Calls To Boycott Mulan Rise After Disney Release

Protests and calls for boycotts over Disney’s live-action adaptation of Mulan have sprung up again in wake of the film hitting Disney Plus. Hashtags like #BoycottMulan have trended on Twitter following Mulan’s release on September 4th, but protests are tied to an incident that occurred in summer 2019. Mulan actress and star Liu Yifei made comments last summer showing her support for police forces in Hong Kong at a time when people in Hong Kong were protesting newly suggested policies that would allow citizens to be extradited to mainland China, the BBC reported. Liu shared a message on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media platform, that read “I support Hong Kong’s police, you can beat me up now,”. Liu then added on Weibo in English, “What a shame for Hong Kong.” The remarks came at a time when the whole world was watching Hong Kong erupt into pro-democracy protests. Notably, the NBA became involved in the situation after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted his support of the protests, leading to the NBA’s partner in China to refuse to carry two pre-season games.


The general manager eventually walked back his tweets, leading to more protests in support of Hong Kong stateside. Apple also found itself at the center of controversy after it banned HK Map Live, a pro-democracy app used by protesters in Hong Kong. "“It’s obviously a very complicated situation, and I’m not an expert”" Liu addressed her comments in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year, stating that “it’s obviously a very complicated situation, and I’m not an expert,” and adding “I just really hope this gets resolved soon. I think it’s just a very sensitive situation.” Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn also spoke to The Hollywood Reporter in February, and talked briefly about Liu’s comments, noting that Disney tries to be “non-political, apolitical when it comes to all this stuff.” “My feeling is, free speech is an important component of society, certainly, and folks ought to be able to say what they want to say,” Horn said. “I can’t speak for what Liu says in China we didn’t know about it, what she was going to say and that’s up to them.” "“If Mulan doesn’t work in China, we have a problem”" This was all before Mulan was ever released. Now, the film is here. Disney is hoping for a big turnout at theaters in China where the movie was always expected to perform better. Horn told the Reporter that “if Mulan doesn’t work in China, we have a problem.” Since mainland China’s box office potential is much bigger than Hong Kong’s 1.3 billion people compared to less than 10 million protesters are asking for people worldwide to use the #BoycottDisney hashtag to bring awareness to issues they’ve listed.

Disney has a long and ongoing relationship with China, where its films often find success in theaters and where its Shanghai Disneyland theme park resides. “Because Disney kowtows to Beijing, and because Liu Yifei openly and proudly endorses police brutality in Hong Kong, I urge everyone who believes in human rights to #BoycottMulan,” Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong tweeted on Friday. Protesters are also asking people to boycott purchasing Mulan on Disney Plus or going to theaters to see the film in lieu of Disney having reportedly filmed part of the movie in Xinjiang. Human rights activists and the United Nations have decried the Chinese government for its treatment of the Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim, Turkic ethnic group, according to New York Magazine. The Chinese government has labeled “Islam a contagious ‘ideological illness,” leading the government to quarantine more than one million Uighurs in reeducation camps, New York Magazine reported in 2018. Calls to boycott the film come at a time when the American government is banning, or looking to ban, high profile Chinese companies that the Trump administration deems national security threats. Huawei and ZTE are no longer permitted to sell its products in the United States, while social media app TikTok is facing a potential ban if parent company ByteDance fails to sell it to an American company like frontrunners Microsoft or Oracle. Whether or not pressure from protesters to boycott Mulan worked may remain unclear for a while. Disney doesn’t have to disclose how many digital copies of Mulan it’s sold via Disney Plus. Theatrically, Mulan has generated $6 million in limited markets including Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore in its first weekend. The film is slated to be released in China on September 11th.

New K-Dramas To Anticipate In September 2020

Several highly-anticipated dramas are scheduled to premiere this month! Due to COVID-19 affecting filming schedules, some of these dramas were originally scheduled to air in August but were postponed to September. The premiere dates of many of these dramas below are still subject to change. Here’s what to look forward to in September:

“Love Revolution”

Cast: Park Ji Hoon, Lee Ruby, Younghoon (The Boyz), Jung Da Eun, Dayoung (WJSN), Ahn Do Gyu, Ko Chan Bin, etc.

Premiere Date: September 1

Broadcast Details: Thursdays at 5 p.m. KST starting on September 3 (premiere episode on Tuesday, September 1) on Kakao TV

Based on a popular webtoon of the same name, “Love Revolution” tells the story of love and friendship between students. Gong Ju Young (Park Ji Hoon) falls for Wang Ja Rim (Lee Ruby) at first sight and tries to win her over, but she is unimpressed at first with his displays of affection. With his persistence, however, she slowly starts to open up.

“AMANZA”

Cast: Ji Soo, Lee Seol, Oh Hyun Kyung, Yoo Seung Mok, Lee Jong Won, etc.

Premiere Date: September 1

Broadcast Details: Tuesdays at 5 p.m. KST on Kakao TV

Based on a webtoon by Kim Bo Tong, Ji Soo portrays a young man who is diagnosed with terminal cancer. He goes back and forth between the reality of his painful battle with cancer and a dreamworld where he experiences exciting adventures. Despite the heartbreaking diagnosis, Ji Soo strives to live his best. 

“Lie After Lie”

 

Cast: Lee Yoo Ri, Yeon Jung Hoon, Lee Il Hwa, Im Joo Eun, Kwon Hwa Woon, Lee Won Jong, Im Ye Jin, Kim Seung Hwan, Jung Si Ah, Kwon Hyuk Hyun, etc.

Premiere Date: September 4

Broadcast Details: Fridays and Saturdays at 10:50 p.m. KST on Channel A

The suspense-romance drama starrs Lee Yoo Ri as Ji Eun Soo, a woman who puts her life on the line with a dangerous lie in order to be reunited with her biological daughter. After marrying into a chaebol family, she finds herself branded a husband-killer in the blink of an eye and during her imprisonment for his murder, she loses custody of her daughter.

“SF8”
(“Blink,” “Baby It’s Over Outside,” “White Crow,” and “Love Virtually”)

 

“Blink” Cast: Lee Si Young, Ha Jun, Lee Joon Hyuk, etc.
“Baby It’s Over Outside” Cast: David Lee, Shin Eun Soo, Hwang Jung Min, Bae Hae Sun, etc.
“White Crow” Cast: Hani, Lee Se Hee, Shin So Yul, etc.
“Love Virtually” Cast: Choi Siwon, Uee, Ahn Se Ha, Kim Han Na, etc.

Premiere Date: September 4

Broadcast Details: Fridays at 10:10 p.m. KST on MBC

Set in the near future, “SF8” is a sci-fi anthology series about people who dream of a perfect society through technological advancements, and episodes 4 through 7 will air in September. “Blink” tells the story of a detective who works to solve a murder case with an AI detective. “Baby It’s Over Outside” is a romance about a young man and woman with one week left until the end of the world. “White Crow” is about a broadcasting jockey (BJ) who appears on a live VR game show and finds herself trapped inside a terrifying VR horror game. “Love Virtually” revolves around an app that allows two people to meet virtually with whatever appearance they want.

“A Man in a Veil”

Cast: Kang Eun Tak, Uhm Hyun Kyung, Lee Chae Young, Yang Mi Kyung, Choi Jae Sung, Lee Il Hwa, Kim Hee Jung, Lee Jin Woo, Eru, etc.

Premiere Date: September 7

Broadcast Details: Weekdays at 7:50 p.m. KST on KBS2

“A Man in a Veil” follows the story of Lee Tae Poong (Kang Eun Tak) who miraculously survives an accident and possesses the intelligence of a 7-year-old. The drama will explore his process of taking revenge and his relationships with twin sisters Han Yoo Jung (Uhm Hyun Kyung) and Han Yoo Ra (Lee Chae Young).

“Record of Youth”

Cast: Park Bo Gum, Park So Dam, Byun Woo Seok, Ha Hee Ra, Shin Ae Ra, Shin Dong Mi, Lee Chang Hoon, Kwon Soo Hyun, Jo Yoo Jung, Park Soo Young, etc.

Premiere Date: September 7

Broadcast Details: Mondays and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. KST on tvN

“Record of Youth” stars follows the story of young people in the modeling industry who are trying to achieve their dreams. Park Bo Gum plays Sa Hye Joon, an aspiring actor and model, Park So Dam plays Ahn Jung Ha, an aspiring makeup artist, and Byun Woo Seok plays Won Hae Hyo, a model who wants to achieve success on his own terms.

“Zombie Detective”

 

Cast: Choi Jin Hyuk, Park Ju Hyun, Im Se Joo, Lee Jong Ok, Hwang Bo Ra, Ahn Se Ha, Park Dong Bin, Kwon Hwa Woon, Tae Hang Ho, Bae Yoo Ram, etc.

Premiere Date: September 14

Broadcast Details: Mondays and Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. KST on KBS2

“Zombie Detective” is a comedy about zombie Kim Moo Young (Choi Jin Hyuk) in his second year of resurrection who becomes a detective and desperately searches for the truth about his past. Park Ju Hyun will be taking on the role of Gong Seon Ji, a writer for an investigative journalism program with unrivaled optimism, tenacity, and sense of justice.

“Oh! Samkwang Villa”

Cast: Lee Jang Woo, Jin Ki Joo, Jun In Hwa, Jung Bo Suk, Hwang Shin Hye, Jin Kyung, Kim Sun Young, In Gyo Jin, Han Bo Reum, Jeon Sung Woo, Bona (WJSN), Ryeo Woon, Kim Si Eun, etc.

Premiere Date: September 19

Broadcast Details: Saturdays and Sundays at 9:55 p.m. KST on KBS2

“Oh! Samkwang Villa” is about various people who gather at a house called Samkwang Villa run by a woman named Lee Soon Jung (Jun In Hwa). The drama shows how people who start off as strangers begin to open up their hearts and love one another. It conveys the message that no matter how tough the world gets, the priceless warmth of love still exists in human relationships.

“More Than Friends”

Cast: Ong Seong Wu, Shin Ye Eun, Kim Dong Jun, P.O (Block B), Ahn Eun Jin, Baek Soo Min, Choi Chan Ho, Oh Hee Joon, Kim Hee Jung, Jo Ryun, etc.

Premiere Date: September 25

Broadcast Details: Fridays and Saturdays at 11 p.m. KST on JTBC

“More Than Friends” will tell the story of two close friends who both fall in unrequited love with one another over the course of 10 years. Shin Ye Eun will star as Kyung Woo Yeon, a girl who decides to give up on her one-sided love for her guy friend after a decade of pining. Meanwhile, Ong Seong Wu will play the friend Lee Soo who suddenly starts seeing her in a different light after years of friendship.

“The School Nurse Files”

Cast: Jung Yu Mi, Nam Joo Hyuk, Moon So Ri, etc.

Premiere Date: September 25

Broadcast Details: Netflix

The project is a fantasy drama — based on an award-winning novel of the same name about Ahn Eun Young (played by Jung Yu Mi), a nurse who pursues and exorcises ghosts in creative and funny ways. She teams up with Hong In Pyo (Nam Joo Hyuk), a teacher who has an incredible aura of energy that protects him, to exorcise evil spirits and solve mysteries.

 

“18 Again”

Cast: Kim Ha Neul, Yoon Sang Hyun, Lee Do Hyun, Kim Yoo Ri, Wi Ha Joon, Lee Ki Woo, Kim Kang Hyun, Lee Mi Do, Noh Jung Ui, Ryeo Woon, Bomin (Golden Child), Hwang In Yeob, etc.

Premiere Date: September

Broadcast Details: Mondays and Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. KST on JTBC

“18 Again” is based on the American film “17 Again” and will tell the story of a husband on the verge of divorce who finds himself back in his body when he was at the prime of his life 18 years ago. Hong Dae Young is played by Yoon Sang Hyun, who changes his name to Go Woo Young (Lee Do Hyun) when he becomes 18 years old again, while Kim Ha Neul plays his wife Jung Da Jung. 

“Private Lives”

Cast: Seohyun, Go Kyung Pyo, Kim Hyo Jin, Kim Young Min, Lee Hak Joo, Tae Won Suk, Park Sung Keun, Song Sun Mi, Yoo Hee Je, Jang Jin Hee, etc.

Premiere Date: September

Broadcast Details: Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. KST on JTBC

Taking place during the current age in which people share, steal, and fabricate their private lives, this drama is about con artists mobilizing all their techniques to disclose the nation’s major “private life.” Cha Joo Eun (Seohyun), Jung Bok Gi (Kim Hyo Jin), and Kim Jae Wook (Kim Young Min) are con artists, while Lee Jung Hwan (Go Kyung Pyo) is a mysterious team manager at a major company.