Mulan’s Disney+ release is reigniting a boycott movement

After the coronavirus pandemic forced Disney to delay and eventually cancel a global theatrical release of its live-action Mulan earlier this year, the movie debuted on the company's streaming platform on Friday.

In China, where cinemas started reopening in late July, Mulan will appear in theaters starting Sept. 11, and Disney has a lot riding on the mainland release.

The entertainment giant has spent years trying ensure that Mulan, based on the Chinese folk story “Ballad of Mulan,” pulls in mainland audiences, unlike Disney's 1998 animated film of the same...