The Big Picture: Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation

Published 2020-09-09; 1:15:52 by the feed.

As extracted (engineer-sonnet-2026-10-13)

The extraction calls the show “The Big Picture (The Ringer)” and the episode “Did Disney's 'Mulan' Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation”.

Hosts: Sean Fennessey, Amanda Dobbins. Guests: Mallory Rubin, Jason Concepcion.

Subject films: Mulan (2020), Mulan (1998).

On the transcript: No speaker labels; speaker identity inferred from addresses and self-reference. Host/guest cross-talk is frequently misassigned by the transcript, and a few lines in the Mulan critique sections are uncertain.

Films that came up

subject (2)

Mulan (2020 live action) · Mulan (1998 animated)

anecdote (5)

Tenet · Black Panther · Hamlet · Cruella · The Little Mermaid (upcoming live action remake)

passing (14)

Da 5 Bloods · Beauty and the Beast · The Little Mermaid (1989 animated) · Bad Boys for Life · Whale Rider · North Country · 101 Dalmatians · The Favourite · The Great · I, Tonya · Kingsman · X-Men · Peter Pan and Wendy · Pete's Dragon (remake)

compared (20)

Rumble in the Bronx · Better Luck Tomorrow · The Lion King (1994 animated) · Aladdin (1992 animated) · Harry Potter (films/books) · The Lion King (live action remake) · Aladdin (live action remake) · Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon · Hero · House of Flying Daggers · Game of Thrones · Ip Man (series) · Maleficent · Star Wars: The Last Jedi · Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker · Star Wars (1977) · Seven Samurai · The Hidden Fortress · The Rocky Horror Picture Show · The Silence of the Lambs

recommended (2)

Robin Hood (Disney) · I'm Thinking of Ending Things

dismissed (1)

Mary Poppins Returns

Claims (49)

  1. theme (theme): Chadwick Boseman → Heath Ledger. Sean says the only comparable unexpected Hollywood losses in 20 years were Heath Ledger and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
    “the only 2 examples I could think of really in the last 20 years that were even close to this were obviously Heath Ledger and and Philip Seymour Hoffman's deaths”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:07:50 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
  2. career (career): Chadwick Boseman → Da 5 Bloods. Sean cites Boseman's choice of complex real-life roles (Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, James Brown) and Da 5 Bloods.
    “if you look at his Portrait of Thurgood Marshall or Jackie Robinson or James Brown, and even his role in this year's The Five Bloods, the Spike Lee movie.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:08:16 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  3. career (career): Chadwick Boseman → Black Panther. Sean says Boseman holds Black Panther together and carries it on his shoulders.
    “he holds the movie together. He carries the movie on his shoulders”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:09:56 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  4. industry (industry): Mulan → Better Luck Tomorrow. Jason groups the 1998 Mulan with the few films of the era with Asian casts.
    “So it's like Mulan. Rumble in the Bronx and Better Luck tomorrow”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:14:48 · Jason Concepcion (0.80 sure it was them)
  5. industry (industry): Mulan → Rumble in the Bronx. Jason says Mulan, Rumble in the Bronx, and Better Luck Tomorrow were rare 90s movies for Asian American audiences.
    “Rumble in the Bronx and Better Luck tomorrow, you know, from that era.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:14:50 · Jason Concepcion (0.85 sure it was them)
  6. contrast (contrast): Mulan → The Lion King. Amanda says Mulan did not stay with her like The Lion King, partly due to age and her Elton John fandom.
    “it just didn't stay with me the way that, um, the Lion King did, but I think that's because of age and also because I'm like the world's number one Elton John fan.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:16:46 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  7. lineage (lineage): Mulan → Beauty and the Beast. Sean places Mulan at the end of the 90s Disney peak run that included Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Lion King.
    “it is really kind of at the end of the peak of that 90s Disney run with Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid and Aladdin and the Lion King and Mulan.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:17:16 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  8. craft (craft): Mulan → Aladdin. Sean says Eddie Murphy's Mushu works for adults like Robin Williams's genie did.
    “the same way that Robin Williams might have appealed to adults as the genie, you get, you get some Eddie Murphy in this movie.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:17:36 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  9. industry (industry): Tenet → Mulan. Tenet reopens theaters while Mulan goes to Disney+ at $29.99, two different pandemic release strategies.
    “2999 price point, which is, um, some would say quite high”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:18:30 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  10. craft (craft): Mulan → Mulan. Mallory says losing the songs removes the efficient storytelling and character bonding the music provided.
    “in the film, it is such an efficient way to move the story forward. It helps with the characters.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:20:32 · Mallory Rubin (0.90 sure it was them)
  11. theme (theme): Mulan → Mulan. Mallory says making Mulan magical undercuts the story's point that her ordinary self is good enough.
    “I was not a fan at all of turning Mulan into a, in essence, magical superhero”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:21:31 · Mallory Rubin (0.90 sure it was them)
  12. verdict (verdict): Mulan → Mulan. Jason's verdict: in a vacuum the remake is a fine action movie but a disappointment as a follow-up to the original.
    “In a vacuum, it's fine, I guess, you know, it's fine. It's a fine action movie.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:24:20 · Jason Concepcion (0.85 sure it was them)
  13. contrast (contrast): Mulan → The Lion King. Sean says the Lion King and Aladdin remakes hewed too close to the originals, while Mulan overcorrected by not knowing what was good in its source.
    “I think Aladdin and the Lion King, I thought, worked a little bit too hard to retain the tone and the approach and story of the original films.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:25:23 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
  14. lineage (lineage): Mulan → Mulan. Sean says the remake is what happens when filmmakers do not know what is good about the original.
    “I think Mulan is kind of what happens when you don't really know what's good about your movie.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:26:03 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
  15. industry (industry): Mulan → Aladdin (live action remake). Amanda says the live action remakes are made for money and the question is always who they are for, with Mulan being for everybody and nobody.
    “I think they're trying to make a movie for everybody and no one at once.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:26:22 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  16. lineage (lineage): Mulan → Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The remake's wuxia/mystical style follows the wave of Chinese films that grew popular after Crouching Tiger and the Zhang Yimou films.
    “they've gotten very big, kind of post, crouching tiger hidden dragon, and the Jang Yi-Mu films”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:28:58 · Jason Concepcion (0.80 sure it was them)
  17. lineage (lineage): Mulan → Hero. The remake borrows wuxia conventions in an attempt to appeal to international audiences, reading as a try at remaking Hero or House of Flying Daggers.
    “it really just feels like an attempt to remake hero or house of flying daggers, which obviously makes sense to Amanda's point about appealing to international audiences”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:29:22 · Jason Concepcion (0.80 sure it was them)
  18. verdict (verdict): Mulan → Mulan. Mallory says revealing her identity by choice is better than being found out in an injury tent, but the overall list of improvements is smaller than the list of misfires.
    “That's, to me, vastly superior to being found out in an injury tent.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:31:28 · Mallory Rubin (0.85 sure it was them)
  19. contrast (contrast): Mulan → Harry Potter (films/books). The remake's fox, witch, and magic lore feel borrowed from Harry Potter and Game of Thrones without gelling.
    “There is these kind of, um, Game of Thrones and uh, Harry Potter kind of lore.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:33:28 · Jason Concepcion (0.75 sure it was them)
  20. career (career): Mulan → Ip Man. Jason says that after the remake he binged the Ip Man films because Donnie Yen barely does anything in Mulan compared with being the star there.
    “I just, I binged like all the Ipmans on Netflix and it's like, you, this is not a fair comparison because he is the star of that, those, that series.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:34:12 · Jason Concepcion (0.80 sure it was them)
  21. industry (industry): Mulan → Maleficent. Amanda reads the witch as Disney setting up a spinoff, 'maleficenting' the film to make way for franchise action figures.
    “I was just like, oh, you made a maleficent character and you're setting up your maleficent spinoff.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:36:04 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  22. craft (craft): Mulan → Mulan. Jason says the 2020 version replaces advising characters with ancestral words on the sword, so Mulan is guided by the past not a person.
    “Mulan, in this tale, is guided by the past, is guided by the words of her family”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:41:07 · Jason Concepcion (0.80 sure it was them)
  23. lineage (lineage): Mulan → Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi. Sean says the remake made him think most of The Last Jedi and the sequel trilogy, turning Mulan into a Rey type figure.
    “The movie I thought of the most while watching this movie is the last Jedi.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:43:07 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  24. lineage (lineage): Mulan → Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. Sean says the Rise of Skywalker screwed up expectations and he wonders whether Mulan will become an influential text like it.
    “kind of how the rise of Skywalker kind of screwed up all the expectations that we had.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:43:44 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
  25. lineage (lineage): Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope → Seven Samurai. Mallory notes Lucas drew on Joseph Campbell, Seven Samurai, and Hidden Fortress, and the cycle of influence is now returning in Mulan.
    “Obviously, Joseph Campbell, as mentioned a moment ago. 7 Samurai, Hidden Fortress.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:46:32 · Mallory Rubin (0.85 sure it was them)
  26. lineage (lineage): Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope → The Hidden Fortress. Mallory lists Hidden Fortress among Lucas's influences.
    “7 Samurai, Hidden Fortress.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:46:32 · Mallory Rubin (0.85 sure it was them)
  27. theme (theme): Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi → Mulan. Mallory loves The Last Jedi's idea of Rey as a nobody who does not need a magic name or lineage, while Mulan leans on lineage and family.
    “The thing that appealed to me so much about it was the idea of Ray being no one coming from nowhere”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:47:15 · Mallory Rubin (0.85 sure it was them)
  28. contrast (contrast): Mulan → Elton John. Amanda says the Mulan song 'Reflection' is an average ballad that is not Elton John.
    “this is just like an average ass ballad about finding yourself. Okay, whatever. It's not Elton John.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:49:22 · Amanda Dobbins (0.75 sure it was them)
  29. contrast (contrast): Mulan → Aladdin. Amanda argues 'A Whole New World' crushes the Mulan songs; Sean says Mulan's songs follow the same formulaic spot as Disney training-montage songs.
    “a whole new world absolutely crushes.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:51:17 · Amanda Dobbins (0.60 sure it was them)
  30. verdict (verdict): Mulan → The Lion King. Mallory ranks 'I'll Make a Man Out of You' first and Lion King's 'I Just Can't Wait to Be King' second in her Disney song top five.
    “number one, I'll make a man out of you. Number two, I just can't wait to be king.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:52:38 · Mallory Rubin (0.85 sure it was them)
  31. verdict (verdict): The Little Mermaid → Beauty and the Beast. Mallory ranks 'Part of Your World' third on her list; Amanda ribs that the Beauty and the Beast pick is only the fifth best song from that film.
    “the 5th best beauty in the Beast song, but that's fine.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:53:07 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  32. programming (programming): Mulan → Robin Hood. A speaker (likely Sean or Amanda, unclear) says their favorite Disney songs are Roger Miller's from Robin Hood.
    “my all of my favorite Disney songs are from Robin Hood. They're all written by Roger Miller.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:54:33 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  33. career (career): Niki Caro → Whale Rider. Whale Rider put Caro on the map.
    “Whale rider kind of put her on the map.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:55:05 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  34. career (career): Niki Caro → North Country. Caro also made North Country with Charlize Theron in the 2000s.
    “she made a film with Charlize Theron um, in the 2000s called North Country.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:55:07 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  35. people (people): Niki Caro → Mulan. Sean says Caro's earnest, humorless films centering women make her a logical pick but tonally wrong for Mulan.
    “all of her films have one thing in common, which is they're kind of humorless. They're very earnest, dramatic stories that center women in the middle of the frame.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:55:12 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  36. industry (industry): Mulan → Yifei Liu. Sean says Liu's tweet backing Hong Kong police triggered a #BoycottMulan movement a year before release.
    “triggered the hashtag band Mulan movement when she tweeted support for Hong Kong police”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:56:43 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
  37. industry (industry): Mulan → Daryl Morey. Sean compares the Mulan China controversy to the NBA's controversy after Daryl Morey's tweet last year, another Disney-style cultural flashpoint with China.
    “we saw a version of this conversation in the NBA last year when Daryl Morey tweeted”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:57:28 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
  38. people (people): Tony McNamara → Cruella. Sean cites McNamara, creator of The Favourite and The Great, among Cruella's six screenwriters.
    “The other is Tony McNamara, creator of the favorite and the great.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:03:22 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  39. people (people): Craig Gillespie → Cruella. Sean notes Cruella is directed by Gillespie, who most recently made I, Tonya.
    “Movies directed by Craig Gillespie, who most recently made I Tanya.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:03:33 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  40. career (career): Emma Stone → Cruella. Sean and Amanda both love Emma Stone and wish for more for her than a dogskin-obsessed villain origin story.
    “I want more for Emma Stone.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:04:33 · Amanda Dobbins (0.80 sure it was them)
  41. contrast (contrast): Cruella → The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Jason gets Rocky Horror camp vibes from the Cruella publicity photos.
    “I'm getting some very strong rocky horror vibes from it.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:05:12 · Jason Concepcion (0.80 sure it was them)
  42. contrast (contrast): Cruella → The Silence of the Lambs. Jason jokes Cruella is a Silence of the Lambs prequel about skin.
    “It's kind of like, it's like a silence of the Lambs prequel as well, you know?”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:05:33 · Jason Concepcion (0.70 sure it was them)
  43. career (career): Rob Marshall → Mary Poppins Returns. Sean identifies Marshall by his most recent film, which is not his favorite.
    “directed by Rob Marshall, who most recently brought us Mary Poppins Returns, not really my favorite film.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:05:49 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  44. career (career): Jane Goldman → Kingsman. Sean identifies Goldman by her X-Men and Kingsman credits.
    “she's written some X-Men films and Kingsman films.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:06:12 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  45. craft (craft): The Lion King → Elton John. Amanda says Elton John's career is the master class in turning sex into subtext.
    “if there's anybody that knows how to put, uh, put, uh, turn sex into subtext, it's Elton John's entire career.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:08:25 · Amanda Dobbins (0.80 sure it was them)
  46. contrast (contrast): Aladdin (live action remake) → The Lion King. Amanda says the live action Aladdin was off-putting because the sex was on the main text, unlike the original's subtext.
    “the thing that made the live action Aladdin so weirdly off putting was that the sex was just on Maine. It was just out there.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:08:36 · Amanda Dobbins (0.70 sure it was them)
  47. theme (theme): The Little Mermaid (upcoming live action remake) → Aladdin (live action remake). Jason and Amanda debate whether the horniness in Disney remakes is a bug or a feature, with Amanda saying the Little Mermaid's real problem is its motivation, giving up her voice to land a guy.
    “the little mermaid is ultimately like about Ariel just like giving up her voice and many other things in order to be able to fuck a dude”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:10:03 · Amanda Dobbins (0.80 sure it was them)
  48. career (career): David Lowery → Pete's Dragon. Sean notes Lowery has already made a live action Disney remake, Pete's Dragon, before Peter Pan and Wendy.
    “Peter Pan and Wendy from David Lowry, who has previously made a live action remake, Pete's Dragon”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:11:24 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  49. theme (theme): Mulan → Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker. Amanda says the love interest tacked on at the end of Mulan 1998 echoes Rise of Skywalker's putting girls back in the romantic box.
    “This is also what made me mad in Rise of Skywalker.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:13:23 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)

Fun items (24)

  1. fun, about Tenet: Box office reality check: $20 million opening with NYC and LA theaters closed and 25 to 50 percent capacity elsewhere.
    “So Tennant made $20 million at the American box office, the North American box office this weekend, which is fine, I suppose it's not a wow number.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:01:46 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  2. fun, about Tenet: Sean and Amanda drove about 130 miles round trip to a San Diego drive-in to see Tenet in a heat wave, parked side by side. Amanda left claiming she understood the whole film; they will try to explain it on the pod next week.
    “The movie ended and she said, I get it. I know everything that happened.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:04:30 · Sean Fennessey (0.80 sure it was them)
  3. fun, about Chadwick Boseman: Amanda recalls the 2018 video of Ron Clark Academy students dancing with joy before seeing Black Panther, as a reminder of what the film meant to young Black kids.
    “a group of students at the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta who are just about to see Black Panther and are just so excited and dancing”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:06:57 · Amanda Dobbins (0.85 sure it was them)
  4. fun, about Chadwick Boseman: Sean rewatched Black Panther the night before, saying it lived up to unprecedented anticipation, which never happens in mainstream culture.
    “I rewatched Black Panther last night.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:09:52 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  5. fun, about Mulan: Mallory saw it at age 11 in theaters with a friend and no parents, remembering Skittles and the euphoria of freedom, and says she has seen it around 25 times.
    “I just remember so many Skittles and the euphoria of feeling that sense of freedom and empowerment.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:13:17 · Mallory Rubin (0.90 sure it was them)
  6. fun, about Mulan: Jason worked in a movie theater in 1997-98 and saw every release; he calls Mulan rare as an American production of an Asian story with a mostly Asian cast.
    “It's not like you get a whole lot of opportunities to watch a, um, American production of an Asian story with a primarily Asian casket.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:14:25 · Jason Concepcion (0.85 sure it was them)
  7. fun, about Mulan: Mallory's favorite Disney song is 'I'll Make a Man Out of You', and she and Amanda have argued about it before on a Ringer video.
    “you know, I'll make a man out of you as my favorite Disney song, period.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:19:48 · Mallory Rubin (0.90 sure it was them)
  8. fun, about Mulan: Jason's one-line summary of the remake's magic: add Harry Potter's fox and a witch with dragon hands for no reason.
    “let's throw fox from Harry Potter in there and why don't we add a witch for no reason with dragon hands?”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:23:10 · Jason Concepcion (0.85 sure it was them)
  9. fun, about Hamlet: Amanda recalls the Lion King remake episode where Sean said Hamlet was bad and then went to the bathroom and undermined his own point.
    “at one point you tried to say that Hamlet was bad and at another point, I just like had a breakdown”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:24:44 · Amanda Dobbins (0.70 sure it was them)
  10. fun, about Mulan: Sean on Donnie Yen and Jet Li: one training segment and half a fight for Yen, with Li held captive for the whole film.
    “where Donny and Jelly is basically held captive throughout the movie. So it's a very unusual use of of 2 incredible performers.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:34:55 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
  11. fun, about Mulan: Amanda was so lost on the witch's shapeshifting that when her husband walked in she couldn't tell which bird was the witch.
    “Also, my husband came in at some point and started watching and so I had like every time the bird showed up on the screen. I was like, that's the witch.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:37:54 · Amanda Dobbins (0.85 sure it was them)
  12. fun, about Mulan: Jason's logic complaint about the witch: shapeshifting only makes her easier to kill.
    “I was confused as to what the advantage of shapeshifting for the witch was other than she's very killable in that form.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:38:43 · Jason Concepcion (0.85 sure it was them)
  13. fun, about Mulan: Amanda skips the music debate by calling the Reflection ballad 'an average ass ballad about finding yourself' after eight emails about Christina Aguilera's cover.
    “this is just like an average ass ballad about finding yourself. Okay, whatever. It's not Elton John.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:49:22 · Amanda Dobbins (0.90 sure it was them)
  14. fun, about Mulan: Mallory cites a lyric from 'I'll Make a Man Out of You' as speaking to Amanda's managerial style.
    “Heed my every order and you might survive.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:50:20 · Mallory Rubin (0.75 sure it was them)
  15. fun, about Robin Hood: A host says all their favorite Disney songs are Roger Miller's from Robin Hood, led by 'Oo-De-Lally'; another calls it a big dad opinion.
    “Udulali, 1st and foremost.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:54:40 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
  16. fun, about Mulan: Controversy: filmed in Xinjiang, where Muslims are held in mass internment camps; lead Yifei Liu's Hong Kong police tweet triggered #BoycottMulan.
    “was filmed in uh, Jinjiang, the region in China, where uh, Muslims have been detained in mass internment camps.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:56:01 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
  17. fun, about Mulan: Jason ties the Mulan and NBA controversies to the failed bipartisan theory that engaging economically with China would liberalize it.
    “if we engage economically with China, we will liberalize them through our influence, right?”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 0:58:20 · Jason Concepcion (0.85 sure it was them)
  18. fun, about Cruella: Sean reads the logline: a 1970s London fashion designer obsessed with dogskins, especially Dalmatians; Amanda and Jason react with horror.
    “young fashion designer Cruella DeVille becomes obsessed with dogs skins, especially Dalmatians, until she eventually becomes a ruthless and terrifying legend.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:04:08 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  19. fun, about The Lion King: Amanda notes 'SEX' famously flashes across the screen in the original Lion King, and jokes about the love song playing while lions frolic.
    “I just X literally flashes across the screen in the original Lion King.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:07:51 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)
  20. fun, about The Little Mermaid (upcoming live action remake): Casting rundown: Halle Bailey as Ariel, Melissa McCarthy as Ursula, Javier Bardem as King Triton, plus voices Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina and Jacob Tremblay; King Triton is described as xenophobic toward humans.
    “Ariel's overprotective father and the king of Atlantica, who is xenophobic towards humans.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:11:13 · Sean Fennessey (0.90 sure it was them)
  21. fun, about Mulan: The producer said Shang was split into two characters in a Me Too-era decision to avoid a romance between commander and soldier.
    “a producer on the film, is just said outright that it was a decision made, uh, taking the Me Too era into account”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:11:49 · Mallory Rubin (0.80 sure it was them)
  22. fun, about Mulan: Amanda would drop the love interest entirely; she is the world's number one romantic comedy fan but hates when a liberated heroine still gets a wedding.
    “Why do we need a love interest? Let's just let her”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:13:09 · Amanda Dobbins (0.85 sure it was them)
  23. fun, about Mulan: Closing joke: a proposed episode recorded as a musical, where they start singing the outline mid-section.
    “We do the outline and then just in the middle of one of the sections. We just start singing what's written down on the outline.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:14:38 · Sean Fennessey (0.85 sure it was them)
  24. fun, about Aladdin (live action remake): The live action Aladdin ends with Will Smith doing 'Friend Like Me' with a DJ remix over the credits; the hosts earlier joke about crying over Will Smith credit songs.
    “At the end of Aladdin. He just does friend like me, but with DJ Collin.”
    The Big Picture · Did Disney’s ‘Mulan’ Experiment Work? A Binge Mode Investigation · 1:14:51 · Amanda Dobbins (0.50 sure it was them)

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