The 90s offered up some of the best animated characters as far as Disney is concerned. From Mufasa to Belle and even the mice in Cinderella, there was no shortage of personalities that won over audiences old and young. Probably ranking right at the top of the list of most likable or at the very least, interesting Disney animal sidekicks is none other than Mushu from the 1998 (and 2008) Disney cartoon Mulan. The narrative focuses on Fa Mulan, voiced by Ming-Na Wen, who’s keen on bringing honor to her family but isn’t your typical imperial Chinese girl. She’s clumsy, ungraceful, and uncomfortable in her skin.
While she’s as inspirational as Disney protagonists come, and then some, the larger-than-life Mushu voiced by Eddie Murphy no doubt stole the show. The pint-sized dragon is hands down one of the funniest characters in Disney history. With his witty commentary, penchant to colossally but hilariously mess things up, and undying loyalty he naturally appealed to audiences. But there’s a twist, a close examination of all his “mistakes” reveals a clear-cut pattern. Mushu is a villain. The proof? The pile of bodies in his wake.
‘Mulan’s Mushu Is Selfish — and That’s a Problem
Image Via Disney
By now it’s evident that we’re about to flip the Disney film’s narrative on its head. Overall, from a whole other perspective the entirety of Mushu’s choices “ain’t pretty”. For a start, compare and contrast his villainy with the actual antagonist, Shan Yu (voiced by Donny Osmond). Shan Yu’s motives are clear from the start. The aim is to conquer China, he’s a straight-up bad guy and there’s no confusion there. In Mushu’s case, he was simply meant to help Mulan, but he was doing it for his sake, not hers.
He unarguably messed up when he murdered the Great Stone Dragon. So, by “helping” Mulan, he was just covering his behind. It can be argued that everyone has a motive behind their actions — good or bad. However, the fun-sized dragon made it a habit to commit a series of blunders and then hurt people while trying to correct them. If Mushu was an actual person, he’d be labeled toxic based on his penchant for messing things up. Even more, he pulled the people around him into his orbit or chaos — or straight-up death. It should be getting clearer by now that Mushu is a villain.
Mushu Indirectly Cost Tons of People Their Lives
Image Via Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock
Now to the crux of the matter, Mushu left too many bodies in his wake. Let’s consider the reason he was stuck on wake-up duty in the first place. The proof is at the beginning of the movie, where the ancestors decide who’ll protect Mulan from the horrors of war. Mushu hilariously believes it’s him, but they waste no time bursting his bubble.
It’s then revealed that he was initially a guardian charged with protecting Fa Deng (Patrick Pinney), one of Mulan’s ancestors. But unfortunately, the result was Fa Deng losing his head — literally. Then there’s the unfortunate incident with the Great Stone Dragon who also lost its head, are you sensing a pattern yet? Yes, it can be argued that these were unintentional mistakes, but when does a mistake become a habit?
If we’re nitpicking, it’s basically Mushu’s fault that the Huns knew Li Shang’s (BD Wong) exact location as they braved the Tung Shao pass. Think about it, Mushu usually had a hard time producing fire. But once they were on a covert mission, he miraculously lit a spark that set off the cannon, revealing their location. Think of how many lives were lost as a result of an oopsie.
Mushu Is a Layered But Lovable Character With a “Dark Side” in ‘Mulan’
The crowning jewel of evidence that Mushu is a villain comes at the 1:14:00 minute mark of the film. In a bid to help Mulan, Mushu heads over to the tower where the fireworks are kept. Two men are manning the station and he decides to use scare tactics to commandeer the tower. Naturally, the main action involving Mulan, Li Shang, and the Huns overshadows the fact that these men jumped off an actual tower. Let’s face it, those men probably ate gravel before their painful end.
One thing is clear, serial killer tendencies and all, Mushu is among the ranks of Maleficent and Gru. We simply can’t help but love them. He’s incredibly funny, the king of one-liners, and even insightful when he puts in the effort. But, that destructive streak cannot be denied, in fact, it should probably be studied. It’s simply a pity that he wasn’t in the live-action film spreading his vibes of humor and chaos.
If you’re feeling nostalgic and craving some Mushu magic? You can watch Mulan on Disney+.
