Disney cut a kissing scene from its upcoming live-action adaptation of Mulan after reviewing the film with Chinese audiences. The original animated version of the movie released in 1998, but because of some of the liberties it took with the film's story, it did not do well with Chinese audiences who thought the movie was disrespectful to the original myth it was based on and their culture in general.
When Disney announced that it was remaking Mulan as a live-action film, the company seemed focused on creating a movie that would please Chinese moviegoers. One of the first steps Disney did to assure this was casting a Chinese actress in the lead role: Liu Yifei. The new film also dropped all musical numbers from the original, although it will have a score of instrumental versions of those songs playing in the backgrounds of various scenes. There is also no Mushu, the mythological dragon that served as comedy relief in the original. Although these changes seemed in line with what the Chinese wanted from the story, many fans of the original movie still feel slighted about the differences.
The animated movie also featured a romance between Mulan and Li Shang, but Disney confirmed that Shang is not in the live-action adaptation. Instead, Mulan's love interest is Chen Honghui (Yoson An), and in an early cut of the film, the two share a kiss. THR, though, states that after Disney tested the movie with Chinese audiences, local executives saw the kiss and disapproved. Mulan director Niki Caro said: "It was very beautiful, but the China office went, 'No, you can't, that doesn't feel right to the Chinese people,' So we took it out."
Disney has already had to deal with its share of controversy over the live-action movie and China. During the violent protests in Hong Kong that resulted in reports of police brutality, Yifei posted her support for police on the Chinese social media network Weibo. The reaction to her post was immediate, and soon #BoycottMulan was trending worldwide across other social media platforms. Shortly after that, the Chinese government was accused of setting up a series of Twitter bots in support of the movie, as well as posts that undermined the protest movement. Similar accounts popped up on Facebook.
Disney has a lot riding on the live-action Mulan, which needs to not only appease Chinese audiences but also fans of the Disney animated film. It's a precarious line to draw, particularly with it potentially being one of the most expensive movies the company has ever made. Here's hoping that Mulan's reflection will show not only who she is inside, but also who movie audiences wish her to be.
Source: THR
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