Mulan comes out this week for a $30 purchase on top of a Disney+ subscription, so this is a good time as any to remind you that among the director, costume designer, & screenplay writers, no one is Asian. Their research involved going to museums in Europe. https://twitter.com/WellsLucasSanto/status/1237195326101942273?s=20

Reminder that they took Mushu out because they felt having a dragon in a movie would be unrealistic, but things that will be in the movie: a shape-shifting witch and the fact that Mulan has "a special Chi". Because of course these aren't Asian stereotypes.
https://collider.com/mulan-changes-live-action-animated-version-disney/

Caro talks about making the movie "realistic" millions of times, but Mulan is folklore!!! What do you mean people don't break out into song, THE NAME OF THE TALE IS THE *BALLAD* OF MULAN. WHAT DO YOU THINK A BALLAD IS?

https://www.buzzfeed.com/benhenry/mulan-director-niki-caro-q-and-a

The oldest transcribed version of Mulan literally comes from the 古今樂錄, which translated roughly means the *Musical* Records of Ancient and Now, but go off, I guess

Anyways, here's the producer Jason Reed saying the "traditional Disney audience" isn't "the disapora Asian audience" which also isn't "the traditional Chinese in China audience" & then saying that they, as a fully White team, understand how to make a movie for Chinese audiences.

Some more quotes from director Caro also about "Disney culture" and how that's distinct from "Chinese culture." And that only she, a White director, could truly handle both. And that the only way to find people who understood Disney culture was to look for non-Chinese directors.

Capping off this thread with a final Caro quote, "Of course it's vitally important that it succeeds in China, because it belongs to China." But do you really believe that, as the White director of this film, or are you just here to profit off of the large Chinese market?

more folks are finding this thread, so i wanted to link a few more that i wrote after this, to have them all in one place.

this one is on representation and tokenism: https://twitter.com/WellsLucasSanto/status/1301621748085829633?s=20

this thread focuses on critiquing the folks in power and not the fans. it also talks a bit about boycotting over the all-white writers, producers, and director vs so much of the media focusing on liu yifei's politics but not on caro's politics https://twitter.com/WellsLucasSanto/status/1301736576486055937?s=20

and finally, a thread on the plot and writing of the movie itself and how an intersectional analysis is important. this is my fave thread, talking about how the movie just didn't work because it ascribes white feminist narratives onto a chinese folklore: https://twitter.com/WellsLucasSanto/status/1302410426412539904?s=20

if you enjoyed reading these threads and critiques about the film, instead of giving disney $$, i'm an unemployed queer southeast asian american hoping to become a writer myself, and any support would help me a ton!

cashapp/venmo/ko-fi: rephemera https://ko-fi.com/rephemera