Episode 4.6: Mulan

Witches in Britches

Happy full moon! In this episode we tackle Mulan, the latest of the Disney live-action remakes.

Note: We recorded via Zoom, and there were some audio/ connection issues; we apologize for the glitches. Content warning for discussions of sterilization, torture, the Uighur genocide, and ICE detention centers in the first 13 minutes.

Our theme song is “Moon and Spruce” by Sarah Little Drum.

Here’s a listening guide for the episode. (For a description of our segments, go here.)

Introduction (0:00 – 13:45)

“Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?” (13:45 – 40:10)

“Bald Heads and Queer Noses” (40:10 – 59:30)

“Treguna Mekoides Trecorum Sadis Dee!” (50:30 – 1:15:40)

Final Spells (1:15:40 – 1:24:08)

“I do not think a creative team that willfully ignores real human suffering in order to get particular scenery for their shots is capable of telling an emotionally resonant story of a heroine who sacrificed everything to prevent more human suffering.” @plindawrites

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Links

• Uyghur Human Rights Project (donate here)
• Families Belong Together (donate here)
• MSNBC Interview with Dawn Wooten
• Episode 20: Revaluing Free Speech with Yan Sham-Shackleton (conversation from Katie’s other podcast about the situation in Hong Kong)
• “The Problem with Mulan: Why the Live-Action Remake is a Lightning Rod for Controversy” by Jingan Young
• “‘Mulan’ Has a Message: Serve China and Forget About the Uighurs” by Jeannette Ng
• “Beyond Authenticity: The Spectre of Han Hegemony” by Jeannette Ng