History Awesome / Mulan

-->"Looks like you're out of ideas."\\
* [[spoiler: Mulan rips Shan Yu's sword out of his hand with a ''paper fan'']]*\\
"Not quite."

* Right before the above example:

* How about the scene in which Mushu straps fireworks to his back in winged costume and launches himself in fiery red glory?

** That had me simultaneously awed and giggling.
** It does say something about that scene that I remembered it from watching the movie as a kid as not "Tiny funny Mushu straps himself to some rockets" but "Mushu turns into a huge firebreathing dragon with bat wings".
* What about the charge of the Huns on the mountains?
** [[spoiler: What about when Shan Yu's [[NonHumanSidekick falcon/hawk/whatever]] takes a sword from Shang's hands, flies up with it, then lets go of it so that Shan Yu, standing in a shadow on a rooftop, can catch it? When Shan Yu catches the sword, he emerges from the shadow, grinning, and you can hear shocked gasps from the crowd below.]]
** The sheer, complete shock that Mulan gives Shan Yu by simply tying up her hair: "The ''soldier from the mountains''...!"

* The entrance of the Hun army (granted, in the scene before they're completely obliterated, but still) in the mountains. THAT is how you make an entrance; it was a (thankfully averted) "OhCrap" moment for all of China.
* The soldier in the opening sequence. He knows he is going to die. But he fights as hard as he can to use his last few seconds of life to set off the Great Wall's warning-torch-system, and then stands up to the scary Shan Yu before his death. Thanks to him, Shan Yu fails. (Without his warning, the Huns' entry into China would have gone unnoticed, and the emperor would probably be dead because Mulan and co would not be around to save him.)
** Yes. That guy. ''[[BadassBystander That guy]]''. That guy is awesome, and he doesn't even get a name, but he still sets off the alarm-torch. When was the last time a redshirt was so awesome?
--> '''Soldier to Shan Yu''': [[DefiantToTheEnd Now all of China knows you're here.]]

** Yes. That guy. ''That guy''. That guy is awesome, and he doesn't even get a name, but he still sets off the alarm-torch. When was the last time a redshirt was so awesome?
--> '''Soldier to Shan Yu''': Now all of China knows you're here.

--> Soldier to Shan Yu: Now all of China knows you're here.

** Yes. That guy. ''That guy''. That guy is awesome, and he doesn't even get a name, but he still sets off the alarm-torch. When was the last time a redshirt was so awesome?

* The soldier in the opening sequence. He knows he is going to die. But he fights as hard as he can to use his last few seconds of life to set off the Great Wall's warning-torch-system, and then stands up to the scary Shan Yu before his death. Thanks to him, Shan Yu fails. (Without his warning, the Huns' entry into China would have gone unnoticed, and the emperor would probably be dead because Mulan and co would not be around to save him.)

* The entrance of the Hun army (granted, in the scene before they're completely obliterated, but still) in the mountains. THAT is how you make an entrance; it was a (thankfully averted) "OhCrap" moment for all of China.

** Which builds on a previous Moment of Awesome where the emperor shows Shan Yu just how much his military prowess is ''really'' worth: "No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it." OWNED.

* The sequence in which the titular character [[ImportantHaircut cuts her hair]], and the accompanying music.

-->'''Mushu''': You ''missed''! How could you miss?! He was [[PunctuatedForEmphasis three! feet! from you!]]

** Shan-Yu then tries to kill the Emperor in rage, and Shang blocks his blow just in the nick of time. Despite this all happening '''behind him,''' the Emperor calmly and indifferently walks out of the way as though he knew it was going to happen the whole time. Now '''that's''' composure.

* The entrance of the Hun army (granted, in the scene before they're completely obliterated, but still) in the mountains. THAT is how you make an entrance; it was a/n (thankfully averted) "OhCrap" moment for all of China.

* [[IAmSong "Be A Man"]]. Possibly one of the [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome greatest musical montages]] in the history of Walt Disney Animation.

* The eponymous heroine singlehandedly buries the Hun army by [[spoiler:[[ExactlyWhatIAimedAt igniting an avalanche with a rocket]].]]
-->'''Mushu''': You ''missed''! How could you miss?! He was [[ThisIsSparta three! feet! from you!]]

* Followed by her defeat of Shan Yu - in particular, facing him down with nothing but a paper fan against his sword and succeeding in disarming him - is a CrowningMomentOfAwesome not only for the character herself but for Disney's animated heroines as a whole.

** Which builds on a previous CMOA where the emperor shows Shan Yu just how much his military prowess is ''really'' worth: "No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it." OWNED.

* Chien Po pullling EVERYONE up.

* The entrance of the Hun army (granted, in the scene before they're completely obliterated, but still) in the mountains. THAT is how you make an entrance; it was a (thankfully averted) [[OhCrap]] moment for all of China.

** Chien Po pullling EVERYONE up.

* Shan Yu demands that the Emperor [[KneelBeforeZod bow before him]]. The Emperor refuses with a pretty cool metaphor: "No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it."

-->"Looks like you're out of tricks."\\

* The emperor, and subsequently all of China, bows for her. The end.

-->'''Mushu''': Your worst ''nightmare''!//

** And ''everyone'' cheers her on.

** [[Spoiler: Chien Po pullling EVERYONE up.]]

--->'''Guard''': Who're you?
--->'''Mushu''': Your worst ''nightmare''!
That had me simultaneously awed and giggling.

* Wait, so no one mentions [[IAmSong "Be A Man"]]?
** Particularly, after Shang tells Mulan to leave, she refuses to give up and passes the SecretTestOfCharacter that had previously beaten everyone else in the camp.

* The eponymous heroine singlehandedly buries the Hun army by [[spoiler:igniting an avalanche with a rocket.]]

* The eponymous heroine singlehandedly buries the Hun army by [[spoiler:igniting an avalanche with a rocket.]] At the film's climax, [[spoiler:she shoots the evil warlord into a giant stockpile of fireworks.]] Ooh, shiny!

** "Looks like you're out of tricks." "Not quite."