Friday 23 Lifestyle | Music and Movies Friday, March 5, 2021 Disney’s Asia-themed ‘’ tackles division

ven as racist attacks on Asian-Americans have risen during the pandemic, Asian cin- Eema is having a moment in Hollywood- something the stars of Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon” say can’t come soon enough. The Mouse House’s latest animated adventure, out Friday, is set in a Southeast Asian-like land, where a young princess sets out to find the In this file photo US actor Kelly Marie Tran poses on dragon who can save the world and reunite the the red carpet upon arrival for the European film pre- bitterly divided realm of Kumandra. It features miere of : The Rise of Skywalker in London. an A-list cast of stars of Asian descent such as Sandra Oh, Awkwafina, Kelly Marie Tran and tween March and December last year. Gemma Chan, marking another diversity land- The film’s solution is simple. Only by aban- mark for Hollywood’s most powerful studio. doning self-interest and learning to trust one an- But the film’s release comes as studies show other again can the five quarrelling dragon surging anti-Asian racism in the United States lands-Fang, Heart, Spine, Talon and Tail-survive since the Covid-19 outbreak emerged from their impending doom. But besides the movie’s China, with a spate of attacks on Asian-Ameri- sunny message, its stars hope that the unprece- cans near San Francisco and elsewhere drawing In this file photo (from left) Dean Wellins, Awkwafina, Paul Briggs, Cassie Steele, Osnat Shurer, and Adele dented representation of Asian princesses, loyal widespread headlines and condemnation. “All of Lim attend Go Behind The Scenes with Walt Disney Studios during D23 Expo 2019 at Anaheim Convention companions and comedy sidekicks can have a us have seen these attacks happening over and Center in Anaheim, . —AFP photos direct impact. “Growing up in the 70s in the 80s, over and over... you do get to that place some- I didn’t see anything (like this)... I feel like it has times where you feel, ‘Oh, this is a very broken tion has been fuelled by talk of the “Chinese The report looked at events categorized as crim- been the same way, representation-wise, for a world,’” Tran, who voices Raya, told a virtual virus” from former president Donald Trump and inal in nature and showing evidence of ethnic or very long time,” said Oh, who plays Fang’s for- event ahead of the film’s release. The US actress others. Racial motivation is hard to establish in racial bias, using preliminary local police data. It midable ruler. “All of these things are such a pos- of Vietnamese descent is no stranger to racist many cases, but reported anti-Asian hate crimes aligns with another study from the Stop AAPI itive portrayal... it’s exposure that brings abuse, after becoming the victim of appalling more than doubled from 49 to 122 last year Hate advocacy group showing more than 2,800 understanding, and that understanding is what trolling from misogynist “Star Wars” fans after across 16 major US cities including New York incidents of racism and discrimination-including changes perception,” added Daniel Dae Kim, the divisive 2017 movie “The Last Jedi.” and Los Angeles-even as overall hate crime fell, non-physical forms-targeting Asian-Americans who voices Raya’s noble father. —AFP Activists say broader anti-Asian discrimina- according to a California State University study. and reported online across the United States be- Netflix serves up TikTok-style ‘Fast Laughs’

etflix on Wednesday added a “Fast to say that not all clips will be appropriate for Laughs” feature to its iPhone app, serv- all audiences,” Netflix said in the post. Fast Ning up comic clips in rapid fire, in a Laughs was available for iPhone users in select move taking on the popular video app TikTok. countries, and Netflix said it will soon start test- Tapping a Fast Laughs tab added to the mobile ing it on mobile devices powered by Google- app will launch a stream of funny snippets from backed Android software. movies, sitcoms, comedy routines, and television The new feature appeared crafted to ap- shows, according to Netflix. “Wanna see some- peal to fans of wildly popular TikTok and rides thing funny?” the streaming television service a trend toward viewers enjoying video enter- asked rhetorically in a blog post. tainment in quick hits. YouTube Shorts-the “On Netflix, this one little question opens up video-sharing website’s quick clips meant to lots of possibilities from hilarious series and compete with TikTok-were racking up 3.5 bil- films to laugh-out-loud stand-up specials.” Fast lion views a day during beta testing in India, In this file photo people wait in line to enter a store as people visit Disneyland where parts of the park Laughs clips will come from the vast Netflix the platform’s head said last month. Facebook- opened today for more retail and dining as an extension of the Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, comedy catalogue, including shows such as owned responded to TikTok’s pop- California. — AFP Murder Mystery and Big Mouth and stand-up ularity with their own short video format comedy from performers including Kevin Hart called Reels last August. And in November, and Ali Wong, according to the Silicon Valley- Snapchat launched Spotlight, a public feed of Disney to close 60 North American stores in 2021 based service. “This is the part where we have content produced by users. —AFP

isney announced Wednesday that it will lishing, in the statement. close at least 60 of its North American Disney hopes next year to develop its Dstores this year in order to focus on its “shopDisney” sales platform, and expand its in- online sales activities. The closures are only a tegration with mobile apps dedicated to its first step, with the world’s number one enter- theme parks and with its social media presence. tainment company emphasizing in a statement The changes will be accompanied by the cre- that it intends to “significantly reduce its brick- ation of new products of different Disney- and-mortar footprint” in order to focus on e- owned brands, such as adult clothing, commerce. “While consumer behavior has “streetwear,” home goods and collectible items, shifted toward online shopping, the global pan- the statement said. Disney did not specify demic has changed what consumers expect which store locations will close, nor how many from a retailer,” said Stephanie Young, Disney’s jobs will be cut due to the closures. There are In this file illustration photo a computer and a mobile phone screen display the Netflix logo in Arlington, head of consumer products, games and pub- about 300 Disney stores worldwide. —AFP Virginia. —AFP