queerness

The Magical Queerness of Wolfwalkers

This Wolfwalkers article contains major spoilers. Robyn and Mebh, the two protagonists of Wolfwalkers, first meet like most unlikely allies do: as misinformed enemies. Robyn is a lonely girl, trapped in a town that hates her, whose solace and coping mechanisms rely on the love of her father and the desire to prove herself capable to him by killing some of the wolves that seemingly terrorize the town. Mebh, a “wolfwalker,” is wild, rambunctious, and free, and she doesn’t trust Robyn, but does save her from one of the various traps around the forest; deep down, Mebh is deeply earnest…
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How Mulan Maintains The Animated Film’s Queerness

This piece contains spoilers for Disney’s Mulan. Read our spoiler-free review here. More than any of the previous six Disney live-action remakes, Mulan requires the greatest narrative leap from fans of the animated original: The remake has done away with the iconic musical numbers, wisecracking dragon Mushu, and fan favorite Captain Li Shang, who is considered by many to be a bisexual icon for his clear attraction to both Ping (Mulan, pretending to be a man) and Mulan. Instead, perhaps in order to separate out the love interest from the potentially problematic power dynamic, Niki Caro’s 2020 adaptation, which now…
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