Disney’s Turning Red slammed by K-netizens over cultural issues

Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red is under fire from South Koreans furious with the company showcasing Hanbok, Korean traditional clothing, as traditional Chinese clothing.

A scene from the movie’s trailer shows the Chinese-Canadian teenager being taught about her ancestry. However, her ancestors’ clothes are similar to the Hanbok, which comprises a jeogori (jacket) and a long skirt.

Koreans and Chinese have had long-standing debates over their cultural heritage. These debates grew stronger over the past few months when Chinese media claimed that South Koreans were “stealing” their culture.

However, the Koreans always retaliate, saying that it was their culture to begin with.

Disney’s film has now become another target of the same conversation.

---

South Korean netizens bash Disney’s ‘Turning Red’ over showing traditional Hanbok as Chinese dress

Disney’s Turning Red trailer received positive responses over its positively diverse female representation but landed in trouble with South Koreans. A scene in the trailer shows Mei’s mother opening a Chinese folklore scripture educating her about her ancestry.

In the painting, two humans can be seen sitting in the arms of a red panda. However, it is the clothing that has enraged fans.

The scene from ‘Turning Red’ that has created a stir (Image via theqoo)

As per a Korean netizen on theqoo, the creators had “totally disguised the Goryeo clothing as Chinese style.” The humans can be seen wearing short jackets with long skirts, which is what Hanbok, the traditional Korean dress, is.

Hanbok, the traditional Korean dress (Image via theqoo)

On the other hand, the illustrations posted by the netizen of traditional Chinese clothing, Hanfu, have either long jackets or long jackets with a long Y-neck line. Another illustration showed a long skirt belted above the waistline with long sleeves.

Illustrations of Hanfu, the traditional Chinese dress (Images via theqoo)

South Korean netizens believe it was careless on the studio’s part. The post elicited a strong reaction and had some harsh comments too. Many of the comments were filled with calls to cancel or boycott the streaming platform.

The South Korean and Chinese cultural heritage debate has been a heated discussion, especially since the tension during the 2022 Beijing Olympics last month.

China showcased an opening performance with citizens wearing clothing similar to Hanbok and used pungmul, a Korean folk dance. The dance was introduced as “From Baishan Jilin (China province)” on global television.

Other instances of China allegedly appropriating Korean culture pertain to them apparently claiming that the widely recognized food, Kimchi, originated from their culture.

Korean fans' reactions to the trailer (Image via theqoo)

Korean fans' reactions to the trailer (Image via theqoo)

PS: All variations of 'diple,' 'dipple,' and related words mean Disney Plus.

The trailer for Disney’s Turning Red was released in November last year, but it caught the heat with the South Koreans just a month before its release on Disney+ on March 11.