Itās also worth noting thatĀ āA Girl Worth Fighting Forā is the last song in the movie. Up until here, itās a fun movie, and the imminent invasion feels like itās just there to keep the plot moving, and to provide a little bit of drama to spice things up. None of the soldierās are quite taking this seriously yet; sure, Mulan wanted to save her father from the draft, and on some level she was aware that he would die if he went to war, but beyond that sheās interested in not being caught, and not shaming her family. Her motives are good, but theyāre entirely self centered. All the other soldiers are more or less in the same boat - they want to get tougher, they want to impress girls, they want to be cool soldiers. Shangās easily the most serious of the bunch at first, and even then itās just because training bad soldiers will reflect poorly on him, and important people are paying attention.
The abrupt ending ofĀ āA Girl Worth Fighting Forā is the wake up call. The soldiers and the audience get slapped in the face with the realization of whatās really at stake here. China is being invaded. Villages are burning, civilians are dying, and this isnāt going to stop until the country is conquered or the invaders are defeated. This is not a fun musical, this is a major crisis.
Mulan is such a good movie for so many reasons, but the abrupt tone shift is such a major reason why. Itās an excellent commentary on the reality of war, and it being a kids movie just meant they had to make their point without showing any actual gore, which Iād honestly say makes it that much more poignant.
