Disney chose...poorly

[smurasaki]

There's a video out there critiquing Disney, which Fox in the Stars linked in her journal, and which recently came up on a message board we both frequent.  It’s interesting, though, like a lot of criticism, a mixed bag.  I really wish they had done a better job of dealing with the fact that most Disney movies are retellings of folk and fairy tales

Comments

[jinnayah]

My biggest problem with Mulan is that it's painfully obvious that they did NO research on China AT ALL. EVERYTHING is wrong. From the location, appearance, and contents of the family shrine; to the matchmaker meeting; to the "Huns" (Mongols, you morons!]; to the Emperor making public appearance; to the... Well, you get the idea. Not a single thing is even remotely accurate. (Well, I'm sure somewhere some small detail must be right. But it's faster to count them than to count the things that are wrong. Even the stupid horse is the wrong breed for China.)

As for the "going home at the end" of Mulan, it struck me as out of character. It doesn't matter what the original story's ending was when the rest has been changed so much that it no longer fits.
And even staying true to the story, there's just no excuse for the "who cares if she saved China? She should have brought home a man" bit from mom and grandma.

What makes that even worse is that Disney did insane amounts of research for Hunchback of Notre Dame. (Or at least bragged that they did.) IIRC, they went to far as to get maps of the city from the time period that it was set in -- something no one is going to know if you get wrong. And they couldn't crack one book on China?

[smurasaki]

That is weird. How could they not have done basic research? *puzzled*

[shininghalf]

My favorite "this is so not China" was the character obviously coded as an observant Buddhist rhapsodizing about delicious meat. And grabbing Mr. NotChineseWolverine there to pray with him, and NCW totally screws up "Namo Amitofo" (the "Hail to Amida Buddha", Pure Land Buddhists' standard and often-chanted prayer to be taken to a rough analog of Heaven)---AFAIK this would be like grabbing an American "Let's say the Pledge of Allegiance!" and they spit out a bunch of gobbledygook. Or maybe one Mexican grabbing another for an Our Father and the second one bluffs their way through it?? But don't wanna say it too loud, someone might think that second one was funny... >_<;;

[smurasaki]

*sigh* Disney needs help. Or possibly a kick in the butt. (If one can collectively kick a corporate entity's backside.)