#Anti Live Action Mulan

[joshuasumter]

My UPDATED version of my Kill La Kill spoof.

SYNOPSIS: The story you know and the characters you love gets a character-recasting makeover in a whole new way in an epic, thrilling remake/character-recasting spoof of Studio Trigger's original hit anime from 2013 of the same name that shook the streets of Honno City, Kill la Kill. Experience and relive the saga of Ryuko Matoi (Go Go Tamago/Lady (Devil May Cry)), a fierce, vagrant woman who crosses paths with the undisputed, iron-willed Student Council president and ruler of Honnoji Academy, Satsuki Kiryuin (Fa Mulan/Xu Xialing). While transferring to the academy and searching for the murderer with the Scissor Blade who killed her father, Ryuko demands answers from Satsuki, but she is chased away by the students equipped with Goku Uniforms that are infused with mysterious alien-like material called Life Fibers. Just when Ryuko was at her lowest and at wit's end, she awakens a living, sentient uniform called a Kamui that may be the key to humanity's future. Sensing Ryuko's anger toward everything, the wisecracking, larger-than-life Kamui bonded with her and the two became the most unexpected, lethal roadblock Honnoji Academy has ever seen (Like Venom).

But just as Ryuko and the Kamui she named Senketsu (Bruno (Marvel's Future Avengers)) form an unlikely, symbiotic bond, Satsuki has also awakened and bonded with a Kamui of her own as well -- Junketsu (Namaari (Raya and the Last Dragon)). Soon, Ryuko and Senketsu are dragged into an epic battle for Honnoji Academy and the fate of mankind that is ravaged with rebellion, action, drama and heart, ultimately resulting in Ryuko and Satsuki's rivalry, the shocking truth about their connected past, and the war against the Life Fibers.

With the help of their friends and allies, including the energetic, hyperactive Mako Mankanshoku (Sofia the First) and her family (Wreck-It Ralph, Adult Wendy Darling, Timothy Templeton, and Dante (Coco)); the Elite Four of Honnoji Academy's Student Council (Joshua Sumter (Me), Aladdin, Tony Stark, Vanellope Von Schweetz); and the anti-Life Fiber organization Nudist Beach led by undercover homeroom teacher Aikuro Mikisugi (Flynn Rider), Ryuko and Satsuki - with both their bonded Kamuis - will have to figure out how to put aside their differences...and reunite as long-lost siblings to stop and foil the plot of the sinister CEO of REVOCS and the director of Honnoji Academy herself -- their birth mother, Ragyo Kiryuin (Eris (Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas))

CAST:

Gogo Tomago (Big Hero 6) with Lady (Devil May Cry) as Ryūko Matoi

Fa Mulan (Mulan (1998)) with Xu Xialing (Shang-Chi: Legend of the Ten Rings) as Satsuki Kiryūin

Sofia the First (Sofia the First) as Mako Mankanshouku

Bruno (Marvel Future Avengers) as Senketsu

Namarri (Raya and the Last Dragon) as Junketsu

Joshua Sumter (ME!) as Ira Gamagōri

Aladdin (Aladdin (1992)) as Uzu Sanageyama

Tony Stark (Iron Man: Armored Adventures) as Hōka Inumuta

Vanellope Von Schweetz (Wreck-It Ralph) as Nonon Jakuzure

Hiro Hamada (Big Hero 6) as Shirō Iori

Wreck-It Ralph (Wreck-It Ralph) as Barazō Mankanshoku

Adult Wendy (Return to Neverland) as Sukuyo Mankanshoku

Timothy Templeton (Boss Baby) as Matarō Mankanshoku

Dante (Coco) as Guts, Mankanshoku family's pet pug

Flynn Rider (Tangled) as Aikurō Mikisugi

Jann Lee (Dead or Alive) with Ichiban Kasuga (Yakuza: Like A Dragon) as Tsumugu Kinagase

Alfred Pennyworth (DC Universe/Batman) as Mitsuzō Soroi

Eris (Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas) as Ragyō Kiryūin

Larxene (The Kingdom Hearts series) as Nui Harime

Nebula (MCU/Guardians of the Galaxy) as Rei Hōōmaru

[mia-talks-toons]

(S1E3) The Owl House: How Companies Disrespect Animated Shows

A relatively new show to join the ranks of some of Disney’s BEST animated shows, The Owl House was created in 2020 by Dana Terrace, and is the last of the Disney Channel’s serialized cartoon shows (more on that later…). It follows the adventures of Luz Noceda, a regular teen girl, who was magically transported into another world, named the Boiling Isles, full of witches and (friendly) demons and all sorts of neat creatures. There, she trains with her mentor, Eda the Owl Lady (and a demon named King), on how to become a witch and use magic, even though she, as a human, has no natural magical powers of her own. The story is, in my opinion, extremely well done, and I fell in LOVE with every single character. The only issue is that it felt a liiiittle bit too short… And let me tell you why.

While the second season was airing, it was revealed that The Owl House would end prematurely, and the show’s third season, which was already planned out, would be shortened to three specials, instead of the usual 20ish 22-minute episodes a season would have. Many ideas had to be cut, and a lot of character development had to be shortened in the process. A lot of fans were sad, disappointed, and outright outraged, including me! Such an amazing show didn't deserve the short end of the stick. The question on most of the fandom’s mind was “Why?”, and Disney tried to answer.

Dana Terrace (The show’s creator) has gone on record saying that the show didn't fit the Disney "brand". She mentioned the fact that Disney TVA wanted to move away from serialized content, as it’s mostly older kids, teens, and adults who could keep up with those kinds of shows. The Disney Channel wanted to keep their target audience a tad younger, so that meant getting rid of shows with linear storylines and introducing more shows that you could jump into at any episode.

However, many fans have speculated that this was because the show contains a lot of queer themes and characters, and Disney has shown over and over again that even though they may seem progressive, they show many homophobic tendencies. Examples of this are removing gay scenes or characters from their movies when they’re released in homophobic countries, and boasting about their “first gay/lesbian/bi/trans character!!!” while only giving them a blink-and-you-miss-it moment that mentions their identity. Knowing this, it feels like Disney’s intentions were different than they lead us to believe.

No matter what the REAL reason was for the cancellation, I’m still extremely upset. If it’s for the anti-queer reason, it would hurt, as I grew up watching Disney movies and shows, and shortening a show because of characters who are LGBT, just like me, would frankly be offensive. But the other reason would hurt just as much. Animation is constantly referred to as a “children’s genre”, both by the general public and the film industry itself. Anyone older than mid-teens is often discouraged from watching animated shows and movies unless they’re specifically targeted at that demographic. Because of this, a lot of people are missing out on some really great stories and incredible visuals. My own mother made fun of me for preferring the animated Mulan movie to its abysmal 2020 live-action counterpart. I LOVE animation, and I feel like it’s constantly being mistreated by those who are meant to defend it. And that leads to beautiful pieces of art being, well, cancelled and shortened.

But hey, at least The Owl House got to properly end, right? Unlike some other shows…

[flower1622]

I think changes are good, but change the original version of something...is like a no to me. I really like diversity, when it's written by it's own story like Moana, Mulan, Raven and many other movies or series.

I consider myself an Anti - Woke, but there are some changes that I can put up with, such as:

. Percy Jackson series:

I think the actors were a little ok. The acting is not that 100% good, but I understand they are just kids now.

At first, I didn't like black Annabeth...but in the sad moments...the actress made me feel compassion for the character (I say this because I don't like Annabeth. If I had to choose a version would be the one from the series or the movie). So, she is a little ok for me.

About grover...I like him in all versions. He is one of my favourite characters. I know that he isn't black or indian...but the actors were good...especially the one from the movies...he brought life to the character...it was pretty fun!

The only problem I have is with Percy's hair. I'm sorry guys! But I can't imagine a blonde Percy. 😅

. Percy Jackson (The Movies):

(I already made a post about this one)

. The Vampire Diaries (Series):

I liked the series a lot. When I bought the books, I didn't want to continue reading them because they were too different from the series. I got too attached to the live action. I thought the changes made it better

. Dragon Ball (Movie):

I know that people didn't like this one. I agree with them. The characters were not the same, especially Bulma and Goku. Goku was a student. This is not the Goku we know. But at least I liked his relationship with Chi Chi

[whattheabcxyz]

2023-12-27

Singapore

Jail for man who threatened doctors & nurses with Swiss Army knife & hurled vulgarities at them - drugs most likely to blame for his behaviour

Serangoon North shop owners frustrated over MRT construction barriers affecting sales

MOH says HIV disclosure law being reviewed - under current law, those with HIV/AIDS or who suspect themselves of having it must disclose their condition to their partner; advocacy groups argue that this is counterproductive to health goals

Singapore port hits all-time high of 3b gross tons in vessel arrivals this year

$15m plan by industry body to drive up chartered accountant numbers here

Indian family gets scammed trying to buy organic eggs off Facebook - they were sent a phishing link as usual, which they stupidly clicked on & used to enter their bank details, & now they are insisting that the banks take partial responsibility for their actions 😣

Money mule hiring spree goes digital as crime syndicates turn to Telegram

Bookshops, art dealers & theatre companies worry consumers will cut non-essential spending next year when GST is raised yet again - maybe then don't go into businesses like these if you're worried about making a decent living?! 🙄

30 people under probe after multi-agency anti-crime blitz in Geylang

2 women arrested for evading roadblock

Condo rents decreased for 4th consecutive month in Nov, but HDB rents rebounded

Science

Scientists destroy 99% of cancer cells in the lab using vibrating molecules - well, it's not 100%, & it wasn't done in humans

Nature

Reindeer can not only sleep with their eyes open, but also do other stuff (like chewing their food) while sleeping!

Art

^ This isn't a real human, but a sculpture!!! 😳

Home

Ceiling fan blade breaks off while in use - the family whose home the fan was installed in was luckily unharmed as they were not in the room; the fan had only been in use for 4 years

People

Parasite actor Lee Sun-Kyun found dead of apparent suicide - he'd been under investigation for drug use

Food

Stall owner in China beats customer up for adding "too much" vinegar to his meal - well, this just about sums up the Chinese mentality of everything revolving around $$$ & $$$ alone!!!

Gossip

K-pop star Park Bom's latest plastic surgery fail - those heavily plastic-surgeried pop stars & actresses all look like carbon copies of one another now

Entertainment

BBC's adaptation of Agatha Christie's "Murder Is Easy" sees protagonist changed from white colonial police officer to black Nigerian - when're they going to a do a black adaptation of Mulan or Pocahontas then? lol

[envoyartsguild]

Rambling to thoughts get off my chest

I’m starting to have to accept the fact some of my friends do not see representation in the same way I do. 

I have two friends who are also PJO fans and they had a more negative reaction to Annabeth being cast with a black actress. (One of them is black btw). I reacted positively. I think it’s cool and potentially great representation. I’ve also seen some compelling arguments on Tiktok by some black female creators I follow. 

My friends are Neurodiverse and they like familiarity, they’re nostalgic (same here), and sometimes it’s difficult to convince them of new ideas or to change ideas or see things from a different perspective. One of them really thinks in terms of black and white. It’s good or bad.

Sometimes it’s frustrating for me personally to see something and be hype for it and they’re either ambivalent or completely opposed. They like the familiarity of blonde grey eyed Annabeth Chase. This live action adaptation probably isn’t meant for them exactly and will probably pull in new readers of PJO which is awesome. Also the new show could address a lot of criticism and aspects that didn’t age well within the Percy Jackson universe. They don’t always see it that way.

Whenever someone argues forced diversity my red flags go off in my head to approach subject with caution because forced diversity has just become a trigger into my head of someone’s going to say some kind of Anti-SJW shit where it’s just some misogynistic echo chamber slogan where some guy on the internet had a problem with a woman existing in a movie/video game/comic or insert thing here. Most of the time when someone makes the forced diversity argument it’s an inarticulate and inaccurate portrayal of what feels like the root of the problem. The problem that is capitalism and commodification of social justice as clout. 

Like yeah, diversity should be done well but like we can’t make impossible Goldilocks standards for creators for a black woman to exist in a universe, or make up an in universe reason why a minority is here. The female character can’t be a virgin but she can’t be a whore, she’s too nice but she can’t be too mean. She’s a mary sue and skilled at everything or she’s useless and does nothing for the plot. None of these arguments work with each other but I hear them all the time for the same characters. 

I agree raceswapping certain characters is a bad idea because sometimes it’s very important to who they are as a character. Like bad idea to make Mulan a white person. However, I also feel sometimes it’s a missed opportunity if you change a white person into POC and part of their thematic journey or character arc involves oppression sometimes in certain contexts if would be proper and make the story deeper if you included that new aspect. Not every POC has to address racism as a systemic problem. Just like how not every queer person has to have a coming out plot line. I understand why some people want there to feel like effort and care was put into representation.

Some people feel like that can only be done with new characters. Like the Stan Lee approach of maybe not have Peter Parker be black but hey we got Miles Morales. Yeah that’s true in some scenarios but it feels like drawing a boundary, like this invisible line, where POC can’t have certain characters. You can’t have my toy go make your own. Tries to make own but doesn’t get funding, marketing, or attention it deserves. You can’t really replace Peter Parker with Miles Morales cause Miles will always be associated with Peter but Peter won’t have to be associated with Miles. 

IDK it all gets so complicated so fast. IDK solutions or how to feel about all this stuff. I just try and understand how I feel about things, how other people feel about it, and self-reflect whether or not I need to change or add to my opinion on how exactly we can make better stories. 

One way is to dismantle capitalism.

Other ways are varied and will always differ between people. *sigh* I’ll just do my thing and they’ll do their thing in the end. 

[is-today-tomorrow-in-nz]

Thank you @aleksanderscult!!! You have beautifully worded my frustration with Zoya's character and this new, growing trend of 'strong' women characters. It absolutely revolts me.

All these new age women characters are factory-made and swappable. You can still follow the story if you swap one character with the other. I can swap Zoya with the lead from Echo or the live action Mulan lead and it won't make a lick of difference to the story because they all share the same characteristics- loner, angry, unsympathetic, super-charged and emotionless robots. And if the said female character, god-forbid, possess a flaw or have a bad/evil trait, she must immediately be redeemed by a 'tragic' backstory.

Why? Why has the modern-day writing come to this? Didn't we all say a decade or so ago that being unemotional is not a desirable quality in men? Then why are modern female characters pushed into that frame? If a woman has to be strong, then she has to be a man? Is that what we are trying to say? Why do women have to erase their feminine traits to become stronger?

Zoya has always been a jealous, bully. She had been cruel to those around her in the past and had continued to do it when she took over the Second Army. Giving her a slightly, tragic past does not absolve her of it. Trauma does not equate to likeability.

And I know some antis might say, 'Doesn't this apply to the Darkling then?' No. It does not. Zoya is not even in her thirties and her first reaction to her childhood trauma is to become a bigger bully than the rest. Whereas, Aleksander is almost a thousand year old and trauma is a very mild word to describe what he went through. And, unlike our Queen Zoya here, his first brush with traumatic near-death did not make him a bully, it made him a boy with a kinder heart. So, no, they are not the same and cannot be compared.

I don't care for Zoya, and duology did little to redeem her in my eyes. She isn't a "hero" material - which in itself wouldn't be bad, but she also isn't interesting enough to be a villain (theoretically). Nothing about her makes me want to go - oh, I want to know more about this character and her motivations! On the other hand, I guess she and Nikolai do deserve each other.

Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear anonymous glasses.

You, my friend, spoke only truth.

I also want to say about this new trend that is very popular the last 5-6 years. The trend of "we make women tough to the point of having no empathy, no kindness. Just being bitches. That's it". And I hate it SO MUCH you have no idea. And Zoya has become this type of character. I didn't care for her in the trilogy. But in the duology I just straight hated her. And this whole "we give a very sad background to characters that we want you to like" needs to stop honestly. You don't have to give a melodramatic background to every single one morally good character so you can make the reader like him. And that's another thing that Bardugo gave to Zoya so that we can sympathize with her.

Her whole character is shit and has been this way from the beginning. She started as a bully and she continues to be a bully.

So why we, the readers, should like her? Because she had a sad past? Well okay in that case why shouldn't we like the Darkling too? Didn't he have a shit life as well?

Anyway, you're right. And duology!Nikolai and Zoya truly deserve each other. I don't even like that ship. And I don't think the majority of this fandom cares what will happen to them from now on. Personally, I don't even have any faith that the future books of the Grishaverse are going to bring improvement to these characters. On the contrary, they will become worse.

Send me your unpopular opinion

[enixamyram]

I totally understand people who get frustrated when the things they like and love about a movie is changed or edited out it for whatever reason in its sequel or remake...

But from what I've heard about the live action Mulan movie, cutting Mushu, the songs and Shang's entire character are actually very low on the list of problems it has.

[anntickwittee]

Enjoying the last day that the animated Mulan is the only Mulan.

[gch1995]

I never was interested in The Winx Club cartoons growing up, but I know that it is/was another bright, colorful, and optimistic show for kids from the late 90s-early 2000s about teenage female superheroes that got “the Riverdale treatment” in a shitty live-action reboot/spin off by the CW on Netflix.

The thing that the CW and Hollywood, in general, particularly today, often to fails to realize is that it is actually empowering to girls and young women to see fictional stories, books, movies, cartoons, and TV shows centered on strong female heroines who are allowed to be portrayed as being girly girls, being imaginative, being optimistic, being empathetic, being sensitive, being insecure, being interested in things that are often considered childish, and making bad choices and mistakes of being arrogant, bratty, disobedient, greedy, immature, naive, exceedingly aggressive, exceedingly stubborn, petty, and selfish that are actually called out as wrong, dealt with, and punished in the canon narrative in ways that actually lead to personal growth into a better person for them.

The classic PowerPuff Girls cartoon, the original Disney animated versions of Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, and Cinderella, the Winx Club cartoon, the Sailor Moon anime, and the Totally Spies cartoon showed those of us who were growing up at the the time, that strong women could still be awkward, girly, emotional, empathetic, imaginative, insecure, optimistic, and sensitive. They showed us that we could still be brave and strong, in spite of having human weaknesses. They showed us that we didn’t need to “be more like men” by giving up more traditionally feminine coded hobbies, interests, clothing styles, reactions, and behaviors in favor of being more masculine. They showed us that we didn’t need to “stop being too soft” and “stop being so girly” by becoming more aggressive, cold, cruel, logical, jaded, merciless, and physically powerful warriors “like men” in the face of adversity, conflicts, and/or hardships with and/or against others. They showed us that we could still win battles in the face of adversity, conflicts, and/or hardships with other people by still behaving and reacting in more feminine-coded kind, gentle, empathetic, intelligent, and optimistic ways, while also refusing to enable and/or tolerate toxicity in others towards us and/or others at the same time. Those cartoons and movies showed us that strong women sometimes make bad choices and/or mistakes, but become better by getting called out as wrong, taught, and/or punished in response and learn as a result. Those cartoons and movies showed us that strong women aren’t infallible. Those cartoons and movies showed us that we didn’t need to be more like traditionally masculine fictional female warriors, such as Ellen Ripley, Rey, Arya Stark, and Sara Connor.

I’m 25 going on 26 now, and I grew up loving the classic Powerpuff Girls cartoon series when I was a kid. Even now when I rewatch it as an adult, it’s still a cute and funny cartoon, especially now that I’m old enough to recognize all of the adult jokes. Like, there’s no way it was a coincidence that Professor Utonium’s despicably dishonest, greedy, lazy, manipulative, selfish, and sleazy former roommate from college was given the name Professor Dick Hardly by accident.

Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup actually are pretty relatable little girls who have believable flaws and insecurities. They make believable bad choices for little girls. Those issues actually get dealt with seriously in a nice manner, rather than just being brushed aside as no big deal with no negative consequences. They are still endearing and sympathetic in spite of their flaws.

While he had a few OOC moments of bad parenting in some bad episodes here and there in later seasons, such as “Keen on Keane” when he and Ms. Keane were dating for a while and started neglecting everyone and everything but each other until they broke up over the Professor’s dislike of cats, generally speaking, Professor Utonium from the classic Powerpuff Girls is actually one of the best dads in cartoons that I’ve ever seen, which is sadly pretty rare in most cartoon sitcoms, even the ones that are actually aimed at a children audience.

Most cartoon dads are abusive, lazy, neglectful, selfish, and stupid oafs. Granted, those type of dads in cartoon sitcoms can actually be entertaining and funny to watch when they are actually being well-written as shitty and slow-witted, but still essentially well-meaning people in regards to their families, such as S1-S8 Homer Simpson from The Simpsons and even S1-S3 Peter Griffin from Family Guy. However, the entertainment quality of those shitty, but well-meaning cartoon dads was mostly lost when the writers flanderdized their negative traits to the point of making Homer and especially Peter downright despicable with little to no redeeming or sympathetic qualities much of the time anymore. They went from being shitty, but essentially well-meaning parents and husbands to downright bratty and spoiled man-children who were much more intentionally abusive, childish, cruel, neglectful, petty, and selfish in regards to their families and others around them with little to no sympathetic or redeeming qualities much of the time anymore, and that’s one of the biggest reasons why The Simpsons went downhill in quality after S8, and why Family Guy went downhill in quality after S3.

Nonetheless, even as they were originally written on their shows pre-flanderdization when they were still well-meaning, but misguided parents and spouses, cartoon dads like Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin, weren’t good dads on the whole. There were still plenty of recurring plot lines and/or gags of them being abusive, lazy, neglectful, reckless, and selfish. Back in early seasons pre-flanderdization, it was more forgivable, though, because they also still had their fair share of kind and selfless moments with their families, and their shittiness as parents wasn’t intentionally abusive, malicious, premeditated, and selfish in nature, which balanced them out enough to still be entertaining and likable characters in spite of their flaws.

Realistically speaking, though, dads like Peter Griffin and Homer Simpson would be better off having their kids taken away from them by CPS. Their good qualities and lack of malicious intent, particularly in earlier seasons pre-flanderdization, would still not hold up as legitimate excuse as to why they should be allowed to keep their kids. Bart would have bruises all over his neck, fractures in his neck, and he could possibly be killed if Homer strangled him hard enough to actually break his neck and/or cut off his air supply long enough in real life just once. Meg, Chris, and even Stewie would not only be injured, but actually outright killed in real life from some of the abuse and neglect that Peter and Lois put them through in later seasons of FG. All of these kids, especially Meg, would have serious self-esteem issues for the rest of their lives because Peter, Lois’, and Homer’s abuse and neglect of their kids went beyond just a pattern of being physical in nature, but emotionally and verbally abusive as well.

So yeah, Peter Griffin and Homer Simpson are really not good fathers who you’d ever want to deal with for a parent in real life, even pre-flanderdization. The major reoccurrence of the abusive, bumbling, idiotic, lazy, drunken, neglectful, and selfish dad trope in cartoon sitcoms is exactly why I really love Professor Utonium from the classic PPG cartoon. I don’t necessarily mind it in absurdist cartoon sitcoms when it’s done well as a trope, but I’m also getting tired of mostly just seeing bad and stupid dads in cartoon sitcoms, and not enough good ones.

For the most part, the OG Professor Utonium is a great dad who goes above and beyond to make sure Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup are happy, healthy, disciplined, and safe. He’s usually the parent most of us wish we could have in real life, if we don’t already. It’s refreshing to actually see a good dad in an animated sitcom for once.

Professor Utonium in the classic PPG cartoon is generally a very kind, loving, selfless, and supportive dad to girls. However, he also knows when he has to discipline them and be strict without ever being mean about it. He gives them good advice. He’s very selfless, and even though the girls are superheroes with superhuman abilities, he’ll still risk and/or sacrifice anything to protect them when they’re unable to protect themselves with their powers, including his own life. He didn’t need to be the stereotypical cartoon sitcom abusive, bumbling, dumb, and neglectful dad in order to be funny either. He was funny because he could sometimes be overprotective of the girls, and he could sometimes embarrass them by calling them sickly sweet terms of endearment and telling embarrassing stories that he shouldn’t have about them in public. He was socially awkward. These are relatable flaws in parents that even the best ones have.

While the girls don’t have a mother, Ms. Bellum and Ms. Keane were very brave, kind, and intelligent strong women who were good role models.

Also, the Professor did many activities with the girls and chores around the house that get gender-coded as “mother’s work.” Some of these things include begrudgingly playing dress up as Bubbles to make her happy when she was playing PowerPuff Girls with Buttercup and Blossom on a rainy day inside of no crime when he saw that she was upset that no one wanted to be her, cooking, cleaning, and actually sitting down to talk with the girls, listen to them, emotionally support them, and give them advice. He’s also not afraid to be openly affectionate, doting, and emotional with the girls. There’s just not enough good dads in cartoon sitcoms, which is why I really like Professor Utonium from the OG PowerPuff Girls cartoon and movie. He mostly defied all the bad dad stereotypes, and was a really great one to the girls more often than not.

The main villains from the classic PowerPuff Girls cartoon are incredibly entertaining, especially MoJo JoJo. Him was always the creepiest to me because he was the most devious, insidious, and manipulative one. All of the psychological abuse and manipulation he put the girls and Townsville through was always the scariest to me when I was a kid because out of all the villains on the show, the torment that he wreaked upon the girls and Townsville by brainwashing them, gaslighting them, and/or exploiting their fears and insecurities often was played as dead serious with really scary results, especially in early seasons of classic PPG. While Him had a few human moments here and there, for the most part, he was pretty consistently played off as being seriously scary and dangerous.

MoJo JoJo was an egomaniacal asshole hellbent on destroying the PowerPuff Girls and world domination, and on a few occasions, he actually came close to succeeding. On a few occasions, he genuinely was more scary than camp evil. But he still had a lot of humorous, human, fallible, and relatable moments, too. My favorite MoJo moments are the ones where he is making jokes, irritably going grocery shopping to get eggs, getting too frustrated by the girls antics and childish behaviors and reactions to actually go through with his plans to destroy them at certain points, and getting angry and jealous enough to actually destroy the alien/robot invader from another planet who was destroying Townsville in all the evil ways that he always wanted to himself. He was highly intelligent at coming up with clever schemes and inventions with all his science and technology to take over the world, destroy Townsville, and/or destroy the PowerPuff Girls. However, his arrogance, impatience, and impulsivity always doomed him to fail to succeed in the end, though he did come pretty close on a few occasions, especially in the 2002 prequel origin story movie.

Originally, MoJo was a well-intentioned extremist who wanted to create a utopia ruled by primates where they would never be controlled or rejected by humans again. As much as Professor Utonium’s irritation with JoJo for being a destructive chimp lab assistant was completely justified, it’s also hard not to feel kind of sorry for Mojo Jojo and understand where he’s coming from in his motivations to become evil, particularly in the 2002 prequel movie because originally all he really wanted was to be loved by his owner, too. He understandably felt rejected when Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup became the center of his universe instead. Of course, that doesn’t excuse him for choosing to respond to the Professor’s rejection by becoming an arrogant, evil, cruel, hateful, hypocritical, domineering, manipulative, petty, selfish, and vengeful villain going on a quest for world domination, attempting to commit homicide several times, probably committing voluntary manslaughter of citizens several times that we didn’t see on screen when destroying Townsville all those times, turning the rest of the world into dogs to try to take over the world, and trying to destroy the girls. However, you understand why Mojo became the villain he did with his backstory. He’s relatable. Occasionally, he does have some genuinely sympathetic moments where he’s actually willing to be friendly with the girls, team up with them, and do the right thing.

HIM was just the personification of evil for no other reason than the fact that he was satan. While MoJo was a complex, human, and relatable anti-villain with his origin story as the Professor’s lab chimp, who chose to become evil after feeling rejected by him once the girls were born, and he gained genius-level human intelligence from having Chemical X spilled on his brain, HIM was evil, manipulative, and hateful for no other reason than the fact that those traits were a part of his nature as the very embodiment of evil. Many times, a fictional villain being portrayed as one-dimensional with no sympathetic qualities or relatable motivations will annoy me, but with HIM being evil just because that’s who he is, it actually works because he is literally Satan. There doesn’t need to be a deeper sympathetic story behind why he is evil. Committing crimes, wreaking havoc, corrupting people, manipulating people, turning people against others, exploiting the fears of others, and deceiving others for his own amusement is just who he is, and in the early seasons of classic PPG in particular, that made him really scary to me when I was a six year old little girl watching the cartoon on TV.

You get the idea...The classic PowerPuff Girls was a fantastic cartoon, particularly the first four seasons. Granted, there was some series seasonal rot going on in the writing in S5 and S6 after the 2002 prequel movie, and Craig Mcracken and Gennedy Tartakovsky’s departure from the crew. Like, the characterizations of the characters and/or storylines in S5 and S6 felt comparably flanderdized, ooc, immature, inconsistent, pointless, shallow, and underwhelming at certain times to fit the plot, such as in the episodes “Keen on Keane,” “Pee Pee G’s,” “Seed No Evil,” “Reeking Havoc,” “Toast of the Town,” “Say Uncle,” “City of Clipsville,” “”Bubble Boy,” A Made Up Story,” “Mo’linguish,” and “Simian Says.” Even the good episodes of S5-S6 still didn’t ever reach the same level of greatness of the ones from S1-S4. However, the seasonal rot in the classic PPG cartoon of S5-S6 after Craig McCracken and Gennedy Tartakovsky’s departure still wasn’t nearly as bad as the seasonal rot on The Simpsons after S8, Family Guy after S3, and SpongeBob SquarePants post S3–S4 ish, so I’m still willing to consider most of S5-S6 of classic PPG legit canon.

However, it sounds like the 2016 PPG reboot fucked up everything that was originally good about it to go for a more slapstick comedic feel without substance without consistency, depth, and intelligence. Now, I hear that the CW is making a live-action TV show spin-off of the PowerPuff Girls being jaded and resentful young women who’ve given up crime fighting as result! No, no, no! Why? Why does the CW keep making dark, nitty, and gritty live action teen soap operas out of beloved childhood cartoons?

Yeah, the original PowerPuff Girls cartoon and movie had dark moments. The girls could be bratty and make bad choices sometimes. However, it was still very much a fun show about normal little girls born with superpowers, which they chose to use to defend their father, their city, and on some occasions, the whole world, from crime. No one ultimately forced them to be superheroes for everyone in the classic PPG cartoon and movie. They chose to do it because they had brave and selfless hearts. There was ultimately no obligation for them to be superheroes in the classic PPG cartoon and movie. Sure, they got tired of fighting crime at times, but they still ultimately enjoyed doing it when push came to shove. They weren’t weighed down by the darkness of the world, hatred, and resentment. They still were relatively normal little girls with happy, peaceful, and normal lives of little girls whenever they weren’t fighting crime after the events of the prequel movie about their origins. That’s what made the PowerPuff Girls classic cartoon so special.

By turning Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup into jaded young women, who have given up on being superheroes because they’ve grown resentful of “losing the normal childhood to crime fighting” that they basically are shown to have in the original series for the most part in their spare time aside from having superpowers that they chose to use to fight crime to defend their dad and Townsville from, anyway, where is the fun in that?

[scorpion-flower]

The fact that y'all are more pissed about a Latina playing Snow White, instead of being pissed about the Queen being played by an actress who's vocal on her support about her "country's" crimes against human rights, is quite telling of your priorities and values.

[darklinasupremacy]

Snow White is getting a live action remake. What the hell?

Disney is one of the most influential and powerful companies in the world. It could put out anything and it would be a success. They still don't want to risk money or make effort for an original project.

I am guessing a Rapunzel and Frozen live action will probably also come in the future. ( Somethings should stay in animation. I can't stress this enough live action is not superior to animation. The reason so many kids love animation is because of its magical and whimsical aura.)

And other villain origin stories like Cruella. While Cruella was criticized a lot, many people seemed to miss the real problem of the movie. People made fun of the fact that Cruella was getting an origin movie and the fact that her wickedness was explained by her mother being killed by dogs.

But Cruella didn't get an origin movie. Her mother's murder didn't make her hate dogs. She doesn't become a bad person in the end of the movie. The character only shares an aesthetic with the villain version.

My guess is someone pitched a fashion heist movie to Disney. But Disney didn't want to make an original movie so they tailored the plot to fit Cruella.

They don't create art and don't let other people to do it either. They are sabotaging smaller companies and creating a monopoly as we sit here.

Are we really surprised they are trying to trademark Loki? That company has only one incentive. And that is money.

Disney wants to milk that cow till it's dry. And it is saddening to see people applauding it because of the diversity they put on forth. And let me tell you the diversity of the actors doesn't parallel the production team. Hollywood will publicize a POC lead but It is very hard to find a single POC in the writers room.

It is all performative. And I am exhausted.

They don't even give their best effort to live actions. Mulan was a mess on historical and cultural accuracy. (Don't even get me started on how they filmed Mulan in a region literal genocide is happening) I heard the same things about Aladdin too. Of course they didn't care enough to hire historians from the respective cultures.

Despite all this they are making billions.

Studio Ghibli who actually puts soul, philosophy and life in it's movies is having financial problems.

You see how the world works?

I think my message is very clear. You should already come to this conclusion on your own. But I will empathize it again.

Stop supporting Disney.

[alltoofruity]

you know, as a muslim hearing this news makes me angry and saddened by how the world treats us just because of the religion we choose. mulan was filmed in one of the cities where they held muslims captive in concentration camp where they get forced to eat pork, tortured, r@ped, killed, and do many haram things. as if the actress that plays mulan who supports police brutality in hong kong isn’t enough to boycott this movie, then this is just the icing on the cake.

if you are islamophobic then you can just unfollow me right now, and if you even dare to defend this movie to me then i will block you and go off on you.

it’s such a shame really, as a kid mulan was one of my favorite disney princessess who showed up that girls CAN be warriors yet this is how disney and their team potrays her to be now, as in people who support police brutality and support concentration camps on muslims.

fuck you disney. fuck you mulan live action movie. fuck you islamophobes. fuck you liu yifei. BOYCOTT MULAN.

again if you even dare to defend this movie and how it has been made, i won’t hesitate to go off on you.

[anntickwittee]

This is all I’ll post on the subject but it’s a lot of the same topics I’ve had to tell pple for the past year because nobody can believe I’m anti live action Mulan when I love the original so much. 

While a strong Asian-American presence in the original 1998 animation is what made Mulan so special, Asian-Americans are noticeably absent from the creative team for the 2020 live-action adaptation. An essay on why Fa Mulan is a girl worth fighting for: (Please don’t edit or repost my art. Reblogs are always appreciated)

When Disney’s animated Mulan came out in 1998, many Asian-Americans like myself felt seen. The presence of Chinese-American screenwriter Rita Hsiao and a robust cast of Asian-American voice acting talent such as Ming-Na Wen, B.D. Wong, Pat Morita, and James Hong gave us a uniquely Chinese-American story we hadn’t had before. Although set in China with Chinese characters, the heart of Fa Mulan’s story couldn’t be more Asian-American: the pressure of assimilating into the dominant culture, the fear of disappointing her parents by failing to do so, and the struggle of forging her identity on her own.

So when Disney announced its plan for a live-action adaptation, Asian-Americans were thrilled. Yet with each new development, that excitement faded. Our favorite parts—bisexual icon Li Shang, wisecracking Mushu, and rousing hits like “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” and Lea Salonga’s “Reflection”—were slowly being removed.

To understand these changes, we must examine the 1998 film’s reception in China, which was dismal. Viewers disliked the fact that the film did not adhere to the original Hua Mulan legend from the sixth century ballad, nor depict Chinese values. They felt she was too American.

Now in 2018, Disney is fixated on avoiding this failure in 2020. Like all of Hollywood, it is desperate to profit from China’s box office—one of the biggest, with millions in potential revenue—but knows it must meet China’s strict censorship and co-production rules to do so. Thus, instead of appreciating the animation’s domestic and international success elsewhere ($300 million), Disney is focusing almost exclusively on appeasing China—which is why all of the factors that contributed to the film resonating so deeply with Asian-Americans are now being treated as mistakes.

Seeking China’s input directly, Disney has hired Hong Kong-based executive producer Bill Kong and a slew of Chinese cultural consultants to aid the all-white team of writers and white director Niki Caro. Notably, there are no Chinese-Americans in the creative team like in 1998. Perhaps this formula could work if we hadn’t seen it fail before, most famously with The Great Wall (2016). With each country secretly fighting for propagandistic dominance, the lack of true collaboration results in ham-fisted narratives that ends up pleasing neither audience.

If Mulan flops like Great Wall did, Hollywood will be quick to blame China’s codified censorship rules—not itself. Yet it has its own, less advertised censorship rules. After all, it took 25 years for a major American studio to feature an all-Asian cast with an Asian-American narrative. Despite the fact that statistics show Asian-Americans go to movie theaters disproportionately more than any other racial group in the US (yes, really), we have been systematically censored and excluded by Hollywood in about every way imaginable, constantly told we are of no importance.

Instead, Chinese and Hong Kong films and stars have long been viewed as an acceptable substitute for Asian-Americans because it helps Hollywood propagate the damaging, racist myth of Asian-Americans as perpetual foreigners. That’s why we have more films with Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Gong Li, Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Donnie Yen, etc., than with Asian-Americans. Asian-Americans have a fine-tuned sensitivity to detecting Orientalist, whitewashed, or white savior narratives (including when a leaked spec script replaced Li Shang with a white merchant), but what do we do when there are Asians on screen but they still don’t speak to our experiences?

It leaves Asian-Americans where we always are: on the margins, invisible and ignored. Our bifurcated, hyphenated existence means that we’re too American for Asia, and too Asian for America. With neither America nor our ancestral homes to claim us, we fall in the crack in between them.

And even when we do finally get an Asian-American story, it’s still Chinese-American or East Asian-centric (Crazy Rich Asians, Joy Luck Club, Fresh Off the Boat), ignoring the vast, diverse Asian diaspora that encompasses Filipino-Americans like myself, and so many others (Southeast Asian, Central Asian, South Asian, etc). That’s not to say Chinese or Chinese-American films aren’t wanted. They are. But they cannot be substitutes for each other, nor for other Asian-American stories.

And that’s why, since Fa Mulan’s narrative (not Hua Mulan’s) is distinctly Chinese-American, she needs to stay that way.

For Asian-Americans, it’s painfully rare to see a reflection of ourselves on screen. Mulan was too important to us in 1998, and she’s too important now. After all, a girl like that “doesn’t come around every dynasty.” Is it really fair to ask Asian-Americans to wait until the next one?

[lilacs-in-the-wind]

I'mma say it.. people who paid thirty dollars this week to watch a subpar live action remake of an animated movie that they can absolutely watch for zero cents anywhere on the internet are the reason why we don't have creative independent entertainment any more. Y'all need to stop giving your money to corporations like Disney for shit like this. They are literally taking over the world, buying up smaller studios everywhere they go and monopolising native markets with their flashy unintelligent content. Just don't be sheep ffs.

[fictionxlover]

they really tried the ‘mulan x Shang was sexist argument’ when shang never tried force himself on mulan and really it’s because Shang was attracted to Mulan when he thought she was a man 🍵

[wandamercer7]

Maybe some of you were already stop watching Disney live action, but those junkies and normies were still denying the truth and keep watching those junks in the name of nostalgia.