Harvard student transforms Shimcheong into Disney-inspired Korean princess
Click to view"There was no Korean Disney princess so I decided to make my own," Julia Riew wrote as she unveiled a preview of "Dive," a song for her new musical project, "Shimcheong: A Folktale."
In the video, Riew turns herself into an animated character through a filter with a finger snap, and sings a song describing her protagonist embarking on an adventure with the lines, "Now all the fish in the sea can't stop me. All of the waves in the world can't rock me. I'm on a mission and just watch me go."
Riew, a senior at Harvard studying Theater and Music, is creating the musical starring a Korean princess, inspired by the Korean folktale, "Shimcheong," also known as "The Blind Man's Daughter," and Disney animated films.
The third-generation Korean American from St. Louis, Missouri, said her "Shimcheong" project began about a year and a half ago when her grandfather passed away due to COVID-19 and her grandmother moved in to live with her family.
"I realized that I was disconnected in many ways from my Korean heritage, so I wanted to tell a Korean story in order to learn more about my culture," Riew told The Korea Times via an email interview.
"As a Korean American who grew up in the middle of the United States dreaming about visiting Korea and reuniting with my culture, I felt very connected to Shimcheong's journey of wishing to return home and reunite with her father. I was most inspired by Shimcheong's desire to return home. My version of the story is also inspired by my desire to find belonging and community."
While the original classical tale of Shimcheong centers on the Korean traditional value of filial piety, in which the daughter sacrifices herself for her father, Riew's interpreted the story and characters to reflect the times and her experiences.
"In my story, Shimcheong still dives into the ocean, but she does so as a young child to save her father from drowning. She then falls down to the Dragon Kingdom and grows up there before she sets out to return home many years later," she explained.
"The thing I wanted to focus most on was making Shimcheong an active and courageous protagonist, rather than a woman who is only praised for her beauty. In my story, the main themes are courage, family and belonging."
Riew is well aware of the importance of art and culture and has been trying to explore it through her identity. That is why she co-founded the Harvard College Asian Student Arts Project (ASAP) to increase Asian participation and representation in theater.
"My identity as a Korean American has influenced me in many ways as an artist who grew up surrounded by people who didn't look like me. I found that there are a lot of Korean stories and a lot of American stories, but not many stories that truly combine the two cultures. The Korean-American population in the United States is huge and diverse and I felt that it was important to tell a story that spoke to our children and families," Riew said.
"I'm particularly passionate about telling stories for young people and families because I think that representation is incredibly important for children ― as we grow up, what we see is how we shape our understanding of the world. For young children, it's important that they see people who look like them achieving something, being a hero, or following their dreams in order for themselves to believe that they can do it, too. It's also important to grow up seeing people who look different from you on screen in order to develop understanding and sympathy for all sorts of people."
Her videos have gone viral not only in the States but around the world ― especially in Korea ― and Riew is grateful for these responses.
"At many times I really struggled to tell this story as a Korean American; I had feared that I wasn't 'Korean enough' to be telling the story or that my version would turn out 'too American.' But then I realized a few things: I am an American, and also a Korean, so no matter what, my story will be both Korean and American, and that's okay. And now, for the first time, I truly feel like a part of the two communities that I have always longed to be closer to, and I'm very thankful for that."
Riew will continue to develop "Shimcheong" as her senior thesis, and has also been approached by producers who are interested in the project.
"I'll be working with my agent to determine the next steps regarding the several film producers who have reached out," she said.
thank god she put the vids on youtube because my old ass can't navigate tik tok lol
source: The Korea Times & Julia Riew 1 2