Harvard College scholar Julia Riew noticed that Disney did not have a Korean Disney princess - so she created one herself for her senior thesis.
Chalk up a win for represent-Asian.
A Korean American Harvard College scholar noticed that Disney didn’t have a Korean Disney princess — so she created one, together with an accompanying musical, for her senior thesis. A video asserting the pupil’s venture has amassed practically 1,000,000 views on TikTok.
“I believe tales are so essential for teenagers,” Julia Riew, 22, instructed CNN of the fanfare surrounding her Disney-inspired creation “Shimcheong: A Folktale” which she’d reportedly made to introduce some range into movie, and full her senior thesis
The St. Louis native added, “As somebody who, as a teen, by no means noticed herself represented in media, or in movie, TV or onstage — that was one thing I all the time longed for.”
Within the 41-second clip, uploaded final month, Riew introduces “Shimcheong” by singing the musical’s major quantity “Dive.”
“Now the entire fish within the sea can’t cease me,” Riew croons earlier than utilizing a TikTok filter to morph into the musical’s titular animated heroine. “All the waves on this planet can’t rock me. I’m on a mission and gee, simply watch me go!”
“Shimcheong,” which is predicated on the Korean folktale “The Blind Man’s Daughter,” tells the story of a younger lady who falls within the sea whereas attempting to avoid wasting her father and leads to the treacherous “Dragon Kingdom” with seemingly no method out. Consequently, Shimcheong is compelled to try to escape her underwater jail and discover her method dwelling.
Alongside the best way, the aquatic adventurer meets a prince and an evil Dragon Queen — each of whose signature songs Riew teased on TikTok. There are reportedly 16 tunes in whole.
The aspiring playwright instructed KSDK that her reverse fish out of water story was “impressed by my very own private journey in looking for belonging as a Korean American.”
“The story is basically about her returning dwelling and attempting to reclaim this id that she’s misplaced,” defined Riew, who started writing musicals at 15. “And that, for me, comes from a whole lot of my very own private story of rising up in Missouri after which going to Korea for the primary time once I was 18 years previous.”
Certainly, her “Ponyo”-esque story is a parable for the lifetime of Riew, who felt culturally adrift rising up within the predominantly black and white metropolis of St. Louis, KSDK reported. This sense didn’t enhance when the younger prodigy traveled to South Korea for the primary time and found that she didn’t slot in there both.
“After I arrived, I believe I used to be actually shocked at how a lot of a foreigner I felt once I arrived in Korea,” lamented the playwright of the eye-opening pilgrimage.
In recent times, Riew has striven to get in contact along with her Korean roots through language and tradition lessons, and thru her music.
Thankfully, it seems, that just like the titular princess in “Shimcheong,” Riew has lastly discovered a spot the place she belongs — throughout the worldwide on-line group.
“(The craze) began off in America after which it began trending on Korean Twitter,” Riew stated. “Even past producers reaching out, it’s when mother and father inform me, ‘I've a 5-year-old, or 3-year-old, or 9-year-old — I do know that they'd like to see this film on-screen, and we’ve been listening to your songs.’ “
As well as, “Shimcheong” followers have been inundating Riew’s inbox with conceptual artwork of the Korean princess, which she’s shared in two elements on TikTok.
“I by no means imagined that one thing like TikTok … may carry me to a spot the place I really feel such a heat sense of belonging,” mused the joint theater, dance, media and music main.
If that wasn’t thrilling sufficient, Riew has additionally been receiving “a whole lot of messages and emails” from creatives, together with movie and theater producers.
“It undoubtedly appears just like the venture goes to have a house someplace sooner or later,” gushed the budding composer. “We’re not fairly positive when, however a whole lot of conversations are being had, which is basically thrilling.”
Riew’s dream is to work for Disney, however for now, she’s simply having fun with the trip.
“It’s most likely been the craziest three weeks of my life, but it surely’s a very, actually thrilling time,” she stated. “And truthfully, I’m simply actually grateful.”
This isn’t the primary time a TikTok venture has garnered worldwide acclaim.
Final month, the pre-filmed “Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical” boggled theater buffs’ minds after racking up greater than $1 million in ticket gross sales throughout its three-day streaming run.
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