Abstract

This media ethics case study will evaluate the controversy surrounding Disney’s new live-action remake Mulan. The main reason why this film is being boycotted is because parts of the movie were filmed in the Xinjiang province, which has been reported to be the site where the Uyghurs and other Muslim groups have been put into internment camps violating their human rights. The Xinjiang Data Project is a database dedicated to researching and reporting information regarding the location and activities of these camps to the public. According to the database, in May of 2014 “Communist Party Secretary Zhang Chunxian announced the People’s War on Terror in the Uighur region, Chinese technology firms have received billions of dollars in the Chinese state capital to build a comprehensive Muslim ‘re-education’ system in Northwest China” (The Xinjiang Data Project, 2020). The issue about the filming location of Mulan will be analyzed using the Potter Box, which uses the following four steps; understanding the facts, outlining the values inherent in the decision, applying relevant philosophical principles, and examining loyalties in order to reach an ethical judgment on whether or not Disney’s choice to use the Xinjiang province for a filming location for their latest live-action movie Mulan is ethical (Patterson et al., 2019, p. 105). Sissela Bok’s ethical decision-making framework will be used as the philosophical principle for the Potter Box analysis, in which one must follow three steps; consult your own conscience about the “rightness” of an action, seek expert advice for alternatives to the act creating the ethical problem, and conduct a public discussion with the parties involved in the dispute (Patterson et al., 2019, p. 5). This is a media ethics issue because the Walt Disney Company is a well-known family-friendly brand, and in more recent years has taken steps to make their company more diverse and inclusive. To have shot a movie in the Xinjiang province raises questions about Disney’s values as a whole and loyalty to their consumers. The following three questions will bring further clarity to this ethical dilemma:

1. Should the public still go see the film after learning about these injustices?

2. What should Disney do to repair the damage done by choosing the Xinjiang province as a filming location?

3. How will this controversy affect the way films are made in the future?