Mulan II

I have a bone to pick with Disney.

When they made Mulan in 1998, they did their best to respectfully portray medieval China's culture while entertaining the Western audience. Since a Disney audience is young, they effectively taught some good morals to our children; morals like respecting gender differences and understanding that gender roles are not set in stone. (Spoiler alert: For those who don't know, Mulan was a woman who dressed as a man to fight in the army in place of her father.)

All good things that we should learn, right? Respect for differences. Keep that in mind as I explain the subject of my beef.

The sequel, Mulan II (2004), begins with a song as Mulan teaches children how to beat each other up. (Cool!) As the story unfolds, we learn a valuable lesson about an aspect held by many (mostly Asian) cultures: Arranged marriage. (Be prepared, more spoilers to follow!)

Mulan is to escort three princesses from one kingdom to another so that they may be married in hopes of strengthening diplomatic ties. Should these marriages fail, the potentially pending war with Mongolia will begin.

The princesses are content with their situation; their duty is to China, its Emperor, and its people.

Alas, Mulan decides that forcing the princesses to do something that they don't want to do (not that they don't want to do it, mind you... in fact, they consider it an honour and a duty!) is immoral, and schemes up a way to free the princesses out of their (honorable) situation.

Mulan says their duty should not be to the millions of people who probably died in the war to follow, but to their own hearts.

And so (according to Disney) all arranged marriages are immoral.

Even if the fiancées are okay with the idea.

--
D. Phillips