American Born Chinese Creator Says Characters Stand With Marvel Heroes & Disney Princesses

American Born Chinese creator Gene Luen Yang says that his story’s characters belong up in the conversation with Marvel superheroes and Disney Princesses. Deadline‘s Dominic Patton talked to Yang and Kelvin Yu, who adapted the graphic novel for Disney+. During their conversation, the two creatives stressed the importance of folklore to different cultures. Some viewers might not be aware but the legends of The Monkey King and Guanyin have long histories. Far longer than basically every Marvel hero and stretching even longer than the fairytales that the beloved Princess movies can lay claim to. So, it only makes sense that they would stack up similarly.

“I went to Disneyland on Friday with my son,” Yang began. “It’s Captain America over here, Ariel over here, Moana. The Monkey King and Guanyin and these characters deserve a place on that shelf.”

“It’s honestly like if Batman and Spiderman had a baby and that baby was named Jesus,” Yu chimed-in. “It’s the inspiration for Mega Man and Dragon Ball and Sonic the Hedgehog, and Joey from Friends. I’m just kidding [about Joey].”

Lots Of Praise For American Born Chinese

“Reading Kelvin’s riveting adaptation of Gene’s incredible novel had me laughing and crying and jumping out of my chair on every page,” director Destin Daniel Cretton said to the press last year. “I feel deeply connected to the characters in this story and the brilliant team bringing it to life. This show is going to be unlike anything we’ve experienced on TV, and I can’t wait for the world to see what we’re cooking up.”

“Gene Luen Yang’s book is a staple in American literature, and deeply important to a whole generation of readers,” executive producer Kelvin Yu added. “Destin and Melvin are storytellers working at the highest level imaginable. It’s all so exciting and so humbling to be a part of.”

“I’m stunned that people are still reading it,” Yang previously told the media. “I was actually just in Boston a month ago talking about this book, and in a lot of ways I feel very fortunate for the support that I get from teachers, librarians, and comic book fans. I did not expect this when I first did that book. With the show specifically, I think one of the challenging parts, but it’s also one of the most meaningful parts of the show, is thinking through how the conversation about Asian America has changed from the publication of the book until now?”

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