The live-action remake of Mulan hit Disney+ last week and while the movie has been met with decent reviews (ComicBook.com rated Mulan 4 out of 5 in its review, calling it the best of Disney’s live-action remakes), there has been quite a bit of controversy surrounding the film. Many called for the movie’s boycott due to Liu Yifei’s (Mulan) support of the Hong Kong police. The movie also drew criticism for thanking the Turpan Municipal Bureau of Public Security, a controversial organization that has been tied to Muslim concentration camps in recent years. Now, it appears U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo) is accusing the movie of “whitewashing genocide.”
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According to Deadline, Hawley sent a letter to Disney CEO Bob Chapek and accused Disney of “whitewashing the ongoing genocide of Uighurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities during the production of Mulan.” The senator requests that Disney+ removes Mulan “to avoid further glorifying CCP officials and agencies responsible for the atrocities in Xinjiang.”
“The Mulan closing credits tell the story. Nine minutes into the ten-minute credit roll, Disney gives ‘special thanks’ to the Turpan Public Security Bureau—the very same bureau responsible for administering the concentration camps in the Turpan jurisdiction. Disney also chose to give ‘special thanks’ to several CCP propaganda organs, including the Xinjiang Communist Party’s publicity department. These agencies are tasked with spreading disinformation about the atrocities in Xinjiang in order to shield Beijing from accountability,” Hawley wrote. You can read the full letter here.
In addition to the controversy over the “special thanks,” fans are also upset over the fact that there are no Chinese subtitles available for the movie.
What are your thoughts on the Mulan controversies? Do you believe the film should be boycotted? Tell us in the comments.
Mulan is the live-action remake of Disney’s 1998 animated movie. The Chinese folk tale of “The Ballad of Mulan” provides the basis for the film. This live-action film stars Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, Tzi Ma, Jason Scott Lee, Yoson An, Ron Yuan, Gong Li, and Jet Li. Niki Caro directed the film from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Lauren Hynek, and Elizabeth Martin.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mulan is not seeing a theatrical release in North America and is instead available on Disney+ through Premier Access. It will release theatrically in some international markets.
