Mulan

(Walt Disney)

The Disney animation of the Chinese legend about a young girl who, to preserve the family honor, replaces her ailing father in the Emperor's army and saves China from the invading Huns shows signs of franchise filmmaking: unclear time period, generic Oriental costumes, recycled characters. But Mulan herself, as spoken by The Joy Luck Club's Ming-Na Wen, is a winner, and there are innumerable moments of tenderness and inspired lunacy, including Eddie Murphy as a lizard-size red dragon.