Disney tried to cast a white guy as the hero of live-action Mulan movie

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Has anyone even bothered to read even just a bit of the article?

Of course we did, but the discussion was on whitewashing not as much Mulan.

I see it a few ways, focusing on the sailor means it can be a story told from a different angle which if race wasn't involved people would of been fine with.

People would of complained regardless as the Chinese characters would be seen as stereotypes.

Even more the article mentions people are complaining about making a Asian person the wrtier, now if the person has never lived in Asia how are they much (could be a little) different than a white person who has never lived in Asia writing the story even more so if it focuses on white characters.

Reply 61

yungaheartz

So this is wrong but its also apparently racist to say that James Bond should be played by a white man only?

Reply 62

Hugs31

I'm as opposed to the ridiculous rate of remakes/reboots (of which Disney and Hollywood in general can't seem to resist) as the next person. I just don't get why they're remaking the classics (either the old classics or the Disney renaissance/90s films) which everyone loves and they run a huge risk in ruining. If they insist on remakes/reboots why not try the Disneys that were rubbish, address their flaws and then remake them to be better?

The Lion King remake for example is pointless because pretty much all the voice actors are still alive, Elton John's still going and it's only 20-25 years old.

Reply 63

username2763536

Original post by RobML

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/11/entertainment/make-mulan-right-petition/

Lol this can't be true? :curious:

So you are discriminating against an actor based on his skin colour? Isn't there a word for that?

Reply 64

username2763536

Original post by mkap

i found that a black hermoine was creative bc the books didnt suggest she was white, we just assumed so.

Not really.She is decribed as looking very brown after coming back from holiday in the third book.If she was naturally brown then it wouldnt be worth commenting on.She is also depicted as white in all the cover art.And she lives in england going to an english school.If the author intended her to be anything other than white then she would have pointed it out because in general english people are white.

Reply 65

pairofjeans

Original post by sleepysnooze

just like how we *know* that hermione wasn't black

Jesus christ. I now see there's no point with you so I'm going to address a few of your other points for anyone else who wants to read and leave it there.

"how does the story not make sense if they're not racially chinese? "

Would it make sense if we had a film on slavery with white people being imported as slaves from africa? I can't tell if you genuinely don't understand or you're dragging things on for the sake of bants. In a film heavily centered around their culture, especially in that time period, it won't make sense to have her white.

"not only is that entirely possible, but can you prove that it didn't happen?"

You know what? I don't have to. For all I care, it might have happened. But it looks like the other guy was right about you never reading properly. As you've been told multiple times by different people, if you knew enough about mulan you'd understand that we're already told both her race and nationality. I simply pointed out that even if we weren't told this, being the smart guy you are, you could've realised that this was based on a chinese legend from 420ad so they'd have intended her to be chinese racially anyway.

I feel like you haven't read much of harry potter either. In all the books, no direct references have been made to her ethnicity. Only that shes English. Closest thing we had to describing her skin is a a scene about her turning white from being cold or something like that. It's an expression. JK Rowling said so too. But if you want to disagree with her (somehow) then your argument would still fall flat as Asians and mixed race people can also go paler under given circumstances. Even black people to an extent (usually when very ill though. Not cold)

Point is she isn't written to be a certain colour. She's whatever people want to portray her as.
The company that published her books chose to portray her as white on the cover. Which is perfectly fine. She was also white in the movies. Which again, is perfectly fine as long as shes english.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 66

mojojojo101

The comparisons to Harry Potter seem a little silly, it's not a comprable situation.

Surely a better set of examples would be 47 Ronin or The Last Samurai where there has been a classic story that has had a white person inserted as the main protagonist for no reason other than Hollywood's idea that, rightly or wrongly, Americans will not pay to see a film thatnis not led by an American (read: white male) actor.

The problem seems to be that it seems to be seeping into other markets, as the casting of Matt Damon in The Great Wall suggests.

Reply 67

sleepysnooze

Original post by pairofjeans

Jesus christ. I now see there's no point with you so I'm going to address a few of your other points for anyone else who wants to read and leave it there.

why are you ignoring my comparison though? it's a totally legitimate one

"how does the story not make sense if they're not racially chinese? "

Would it make sense if we had a film on slavery with white people being imported as slaves from africa? I can't tell if you genuinely don't understand or you're dragging things on for the sake of bants. In a film heavily centered around their culture, especially in that time period, it won't make sense to have her white.

slaves were slaves *because* of their race. chinese soldiers weren't soldiers *because* of their race.

"not only is that entirely possible, but can you prove that it didn't happen?"

You know what? I don't have to. For all I care, it might have happened. But it looks like the other guy was right about you never reading properly. As you've been told multiple times by different people, if you knew enough about mulan you'd understand that we're already told both her race and nationality.

who cares? in this version it's european, isn't it? just like in ghostbusters (2016) they were women, not men. same story structure, though.

I simply pointed out that even if we weren't told this, being the smart guy you are, you could've realised that this was based on a chinese legend from 420ad so they'd have intended her to be chinese racially anyway.

yeah but this is a re-telling, not a duplication.

I feel like you haven't read much of harry potter either. In all the books, no direct references have been made to her ethnicity. Only that shes English.

I said there were descriptions of her. I didn't ever say "J K Rowling said 'she was white'" - I said that, based on those descriptions, she very likely *was* white, especially given the geography of the story.

Closest thing we had to describing her skin is a a scene about her turning white from being cold or something like that. It's an expression.

an expression? can a black person "turn white" from being cold? no! so what are you talking about?! how is that just an expression?

JK Rowling said so too. But if you want to disagree with her (somehow) then your argument would still fall flat as Asians and mixed race people can also go paler under given circumstances. Even black people to an extent (usually when very ill though. Not cold)

they can go "paler" by a tiny, tiny factor. they can't "turn white"...only white people can literally "turn white". again, this is just funny - you're walking a tight rope here trying to justify yourself.

Point is she isn't written to be a certain colour. She's whatever people want to portray her as.

so why can't we have a mulan story in europe? "cultural appropriation"? that would make black hermione ea cultural appropriator

The company that published her books chose to portray her as white on the cover. Which is perfectly fine. She was also white in the movies. Which again, is perfectly fine as long as shes english.

I didn't even mention the illustrations or movies though - I said "the descriptions".

Reply 68

RobML

Original post by Robby2312

So you are discriminating against an actor based on his skin colour? Isn't there a word for that?

No I'm not. Read the article.

(On a another forum I use, in the news section, it's bannable to post without reading the OP)

Reply 69

Wōden

Original post by RobML

They're not even similar lol

I trust you are similarly annoyed about this person...

...portraying this person?

Reply 70

RobML

Original post by Wōden

I trust you are similarly annoyed about this person...

...portraying this person?

No, because it hasn't changed the plot and messages of the play, or turned it into the post-colonial hangover that is the "white saviour" narrative.
It's only a difference of appearences here.
(so actually read the reasons I'm against the Mulan thing)