Disney drop key character from "Mulan" following #MeToo movement

PanARMENIAN.Net - A Disney producer says the character Li Shang is missing from the live-action remake of "Mulan", as his storyline is not "appropriate" in the #MeToo era, the BBC reports.

The film tells of a woman who disguises herself as a man to fight in place of her father in China's imperial army.

In the 1998 animated original, based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, General Li Shang developed a bond with Mulan's male warrior alter-ego Ping.

After her true identity was revealed, she and Li Shang have dinner together.

Given recent revelations in Hollywood, however, producer Jason Reed confirmed they were uncomfortable with the power dynamics in their relationship.

"I think particularly in the time of the #MeToo movement, having a commanding officer that is also the sexual love interest was very uncomfortable and we didn't think it was appropriate," Reed told Collider.

"We split Li Shang into two characters [for the remake]. One became Commander Tung, who serves as her surrogate father and mentor in the course of the movie. The other is Honghui who is [Mulan's] equal in the squad."

Last week, movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of two counts in his sexual assault trial, more than two years after the first allegations against him emerged, sparking the #MeToo movement.

Chinese-American actress Liu Yifei plays the legendary warrior in Niki Caro's live-action film, which recently faced calls for a boycott after she voiced support for Hong Kong's police force after violent pro-democracy protests.