China Accused Of Using Disney’s ‘Mulan’ To Attack Hong Kong Protesters

The situation with Disney’s Mulan and the Hong Kong protesters has gotten more complicated as China has been accused of using the film to attack the protesters.

The protests in Hong Kong, of course, began over an extradition bill which would allow local authorities to detain and extradite people who are wanted in territories that Hong Kong does not have extradition agreements with, which includes mainland China. The protests began in March of this year and have shown no signs of slowing down. The upcoming live-action Mulan film from Disney entered the mix when star Yifei Lu came out in support of Hong Kong’s police. Due to the widespread reports of police brutality, her stance immediately became controversial resulting in a movement to boycott the film. But now, China itself is directly placing Disney’s Mulan in the center of the protests.

According to a report from Variety, over 200,000 Twitter bot accounts from China have been deleted that were apparently created by the Chinese government. These accounts from China were connected to a new hashtag movement that calls for support of the live-action adaptation of Mulan that were designed to undermine the Hong Kong protestors and the #BoycottMulan movement. The movement, known as #SupportMulan typically characterizes the Hong Kong protestors as radicals and likens them to the Huns from the original animated film. Others support Yefei Liu as someone who loves China for siding with the Hong Kong police.

You can see a few examples of the #SupportMulan Tweets below:

What do you all think of the protests in Hong Kong? Does Disney’s Mulan have any place in this argument? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Here is the plot synopsis for Disney’s Mulan:

When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from Northern invaders, Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. Masquerading as a man, Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her inner-strength and embrace her true potential. It is an epic journey that will transform her into an honored warrior and earn her the respect of a grateful nation…and a proud father.

Directed by Niki Caro from a screenplay by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Elizabeth Martin & Lauren Hynek, Disney’s Mulan stars Yifei Liu as Mulan; Donnie Yen as Commander Tung; Jason Scott Lee as Böri Khan; Yoson An as Cheng Honghui; with Gong Li as Xianniang and Jet Li as the Emperor.

Disney’s Mulan will be released in theaters on March 27, 2020.

Source: Variety