Yea, Little Mermaid they made sense. She could talk to them. At least one of them had a job. And it just might not have worked so well as a movie if she didn't have someone to talk to or people to talk sort of 'for' her when she couldn't.

In Mulan, the dragon is integral to the story. And, again, it makes sense they can talk to each other. The horse serves a function. The cricket....