Sunday, April 11, 2010

Disney's Mulan

I don't agree with the statement that Disney's Mulan has been "over" westernized. The story has been westernized, no doubt, but not to the point where it takes away from the story and Chinese culture that is involved. I feel like even though the Disney version has been altered, it still contains many aspects of Chinese culture as well as original details from the Chinese story of Mulan, which make a great movie for Disney's audience. Without the story being westernized, Disney's audience might not be as accepting. It is hard for a younger audience to fully grasp the concept of different cultures, which is why it is essential that Mulan be westernized to accommodate Disney's audience. Westernization may take some of the rich, cultural aspects away from the original story, but it still leaves younger audience's with enough diversity to spark an interest in different things. I don't think the Disney audience would be able to relate to someone like Ailin, who is more representative of true Chinese culture because the typical Disney audience wouldn't quite understand some of her cultural beliefs and practices, which would push them away from being accepting towards a character such as this. Ailin is a great character, who is quite representative of a rebellion against previous Chinese culture, and would be more widely accepted by an older audience who has the insight and understanding of different cultures.

No comments:

Post a Comment