Unlike previous Disney live-action remakes such as “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” and “Aladdin,” the upcoming “Mulan” is expected to make some pretty big changes to the animated source material. And some of these changes include eliminating certain characters from the film. Mushu, the talking dragon, voiced by Eddie Murphy in the original, won’t be in the film. And neither will Li Shang, one of the title character’s closest allies. Speaking to Collider, producer Jason Reed explained why the latter won’t be making an appearance and it’s for completely different reasons than the talking dragon.
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“We split Li Shang into two characters,” explained the producer. “One became Commander Tung [Donnie Yen] who serves as her surrogate father and mentor in the course of the movie. The other is Honghui [Yoson An] who is [Mulan’s] equal in the squad.”
For many fans, the idea that Li Shang isn’t in the film is a bit disappointing. One of the reasons for the disappointment is the fact that Li Shang served as a bit of LGBT representation on screen, as he and Mulan’s male alter-ego, Ping, shared a close bond. Many fans interpret that bond as proof that Li Shang is bisexual.
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So why the change? Why did the producers feel the need to erase an element of the film that could have explored sexuality in a nuanced way? Well, apparently it had everything to do with another issue on the mind of many nowadays, #MeToo.
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“I think particularly in the time of the #MeToo movement, having a commanding officer that is also the sexual love interest was very uncomfortable and we didn’t think it was appropriate,” said Reed.
It’ll be interesting to see how fans react to the change in the story, as Li Shang is one of the more prominent figures in “Mulan.” Is the #MeToo reasoning enough to warrant the character’s erasure? We’ll find out when “Mulan” arrives in theaters on March 27.
