Reflection
Early in the film, Mulan sings the song "Reflection" about the fact that her inner identity does not match up with what she sees when she looks in the mirror. Accompanying this song about identity are images of Mulan as she looks at her reflection on various surfaces, reflecting the ways that she feels confused and lost.
The Ancestors
When Mulan runs away to join the army in her father's place, her grandma asks the ancestors to protect her. The ancestors answer this invocation, and emerge in the temple of the family property. They are glowing, floating manifestations, apparitions of the people in Mulan's family who came before. They assemble in a small group to discuss Mulan's fate.
Shan Yu
The image of Shan Yu, the villain of the film, is a striking one. He is a large hulking figure with long hair, exceedingly broad shoulders, and menacing yellow eyes, like a cat's. Not only is he an evil man, but his appearance reflects that evil, and the audience knows he is a villain before he even opens his mouth.
Mulan as Girl and Boy
In the course of the film, we see Mulan embody many different spaces on the spectrum of gender. First, we see her family dressing her up as an ideal woman, covering her face with makeup and wrapping her up in lavish robes to meet with the matchmaker. Then, she cuts off her hair, puts it up, and dons her father's armor to disguise herself as a man for the army. By the end of the film, she is somewhere in between, having integrated her identity and become a powerful and competent female fighter.
