lame and seemed last minute put together. She sang it well, but still, they really didn't need to add it to the DVD. They should've not put Raven and just put the Spanish video (which basically was a copy of Christina's just with the spanish singer who remains nameless) on Disc 1.

Games & Activities
THANK YOU DISNEY! No pointless fluff or extremely easy, simple game! The DisneyPedia was educational and informative and the guy who voiced Mushu did a good impression. Though I must say, I didn't sit through the whole 25 minutes...

Backstage Disney:
~ I haven't listened to the Audio Commentary yet, but the again I hardly do. I tried to do it with Peter Pan, but I think I got annoyed that I couldn't hear the movie, lol. I'll try again with my favorite movies later...
~ Mulan's Fun Facts. It was cute. Little tidbits and some good footage of the now gone Florida Studio (Kid watching the DVD:"Hey mommy, what movie do you think they'll make there next?" "None son! They're fired!" "Stupid Donald Trump"...lol, okay that was a lame joke). The only thing that bothered me was that the video quality was so bad and that fact that the studio is gone.

Sneak Peeks:
What happened to the Chicken Little Trailers? And why isn't there a Cinderella one yet? I liked the Mulan II preview. Some of it kind of made me nervous, but some of it also made me eager for its release.

Disc 2:
I really liked the menus for this and Disc One. They weren't lame CGI graphics and they were simple and artistic. Though it's too bad there weren't any easter eggs.
Compared to the Alice in Wonderland ME DVD, I am much more satisfied with Mulan's SE. From the little I saw, I was happy with the featurettes and how much of production they revealed. I really liked the "Ballad of Hua Mulan" segment. The narrator (the same one in the other DVDs who also read the 1951 Sleeping Beauty Outline) did a wonderful recitation and the concept art added a nice visual that the other DVDs's original story recitations lacked.

I have yet to see the Story Artists' Journey, Design, and Production segments. I still haven't seen anything in Aladdin yet! Overall, I am glad I let myself judge this DVD before I read any negative reviews. I was pleased with what DIsney gave us and I'm not the least bit disappointed with it.

* Okay I lied, I'm disappointed that there was no coupon booklet and the slipcover didn't open.

[Teen Artist]

After going through everything, I think Mulan got a good release. I can take this release in one of two ways. I can either be upset that Disney gives some releases better treatment than others, or I can be glad just to have the movie in it's pristine form. I choose the latter because that really what it's all about isn't it? Extras are just that, extras.

However, I do like my extras. I really like commentaries, and this particular one was informational enough. I like art galleries which were there, but not as in depth as the virtual ones. The featurettes were pretty good and the Mandarin audio track was a nice inclusion. Truth be told, I don't really care that we don't have trailers. I could have done without the music videos, but I guess they're an obligatory extra.