Disney has added disclaimers to classic films on its streaming service to warn viewers that some scenes contain &#8220;negative depictions&#8221; and “mistreatment of people or cultures.”
“These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together,&#8221; says the 12-second disclaimer, which cannot be skipped.
The films include &#8220;Dumbo” from 1941, &#8220;Peter Pan&#8221; from 1953, &#8220;Swiss Family Robinson&#8221; from 1960, and &#8220;The Aristocats&#8221; from 1970. The disclaimer also directs viewers to a <a class="css-1g7m0tk" title="" href="https://storiesmatter.thewaltdisneycompany.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">website</a> titled &#8220;Stories Matter,&#8221; which  says, &#8220;Because happily ever after doesn&#8217;t just happen.&#8221;
&#8220;As part of our ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, we are in the process of reviewing our library and adding advisories to content that includes negative depictions or mistreatment of people or cultures,&#8221; the site says. &#8220;We can&#8217;t change the past, but we can acknowledge it, learn from it and move forward together to create a tomorrow that today can only dream of.&#8221;
Disney sets out why it put disclaimers on the various movies:
Dumbo
&#8220;The crows and musical number pay homage to racist minstrel shows, where white performers with blackened faces and tattered clothing imitated and ridiculed enslaved Africans on Southern plantations. The leader of the group in Dumbo is Jim Crow, which shares the name of laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern United States. In &#8220;The Song of the Roustabouts,&#8221; faceless Black workers toil away to offensive lyrics like &#8216;When we get our pay, we throw our money all away.'&#8221;
Peter Pan
&#8220;The film portrays Native people in a stereotypical manner that reflects neither the diversity of Native peoples nor their authentic cultural traditions. It shows them speaking in an unintelligible language and repeatedly refers to them as &#8216;redskins,&#8217; an offensive term. Peter and the Lost Boys engage in dancing, wearing headdresses and other exaggerated tropes, a form of mockery and appropriation of Native peoples&#8217; culture and imagery.&#8221;
The Aristocats
&#8220;The cat is depicted as a racist caricature of East Asian peoples with exaggerated stereotypical traits such as slanted eyes and buck teeth. He sings in poorly accented English voiced by a white actor and plays the piano with chopsticks. This portrayal reinforces the &#8216;perpetual foreigner&#8217; stereotype, while the film also features lyrics that mock the Chinese language and culture such as &#8216;Shanghai, Hong Kong, Egg Foo Young. Fortune cookie always wrong.'&#8221;
Swiss Family Robinson
&#8220;The pirates who antagonize the Robinson family are portrayed as a stereotypical foreign menace. Many appear in &#8216;yellow face&#8217; or &#8216;brown face&#8217; and are costumed in an exaggerated and inaccurate manner with top knot hairstyles, queues, robes and overdone facial make-up and jewelry, reinforcing their barbarism and &#8216;otherness.&#8217; They speak in an indecipherable language, presenting a singular and racist representation of Asian and Middle Eastern peoples.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/uncle-bens-rice-to-take-black-man-off-box-cream-of-wheat-mulls-removing-black-chef">Uncle Ben’s Rice To Take Black Man Off Box; Cream Of Wheat Mulls Removing Black Chef</a>
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Dumbo

Disney Adds Warnings For Racist Content To ‘Peter Pan,’ ‘Dumbo,’ Other Classic Films

Cancel culture

Disney

Racism

Disney has added disclaimers to classic films on its streaming service to warn viewers that some scenes contain &quot;negative depictions&quot; and “mistreatment of

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robots

Disney Adds Warnings For Racist Content To ‘Peter Pan,’ ‘Dumbo,’ Other Classic Films | The Daily Wire

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Disney defended its decision to work with select government entities in the Xinjiang region of China in order to film scenes for its recent live-action feature, &#8220;Mulan,&#8221; saying it had no choice but to cooperate with groups accused of human rights abuses &#8212; even those accused of ethnic cleansing of the country&#8217;s Uyghur population &#8212; in order to film specific scenes.
<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-09/disney-says-it-had-to-work-with-chinese-government-on-mulan?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=socialflow-organic&amp;utm_content=businessweek&amp;cmpid=socialflow-twitter-businessweek">Business Week reports that Disney</a> recently responded to an inquiry letter, sent by two members of the British Parliament, questioning why Disney would consider filming in Xinjiang, given that the region appears to be home to a massive network of concentration camps designed to relocate and &#8220;re-educate&#8221; the country&#8217;s ethnic Muslims.
Disney said it had no choice but to work with government entities in Xinjiang if it wanted to keep the film &#8220;authentic.&#8221;
“There are regulations that must be followed by all foreign film production companies wanting to operate in China,” Disney film studio president Sean Bailey, said in his letter. “These companies are not allowed to operate independently and must partner with a Chinese production company which is responsible for securing all film permits.”
“The decision to film in each of these locations was made by the film’s producers to film in the interest of authenticity, and was in no way influenced or dictated by state or local Chinese officials,” he added.
Disney made no effort to publicize its involvement with the Chinese government in Xinjiang, but, according to Business Week, &#8220;eagle-eyed&#8221; viewers spotted &#8220;thank you&#8221; messages to Xinjiang officials as the credits rolled on &#8220;Mulan.&#8221;
&#8220;Within hours of its release, eagle-eyed viewers saw that the company thanked several entities in Xinjiang, where the government has been accused of oppressing the country’s Muslim-minority Uighurs,&#8221; Business Week notes.
&#8220;Disney said the film is a celebration of female empowerment, based on a 1,500-year-old Chinese poem,&#8221; the outlet adds. &#8220;The scenes in Xinjiang amount to just 78 seconds and were done to capture the region’s dramatic desert scenery and the historic Silk Road. Most of the movie was shot in New Zealand.&#8221;
Disney likely tried to maintain a cozy relationship with the Chinese government in order to win the approval of &#8220;Mulan&#8221; for wide release in China. In the United States, the film debuted on Disney&#8217;s streaming network, Disney+, but had to be released in theaters in China where Disney+ doesn&#8217;t operate.
The decision is particularly ironic given that the company, through its now-former CEO Bob Iger, indirectly threatened to pull the company&#8217;s production apparatus from Georgia if the state passed a controversial ban on abortions performed after a fetal heartbeat can be detected.
Iger told reporters that Disney would find it difficult to continue to work in the state under such deplorable conditions.  “I think many people who work for us will not want to work there, and we will have to heed their wishes in that regard. Right now we are watching it very carefully,” he said. Adding that he did not &#8220;see how it’s practical for us to continue to shoot there,&#8221; per <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-may-pull-georgia-new-abortion-law-enacted-1214329">The Hollywood Reporter</a>.
<a href="https://fortune.com/2020/09/20/disney-mulan-2020-china-box-office-flop/">According to Forbes magazine</a>, the movie wasn&#8217;t a box office success in China.
&#8220;The film generated $23.2 million in its opening weekend at the mainland China box office, sinking below analysts&#8217; estimates that it would rake in $30 million to $40 million. Early indications suggest the movie&#8217;s reception in Hong Kong will be underwhelming too,&#8221; Fortune reported. &#8220;The film&#8217;s mainland China debut was considered a failure not just because it missed analysts’ expectations, but also because Disney had poured five years and $200 million into the film, in part, to ensure it appealed to a Chinese audience. Disney cast actors popular in China, hired Chinese consultants, shared the script with Chinese authorities, and cut scenes that Chinese test audiences didn&#8217;t like.&#8221;
Unfortunately for Disney, pirated versions of the movie leaked to Chinese viewers, who panned the film on Chinese social media.
In all, the movie took in just $67 million in China, $40 million less than the live-action remake of &#8220;The Lion King.&#8221;
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

Disney Mulan

Disney Defends Decision To Work With Chinese Entities Accused Of Human Rights Abuses In Xinjiang

Mulan

Uyghur

Disney defended its decision to work with select government entities in the Xinjiang region of China in order to film scenes for its recent live-action

Disney Defends Decision To Work With Chinese Entities Accused Of Human Rights Abuses In Xinjiang | The Daily Wire

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/disney-defends-decision-to-work-with-chinese-entitites-accused-of-human-rights-abuses-in-xinjiang/

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The usually politically incorrect &#8220;South Park&#8221; returned this week with a one-hour &#8220;Pandemic Special&#8221; that mocked President Donald Trump, fueled the fire of Black Lives Matter rhetoric by its portrayal of police, and bashed Disney for its incestuous business relationship with communist China.
According to <a href="https://ew.com/tv/south-park-pandemic-special-blasts-trump-disney-police/">Entertainment Weekly</a>, the episode hit Trump with every insult in its arsenal by portraying him (as played by his &#8220;South Park&#8221; avatar Mr. Garrison) as an incompetent buffoon who lounges in his Oval Office as the COVID-19 pandemic ravages America.
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&#8220;Midway through the episode, Trump (played by Mr. Garrison, who has served as the show&#8217;s stand-in for Trump since season 19) is shown lounging in the Oval Office refusing to take urgent calls from the CDC, FDA, and Dr. Anthony Fauci,&#8221; reported EW. &#8220;Stan Marsh manages to get through and explains that Trump/Garrison might be able to stop the pandemic if he visits the town of South Park. The president refuses, noting that he &#8216;made a promise to the American people to get rid of all the Mexicans.'&#8221;
&#8220;When Stan notes that COVID kills more than just Latinos, Trump says that the virus is &#8216;still killing a lot of them&#8217; and then pulls out a chart showing how the coronavirus disproportionately impacts people of color,'&#8221; continued the report.
Garrison/Trump then tells Stan that because COVID-19 is such an efficient killer of minorities, he just has to &#8220;guide the avalanche in the right direction&#8221; to fulfill his promise to the American people.
&#8220;I was doing a crap job until this pandemic happened,&#8221; says Garrison/Trump.
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“You’re just going to sit there and not do anything?” Stan asks.
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“I’m going to actively not do anything,&#8221; Garrison/Trump replies. &#8220;And you can [expletive] and die.”
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At the episode&#8217;s end, Garrison/Trump kills the scientists who discovered the COVID-19 vaccine with a flamethrower to prevent a cure.
Beyond Trump, the episode also waded into the Black Lives Matter debate by showing &#8220;South Park&#8221; police covering up the accidental killing of a black student (a nod to Breonna Taylor) and &#8220;murdering kids caught out after curfew.
Straying away from divisive politics by picking a more universal object of derision, the episode severely criticizes Disney for making a &#8220;deal with the devil&#8221; by pandering to China.
At the episode&#8217;s climax, the character Stan gives an emotional speech about the pandemic that most Americans can relate to.
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<div class="paragraph">
&#8220;I can’t take these shutdowns anymore and I’m scared what it’s doing to me,&#8221; he says. &#8220;I’m looking for who to blame — saying I’m trying to help people to make myself feel better. The truth is I just want to have fun again. I wanted to see that I could go out in the world and do things I used to do, but I can’t. I’m not any better and I don’t care any more than anyone else. I did all this because I just want my life back. I just want my life back.&#8221;
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/south-park-satirizes-transgender-athletes-beating-strong-women">‘South Park’ Satirizes Transgender Athletes Beating Strong Women</a>
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“South Park” and COMEDY CENTRAL Present The “Year Of The Fan” Experience – Comic-Con 2011

‘South Park’ Mocks Trump, Bashes Police, Trashes Disney

Black Lives Matter

China

Donald Trump

South Park

The usually politically incorrect &quot;South Park&quot; returned this week with a one-hour &quot;Pandemic Special&quot; that mocked President Donald Trump, fueled the fire

‘South Park’ Mocks Trump, Bashes Police, Trashes Disney | The Daily Wire

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/south-park-mocks-trump-bashes-police-trashes-disney/

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Disney is laying off nearly 30,000 workers after months of limited operations and, in the case of its California locations, forced closures in its theme parks.
Disney’s head of parks Josh D’Amaro sent a memo to employees on Tuesday outlining the need for significant staffing cuts necessitated by the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns. Strict social distancing regulations have cut deep into the company’s bottom line, especially as its California Adventure and Disneyland theme parks in Anaheim, California, remain completely shut down, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/29/disney-to-layoff-28000-employees-as-coronavirus-slams-theme-park-business.html">CNBC</a>.
“Earlier this year, in response to the pandemic, we were forced to close our businesses around the world. Few of us could have imagined how significantly the pandemic would impact us — both at work and in our daily lives,” D’Amaro wrote. “We initially hoped that this situation would be short-lived, and that we would recover quickly and return to normal. Seven months later, we find that has not been the case. And, as a result, today we are now forced to reduce the size of our team across executive, salaried, and hourly roles.”
Disney is planning to cut 28,000 full-time and part-time employees, thousands of which have been furloughed for months with healthcare coverage but no salary or hourly wages. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-reports-devastating-hit-in-income">Disney</a> has not said how the cuts will be distributed across its various parks, though Disney emphasized the impacts <a href="http://dailywire.com/news/newsom-orders-another-california-lockdown-bars-restaurants-churches-gyms">California’s lockdown policies</a> have had on its business, according to CNBC.
“For the last several months, our management team has worked tirelessly to avoid having to separate anyone from the company,” D’Amaro said. “We’ve cut expenses, suspended capital projects, furloughed our cast members while still paying benefits, and modified our operations to run as efficiently as possible, however, we simply cannot responsibly stay fully staffed while operating at such limited capacity.”
“As heartbreaking as it is to take this action, this is the only feasible option we have in light of the prolonged impact of COVID-19 on our business, including limited capacity due to physical distancing requirements and the continued uncertainty regarding the duration of the pandemic,” he added.
The staffing cuts represent roughly 13% of Disney’s pre-pandemic workforce of 223,000 employees. Disney stock dropped 1% on Wednesday following the news, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/disneys-parks-cant-stand-on-pandemics-middle-ground-11601485547">The Wall Street Journal</a>.
The pandemic has hit the amusement industry particularly hard. Even at Disney’s parks in states that are free of onerous coronavirus regulations, traffic at the locations is still at low. Foot traffic at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-announces-plans-to-re-open-theme-parks-next-month-face-masks-required">Disney’s theme parks</a> in Orlando, Florida, is down about 80% from one year ago, according to analysts at Deutsche Bank.
The company is negotiating with union representatives on moving forward with downsizing.
“Thank you for your dedication, patience and understanding during these difficult times. I know that these changes will be challenging,” D’Amaro said. “It will take time for all of us to process this information and its impact. We will be scheduling appointments with our affected salaried and non-union hourly employees over the next few days. Additionally, today we will begin the process of discussing next steps with unions.”
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

California Lockdown Is Costing Thousands Of Disney Workers’ Jobs, Company Says

California

Coronavirus

California&#039;s lockdown is causing Disney to cut 28,000 employees after its theme parks have remained closed for months, the company said.

California Lockdown Is Costing Thousands Of Disney Workers’ Jobs | The Daily Wire

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/disney-cuts-thousands-california-lockdown/

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In trying to remake another animated classic for modern audiences and simultaneously appease the massive multi-billion-dollar Chinese market, as well as politically-correct and hypersensitive viewers, Disney merely manages to remind us that some classics are better off just left alone.
The remake of the 1998 animated classic stars Liu Yifei as the titular heroine, Mulan. Liu, who is also known in China as &#8220;Fairy Sister&#8221; exudes a chic feminine radiance that would better lend itself to the role of a Disney princess than Mulan. Mulan is not a princess. She’s the hoyden daughter of an army veteran; her character commands a degree of unkempt ruggedness, a quality sourly lacking in Liu, whose long, silky hair managed to maintain its model-esque composure even in the apogee of battle.
Liu’s acting is a whole separate issue. Her performance in Mulan is as cold and metallic as the steel blade she bore. And the casting woes don’t end there: Donnie Yen (from Ip Man) the brilliantly talented martial artist was criminally underused in this film — likely by intent, to avoid the risk of upstaging Mulan — but this was like casting Will Ferrell in a comedy, and relegating him to a role where he delivers a dry eulogy at a funeral.
The cast doesn’t get much help from the screenwriter’s room either. The dialogue in Mulan is rampant with cheesy, mundane prose such as,  “You will now take the oath of the warrior; pleading fidelity to the three pillars of virtue; the enemy possesses none of these and therefore can be defeated; remember this when you meet him on the battle field. Draw swords.” You would think (hope!) that a whopping two-hundred-million-dollar Disney budget could afford some half-decent dialogue.
The story of live-action Mulan doesn’t diverge far from the original animation. As hostile invaders threaten the capital, the emperor institutes military conscription across China. Mulan’s frail war-veteran father, having no son to send off to battle, decides he will re-enlist and fight. Seeing her weak-kneed father weathered by the winds of war and barely able to unsheathe his sword from its scabbard, let alone wield it, Mulan decides that she will surreptitiously take his place in the army ranks.
Where the live-action remake varies from its animated counterpart is in Mulan’s “transition” from a fair-haired bride-to-be to a swashbuckling young man. The remake takes a vexing left turn, jettisoning a vital scene where Mulan uses her father’s sword (for the first time) to cut off her hair. In the animated film, this scene wasn’t a superfluous addendum written in on a lark. It was a pivotal moment for Mulan’s character. She was at the crossroads facing two mutually exclusive paths: one was the path laid down by her family and her culture — an arranged marriage and a future as a housewife. This was the “easy” path, as its destination was predictable and required little effort from Mulan, aside from enduring the matchmaker’s My Fair Lady treatment. The second path ran the risk of exile from her nation — or worse, execution — and where it ultimately led was unclear; its destination was hidden in the heavy fog of uncertainty. What Mulan did know was that by embarking on this uncertain road, that she would ultimately be in control of her future.
Mulan chooses the second path because she feels she must protect her father. But more than that, she feels she must be in control of her destiny. There is little doubt that if she had an older brother fit for battle, she would have devised some similar scheme, nonetheless.
The weight of her decision and the duality of the two paths that lie before her are enshrined in this one act of cutting her hair. In doing so, Mulan acknowledges she will no longer be fit for her matchmaker. She does this willingly and with bravado.
The original animation distinguishes between the two paths Mulan can choose from and highlights the importance of this choice. It doesn’t vilify one or the other but makes a realistic and honest depiction of the fact that one can be a traditional lady and tend to a household, or one can be a warrior. But not both. The Disney film subscribes to the notion that these can be done simultaneously, in efforts to blur gender lines and eschew this pivotal choice in Mulan’s life. According to the live-action remake, she can effortlessly have it all. Mulan merely ties her long hair in a bun, bears her father’s military garbs and sword takes his conscription scroll and braves into battle. And here, amid the chaos and turmoil of war, no challenge or hurdle lies in front of Mulan. Imbued with “chi,” Mulan has superpowers, enabling her to effortlessly dodge arrows as they come whizzing at her, killing the rest of the troupe. Her skill with a blade is equally adept, as is her ability to soar through the air and kick arrows and spears, redirecting them into her enemies — yes, this really happens. It’s like watching your friend play a video game on the easiest difficulty setting, turn on all the cheat codes, and follow the walkthrough tutorial.
A second victim of Disney’s woke filmmaking was the role of Li Shang. In the animated film, Shang was the son of an army general and troop leader of Mulan’s regiment. While training and fighting under his tutelage, Mulan developed intimate feelings for Shang. But interpreted through the lens of the “woke” era, this power dynamic between Mulan and her superior was deemed far too salacious for modern audiences. This was yet another vexing decision from Disney, as in the animated film, the budding tension between Mulan and Shang didn’t flower into a relationship until only after Mulan had been promoted to the Emperor’s circle. Moreover, by marrying Shang, Mulan was eschewing centuries of strict cultural customs and expectations whereby her husband would be chosen for her. Instead, she was deciding her destiny — the premise of the Second Path she chose and paved for herself. And isn’t that a better feminist message?
Mulan’s live-action storyline isn’t the only area where the feminist message is obfuscated; where financial risks start, Disney’s woke and progressive proclivities end. Since its release, Mulan has been mired in controversy over Disney’s blithe whitewashing of China’s Communist Party’s ongoing perpetration of cultural genocide against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang province.
Recently, The Hollywood Reporter ran the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-under-fire-for-filming-mulan-in-chinas-xinjiang-province?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social">headline</a>, “Disney Under Fire For Filming &#8216;Mulan&#8217; in China&#8217;s Xinjiang Province”
The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/09/07/why-disneys-new-mulan-is-scandal/">wrote</a>, “Why Disney’s new ‘Mulan’ is a scandal”
And the New York Times ran <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/08/world/asia/china-mulan-xinjiang.html">with</a>, “Why Calls to Boycott ‘Mulan’ Over Concerns About China Are Growing”
The film’s credit scene drew a deluge of ire, as a result of Disney extending their gratitude and excessively thanking numerous Chinese state officials and departments, including, as reported in <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/09/08/mulan-xinjiang-uighur-genocide-disney/">Foreign Policy</a>, the “Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region Committee, as well as the Public Security Bureau in the city of Turpan and other state entities there.” As the report explains, “The Public Security Bureau is one of the main forces administering the internment camps, enforcing the surveillance and interrogation of even nominally “free” Uighurs, forcing people into slave labor, demanding that Uighurs host Han guests employed by the government to spy on them, and sterilizing Uighur women. The Publicity Department — a term that used to be more honestly translated as the Propaganda Department—justifies these atrocities. Most of these policies were well in place — and some of them known in the West—by the time the film was shot, partly in Xinjiang, in 2018.”
In the end, while Disney tried to remake another animated classic for modern audiences and simultaneously assuage and appease the massive multi-billion-dollar Chinese market as well as the politically-correct and hypersensitive American audiences, they reminded us that some classics are better off just left alone.
Harry Khachatrian is a Canadian computer engineer and a contributor at The Daily Wire. Find him on <a href="https://twitter.com/Harry1T6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://twitter.com/Harry1T6&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1513617344022000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHh2pXFSex2266c4GY1YE3A-Q6Ykw">Twitter</a>, pungently commenting on the latest news headlines.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Mulan Boycott

Disney Tries To Appease China & Politically Correct Crowd, Ends Up Proving Mulan Was Better Left Alone

Feminism

Hollywood

In trying to remake another animated classic for modern audiences and simultaneously appease the massive multi-billion-dollar Chinese market, as well as

Disney Tries To Appease China &amp; Politically Correct Crowd, Ends Up Proving Mulan Was Better Left Alone | The Daily Wire

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/disney-tries-to-appease-china-politically-correct-mulan/

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A Disney executive acknowledged the controversy surrounding the live-action “Mulan,” which was partly filmed in a region of China with internment camps for the ethnic minority Uyghur population, after critics also pointed out that Disney thanked various arms of the local communist government in its film credits.
Disney CFO Christine McCarthy made the remarks during a virtual conference in which she was asked if she believed the film&#8217;s success would be hindered in Chinese markets — where Disney reportedly wanted the film to thrive — because all of the different backlash toward the movie, reports <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/09/mulan-disney-cfo-christine-mccarthy-concedes-china-uproar-has-generated-a-lot-of-issues-for-us-1234574761/">Deadline</a>.
“I’m not a box-office prognosticator, but it has generated a lot of publicity,” McCarthy told the virtual conference. “Let me just put something into context. The real facts are that Mulan was primarily shot — almost in entirety — in New Zealand. In an effort to accurately depict some of the unique landscape and geography of the country of China for this period drama, we filmed scenery in 20 different locations in China. It’s common knowledge that, in order to film in China, you have to be granted permission. That permission comes from the central government.”
As The Daily Wire previously reported, Disney <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/backlash-against-disney-for-filming-mulan-in-chinese-province-with-concentration-camps">thanked several government entities</a> in the film’s credits, including the Turpan Municipal Bureau of Public Security, which reportedly helps maintain so-called “re-education” camps for minorities and has been sanctioned by the United States Department of Commerce for its role in doing so, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/disneys-mulan-faces-criticism-for-filming-in-chinas-xinjiang-region/2020/09/08/c45a80d2-f17d-11ea-8025-5d3489768ac8_story.html">The Washington Post</a>.
During the virtual conference, the Disney executive also said that the thank-you to the arms of the Chinese communist government is a typical practice for the movie industry, in which studios will “acknowledge in a film’s credits the national and local governments that allowed you to film there,” reports Deadline.
“So, in our credits, it recognized both China and locations in New Zealand. I would just leave it at that, but it has generated a lot of issues for us,” she continued.
According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/12/business/media/disney-mulan-china.html">The New York Times</a>, Disney “worked overtime” to make the “Mulan” live-action movie work for a Chinese audience, which included sharing a movie script with the Chinese Communist Party in advance, using household names in the film to appeal to the Chinese market, and showing it to at least one Chinese test audience to find out what didn’t work so well (such as a kissing scene that was ultimately deleted). The Times reports that sharing scripts with Chinese officials is a &#8220;not-uncommon practice in Hollywood.&#8221;
Meanwhile, regarding Xinjiang, China, a steady stream of media reports and first-hand accounts have been detailing the lengths to which the Chinese communist government has been going in order to forcibly assimilate the ethnic Uyghur population. Some of these measures include forced sterilization, mandatory re-education in so-called “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/backlash-against-disney-for-filming-mulan-in-chinese-province-with-concentration-camps">re-education camps</a>,” widespread video surveillance, and promoting “repentance and confession.”
According to <a href="https://apnews.com/269b3de1af34e17c1941a514f78d764c">The Associated Press</a>, local government officials have made it practice to force families to pay fines for having too many children — and split them up and ship off family members to internment camps if they cannot comply. From 2017 to 2018, the birth rate in the Xinjiang region fell 24% while the nationwide birth-rate only declined 4%.
During an interview with the BBC earlier this year, Chinese Ambassador to the U.K., Liu Xiaoming, was confronted with drone footage that appeared to show <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-chinese-official-confronted-with-disturbing-detainment-footage-he-deflects-region-beautiful">blindfolded and shaven prisoners</a> kneeling in front of a train station in Xinjiang.
Liu deflected, saying that Xinjiang is regarded as a “beautiful place.” After being pressed, he refused to explain what was happening in the video.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

THAILAND-CHINA-US-ENTERTAINMENT-FILM-RIGHTS

Amidst Backlash, Disney CFO Acknowledges ‘Mulan’ Has ‘Generated A Lot Of Issues For Us’

Chinese Communist Party

A Disney executive acknowledged the controversy surrounding the live-action “Mulan,” which was partly filmed in a region of China with internment camps

Amidst Backlash, Disney CFO Acknowledges ‘Mulan’ Has &#039;Generated A Lot Of Issues For Us&#039; | The Daily Wire

https://www.dailywire.com/news/amidst-backlash-disney-cfo-acknowledges-mulan-has-generated-a-lot-of-issues-for-us/

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Republican lawmakers from Georgia criticized Disney for filming &#8220;Mulan&#8221; in regions of China where people are reportedly tortured in concentration camps, despite having threatened to boycott Georgia for outlawing abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected.
Georgia&#8217;s Gov. Brian Kemp, Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R), and Rep. Jody Hice (R) each issued statements to the Daily Caller&#8217;s <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2020/09/10/georgia-lawmakers-disney-china-concentration-camps-kemp-loeffler-hice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Henry Rodgers</a> that condemned Disney for their apparent double standard.
In 2019, then-Disney CEO Bob Iger <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-ceo-signals-withdrawal-georgia-over-amanda-prestigiacomo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told Reuters</a> that the entertainment giant might sever ties with the state after the heartbeat bill, saying, &#8220;I don’t see how it’s practical for us to continue to shoot there.&#8221; Despite the backlash, Kemp remained adamant at the time that the law was the right thing to do, describing it as &#8220;a declaration that all life has value, that all life matters, and that all life is worthy of protection.&#8221;
In his statement to the Caller, Kemp said, &#8220;With a low cost of doing business, incredible natural resources, and a highly skilled and motivated workforce, Georgia remains the choice location for television and film production. We will continue to compete globally for these projects that invest in local communities and employ thousands of hardworking Georgians.&#8221; Georgia offers a 30% tax rebate for film and TV production, making it a hub for the industry in the Southeast.
As for Disney’s filming in China, according to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-under-fire-for-filming-mulan-in-chinas-xinjiang-province" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Hollywood Reporter</a>, not &#8220;only did Disney shoot in the region, but the studio appears to have offered its gratitude to Chinese government agencies involved in alleged abuses.&#8221; Specifically, they thanked the Turpan Municipal Bureau of Public Safety, which is the agency reportedly responsible for the internment and abuse of nearly 1 million Uyghur Muslims, according to the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-54064654" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BBC</a>.
The Hollywood Reporter added, &#8220;Mulan&#8216;s credit sequence also extends a thank you to the ‘publicity department of CPC Xinjiang Uighur Autonomy Region Committee,’ the Chinese Communist Party agency responsible for producing and managing state propaganda efforts in the region.&#8221;
Loeffler told the Caller, “I’m extremely disappointed that Disney has chosen to partner with—and even thank—the Chinese Communist Party as part of their most recent film production. Xinjiang and China’s disgraceful history of human rights violations, free speech suppression, and even genocide should be denounced vociferously—not applauded.&#8221;
&#8220;As the best state in the country for film and business, I encourage Disney to prioritize freedom, equality, and opportunity for all—and put Georgia back on its mind,&#8221; she added.
Hice offered the lengthiest statement, saying:
<blockquote>Yet another once-great American corporation – the Walt Disney Company – has decided to stand in-league with the evil communist regime in China rather than support and defend American values of equality and respect for all peoples, creeds and religions. Disney happily jumped into the debate in the State of Georgia to oppose the ‘Heartbeat’ bill, which saves the lives of thousands of unborn babies from abortion – but refuses to condemn Communist China’s systematic persecution of religious minorities by the millions.
This grossly hypocritical position and the recent controversy surrounding the movie “Mulan” demonstrates the massive influence of China in Hollywood. Many of us in Congress have been speaking out against China’s blatant disregard for religious liberty for years. But if the American private sector continues to support and collaborate with the communist government, then the fight to stop China’s human rights abuses becomes that much harder.
I urge Disney to seize this moment to serve as a light in the darkness and set an example for other corporations.</blockquote>
Other companies, such as Netflix, followed Disney in their threat to boycott Georgia. “We have many women working on productions in Georgia, whose rights, along with millions of others, will be severely restricted by this law,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content creator, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-ceo-signals-withdrawal-georgia-over-amanda-prestigiacomo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told Variety in 2019</a>. “It’s why we will work with the ACLU and others to fight it in court.”
Netflix <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/walsh-child-sexualizing-cuties-movie-on-netflix-is-even-worse-than-we-thought-its-time-to-cancel-netflix" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">is in hot water</a> with many viewers after clips from its new movie &#8220;Cuties&#8221; depicting young girls dancing in an overtly provocative, sexualized way, went viral.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/more-hypocrites-disney-partners-china-it-threatens-paul-bois" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">More Hypocrites: Disney Partners With China As It Threatens Georgia Boycott</a>
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Kemp Mulan

‘Grossly Hypocritical’: Georgia Lawmakers Blast Disney For Filming In China After Snubbing State Over Abortion Law

Abortion

Georgia

The Daily Caller

Republican lawmakers from Georgia criticized Disney for filming &quot;Mulan&quot; in regions of China where people are reportedly tortured in concentration camps,

‘Grossly Hypocritical’: Georgia Lawmakers Blast Disney For Filming In China After Snubbing State Over Abortion Law | The Daily Wire

https://www.dailywire.com/news/grossly-hypocritical-georgia-lawmakers-blast-disney-for-filming-in-china-after-snubbing-state-over-abortion-law/

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Disney is under fire for filming its new live action version of Mulan in a Chinese city where Muslim minorities are held in prison camps. Mulan tells the legendary story of a young girl who becomes a famous warrior instead of being killed in the first fifteen minutes of any sword battle as she would have been in real life.
The Disney filming of Mulan in a city and country that is violating the most basic rights of its citizens is in direct contrast to Disney’s threat to boycott the state of Georgia if Georgia passed a law guaranteeing religious freedom.
When asked to explain why Disney filmed in a Chinese city that puts religious minorities in camps but refused to film in an American state if it guaranteed religious freedom, Disney spokesman Janus Smug, said, “That’s a very complicated question. No, I’m kidding. The answer is money. The long green. The Almighty Dollar. The Big Somolian. The smackeroo, the cheddar, the Benjamins, the dough, the bread, the casheroni.&#8221;
&#8220;You see, if we bend over backwards or even forwards for the Chinese tyrants who forcibly sterilize women, torture and murder dissidents and intern minorities, our films will be made available to a massive Chinese audience who can fill our pockets with great jingling piles of sweet, sweet ducats which we can then use to buy big houses, cars, private jets and underage girls or, this being Hollywood, boys, all of which is much better than having small houses and cars and having to fly commercial without the 15-year-olds,&#8221; Smug explained.
&#8220;This makes it very important to us that we bring our family friendly fare with its great values and inspiring storylines to the murderous Chinese whereas if we boycott the crackers in Georgia, we’ll look woke for the journos and it will barely cost us a sou,&#8221; Smug added. &#8220;I hope this clarifies the subtle reasoning behind our decision.&#8221;
Disney has already announced their delightful new animated feature &#8220;Mao,&#8221; about an adorable talking Panda who slaughters a hundred million people.
More satire from Andrew Klavan: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anonymous-sources-confirm-anonymous-sources-saying-anonymous-sources-dont-like-donald-trump-satire">Anonymous Sources Confirm Anonymous Sources Saying Anonymous Sources Don’t Like Donald Trump</a>
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Disney Explains Subtle Reasoning Behind Its Decision To Sell Its Soul To China For Tons Of Money [Satire]

Satire

Disney is under fire for filming its new live action version of Mulan in a Chinese city where Muslim minorities are held in prison camps. Mulan tells the

Disney Explains Subtle Reasoning Behind Its Decision To Sell Its Soul To China For Tons Of Money [Satire] | The Daily Wire

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/disney-explains-subtle-reasoning-behind-its-decision-to-sell-its-soul-to-china-for-tons-of-money-satire/

Disney’s live-action remake of “Mulan” has come under fire after the ending credits revealed for filming scenes in China’s Xinjiang Province, where more than a million Uyghur Muslims are housed in concentration camps by the Chinese government.
The Hollywood Reporter <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-under-fire-for-filming-mulan-in-chinas-xinjiang-province">explained</a> that not “only did Disney shoot in the region, but the studio appears to have offered its gratitude to Chinese government agencies involved in alleged abuses.”
“Following Mulan&#8216;s release on Disney+ on Friday, some viewers began noticing a ‘special thanks’ in the film&#8217;s end credits to eight government entities in Xinjiang, including the public security bureau in the city of Turpan, where China is believed to operate over a dozen ‘re-education camps’ that hold Uighurs in extra-judicial detention,” the outlet reported. “Mulan&#8216;s credit sequence also extends a thank you to the ‘publicity department of CPC Xinjiang Uighur Autonomy Region Committee,’ the Chinese Communist Party agency responsible for producing and managing state propaganda efforts in the region.”
As The Daily Wire has previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/more-leaked-documents-from-china-how-the-country-brainwashes-muslims-in-labor-camps">reported</a>, leaked documents from the Chinese Communist Party show just how far the oppression of Muslim minorities goes. Leaks <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-50511063">reviewed</a> by BBC Panorama show that the re-education camps are intended to be run as prisons and not as educational facilities, as the CCP routinely claims. One nine-page memo included in the collection of documents, sent in 2017 by then deputy secretary of Xinjiang’s Communist Party, Zhu Hailun, explains how the prisons should be run:
<ul>
<li>“Never allow escapes”</li>
<li>“Increase discipline and punishment of behavioural violations”</li>
<li>“Promote repentance and confession”</li>
<li>“Make remedial Mandarin studies the top priority”</li>
<li>“Encourage students to truly transform”</li>
<li>“[Ensure] full video surveillance coverage of dormitories and classrooms free of blind spots”</li>
</ul>
The documents further explained how each “student” is to have their every move controlled:
<blockquote>The students should have a fixed bed position, fixed queue position, fixed classroom seat, and fixed station during skills work, and it is strictly forbidden for this to be changed.
Implement behavioural norms and discipline requirements for getting up, roll call, washing, going to the toilet, organising and housekeeping, eating, studying, sleeping, closing the door and so forth.</blockquote>
Those documents also showed the terrifying “Minority Report”-style surveillance system China uses to incarcerate people based on the prediction that they will one day commit a crime. In one of the leaked documents, this system is shown to have flagged 1.8 million people as potential future criminals because they had the Zapya app on their phone. Chinese authorities then investigated 40,557 people who had the app installed and that “if it is not possible to eliminate suspicion” then send them for “concentrated training,” the documents said.
Another stash of leaked documents were <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/11/16/world/asia/china-xinjiang-documents.html">reviewed</a> by The New York Times included internal documents showing how authorities in Xinjiang were to respond to college students returning home to discover their families had been sent to the labor camps.
Authorities were to respond: “They’re in a training school set up by the government,” and if the student pressed for more information, the authorities were to say their families were no criminals but could not leave the “schools.” Further, students would be threatened that their families may be held longer depending on the student’s actions.
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Backlash Against Disney For Filming ‘Mulan’ In Chinese Province With Concentration Camps

Disney’s live-action remake of “Mulan” has come under fire after the ending credits revealed for filming scenes in China’s Xinjiang Province, where more

Backlash Against Disney For Filming ‘Mulan’ In Chinese Province With Concentration Camps | The Daily Wire

https://www.dailywire.com/news/backlash-against-disney-for-filming-mulan-in-chinese-province-with-concentration-camps/

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It’s darn near impossible to review “Mulan” without assessing the histrionics that preceded it. Disney’s live-action remake of its 1998 animated film arrives with heaps of luggage, from the pandemic-fueled release changes to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-54024810">boycotts over the star’s pro-China sentiments</a>. Telling any China-based tale is fraught with land mines as is, given Hollywood’s fealty to Red China. (More on that in a minute) Liu Yifei, who plays the title character, supports the same Hong Kong cops accused of attacking pro-democracy protesters. And, for some, the film’s feminist main character will never be woke enough.
So is the actual film any good? Well, yes, in that homogenized Disney way where they throw so much money at an intellectual property it’s impossible to resist. Just don’t expect to think about it long after the end credits roll.
Yifei plays Mulan, a budding warrior well versed in mastering her Chi, or the life energy flowing through her body. Chi is a critical element of Eastern culture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, but here it acts like something Yoda might backward talk about. “Good for you, Chi is!”
Mulan’s fighting skills could serve the Emperor’s army, especially when a new threat led by Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee) threatens their kingdom. Alas, only men are conscripted to fight in the Emperor’s army. That means Mulan’s frail father (Tzi Ma) must suit up … unless Mulan disguises herself as a man and takes his place.
It’s “Yentl,” but with swords and mystical powers.
For some stretches, “Mulan” soars, especially when its imaginative action scenes flood our senses. The film’s third act features a score of clever fights, although they never rise to the heights of modern Asian features like “Hero” or “House of Flying Daggers.”
The film’s supporting cast, including action superstars like Jet Li (the Emperor) and Donnie Yen (Commander Tung), elevate the material. Yen’s quiet dignity, used better during “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” plays well enough here.
Ironically, the most dramatic tension comes from Mulan’s clash with Xianniang, a shape-shifter played with panache by Gong Li. Their unlikely gender bond, and battles, suggest what “Mulan” might have been with a more nuanced screenplay.
Xianniang didn’t exist in the original “Mulan,” and her banter with the title character captures the era’s glaring sexism. Still, they offer a diversion from the often-inert exchanges with other characters.
“Mulan” can be breathtaking, what with its candy-colored vistas and sweeping camera shots. Disney ladled $200 million onto its prized property, and every penny can be seen on screen.
Even better?
The film doesn’t flood us with CGI, or it does so with a delicacy that belies the massive production scale. There’s an old-fashioned sweep to the cinematic canvas, one that’s rare and refreshing in our digital age.
Too bad we never fully invest in Mulan’s journey.
The stilted nature of the dialogue, the formality of both the military Mulan joins, and the cultural formalities, make it hard for raw emotions to emerge. The screenplay, by a quartet of scribes, doesn’t help. That’s a shame because the raw material exists for “Mulan” to thrive even in the quietest moments.
Yifei, who proves both lovely and lethal, appears up to the film’s considerable challenge. So, too, is her father, played by Ma (“24,” “The Man in the High Castle”). Yet their early scenes together play out as perfunctory, or even time filler.
One of the story’s biggest moments feels rushed, as if Disney realized audiences want more blockbuster action above all. The studio may be right, but it leaves “Mulan” as a brief sensation, hardly the impact of the 1998 film.
The live-action “Mulan” strips away much of what stood out about the source material, namely the songs and wacky side characters.
Sorry, Mushu.
That appears to be both calculated and wise. Remember Will Smith’s awkward singing, and swirling, the genie from the recent “Aladdin” remake?
This quasi-remake hews closer to the Chinese ballad that initially inspired Disney animators. And, once again, Hollywood strained to appease Chinese censors. One sequence from the animated film saw Mulan cutting her long hair to appear more boyish. That moment <a href="https://www.polygon.com/2020/9/4/21423062/mulan-haircut-scene-live-action-remake-changes-differences">angered Chinese audiences</a> for being historically inaccurate, the film’s producer said recently. So out it went.
The original film’s love story is altered dramatically here, in the very woke mode of today where women shouldn’t be defined by their cisgender bonds.
Here, there’s a spark between Mulan and Yoson An’s Chen Honghui, but it’s hardly a roaring flame. More like a campfire splashed with a bucket of lake water.
“Mulan” deserves credit for blazing a partially fresh trail, unlike the shot-for-shot moments from the “Lion King” remake that used computers to simulate a live-action experience.
Still, when “Mulan’s” character beats keep taking a back seat to the action, we’re left with an amusement park ride and little more.
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mulan

Disney’s New Live-Action ‘Mulan’ Fails To Deliver

It’s darn near impossible to review “Mulan” without assessing the histrionics that preceded it. Disney’s live-action remake of its 1998 animated film

Disney’s New Live-Action ‘Mulan’ Fails To Deliver | The Daily Wire

https://www.dailywire.com/news/disneys-new-live-action-mulan-fails-to-deliver/

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Actor John Boyega, who played the character Finn in the Disney &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; saga, denounced the film&#8217;s producers for allegedly sidelining all the minority characters and giving all the white characters more nuanced storylines.
Speaking with <a href="https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/john-boyega-interview-2020">Britsh GQ</a>, Boyega said that his advice for Disney going forward would be to not market a &#8220;black character&#8221; who they eventually sideline.
&#8220;You get yourself involved in projects and you’re not necessarily going to like everything,” he said, as reported by the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2020-09-02/star-wars-john-boyega-gq-article-disney">Los Angeles Times</a>. &#8220;[But] what I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.”
Boyega charged that Disney &#8220;knew&#8221; what to do with Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver&#8217;s characters while not having a clue what to do with Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran, or himself.
“Like, you guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver,” he said. “You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f**k all. So, what do you want me to say? What they want you to say is, ‘I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience…’ Nah, nah, nah. I’ll take that deal when it’s a great experience.”
“They gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley. Let’s be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows. I’m not exposing anything,&#8221; he added.
Boyega opened up about the racism he experienced from the &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; fanbase, which was at its hottest when the trailer for &#8220;The Force Awakens&#8221; was first released.
“It makes you angry with a process like that,” Boyega said. “It makes you much more militant; it changes you. Because you realize, ‘I got given this opportunity, but I’m in an industry that wasn’t even ready for me.’ Nobody else in the cast had people saying they were going to boycott the movie because [they were in it].”
“Nobody else had the uproar and death threats sent to their Instagram DMs and social media, saying, ‘Black this and Black that and you shouldn’t be a Stormtrooper.’ Nobody else had that experience. But yet people are surprised that I’m this way. That’s my frustration,” he continued.
Actress Kelly Marie Tran, who played the character Rose Tico, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/star-wars-actress-deletes-instagram-after-months-paul-bois">deleted her Instagram</a> after enduring a barrage of online abuse. Controversy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/outrage-erupts-on-social-media-over-rise-of-skywalker-sidelining-rose-tico">also erupted</a> with the release of &#8220;The Rise of Skywalker&#8221; over her character&#8217;s diminished role in the final cut, prompting the hashtag #RoseTicoDeservedBetter to trend on Twitter.
Screenwriter Chris Terrio, however, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rise-of-skywalker-screenwriter-addresses-rose-tico-sidelining-controversy">argued</a> that multiple scenes were shot beefing up Rose Tico&#8217;s role, but were left on the cutting-room floor for efficiency reasons.
“As I’ve said elsewhere before, there were a couple of scenes that we shot with Rose that I wish had made it to the final cut,” Terrio began. “You’d be hard-pressed to find a screenwriter who doesn’t wish that all his scenes were treated as inspired gospel and ended up in the film exactly as written. But it’s the nature of the process that certain scenes fall out of the film, and I very much respect the difficulty of the decisions J.J. had to make, wearing both his screenwriter hat and his director hat — especially given that I know for a fact that J.J. adores and respects Kelly and would have loved to keep every second he shot with her in the film.”
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BAFTA Film Awards 2020 in London

‘Star Wars’ Actor John Boyega: Disney Producers Gave All The Nuanced Storylines To White Actors

John Boyega

Star Wars

Actor John Boyega, who played the character Finn in the Disney &quot;Star Wars&quot; saga, denounced the film&#039;s producers for allegedly sidelining all the minority

‘Star Wars’ Actor John Boyega: Disney Producers Gave All The Nuanced Storylines To White Actors | The Daily Wire

https://www.dailywire.com/news/star-wars-actor-john-boyega-disney-producers-gave-all-the-nuanced-storylines-to-white-actors/

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Last year, Disney Plus announced it would attach “content warnings” to old children’s programming which has been deemed racially offensive. In retrospect, that now looks like a precursor to this June, when HBO erased the Oscar-winning classic Gone with the Wind (1939) from its streaming service after a complaint about its supposed racism in the Los Angeles Times by screenwriter Jon Ridley. The movie can now be viewed once more on HBO Max, but only after a four-and-a-half-minute-long video introduction by an “African American cinema expert” to “contextualize” the racial attitudes portrayed in the film.
Other streaming services have affixed similar warnings to the movie so no one will have to experience the horror of consuming art with an open mind.
These are extravagant prostrations by major corporations to “cancel culture,” a racialist system of modern speech codes which make it increasingly difficult to say or publish anything in mainstream outlets without first ensuring it conforms to pre-approved leftist pieties. It all feels highly Soviet, and references to George Orwell’s 1984 have been thick on the ground among conservatives these days.
But cancel culture is older than Communism, and we in the West were warned of its dangers long ago by a writer who far predates Orwell: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Umcsy4Neczc">John Milton</a>. Milton, the greatest epic poet of the English language, dramatized the fall of man in his masterwork, Paradise Lost. But he began his career as a revolutionary and a pamphleteer. He lived through one of England’s most tumultuous eras, the civil wars of the 1600s in which Parliament seized power from King Charles I because of their rage at his excessive taxation and tyrannical overreach.
Milton was on parliament’s side, but he was disappointed to see some of his fellow revolutionaries becoming just as oppressive and autocratic as the king once they took power. In particular, Milton deplored a law passed in 1643, the Licensing Act, which required that every new publication should be read by the government before being printed.
This was an era of breakneck publication, a time in which new ideas were made suddenly possible by the invention of the printing press. It was the birth of newspapers, the heyday of firey political pamphlets and of Protestant reformation. Milton was appalled to imagine that the energy of this electric moment would be stifled by inept bureaucrats with illegitimate power over the free speech of the English people.
So in 1644, Milton wrote the Areopagitica, an impassioned address to Parliament which remains to this day one of the central arguments for freedom of speech and expression. It’s well worth <a href="https://www.dartmouth.edu/~milton/reading_room/areopagitica/text.html">reading in full</a>, but one particular section merits our close attention today.
Even though licensing was mainly meant to constrain modern publication, Milton wrote, it wouldn’t stop there. Rather, “if the work of any deceased author, though never so famous in his life time, and even to this day, come to their hands for licence to be Printed, or Reprinted, if there be found in his book one sentence of a ventrous [daring or risky] edge, utter&#8217;d in the height of zeal&#8230;they will not pardon him.”
In other words, constraints on free speech, once allowed, will end up revising or silencing every idea — even the ideas of the past — to fit with the standards of the present. Nothing will ever be published except writing which conforms exactly to the morals of the current government and the ruling classes. And so the great writing of the past “shall to all posterity be lost,” and the government will perpetrate “a treacherous fraud against the orphan remainders of worthiest men after death.”
Already in the 17th century, Milton could see what we in the 21st are now learning the hard way: if your politicians and your cultural elite will not allow any dissenting ideas to be published, they will eventually reach back into the past to “contextualize” or simply silence great works which do not suit their hyper-modern ideas. And once that’s done, there’s no point in reading old books at all — why even study history anyway, if not to encounter a mindset that’s different than your own?
HBO, Disney, and the rest of the cancellation mob do not know the nature and the power of the fire with which they are playing. If left unchecked, it will go blazing through every great library, every major archive of the West, until nothing is left but dust and ashes. This hideous revisionism is now already threatening to deprive us of all our great literary and artistic heritage — as Milton knew it would.
More from Spencer Klavan: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/c-s-lewis-tyranny-for-your-own-good">‘Tyranny For Your Own Good’: C.S. Lewis On The Philosophy Behind COVID Lockdowns</a>
Spencer Klavan is host of the <a href="http://youngheretics.com/">Young Heretics</a> podcast and assistant editor of the <a href="https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/">Claremont Review of</a> Booksand <a href="https://americanmind.org/">The American Mind</a>. He can be reached on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/spencerklavan">@SpencerKlavan</a>.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

Gone With The Wind

Cancel Culture Isn’t New. John Milton Saw It Coming.

Last year, Disney Plus announced it would attach “content warnings” to old children’s programming which has been deemed racially offensive. In retrospect,

Cancel Culture Isn’t New. John Milton Saw It Coming. | The Daily Wire

https://www.dailywire.com/news/cancel-culture-isnt-new-john-milton-saw-it-coming/

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While movie theaters are beginning to re-open, some film critics don&#8217;t plan to return to preview screenings any time soon.
Disney is releasing the latest Marvel film, “The New Mutants,” this week, but the studio didn&#8217;t &#8220;make screening links available or offer socially-distanced press screenings to film critics,&#8221; IndieWire <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2020/08/film-critics-refuse-review-new-mutants-disney-unsafe-plan-1234582376/">reported</a>. Instead, the studio offered only public screenings.
But film publications such as The A.V. Club, The Boston Globe, and RogerEbert.com don&#8217;t want to attend public screenings, so they won&#8217;t be reviewing the film.
A.V. Club film critic A.A. Dowd explained why in a Tuesday <a href="https://film.avclub.com/the-new-mutants-finally-opens-this-week-here-s-why-we-1844833667" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">essay</a> headlined, &#8220;The New Mutants finally opens this week. Here’s why we’re not reviewing it.&#8221;
<blockquote>A few days ago, we reached out to Disney and were informed by representatives of the studio that they would not be providing press with either an advance screening of the film or a digital review link. In other words, the only way critics will be able to see The New Mutants is if they buy a ticket and go to a theater, just like everyone else. In normal times, that’s exactly what we’d do: Studios will sometimes decline to screen a movie in advance of its public premiere—often, it must be said, when they’re afraid that reviews will be negative enough to hurt attendance. (Maybe The New Mutants is a train wreck. Or maybe Disney just thinks it is.)
But these are not normal times. Last week, we published an interview with scientific experts on the dangers of going to the movies now, during a pandemic that is in no way under control. They did not mince words: There’s a very good chance you could get sick. And that’s a risk The A.V. Club will not be taking to review a movie, any movie, even one that will satisfy our burning curiosity about a long-delayed comic-book blockbuster that sounds more like A Nightmare On Elm Street III: The Dream Warriors than First Class. We are, in fact, adopting the official policy of only reviewing films our writers can safely watch, whether in a socially distanced press screening or with a digital screener. And yes, that applies to all our writers, even those willing to take the risk for an assignment, because we’re not willing to monetize that risk, either.</blockquote>
RogerEbert.com editor Brian Tallerico responded to the piece, writing on Twitter, “We also will not have a review of ‘The New Mutants’ because there’s no safe way to do so. We will review theatrical releases when presented with a safe way to do so – screener or socially distanced screening – but that’s not an option in this case.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
We will review theatrical releases when presented with a safe way to do so &#8211; screener or socially distanced screening &#8211; but that’s not an option in this case.
&mdash; Brian Tallerico (@Brian_Tallerico) <a href="https://twitter.com/Brian_Tallerico/status/1298320984886452224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Boston Globe film critic Ty Burr also wrote on Twitter that his publication would also not be reviewing “The New Mutants” this week.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Same. <a href="https://t.co/v67MULhooi">https://t.co/v67MULhooi</a>
— Ty Burr (@tyburr) <a href="https://twitter.com/tyburr/status/1298320071354470404?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2020</a></blockquote>
AMC Theatres, the nation’s largest movie theater chain, last week reopened more than 100 cinemas, about a sixth of its U.S. locations.
At first, the chain will offer some retro movies, including “Ghostbusters,” “Black Panther,” “Back to the Future,” and “Grease,” among others. After the reopening, those older films will continue to play for $5, The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/a3794011d38591428c3a6e771d84977a">reported</a>, as new movies begin to be released.
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Audience wearing 3-D glasses in movie theater

Film Critics Refuse to Review ‘New Mutants’ Over Disney’s Screening Plan

COVID-19

Marvel

While movie theaters are beginning to re-open, some film critics don&#039;t plan to return to preview screenings any time soon. Disney is releasing the latest

Film Critics Refuse to Review ‘New Mutants’ Over Disney’s Screening Plan | The Daily Wire

https://www.dailywire.com/news/film-critics-refuse-to-review-new-mutants-over-disneys-screening-plan/

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Disney confirmed its cartoon about a teenage girl who takes up witchcraft after stumbling into the demon realm is the first to feature a lead character who is bisexual.
The protagonist of &#8220;The Owl House&#8221; is 14-year-old Dominican-American girl Luz Noceda, who reportedly expressed interest in male characters at some point but has since expressed interest in females, according to several <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/owl-house-makes-history-disney-s-first-bisexual-lead-character-n1236947" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sources</a>. The show is about Noceda&#8217;s adventure in becoming a witch, despite having no magical powers.
Show creator Dana Terrace, whose <a href="https://twitter.com/DanaTerrace/status/1292327747944099840" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pinned tweet</a> as of Monday is &#8220;Anyway, be gay do witchcraft,&#8221; said she has long had the intention to feature queer children in the cast of the show and used a recent episode about Luz going to prom as revealing the character&#8217;s sexuality. Terrace identifies as bisexual.
&#8220;In dev I was very open about my intention to put queer kids in the main cast,&#8221; she tweeted. &#8220;I&#8217;m a horrible liar so sneaking it in would&#8217;ve been hard haha. When we were greenlit I was told by certain Disney leadership that I could NOT represent any form of bi or gay relationship on the Channel.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m bi! I want to write a bi character, dammit! Luckily my stubbornness paid off and now I am VERY supported by current Disney leadership,&#8221; she added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
When I was first developing Owl House I always wanted to do a prom episode to make up for my own experiences. Back then PROM was an anagram for &quot;Perennial Ritual Offering Maiden&quot;. I&#39;m so INCREDIBLY grateful for the crew working to make this episode so badass. <a href="https://t.co/Ak8dNVMAdo">pic.twitter.com/Ak8dNVMAdo</a>
&mdash; Dana Terrace (@DanaTerrace) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanaTerrace/status/1292321438901219328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I&#39;m bi! I want to write a bi character, dammit! Luckily my stubbornness paid off and now I am VERY supported by current Disney leadership. (Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/NashRiskin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NashRiskin</a> and team!) Not to mention the amazingness of this crew.
&mdash; Dana Terrace (@DanaTerrace) <a href="https://twitter.com/DanaTerrace/status/1292321440696422400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Spencer Wan, who was a former animation supervisor for the show, tweeted the original storyboard for the dance scene between Luz and Amity, writing that it was his “first time getting to do anything even remotely queer.”
&#8220;The storyboards for the dance,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;This was a collaboration between Hayley Foster and myself. At some point I got carried away and timed it to Veo Lu Sluice by Kumi Tanioka. This was my first time getting to do anything even remotely queer, and I&#8217;ve never been prouder of any board.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The storyboards for the dance. This was a collaboration between Hayley Foster and myself. At some point I got carried away and timed it to Veo Lu Sluice by Kumi Tanioka.
This was my first time getting to do anything even remotely queer, and I&#39;ve never been prouder of any board. <a href="https://t.co/r0ljIGRxTV">pic.twitter.com/r0ljIGRxTV</a>
&mdash; Spencer Wan (@SpencerWan) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpencerWan/status/1292561852380020737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
PFLAG National lauded the bisexual cartoon, tweeting, &#8220;#VisibilityMatters. And we love hearing this about our friends at @Disney.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VisibilityMatters?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VisibilityMatters</a>. And we love hearing this about our friends at <a href="https://twitter.com/Disney?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Disney</a>. 
Also <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Lumity?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Lumity</a>. That episode. Yes. ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/Btz9lyHmBA">https://t.co/Btz9lyHmBA</a>
&mdash; PFLAG National (@PFLAG) <a href="https://twitter.com/PFLAG/status/1292527429869740033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2020</a></blockquote>
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As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/disneys-animated-movie-onward-to-feature-first-explicitly-lgbtq-character" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>, Disney&#8217;s Pixar broke new ground in March when their film &#8220;Onward&#8221; became the first animated Disney feature to star an openly LGBTQ character:
<blockquote>The character, voiced by Lena Waithe, will be a lesbian police officer whose sexuality will be explicitly pointed out in the movie as opposed to just being implied, such as the alleged lesbian couple in “Finding Dory” or the “exclusively gay moment” in the “Beauty and the Beast” live-action remake.</blockquote>
Other children&#8217;s shows are featuring LGBTQ characters, such as the Netflix series &#8220;The Baby-Sitters Club,&#8221; which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/netflixs-the-baby-sitters-club-reboot-features-a-transgender-9-year-old">features a 9-year-old trans child</a> named Bailey.
&#8220;When Bailey comes down with a fever, Mary Anne rushes her to the hospital, where two doctors misgender her,&#8221; one of the tweets from Netflix read. &#8220;Mary Anne firmly corrects them. Misgendering is traumatic. This is one of the baseline ways cisgender people can show up for the trans people in their life[.]&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
When Bailey comes down with a fever, Mary Anne rushes her to the hospital, where two doctors misgender her. Mary Anne firmly corrects them. 
Misgendering is traumatic. This is one of the baseline ways cisgender people can show up for the trans people in their life <a href="https://t.co/EyrenC5QDK">pic.twitter.com/EyrenC5QDK</a>
&mdash; Netflix (@netflix) <a href="https://twitter.com/netflix/status/1286390878546694149?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-state-senator-fights-for-bill-that-could-alter-sex-offender-registration-for-gay-sex-with-minors" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">California State Senator Fights For Bill That Could Alter Sex Offender Registration For Gay Sex With Minors</a>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Disney+ logo

Disney Confirms Character In Cartoon About Witchcraft Is Bisexual

LGBT

Occult

Disney confirmed its cartoon about a teenage girl who takes up witchcraft after stumbling into the demon realm is the first to feature a lead character

Disney Confirms Character In Cartoon About Witchcraft Is Bisexual | The Daily Wire

https://www.dailywire.com/news/disney-confirms-character-in-cartoon-about-witchcraft-is-bisexual/

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Hollywood power players are getting in bed with groups eager to turn an ideologically lopsided industry into a near monolith.
A pair of veteran actors are trying to bring balance to an industry as ideologically rigid as a CNN chyron.
Nick Searcy and Antonio Sabato, Jr. are both working with new production companies to tell stories existing studios might avoid. Think faith-friendly, pro-American tales, or at the very least yarns that speak to the country’s rich past.
They face an uphill battle on a number of fronts, though each deserves credit for seeing a cultural chasm and attempting to fill it.
Meanwhile, big players in Hollywood are forming partnerships with groups that will further push left an already ideologically imbalanced industry.
The upcoming film “The Way I See It” charts the remarkable career of Chief White House photographer Pete Souza, who served that function during both the Reagan and Obama years.
Today, Souza is a fiery critic of President Donald Trump, part of the motivation behind the new documentary … from MSNBC Films.
MSNBC Films is currently working with a number of high-profile partners including Focus Features and Blumhouse Productions, measures sure to boost its industry profile.
The production shingle has been active since 2009, but to date it hasn’t released a film quite like “The Way I See It,” let alone one debuting weeks before a major national election.
That’s no accident, of course. Consider the similarly timed Showtimes series “The Comey Rule,” debuting on the pay channel over two nights starting Sept. 27. The miniseries stars Brendan Gleeson and President Trump and Jeff Daniels as the disgraced former FBI Director.
The project’s creator, Billy Ray, all but demanded Showtime drop the miniseries prior to Election Day. The channel eventually complied.
Those projects may soon be dwarfed in both size and ideology by a massive merger announced last month. Lionsgate is partnering with Oprah Winfrey, Pulitzer Prize®-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times to develop content tied to the 1619 Project.
For the uninitiated, that’s the <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2020/02/19/these-black-scholars-and-leaders-rebuke-1619-projects-narrative-of-victimhood/">deeply flawed</a> endeavor meant to recast the American experiment as inherently racist. Historians have teed off on its many inaccuracies, and Hannah-Jones herself has admitted the 1619 Project is more <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/1619-project-founder-claims-her-project-is-simply-an-origin-story-not-history">“origin story” than history.</a>
Oh.
The plans include feature films, TV shows and related content “for a global audience,” the press release on the deal notes. Winfrey, the billionaire who recently said America operates under a &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/oprah-caste-system-gives-whites-a-leg-up">caste system</a>&#8221; benefiting white Americans, is on hand to “provide stewardship and guidance.”
It’s hardly the only project tied to The New York Times. <a href="https://www.axios.com/new-york-times-tv-shows-8c7858f0-aee8-4f55-b72d-bb537e2f52a6.html">Axios reports</a> a number of new developments including a rebranded documentary series, now dubbed “The New York Times Presents” airing on both FX and Hulu.
The company’s media division debuted its premier feature documentaries at Sundance earlier this year with an expanded movie division promising more “in-house” content.
That’s in addition to 10 scripted TV shows currently in development.
It’s worth noting the Gray Lady’s content is increasingly biased, with voices drifting to the center, let alone the right, getting drummed out the newspaper. Just ask <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gadfly-bari-weiss-quits-new-york-times-savages-them-if-you-speak-your-mind-youll-be-hung-out-to-dry">former contributor Bari Weiss</a>.
Let’s not forget the Obamas’ aggressive measures on the pop culture front. The former First Couple’s Higher Ground production group just delivered “Becoming,” a mash note to Michelle Obama, and the duo are just warming up in the cultural space, what with her new Spotify podcast.
Their initial documentaries, “American Factory” and “Crip Camp” haven’t been as ideological as some might expect. They still have a better grasp of pop culture than most political couples, and have a massive war chest thanks to their Netflix deal to do as they please.
Yet none of this may truly measure up to the woke winds blowing through the industry in the wake of the George Floyd riots.
The industry remains understandably guilty for its poor representation over the years. To right that wrong, Hollywood power players are leaning in, hard, hoping to address America’s “systemic racism” in as many projects as possible.
It’s why the aforementioned projects happened in the first place. It also explains the upcoming “League of Our Own” reboot, promised to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/a-league-own-reboot-ordered-series-at-amazon-1306264">emphasize the racial and gender woes</a> of the era – 1950s America.
Over at the Mouse House, Disney <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2020-07-12/hollywood-decides-being-woke-is-good-for-business-for-now">inked a deal</a> with far-left activist and occasional athlete Colin Kaepernick to <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29417850/colin-kaepernick-disney-announce-partnership-deal">produce new content</a>.
The partnership will focus on telling scripted and unscripted stories that explore race, social injustice and the quest for equity. It also will provide a platform to showcase the work of minority directors and producers.
The company also approved a “Wonder Years” reboot featuring a black family.
And, of course, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is leveraging its global brand to push <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2020/02/mark-ruffalo-kevin-feige-quit-marvel-disney-mcu-diversity-1202213127/">diversity as much as super heroics</a> moving forward.
So much of Hollywood today is either woke, progressive or a heady combination of the two. Just peek at late-night television, a nightly infomercial for the Democratic Party.
We might actually look back at 2020 as being a simpler time when some TV shows and movies hit screens without an overt agenda.
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-reporters-ignored-richard-gere-slamming-u-s-studios-for-china-appeasement">Reporters Ignored Richard Gere Slamming U.S. Studios For China Appeasement</a>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Colin Kaepernick

TOTO: Think Hollywood Is Liberal Now? New Developments Will Push It Even Further Left.

Barack Obama

Michelle Obama

New York Times

Oprah Winfrey

Progressivism

Hollywood power players are getting in bed with groups eager to turn an ideologically lopsided industry into a near monolith. A pair of veteran actors are

TOTO: Think Hollywood Is Liberal Now? New Developments Will Push It Even Further Left. | The Daily Wire

https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-think-hollywood-is-liberal-now-new-developments-will-push-it-even-further-left/

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Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has found himself suddenly in demand again, and the racial justice activist announced Monday that he&#8217;d inked a first-look deal with The Walt Disney Company and ESPN to produce &#8220;scripted and unscripted stories that deal with race, social injustice and the quest for equity,&#8221; including a documentary series about his own life, <a href="https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/colin-kaepernick-walt-disney-first-look-deal-espn-1234698911/">per Variety</a>.
Kaepernick, who left the National Football League in 2017 after turning down a one-year contract with the 49ers, has signed several lucrative deals of late, beginning with a multi-year agreement, multi-million dollar contract with Nike. He also recently inked a deal with Netflix for another autobiographical project, &#8220;Colin in Black &amp; White,&#8221; which, the streaming network says, will &#8220;examine Kaepernick&#8217;s high school years to illuminate the experiences that shaped his advocacy.&#8221;
Critically acclaimed director Ava DuVernay has signed on to help handle that six-episode series, which will reportedly debut later this year.
The new Disney/ESPN projects, part of a long-term partnership between the network and Kaepernick&#8217;s Ra Vision Media production company, will have a focus on social justice and will fall largely under ESPN&#8217;s &#8220;The Undefeated&#8221; venue, which &#8220;focuses on matters of race in sports,&#8221; but could involve collaborations between Kaepernick and other Disney media properties, like animation studio Pixar and streaming network Hulu.
The partnership will “elevate important stories of lives too often unseen and to deliver them to a vast audience across The Walt Disney Company,” the senior vice president of ESPN&#8217;s The Undefeated said in a statement. We want to continue to call attention to the issues of racial injustice that America is wrestling with, and do that in new, compelling ways.”
&#8220;I am excited to announce this historic partnership with Disney across all of its platforms to elevate Black and Brown directors, creators, storytellers, and producers, and to inspire the youth with compelling and authentic perspectives,” Kaepernick said Monday, according to Variety. “I look forward to sharing the docuseries on my life story, in addition to many other culturally impactful projects we are developing.”
The project will include input from Jemele Hill, a fellow racial justice advocate and former ESPN employee who was terminated from the network following comments she made about President Donald Trump &#8212; and the network&#8217;s decision to scale back on political content.
&#8220;The new series will utilize new interviews as well as never-seen-before archival material that documents the most recent years of Kapernick’s life,&#8221; Variety reports. &#8220;The athlete has enlisted Jemele Hill, the journalist who previously worked for both ESPN and The Undefeated, as a producer on the project.&#8221;
This docu-series, in contrast to the Netflix docu-series, will focus on Kaepernick&#8217;s decision to initiate an anti-racism protest in 2016, which involved him kneeling during the NFL&#8217;s patriotic pre-game festivities, including the national anthem. The protest eventually took root across the NFL, triggering a nationwide outcry. Kaepernick became a free agent in 2017 but went unsigned after turning down a short contract extension with the 49ers.
After several failed attempts to return to the NFL, Kaepernick became a full-time activist, and, following the death of George Floyd while in the custody of the Minneapolis police, returned to national prominence as a leading voice of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers with the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

Colin Kaepernick Signs Deal With Disney/ESPN To Make Docu-Series About His Own Life, Social Justice Films

ESPN

Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has found himself suddenly in demand again, and the racial justice activist announced Monday that

Colin Kaepernick Signs Deal With Disney/ESPN To Make Docu-Series About His Own Life, Social Justice Films | The Daily Wire

https://www.dailywire.com/news/colin-kaepernick-signs-deal-with-disney-espn-to-make-docu-series-about-his-own-life-social-justice-films/

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One of Disney Plus’ biggest attractions opened just in time for Independence Day.
The streaming channel debuted the Tony Award winning production “Hamilton” on July 3.
The hip-hop musical is hailed as a creative modern retelling of Alexander Hamilton’s journey to becoming a Founding Father of the U.S. Created by composer, playwright, performer, and producer Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton won 11 Tony awards in 2016 as well as the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in Drama.
Viewers <a href="https://www.cnet.com/how-to/hamilton-coming-to-disney-plus-july-3-but-you-cant-stream-with-a-free-trial-how-to-watch/">can’t even leverage a free Disney Plus trial</a> to see it. It’s full price or bust.
But wait…
We’ve spent the last month seeing American statues spray-painted or toppled. Confederate symbols got thrown into the circular file along with the president who <a href="https://www.insider.com/boston-removing-statue-lincoln-standing-over-freed-black-man-2020-7">fought a Civil War to free American slaves</a>.
Even Mt. Rushmore is under attack, both by Native American activists and The New York Times.
As the 1619 Project bravely taught us, America was built by slaves in order to preserve and protect slavery. It’s already been decided that “<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/gal-gadot-imagine-fallout/">Imagine</a>” should be the <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/06/26/activists-change-national-anthem-to-john-lennons-imagine/">new national anthem.</a>
So how can woke Americans watch Lin-Manuel Miranda and co. pay tribute to the Founding Fathers?
Sure, “Hamilton” features people of color playing Caucasian leaders like the title character, George Washington, and Aaron Burr. The color-blind casting proved a welcome twist when the show first debuted in 2015.
It was woke … for its time. Today? That’s hardly a defense.
This racist nation shouldn’t be celebrated in song, let alone via an award-winning musical honoring its founders. Is there a better way to heal the nation than by demanding Disney Plus remove “Hamilton” as quickly as it unveils it? No warning label could address a production dedicated to slave owners, a la HBO Max’s treatment of “Gone With the Wind.”
The production’s unwoke agenda is hardly new. Harvard Law School’s Annette Gordon-Reed <a href="https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/10/correcting-hamilton/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CHe%20bought%20and%20sold%20slaves,having%20a%20president%20for%20life.%E2%80%9D">sounded the alarm</a> four years ago on the subject.
The show portrays Hamilton as a “young, scrappy, and hungry” immigrant (he was born on the Caribbean Island of Nevis, but qualified as a U.S. citizen when the Constitution was adopted), an egalitarian, and a passionate abolitionist.
All of this is wrong, Gordon-Reed said.
“He bought and sold slaves for his in-laws, and opposing slavery was never at the forefront of his agenda,” she said.
“He was not a champion of the little guy, like the show portrays,” she said. “He was elitist. He was in favor of having a president for life.”
It gets worse.
“In the musical, only Jefferson is shown as a slave holder,” said Gordon-Reed, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for her book on the family of Sally Hemings, slave and mistress to Jefferson. “But Madison owned slaves too, and so did George Washington.”
Black Lives Matters didn’t rise up following the killing of George Floyd only to see Americans celebrate the Founding Fathers anew. And Disney had been working so hard to be socially conscious. The company <a href="https://insidethemagic.net/2020/06/disney-video-black-lives-matter-ky1/">released a video</a> shortly after Floyd’s murder <a href="https://insidethemagic.net/2020/06/disney-black-lives-matter-kc1/">supporting BLM.</a>
We just learned the<a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-to-paint-black-lives-matter-on-sides-of-courts-at-disney-per-report/"> words “Black Lives Matter” will be painted</a> on the three NBA basketball courts at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex.
Airing “Hamilton” represents a monumental step backward.
All of this, of course, assumes BLM, and its many supporters, are both consistent and logical in their quest to fix our broken country; that they have the country’s best interests at heart, not a political agenda with dubious goals, at best.
Right?
If that wasn’t true, though, our fearless mainstream media would have warned us already.
A version of this article appears on <a href="http://HollywoodInToto.com">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.

Lin-Manuel Miranda

TOTO: Shouldn’t ‘Hamilton’ Get Canceled Next?

Hamilton

rioters

One of Disney Plus’ biggest attractions opened just in time for Independence Day. The streaming channel debuted the Tony Award winning production

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Along with endorsing players putting social justice messages on the backs of their jerseys, the NBA is working with the players union to paint &#8220;Black Lives Matter&#8221; on both sides of the courts in Walt Disney World arenas, where the league will play when it resumes its coronavirus-paused season in late-July. Despite the league&#8217;s efforts to incorporate social justice themed protests into its games, some players are still planning on opting out of playing in order to focus on activism.
The NBA&#8217;s Disney courts decision follows players &#8220;insist[ing] that the fight for racial equality and social justice be a central part of the NBA&#8217;s return to play and the WNBA&#8217;s new season,&#8221; as well as several players stating they plan to stay off the court when play resumes &#8220;to focus on social justice issues,&#8221; <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29384944/nba-plans-paint-black-lives-matter-courts-orlando">ESPN</a> reports.
&#8220;The NBA and National Basketball Players Association are planning to paint &#8216;Black Lives Matter&#8217; on the court inside both sidelines in all three arenas the league will use at the Walt Disney World Resort when it resumes the 2019-20 season late next month in Orlando, Florida,&#8221; ESPN reported this week, citing league sources.
Sources told the network that the WNBA is also considering painting the slogan on the sides of courts at the IMG Academy in Florida, where the WNBA&#8217;s season will resume. Along with the reference to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/black-lives-matter-led-drive-to-defund-the-police-also-targets-capitalism">far-left organization</a> behind recent protests and riots, the WNBA is considering including the phrase &#8220;Say Her Name,&#8221; a reference to Breonna Taylor, who was shot dead by police in March, on the backs of their jerseys.
NBA players have also been given the greenlight to include social justice-themed statements on the backs of their jerseys, a move first reported following a conference call with the press on Friday that including union leaders from both leagues. The leagues, they said, were in discussions with the union to allow players to put their own messages on their jerseys in order to &#8220;call attention to racial equality, social justice and police brutality,&#8221; ESPN reported.
<a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-to-paint-black-lives-matter-on-sides-of-courts-at-disney-per-report/">CBS Sports</a>&#8216; Sam Quinn praised that decision as &#8220;powerful,&#8221; but argued that it &#8220;puts the onus on players.&#8221; The decision by the league to paint the politically charged slogan on its sidelines makes clear that the league stands fully behind the players&#8217; activist message. &#8220;The league itself needed to send a message of solidarity, and is doing so with its latest decision,&#8221; Quinn writes.
Multiple players have announced that they plan to sit out the Disney games, some citing coronavirus fears, but others specifically stating that they are sitting out so they can focus their attention on social justice activism.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lebron-launches-new-media-empire-with-100m-investment-intends-to-move-the-culture">LeBron Launches New Media Empire With $100M Investment, Intends To ‘Move The Culture’</a>
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NBA Experience

NBA To Paint ‘Black Lives Matter’ On Sides Of Disney Courts, Allow Players To Put Social Justice Messages On Jerseys

Defund The Police

Social Justice

Along with endorsing players putting social justice messages on the backs of their jerseys, the NBA is working with the players union to paint &quot;Black

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Walt Disney World and Disneyland theme parks are slated to re-open to the public in just a few short weeks, but at least one iconic ride, Splash Mountain, may be off-limits to visitors until the park completes a full renovation, replacing the ride&#8217;s &#8220;controversial&#8217; subject matter.
Splash Mountain is a narrative log flume-style ride that currently takes visitors on a tour of the Briar Patch, home to Brer Rabbit and other traditional African-American folk characters, some of whom the Walt Disney company&#8217;s animation studios immortalized in the early-1940s film, &#8220;Song of the South.&#8221;
Now, Disney says, it&#8217;s time for the ride to get a makeover, and it will soon close to be &#8220;re-imagined&#8221; as a new experience featuring characters from the New Orleans-set Disney animated film, &#8220;The Princess and the Frog.&#8221;
&#8220;Splash Mountain has been a mainstay at Disney parks since its creation in 1989. The new changes to the ride will be implemented at Disneyland park in California and Magic Kingdom park in Florida,&#8221; <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/25/media/splash-mountain-disney/index.html">CNN reported Thursday</a>.
Thursday&#8217;s &#8220;move comes amid fans urging Disney to retheme Splash Mountain because of the racial stereotypes from the film it is based upon. &#8216;Song of the South&#8217; — which is best known for the song &#8216;Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah&#8217; — has long been criticized for its stereotypical and offensive portrayals of African Americans as well as a romanticized view of the antebellum South,&#8221; <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/25/media/splash-mountain-disney/index.html">CNN explained</a>.
The ride originally had no theme; the &#8220;Song of the South&#8221; characters were added later, as well as the ride&#8217;s finale song &#8220;Zip-a-Dee-Do-Dah (Wonderful Day),&#8221; which plays just as riders are cast out over a waterfall, and also features prominently across the Disney properties.
The ride&#8217;s theme has always been controversial, particularly given that Disney pulled plans to release &#8220;Song of the South&#8221; on home video in the United States in the early 1980s, well before the Splash Mountain ride ever debuted. Screeners of the film were, at one time, available in Europe and Asia, but Disney has struggled with whether to allow Americans to own copies of the film and it is not available on the animation company&#8217;s proprietary screening platform, Disney+.
In 2020, then-Disney CEO Bob Iger said the film was simply &#8220;not appropriate in today&#8217;s world.&#8221;
After the death of George Floyd, a black man who perished while in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department, and a subsequent nationwide movement to address systemic racism, Disney fans circulated a petition asking the company to re-theme the ride &#8212; and even proposed the &#8220;Princess and the Frog&#8221; theme.
&#8220;While the ride is considered a beloved classic, its history and storyline are steeped in extremely problematic and stereotypical racist tropes,&#8221; reads the petition, available on Change.org. &#8220;There is a huge need for diversity in the parks and this could help fill that need.&#8221;
The refurbished ride will pick up where the &#8220;Princess and the Frog&#8221; movie ends. Disney has not said when Splash Mountain will reopen, only that their Imagineers are in the early stages of redeveloping the ride.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Splash Mountain

Disney Will Re-Imagine Controversial Splash Mountain Ride, Re-Theme With ‘Princess And The Frog’

Walt Disney World and Disneyland theme parks are slated to re-open to the public in just a few short weeks, but at least one iconic ride, Splash Mountain,

Disney Will Re-Imagine Controversial Splash Mountain Ride, Re-Theme With &#039;Princess And The Frog&#039; | The Daily Wire

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Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, announced Wednesday that it plans to reopen its Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom theme parks as early as July 11, but guests will find a host of changes to their &#8220;Disney experience.&#8221;
According to <a href="https://www.orlandosentinel.com/coronavirus/jobs-economy/os-bz-coronavirus-disney-seaworld-reopening-plans-20200527-m2wfkypbbbfzvmrykwlafu4voy-story.html">the Orlando Sentinel</a>, which has catalogued Disney&#8217;s woes since the company was forced to shutter its theme parks across the globe back in March, Disney released a plan Wednesday that has some of its parks opening as early as July 11th, just over a month away, with others, including EPCOT and Disney Hollywood Studios, opening some time later, coronavirus permitting.
Disney Springs, a non-theme park attraction at Disney World featuring mostly dining and retail, is already open to visitors.
The Magic Kingdom is Disney World&#8217;s central park, but Disney Hollywood Studios, home to the Star Wars-themed &#8220;Galaxy&#8217;s Edge&#8221; attraction, is currently the World&#8217;s biggest draw. Disney&#8217;s plan allows for the company to make a controlled roll out, implementing anti-virus policies that have worked in Disney parks in Asia (most of which are now fully open), with time to tweak them to serve a largely American consumer base.
Disney World guests will also be required to wear masks, and Disney says it is making no exceptions.
“We have strong language,” Jim McPhee, Senior Vice President of Operations at Walt Disney World, told the Sentinel about Disney&#8217;s new face-coverings policy. “They say they are required.”
The parks will also feature &#8220;social distancing squads,&#8221; &#8220;high energy&#8221; groups of cast members charged with enforcing strict social distancing. Guests will also be required to make reservations for park entry times, as the parks will be enforcing &#8220;attendance limits,&#8221; and will have to submit to temperature checks when entering.
Parades and other special events are suspended.
Disney parks around the world have been closed for at least ten weeks, leaving the company facing a possible $21 billion revenue loss from their themed attractions alone, <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2020/05/04/disney-theme-parks-face-21-billion-coronavirus-loss-through-2022-analysts-warn/">according to the Orange County Register</a>. &#8220;To put that mind-boggling loss into perspective, &#8221; the paper notes, &#8220;that’s enough to pay for Shanghai Disneyland four times over. Disney’s $5.5 billion Chinese theme park resort opened in 2016.&#8221;
In Florida, the park closures have a human cost. &#8220;Disney is the region’s largest employer and the company’s self-initiated shutdown on March 16 left tens of thousands out of work,&#8221; the Orland Sentinel says. &#8220;Unemployment in Osceola County is the highest in the state at 20.3%, while 16.5% of workers in Orange County are without jobs.&#8221;
Disney parks in Asia have already reopened, though with similar, strict, anti-coronavirus measures. Disneyland in Anaheim, California, will be allowed to reopen when that state reaches &#8220;stage 3&#8221; of its coronavirus recovery plan.
Other Orlando, Florida, theme parks, like Universal Studios and Sea World, say they will follow Disney&#8217;s lead in reopening and have signed on to Disney&#8217;s rollout plan, with certain changes. Universal Studios will require all guests over age 2 to wear masks, and Sea World will require visitors to undergo mandatory temperature checks. Both parks will open sooner than Disney World, likely on June 11.
The theme parks&#8217; plans are not yet final. Gov. Ron DeSantis must sign off in order for Disney to reopen.

Walt Disney

Disney Announces Plans To Re-Open Theme Parks Next Month, Face Masks Required

Disney World

Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, announced Wednesday that it plans to reopen its Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom theme parks as early as July 11,

Disney Announces Plans To Re-Open Theme Parks Next Month, Face Masks Required | The Daily Wire

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