I have some interesting Mula thoughts to share with you:
1) what do you suppose the doll signified?
2) surely mulan had a gradfather (otherwise fa zhou wouldn't have come about) but why do you suppose he wasn't shown in the movie?)
3) and one last drooly question...why do you suppose shang removed his shirt when he was gonna train the recruits?
(Probably to impress me...droooooll...just kidding.)

2)Her Grandfather probably died

for once in my life I can analyze! (most of the time I miss the siginificance of anything....I stink in discussions in English... :P)

1) what do you suppose the doll signified?
Since they couldn't show dead villagers bodies, the doll symbolized them, I suppose - a dead body, limp and lifeless....and with the sword/helmet it's a tribute, shrine, grave to the dead.....death of the innocents

2) surely mulan had a gradfather (otherwise fa zhou wouldn't have come about) but why do you suppose he wasn't shown in the movie?)
uh, he died? he really wouldn't have a purpose in the movie and the animators were rushed for time already, I suppose :)

3) and one last drooly question...why do you suppose shang removed his shirt when he was gonna train the recruits?
(Probably to impress me...droooooll...just kidding.)

well, actually - I think Shang did it to impress the recruits....to show that he had the muscle the beat the crap out of him if they didn't listen.....the animators because to show off their skills and maybe, just maybe that they understand that there are crazy teenage girls out there that appreciate a nice back (unlike Leo's :P) - perhaps they heard about the earlier Dimitri craze (disclaimer: I was NOT part of that)

~Suz ;)

i totally agree with you on the insights! wow, the doll one is actually really neat =) so many smart Mulan peeps out there =)

Totally right! Shang does have a nice back while Leo's back just makes you wanna barf!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know what some people saw in him...I'm glad that nobody really likes him anymore because of THAT rumor he admitted.