Disney faces serious controversy with Mulan

Disney released Mulan as a live action princess movie on Sept. 4, 2020. Initially, Disney fans were excited for another remade classic- the company has already turned movies like “Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast” into live action films. As the release date approached, however, the film became increasingly controversial from trivial issues like escalating viewing prices to serious racial and cultural injustices.  

Mulan’s live action film creation was first brought to the media in 2015. Shortly following, Disney was discussing the possibility of a white male lead playing a European trader who saves Mulan. For obvious reasons the public shut this idea down, giving the company serious backlash. Disney has become notoriously known for their underrepresentation of minorities in their productions. Altering the original story of Mulan to include a European hero would be racially and culturally inappropriate and it would generate the idea that women need men to help them succeed.  

My insensitivity and obliviousness regarding Hollywood as a child caused me to take great interest in the underrepresentation of minority groups in media as a teen. I never noticed the lack of color in television and movie stars as a child because as a Caucasian, able female, I see people who look like me across all forms of media. Disney’s attempts to cast a white lead in one of the only culturally/racially diverse princess movies they have produced is evidence of the underlying racism the company is founded on.  

As a 2000’s baby, I was raised on Disney classics- all the original princess movies, Mickey Mouse, Finding Nemo, Toy Story, Up, and many more. Growing older, it saddens me to see the magic of Disney disappear as I realize the human rights injustices they have contributed to. In Mulan alone, Disney has provoked mass amounts of controversy even before its release.  

Parts of Mulan were filmed in Western provinces of China where the Chinese government has forced Uighur Muslim peoples into internment camps. Disney thanked several groups in Xinjiang who are highly affiliated with these camps in the rolling credits of Mulan, only continuing the pattern of insensitivity toward diverse peoples globally. According to Vanity Fair, an estimated one to two million Muslims have been forced into these camps. Many people relate these camps to Hitler’s concentration camps during the Holocaust. Hopefully the United States will provide aid to those in the camps and work to shut down the camps in China when our country is under different leadership.  

To make improvements in our country, citizens need to learn to hold each other accountable for racist and inhumane actions they have taken. It is necessary that we end our support for large corporations who show racist, sexist, homophobic, and ableist views. To create change in our country it is pertinent that we are proactively antiracist and we must stop supporting big brands and big names in the country. By continuing to support Disney and other companies failing to be antiracist, individuals are prolonging systemic racism in the United States.