Do we like them?

Do we like Mulan?

A character from Mulan (1998)

Our score: 9 out of 10. Yes, we'd back her. She's brave, quick-thinking and loyal, and she risks everything for her family. Her flaws are a few white lies and a lot of self-doubt.

Mulan is the daughter of a respected family in imperial China. She has trouble fitting the mold of a perfect bride, and she is anxious about disappointing her parents. When the Emperor's army calls up one man from every family to face an invading force, her aging, injured father is the one summoned.

Rather than watch him go to his death, Mulan secretly takes his armor, slips away at night and joins the army as a young man named Ping. She is guided by a small, over-eager dragon guardian called Mushu, voiced by Eddie Murphy. Training under the stern Captain Li Shang, she starts out clumsy but wins her place through ingenuity rather than brute strength.

We like her because her courage is practical and personal. She isn't chasing glory. She acts for love of her family and then for the people around her, and she solves problems with her head. Her lie is a real risk, and it is the only thing that keeps her from a perfect score. Her loyalty and self-sacrifice more than make up for it.

Her secret eventually comes out at a terrible moment. She is cast out by the people she helped, but she still does what's right and goes back to save them. The film makes it clear that her cleverness, not her disguise, is what wins the day.