What Americans might call the value of personal achievement, self-actualization, Chinese might see as "self-aggrandizing".
REFLECTION MULAN YOUTUBE MOVIE
In China, Mulan was released in February, after the Chinese New Year, after their holiday movie season. Second of all, even besides the humor, Mulan frankly doesn't translate very well as a Chinese story. Mulan had been criticized by Chinese critics as "too individualistic" (Langfitt). First of all, the Chinese government deliberately discouraged it from being popularly received, preferring not to market so many foreign movies, among other diplomatic reasons (many people watched pirated versions anyway). Mulan did not perform that well in China at all, and for several reasons. But the subtle twist is part of what makes it funny and enjoyable. Chi Fu apparently means "to bully."Īnd, for instance, how many non-Americans would catch this reference? Perhaps not even all Americans. In the movie there are only a few subtle jokes for Chinese speakers - the names of certain characters are puns. When the Emperor's assistant Chi Fu asks for "order" one character shouts "Moo Goo Gai Pan!", a Chinese-American restaurant dish (Incidentally, a Chinese restaurant owner informed me that Moo Goo Gai Pan is the only common dish that translates literally - "Mushrooms and Chicken Slices"). And in Mulan there are quite a few "inside jokes" for Americans. But Mushu wasn't really intended to be a Chinese character other than in the simple fact that he's a little dragon.Īlthough humor is universal in a few ways, it's actually often very cultural specific, especially if it relies on cultural stereotypes and pop cultural references. I'm sure his jokes were probably difficult for translators and for foreign audiences, especially Chinese ones. Mushu is about as Chinese as Aladdin's Genie is Arab - which is to say not at all. Eddie Murphy does a wonderful job as Mushu - he's very funny - but he's very funny in an African American way, with jokes that Americans would get. If nothing else, you can tell it's an American movie just by the humor. Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that, as someone put it, Mulan is "an American story in a Chinese context". Still, I can't change the fact that I was touched by the sympathetic story about a girl desperate to prove herself, and that I was inspired by the animation and, yes, the Chinese setting. Wong, Ming-Na Wen, and others.)Īnd so I admit that I'm biased in favor of Mulan, even after 14 years, and with a little more awareness of its criticisms. (This is even representative in the fact that Mulan also had an impressive cast of Asian-American actors, including Pat Morita, George Takei, B.D. You could argue that the story is a little mixed-up, or you could argue that the mix of Eastern and Western values makes an interesting interplay as produced by a country that shares American and Asian heritage. Although Mulan has been criticized for being an inauthentic depiction of Chinese culture and even of feminism, she did make a popular address to these subjects, albeit for the intended American audience. It's a good story, and it combines (or clashes) values of American and Chinese culture.
June 18 marks the 14th anniversary of the release date of Disney's Mulan - and this was actually my favorite classic Disney movie.
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