Usually, questions we have when deciding whether to watch our childhood favorite Disney remakes are regarding the film itself. However, coinciding with the ‘cancel culture’ that has governed much of our year, many people are choosing to boycott the live-action film Mulan due to hurtful comments made by actress Liu Yifei. In response to the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong that were the source of harsh police brutality, she shared a post that said, “I support the Hong Kong police. You can all attack me now.” This statement was made by Fu Guohao, a reporter for a Chinese Newspaper. Yifei reposted this with the caption, “I also support Hong Kong police. You can beat me up now,” in Chinese.
Though Yifei’s post gained immense support within the country of China, fans around the world were not so thrilled. Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong’s latest tweet reads, “Demand Disney Remove Mulan,” it echoes the voices of individuals across the globe. Since Disney announced that Yifei got the role of Mulan last year, #boycottmulan has been trending on twitter, coming back again after the release of the film. The making of this movie was supposed to address the lack of Asian presence in films, however, the controversy involving Liu Yifei resulted in much of those wishes being overlooked. Still, Disney aimed to gross the most from this movie in China rather than the US. However, they are now in trouble with the conditions of the pandemic. In an aim to somehow screen it, the movie is selling for $29.99 on Disney Plus, but not many seem willing to give their money to a film indirectly condoning mainstream issues.
Liu is not the only person to voice her opinions, many Chinese celebrities adopt a Pro-China stance on issues. This may have something to do with the career repercussions of those who have openly spoken out against the Hong Kong Police Brutality. Cantopop singer Denise Ho is a Hong Kong pro-democracy activist. As a result of openly claiming to be so, she was blacklisted by the Chinese Market. Even so, it seems like Yifei chose her career over the millions of protesters being tear-gassed and locked up.
Another example of the large involvement of China in their celebrity affairs is the #supportmulan Chinese outlets came out within attempts to combat the boycotting. It was soon discovered that many of the sources of these hashtags came from Nationalist Bots. Thankfully for them, the Chinese have banned Twitter among their population. Many don’t even have access to the trending #boycottmulan.
Disney has been receiving much of the backlash for the creation of this film. When asked questions about it, Andy Horn, Disney studios chairman retaliated by saying that Disney tries to be a-political as much as possible. However, many protestors have even been using the hashtag #boycottdisney. The concern is that Disney is on the wrong side of mainstream social justice issues.
Backstory
The protests in Hong Kong have been raging since the summer of 2019, when the government announced the Extradition Bill, allowing Hong Kong prisoners to be transported to mainland China. This would begin the process of Hong Kong eventually merging with China. Even though Hong Kong is separated from Britain, they continue to enjoy more freedom than the average Chinese individual. Despite the bill having been scrapped temporarily, people continue to raise their voices demanding the eternal separation between Hong Kong and China. Citizens have been doing whatever they can to stop this merger, for many that mean protesting on the streets of the Region.
Protesters began peacefully marching for justice on June 9th, 2019, but were soon faced with pepper-spray and tear-gas by the Police in attempts to disperse civilians. This was the result of a small number of individuals throwing projectiles at the law-enforcement officials. The protests soon spun out of control, the driving force being anger towards police brutality.
Many have protested through the peaceful means of the arts, but the small number of violent rioters have been collectivized as a representation of all protesters. There is no sign of an end to these protests in the foreseeable future. Many throughout the world have voiced their support for the Hong Kong protesters, which is why Yifei’s comment came as quite a shock.
Is Disney Cancelled?
The aforementioned term “cancel culture” is one that has been frequently used in the media these past few years. Its dictionary definition is the “practice of withdrawing support for public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive”. Liu Yifei can be seen as the media’s latest ‘victim’. Previously celebrities like J.K Rowling and Kanye West have been held accountable for stating their opinions on contested topics such as LGBTQ+ matters or women’s reproductive rights.
Not only has Disney’s live-action adaptation of Mulan’s success been hindered due to its problematic actors, but Disney is also facing additional backlash for their association with Xinjiang, China. According to the New York Times, Xinjiang’s government has embarked on large-scale repression of certain ethnic minorities within the region. It is estimated 1 million Uyghur and Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang have been sent to reeducation camps. Many witnesses and detainees have exposed the torture and abuse Xinjiang’s authorities seem to be allowed.
Within the film’s end credits, Disney is seen to thank various political organizations from Xinjiang. It is unknown what parts of the movie may have been filmed in Xinjiang. However, as most of the film had been shot in New Zealand, there seems to be no key reason for Disney and Xinjiang’s partnership.
Some feel the partnership may have been used as a means of marketing to please Disney’s Chinese viewership. Unfortunately, their attempts in appeasing the Chinese audience seem to have failed. In a conversation with CNN Business, Harold Li, a Chinese man who recently watched the film, says the movie is “filled with stereotypical tropes” that may not bode well with Chinese viewers.
When it comes to controversial topics, there are often two or more opposing sides. In this case, some have expressed their approval of Disney’s live-action remake. But the impact of #BoycottMulan across the world and on social media platforms may be too much to salvage the multi-million dollar movie.
Whether you enjoyed the movie or not, it seems obvious that Disney’s questionable work has immensely decreased the success the film could have attained. Disney, a billion-dollar franchise, claims to be apolitical. Nonetheless, associating its brand with controversial, anti-democracy, and inhumane groups don’t align with their ‘beliefs’.