DVDizzy Forum

When the Disney Princess line started, it was just the top 6 Disney girls. 3 from the Walt Disney years (Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora) and 3 from the Disney Renaissance years (Ariel, Belle, Jasmine). Then Disney adds 2 princesses (one technically is not but we know about that whole argument) from the later years of the Disney Renaissance (Pocahontas and Mulan). Then Tiana from The Princess and the Frog comes along and soon Rapunzel is coming soon from what I heard. Anyway, the point is that the two that came after Jasmine, who do you think is the best?

My opinion is Mulan. Pocahontas, to me, doesn't stand out. I can understand why the movie (along with Hunchback) did not out-gross The Lion King. The story is rather bland, obviously it is historically inaccurate, kids didn't love it as much because of the whole mature themes of love, betrayal, Indian spiritual stuff etc would turn kids off. All Pocahontas does is talk about some dream she had, stalk English people, fall in love etc. She does save John Smith's life, which may be why Disney has pushed her as a independent woman. But outside of that whole thing, Pocahontas is not relate-table.

Mulan, on the other hand, is. Since a revisionist story and an adult french novel didn't work, Disney went back on track in the late 90s. While Mulan does have mature themes (like war and stuff, but by the way Beauty and the Beast, Bambi, Dumbo, The Lion King, The Rescuers have them too), Disney made Mulan relate-able because of family honor, selflessness, and taking risks. Also, Mulan saves a whole country and fights a huge battle. Sorry Pocey but you didn't do that. Mulan was well recieved by both critics and audiences alike unlike Pocahontas which she received mix reviews.

Anyway, tell me your opinion.

Mulan. no contest.

I agree 100%

Mulan, by far. Pocahontas is probably one of Disney's weakest efforts to this day, and I know I am not alone on that statement. Mulan just has a stronger story.

That’s a hard one. Probably Pocahontas, tbh, just because I like Judy Kuhn more than Lea Salonga and JAtR/CotW is better than Reflection. They’re very similar characters though, so it‘s hard to decide besides that.

Edit: Oh, is this movie vs. movie? Mulan then. Overall, I enjoy it more.

Mulan. She's strong and independent, and she doesnt just wait for something to happen. She sees a goal and chases it. She's also a hot asian, so it's a win-win.

Mulan by a huge margin. Pocahontas is a very bland character in my opinion, the only time she is interesting is when she is singing. Mulan is likable, and inventive. For example some times in the movie she couldn't do something physical because she was a female, so she used her smarts instead (like the arrow scene).

Are we talking characters or movies here? Either way, I pick Mulan.

While Pocahontas certainly is more ambitious and more impressive, it ultimately gets too pretentious for its own good. Mulan may be a simpler tale, but it's told with much more flair and more fun. I also like the character designs and general animation more in Mulan. It's a return in form to the earlier 1990's movies, but that's not neccesarily a bad thing. it worked very well. I also like how Mulan is essentially the first feminist Disney heroine.

Mulan is the better movie and the better character.

As for the movies, I would say that Mulan is superior without a doubt. It balances it's comedy and it's drama much better.

As for the heroines, well that's trickier. They're both very brave and independent. When push comes to shove, though, I would say Mulan. She has an element of fun, which Pocahontas lacks despite being a far from weak heroine.

Mulan on both counts. Although I go love Pocahontas, both Mulan's story line and character are much more interesting to me.

I'd go with Mulan as I'm getting fonder of her each time I watch her movie.

I prefer Mulan, both the character and the film, though I'd say that I prefer the music and animation in Pocahontas.

I think Mulan is way better mostly because of Mushu and the grandma,

But i also think Ming-Na Wen and Lea Salonga are better in the lead role than Irene Bedard andf Judy Kuhn are !
Ming-Na Wen has a bit more personality in her voice performance.

Also Wiggins isn't nearly a good a comdic relief as Chi Fu.

Ratcliffe is just kind of a joke adamantly a funny one but nevertheless not much of a threat. Meeko is boring and so are Percy the pug too. Mushu on the other hand is AMAZING

Harvey Fierstein and George Takei are gay icons so having them do two of the voices is a HUGE PLUS.
Fa Zhou is nicer and more interesting than Chief Powhatan and Grandmother Willow may be funny but a talking tree is very out of place .

Mulan also for a change has two living parents ! which is very nice also no Mel Gibson which hindsight is a plus. the ancestors great comic relief in contrast to the almost humorless Pocahontas and Pat Morita plays a better the authority figure thann Russell Means or Gordon Tootoosis and Kocoum is COMPLETELY UNEEDED.

The only downside is that Mulan has fewer and less memorable songs but it's hard to compete with masters like Alan Menken
and Stephen Schwartz anyway, But Lea Salonga does knock the few songs she has out of the park and i can see why Disney later gav her the role of Yasuko in My Neighbor Totoro !!

So i think Mulan is cleaerly better !

Pocahontas, I think is the bravest if we are talking about the home video classic Pocahontas 2: Journey to a new world.

Sacrificing her culture in order to win over the king, because if she makes any mistake, he will send the English army to destroy the Powhatan tribe. The stakes in the sequel was alot higher for Pocahontas. While Mulan had army friends, Pocahontas just had her animal friends and her two John guys.

Pocahontas both as a film and as a character. I prefer the animation, story, and music in Pocahontas and Meeko, Flit, and Percy at least fit the setting of the film unlike Mushu. I know a lot of Chinese viewers (and even some American ones) were very put off by Eddie Murphy essentially playing himself in ancient China.

I also think Pocahontas is the strongest and bravest Disney Princess. She advocates for peace rather than war and ultimately sacrifices her love for the sake of her people which she doesn't get enough credit for frankly. There's a reason Emma Watson said Pocahontas is her favorite princess and coming from such a staunch feminist as her, that really means something.

And while critically Pocahontas may have been under fire, commercially the film was far more successful than Mulan ever was. It also has a bigger following in Europe and even Japan where Meeko is a beloved character.

My answer prior is still the same. I prefer Pocahontas (the character) to Mulan (the character), but Mulan (the film) is far superior to Pocahontas (the film), imo. I do think Pocahontas is a very pretty film and the soundtrack is amazing and Judy Kuhn has one of my absolute favorite voices among Disney characters (right there with Jodi Benson). Aside from that... Meh. I think how much you like the film depends on how much you like the romance, since it's given such central focus, and I just don't like Pocahontas and John Smith as much as, say, Belle and the Beast. I don't even like them as much as Mulan and Shang either, actually, even though romance is not a big part of Mulan at all. My favorite character from Pocahontas after Pocahontas herself is Grandmother Willow, then Wiggins. Even though Ratcliffe is underwhelming as a villain, David Ogden Stiers played the role as well as it could've been played.

I think the only characters I don't really like in Mulan are the three soldiers, although they have their funny moments which make them worth it; I love Mushu, Cri-Kee, Khan, Fa Zhou, Grandmother Fa, Chi-Fu, Shang, and the Emperor. I love the look of the film, and the comedy. I wish the film had one or two more songs (a reprise of Reflection after Mulan's identity has been revealed and she's alone on the mountain would've been perfect), but that's about it.