Disney is being rightfully criticized for its abhorrent treatment of the human rights situation in China as its remade version of Mulan was released on Friday. But Disney is deeply intertwined with the Chinese Communist Party, and that hasn’t changed yet.
Disney’s Mulan controversy started last year when lead actress Liu Yifei endorsed the government crackdown on protesters in Hong Kong. Now, the film credits thank several groups within the Chinese government, including propaganda arms and groups involved in the Xinjiang concentration camps.
Many were quick to point out Disney tacitly threatening to pull filming from Georgia over the state’s heartbeat law while thanking Chinese officials working in camps where women are being forced into abortion and sterilization, but it’s really not that surprising. In the United States, Disney walks the social justice line that is necessary to be in the entertainment industry. But access to the Chinese market requires cozying up to the CCP, even if it means praising their human rights atrocities.
Disney’s Marvel smashed Chinese box office records with Avengers: Endgame, the highest-grossing foreign film in China’s history. Disney’s also tied to the country in the live sports market, with ESPN boasting an exclusive content deal with China’s Tencent for the NBA and other sports. Shanghai Disneyland brings in approximately $1 billion in revenue.
When it has to choose between China and the U.S., Disney chooses China. That’s why they’re fine with threatening Georgia but openly cheer on groups working Xinjiang’s concentration camps. That’s also why they were willing to whitewash a Tibetan character in Marvel’s Doctor Strange, knowing that their American audience wouldn’t put up a fight over the film being “unwoke.”
Sure enough, Disney turned to touting its Star Wars show, The Mandalorian. American fans can only muster their outrage in bursts, so the Uighur babies being killed by the very Chinese government forces Disney is praising will be quickly forgotten as Baby Yoda returns.
It’s easy to signal your outrage over Disney pandering to China, but it’s much more difficult for consumers to change their viewing habits to reflect it. Disney’s streaming service, where Mulan was released, is now over 60 million subscribers and climbing. Marvel movies remain the most popular mainstream films in the country. Disney won’t stop their shameful China pandering because no one is there to shame them for it.
