Aladdin

Disney hits right off the bat being clear that this will be a movie set in the Middle East with their music style, font choice, and the opening scene in the desert. Also, the opening song, “Arabian Nights,” is far from subtle, and also almost unrecognizable from the Arabic version. The first time I watched Aladdin, it was in Arabic in Egypt, so and while I didn’t pick up on the notable differences then as a child, the stark contrast between the English and Arabic versions is clear as day. In the Arabic version, the song still has a lot of Orientalist appraisal and appropriation, but at least it paints the Middle East in a good and wondrous light, as opposed to the English version. I will say that while the palace looks like the Taj Mahal, it does share some semblance to grand mosques in Egypt. The theme of being rough on the outside, but a diamond in the inside is a very “Disney” theme to have, however, does not translate from the original in my opinion. I know I’ve been quite vocal about my opinion of the original Aladdin story, and in that one, like I said, it didn’t seem that Aladdin had many redeemable traits, so it’s nice that Disney is adding that in.

Unrelated, but up to this point, everything has been so stereotypical and inaccurate. The Hookah, the deserts, the terrible accents; I can definitely see where the critiques against the movie rise. That being said, in the Arabic version, everyone had a genuine Arabic accent, so I wonder what that entails as far as critiques of the movie. Iago is very much a clear Disney addition that adds to the entertainment of the movie through his sarcasm and mannerisms, in addition to the fact that he’s a talking animal. Also, it’s pretty clear right now that Jafar is going to play the role of the Magician and the Vizier, but we already knew that.

I didn’t even notice this until now, but when Aladdin says, “all this for a loaf of bread?”, I was immediately reminded of Jean Valjean in Lés Miserable, singing, “I stole a loaf of bread!” The Aladdin-Valjean parallel is one that I similarly pulled in my original blog post on the fairytale, so I can’t say I’m surprised I’m doing it again here, however, maybe Disney saw the parallel as well and added the line/scene to slyly wink at Victor Hugo’s work.

This isn’t an observation I would normally call out in the first 8 minutes of the movie, but given that I have seen the whole thing, we’re very early on seeing how Disney portrays women in the Middle East, with all of them being veiled and swooning over Aladdin. That being said, even though they’re veiled, the purpose is completely trumped by sexualizing the women and trying to display them as “Oriental beauties.” Also, Aladdin has his own pet animal, which is another classic Disney addition.

The almost unnatural vigor with which Aladdin is chased for stealing bread is a very inaccurate portrayal of Arabic culture, and, once again, more so resembles Victor Hugo’s France in Lés Miserables. Unrelated, but nice foreshadowing to the magic carpet when Aladdin jumps out the window. Some of Aladdin’s positive traits are seen pretty early on when he gives up the bread he just almost sacrificed his life to get to two starving children. And then proceeds to get in front of a suitor and take a whip for them.

Having a tiger named Raja is far more semblance of Indian culture than Middle Eastern culture. Despite the bad cultural and gender representations, Jasmine’s introduction of her wanting to marry for love is a pretty nice thing for Disney to include. However, given that it likely delivers the message to its audience that arranged marriages are extremely commonplace in the Middle East, Disney isn’t doing that much good for itself. Jasmine’s independence seems like it stems more out of teen angst than feminist ideals, so that isn't’ great either.

Jafar is straight up hypnotizing the Sultan, so it’s pretty obvious that he runs things in the palace. The bazaar is very much an attempt at appearing Middle Eastern. Also, the hand cutting-off part is just totally inaccurate, thanks, Disney. “The Sands of Time” is also from Prince of Persia, but I’m not sure which story came first. Jasmine’s spunk and independence do her credit as an American feminist figure, however, not so much in the context of the movie. Aladdin and Jasmine’s conversation really shows how the grass is always greener on the other side.

Disney adds another “pet” companion with the magic carpet. I will say, their ability to animate its emotions is pretty impressive. The fact that the lion calls them “infidels” though… it’s like Disney’s not even trying to not be racist/stereotypical. I will say, though, I do love the genie. Nice shoutouts to Ali Baba and 1001 Arabian Nights through the Genie’s song though. As funny and great as the genie is though, it’s so far different to actual, Arabian genies. Are the sexualizing goats really implying what I think Disney is implying? Because if so, that’s actually wild and I can’t believe they haven’t been called out on it yet.

The genie’s obsession with freedom, along with Jasmine’s, combined with Aladdin’s desire for wealth, really plays into Disney pushing the American Dream. Also, Aladdin revealing why he’s a diamond in the rough again by agreeing to set the genie free. I still like Jasmine’s spunk and her calling them out for deciding her future. Honestly, even though it was said in class, I do wanna reiterate that I probably have laughed more at the movie now than when I was a child.

Dang, Jafar’s transformation and his revealing of Aladdin’s truth was pretty brutal and actually somewhat frightening. I will say, the movie is extremely entertaining, it’s a shame Disney had to spoil it with their cultural misconceptions and inaccuracies. Also, Jafar’s puns make me wanna die, no cap. Even though they were in totally different contexts, having two genies and a disappearing palace are two elements of the original story that made it in.

Overall, the story had some good messages: accepting and being yourself, choosing your own path, and choosing what’s inside rather than material wealth. None of these were included in the original story, but they were added by Disney to make an entertaining story with a good overall message. The problem lies in the context, marketing, and commoditization that Disney engages in.