DisneyIn case you've been living under a cyber rock, social media rightfully flipped out the other day when rumors flew about the casting for the new live-action Mulan. What was that rumor exactly? Some had heard that a white male lead would not only play Mulan's love interest but would actually become the new main character. Uh, not cool. Not only did people express concerns over racism and sexism, Disney fans just aren't going to have it if you mess with Mulan. In any way. Especially if some random new guy is trying to come in and steal her thunder. Nope! Not going to happen. The crowd went so wild after hearing this rumor; the hashtag #MakeMulanRight started trending on Twitter. In addition to calling out the casting rumor, many fans called for the reboot to stay true to Mulan's personality, which portrayed her as an intelligent and independent woman.
Replacing Li Shang with a white savior is extremely racist. Also, Li Shang is hot AF and we deserve a live action Li Shang #MakeMulanRight pic.twitter.com/xdEfKmBUHO
— Deanna (@deannareads) October 10, 2016
Those in protest of the reboot also asked for the remake to resist the urge to become another corny Hollywood love story, instead of following the original girl-on-a-mission story line we all know and love. "#Mulan isn't a girl-needs-saving love story. It's about HER saving her father, about family & honor - not Hollywood romance. #MakeMulanRight," one Twitter user wrote. "#MakeMulanRight because she is one of the strongest and independent character, whose fate does not depend upon a male character," Tweeted another.
One person totally dropped the mic; "How they gonna give her a white love interest like Shang wasn't the finest Disney cartoon? #MakeMulanRight." RIGHT? We could not have said it better ourselves. Thankfully, the rumor of the white male lead turned out to be totally false. A source told Vanity Fair, "Mulan is and will always be the lead character in the story, and all primary roles, including the love interest, are Chinese." Phew! That was a serious close one. Don't mess with Disney, people.