Sorry about the low resolution. The sun was setting.

After visiting Aladdin and Jasmine in Agrabah, I hopped over to China to spend some time with Mulan. Because of the time difference, it was evening already. When I asked her if she would record a video message for kids on the autism spectrum, she told me she was delighted to do it. “But why me?” she asked. So I explained.

After spending years preparing for, and dreading, the role that everyone expected of her—that of a demur, domestic housewife—Mulan felt like a failure. “Why is my reflection someone I don’t know?” she wondered. It frustrated her to feel that she couldn’t live up to people’s expectations. Looking at the world around her, she wasn’t sure where she fit in or if she would fit in at all. She wanted to be herself, but she was afraid how people would react. She was afraid, too, that she would have no future unless she became someone she wasn’t.

But then war came, and Mulan’s aged father was ashamed that he couldn’t help defend his homeland. Mulan saw her opportunity and, like Joan of Arc, she disguised herself as a soldier and took his place. After an awkward start, Mulan blossomed into a confident, self-possessed woman and led an army into battle against the Huns. Finally free to be the person she always had been, Mulan saved her kingdom and restored honor to her family’s name. Not bad at all!

I explained this to Mulan and told her how similar her story is to many people on the autism spectrum. Like her, many of them are frustrated or feel inferior because they don’t fit most people’s expectations. They may not talk. They may not be interested in sports. They may prefer to spend time cataloguing their bug collection instead of going to a birthday party. People might call them “awkward” or “quirky” or far worse. Feeling like they don’t fit in, they may be tempted to give up on their dreams. I told her they needed to think of themselves as warriors willing to fight negative stereotypes. They needed to become strong so that they could make a difference in the world. And they needed the inner strength to look at their reflection and see just how awesome they really are.

Hearing all of this, Mulan was more than happy to record the video. In fact, she was downright eager to tell talk about how it’s okay to be different—as long as you’re true to yourself. She told them . . . well, see for yourself.