Mulan is another in a long line of animated Disney classics being recreated in the live-action aesthetic, and ever since the first trailer dropped in early July, fans have been on the fence about the variations between the upcoming film and its predecessor – most notably the absence of Mushu, the lovable dragon sidekick originally voiced by Eddie Murphy.
But the movie’s since drawn a separate string of controversy, courtesy of some political comments made by its star, Liu Yifei. And ever since the young actress expressed support for the Hong Kong police force, who’ve been accused of using excessive force against peaceful protesters, calls to boycott the upcoming film have run rampant online.
With that said, there’ve been some whose excitement for Mulan has actually spiked since Yifei’s comments. At least, that’s what it looks like on the surface.
According to a new report from ScreenRant though, China, in the wake of entering Hong Kong’s 11th straight week of protests, has been accused of making fake social media accounts to promote the film and vilify the protesting efforts. And a similar article from Vox explains that Facebook and Twitter have each announced plans to take action against “coordinated attempts” by the foreign government to manipulate information regarding Hong Kong.
When it comes to Mulan, Disney, who’s been quick to condemn the acts of their employees in the past, has yet to officially respond to Yifei’s comments, or to the fans’ fiery reactions. But given the fact that her co-star Gong Li has been quoted as saying that this is the House of Mouse’s most expensive remake to date – with a budget over $300 million – it’s unlikely that the company’ll backtrack on the project at this point.
