What’s Going on with the 2020 “Mulan”

Joanna Orban

Copy Editor

I love Disney movies and even though it might be a controversial opinion, I love the new live-action adaptations.

I think I saw “Aladdin” three times in the theater. While “Aladdin” has always been my favorite Disney movie, I was equally excited for “Mulan”. Growing up, my younger siblings and I watched the animated version at least once a week. It was our favorite right after “The Emperor’s New Groove”.

Obviously, I was excited about the new “Mulan”.

Then, Disney said it wasn’t going to be a musical.

“Okay,” I thought. “It’s not like the music was one of the best parts or anything.” (Sarcasm).

Then, Disney said that Mushu and Li Shang wouldn’t be in this new version. At that point, I think I may have shed a few tears. Li Shang is one of my favorite Disney princes! And come on, him in “I’ll Make a Man Out of You”? Perfection.

Cutting out the music and some fan-favorite characters is one thing, but it’s not the reason you should be concerned about this movie.

The real reason is the fact that there is a blatant disregard for human rights happening in China right now. For those of you who aren’t aware, the Chinese government is imprisoning hundreds of thousands of Muslims and other groups in what the Chinese government is calling “re-education camps”.

Muslims are particularly targeted. According to an article published by The Washington Post, “The facilities, where more than 1 million Uighurs, Kazakhs, and other predominantly Muslim minorities have been held over the last two years, are indoctrination camps aimed at stripping these peoples of their traditions, culture and language.”

The camps are located in the Xinjiang province of China.

The article by the Washington Post goes on to describe that the Chinese government, has for several years been carrying out a cultural genocide. It describes this genocide as, “Not mass killing of people but a mass extermination of their ideas and beliefs. In the camps, detainees are bombarded with the language and traditions of the country’s majority Han Chinese.”

You may be asking what this has to do with the Walt Disney Company. Although “Mulan” was primarily filmed in New Zealand, parts of it were also filmed in Xinjiang, the site of the “re-education” camps.

People were quick to notice this after Disney thanked several government groups in the credits of “Mulan”. These government groups with direct ties to Xinjiang are related to the imprisonment of the Uyghur Muslims.

According to Disney’s Chief Financial Officer, Christine McCarthy, as quoted in an article by Vanity Fair, “It’s standard industry practice to acknowledge in a film’s credits the national and local governments that allowed you to film there. So, in our credits, it recognized both China and locations in New Zealand”.

It may seem like the status quo for filming crews to do this, especially in a country with such strict laws like China. However, the bigger question is if Disney was previously aware of the Uyghur concentration camps? Maybe they were and maybe they weren’t, but I think it is important to be aware that this is happening and be aware of the decision Disney made.

United States Senator Marco Rubio, along with other members of the U.S. Congress sent a bipartisan letter to Bob Chapek, C.E.O. of Disney, questioning his reasoning for filming in Xinjiang.

Disney is also facing controversy for casting Liu Yifei, a prominent Chinese actress, as the lead character due to the fact that she supports the Hong Kong Police, notorious for rampant police brutality against pro-democracy protesters.

These aren’t the only issues Disney is being called out for. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many movies have seen their release dates pushed back. “Mulan” is just one example. Disney has been experimenting with its streaming service Disney+ to see what is the best way to release these new titles.

For example, “Onward” was released solely on the streaming service, with no extra cost. “Mulan” however, is a different story. Even if you already pay for Disney+, in order to watch “Mulan” you have to pay an extra $30 to watch “Mulan”. I definitely cannot afford to pay that, and I use my parents’ account.

I’m not going to tell you whether or not you should watch the movie. I’ve made my choice and I will continue to be more aware of what Disney does as a corporation. Whether you think watching certain movies is a political choice or not, I think we all need to examine what is surrounding the 2020 “Mulan” and question what the media we consume says about us.