REFLECTION MULAN TRANSGENDER MOVIE

Recently, ABC (whose channel is owned by Disney Studios) announcedthat their show Once Upon a Time would soon be featuring the show’s first LGBTQ+ relationship.Since then, speculation in the entertainment industry has centered on the idea that Mulan would be one half of this couple.Īlthough I personally do not watch Once Upon a Time, I have to say I’m intrigued by Disney’s decision to portray openly-gay characters. However, in addition to Mulan’s gender bending in order to join the Chinese army, the song lyrics, “…who I am inside” could also serve as coded language for a gay audience. Feminists could interpret the song as Mulan’s longing to be more than a submissive wife and daughter. In fact, she is the one who saves her loved ones (all male): her father, her love interest, and her army buddies. Young girls-the target audience-can also look up to Mulan’s character as a heroine who doesn’t need to be saved by men. When Mulan’s father accepts Mulan for who she is, it could simply be a story about the importance of family as a unit and not the roles they play.

Mulan is a story which can resonates with a wide audience and for a variety of reasons. Like most other Disney protagonists (including Aladdin the impoverished “street rat,” Belle the bookworm, and Ariel the wannabe human) Mulan’s character is an underdog who wishes for something more from life than what her society expects from her.

REFLECTION MULAN TRANSGENDER MOVIE

Loosely based on the Chinese legend of the same name, the movie tells the story of a young woman who defies the gender norms of her strict society when she disguises herself as a male soldier in order to save her father’s life. It is directed by Niki Caro.Somehow I cannot hide /Who I am, though I've tried./ When will my reflection show who I am inside? Over the past seventeen years we younger Millennials have grown up with these lyrics from the Academy Award-nominated anthem “ Reflection” from the 1998 Disney film Mulan. In addition to “Loyal Brave True,” Aguilera also recorded a new version of “Reflection” for the upcoming movie.ĭisney’s Mulan stars Yifei Liu as Mulan, Donnie Yen as Commander Tung, Jason Scott Lee as Böri Khan, and Yoson An as Cheng Honghui, with Gong Li as Xianniang and Jet Li as the Emperor. The official lyric video dropped on YouTube on Friday and, as of today, has over 930,000 views.Īguilera first announced her return to Disney’s Mulan in February during a performance of the original “Reflection” in Las Vegas, CBR reported. It also references the old hit, referring to Mulan “look in the water” to find herself, and the title itself is a motif, describing the ideal wife and warrior.

The lyrics of “Loyal Brave True” emphasize “what a warrior would do,” beginning with powerful drumbeats that carry a strong tone throughout the song. The teaser itself includes few new scenes and mainly serves to introduce Aguilera’s song. The song, “Loyal Brave True,” was released with a new movie teaser last Friday, according to CBR. Christina Aguilera, who provided the vocals for “Reflection” in the original Mulan, returns to the screen with a new ballad for Disney’s live action adaptation.

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