10 Mild-Mannered Movie Characters Who Suddenly Went Badass

8. An Entire Chinese Army €“ Mulan

Mulan I€™ve never seen the dulcet tones of Donny Osmond do anything other than make old ladies weak at the knees, but if Mulan is to be believed, he has other, more martial qualities too. Namely, Osmond can be used to train the Chinese Army. I know, that€™s a ridiculous statement, but please, bear with me. You see, in Mulan €“ a film ostensibly about the benefits of cross-dressing, or so I€™m told €“ Donny Osmond provides the singing voice of Captain Li Shang, the leader of the army Mulan joins while disguised as a man. It€™s made clear from the start that Mulan€™s unit is highly incompetent from the very start €“ they€™re populated by idiots and dimwits, and they start fighting within three minutes of all lining up together. This lot could barely lick a postage stamp, never mind the approaching Hun army. So really, there€™s only one thing for it €“ musical theatre! Hey, this is a Disney film after all, so Shang Yi takes his shirt off and reveals he€™s got an excellent singing voice. Oh go on, watch it below €“ you know you want to. In a way only a montage can, Osmond€™s vaguely homoerotic lyrics stir something up in his men (stop that) to such an extent that these formerly useless amoebas become capable of superhuman feats, such as cartwheeling on poles and nailing tomatoes to a wall. Admittedly, because it€™s a Disney film, it might not be the most shocking bad-ass development, but it€™s just how it happened that makes it so ridiculous. I mean, Donny Osmond? Really? I guess next time I want to attempt a contact sport I should play Crazy Horses beforehand, and submit to the power of Osmond. It certainly worked for these guys (and girl).
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Contributor

Durham University graduate and qualified sports journalist. Very good at sitting down and watching things. Can multi-task this with playing computer games. Football Manager addict who has taken Shrewsbury Town to the summit of the Premier League. You can follow me at @Ed_OwenUK, if you like ramblings about Newcastle United and A Place in the Sun. If you don't, I don't know what I can do for you.