Mulan II : 3 of 5

Even though I would rather see new feature animation than direct-to-DVD sequels, I still have to say that DisneyToon rocks. Since they're now the only division of Disney doing traditional animation, they are huge heroes in my book. I think they know they are keeping something alive, and it shows with Mulan II, which stays true to the original animation and quality more than almost any other recent sequel since The Lion King II. The story isn't too bad, and they managed to push the length over the usual home feature. They also did the right thing and got all the original voice talent, except Eddie Murphy - however, the actor playing Mushu is so dead-on that I definitely never missed Eddie. They even put some nice new songs in the show, although they weren't brave enough to include a ballad (which would have been nice with Mulan's voice!). I really enjoyed the animation of the new princess characters, which were beautiful and playful simultaneously, and the big dramatic moment with Mulan and Shang on the bridge is really intense! The bonus features were pretty good for a single disc release, though I always wish they would talk about the animation a little more. Overall, I'm really happy with this movie, and I'm definitely rooting for DisneyToon to keep up the good work.