Aladdin’s introduction to Jasmine is thankfully much less creepy than in the original story. Instead of spying on her when she goes to bathe, he comes across her in the market. This introduction also allows viewers to get an initial sense of Jasmine’s personality: she is kind and smart, but also naive of what goes on in the real world. Compared with the original story, Jasmine actually has a personality.
Aladdin maintains the same lack of motivation and direction that exists in the story, but he’s not as “useless” in the film. Aladdin is very clever, and is able to get through life using his tricks and talents. He is also accompanied by Abu - this friendship paints him a lot more positively than in the original story.
Aladdin has clear influences from both the Middle East and South Asia; I originally thought that it purely had Middle Eastern influence. For example, Jasmine’s tiger’s name is Rajah, which is an Indian title meaning “king.” Additionally the story is set in the fictional city of Agrabah and the palace resembles the Taj Mahal - the Taj Mahal is located in Agra. This would also make historical sense, because India did have a Sultan for periods of time in history, and India does have a lot of Muslim and Middle Eastern influence.
The animals in Aladdin have personalities of their own: Iago has such a harsh voice and tone (which almost rings in my ears) which matches his critical, annoyed personality. Iago is also an interesting name choice given that it was probably inspired by Iago, the antagonist of Shakespeare’s Othello. Abu’s voice also stands out, and he also has a very developed personality. He is consistently bothered by Aladdin’s ignorance, but continues to put up with it and stays loyal.
The Sultan’s personality is very fitting of his appearance given the track record of Disney movies. His rather rotund shape and exaggerated facial features and attire match his pompous and ignorant yet kind nature. Compared to the Sultan in the story, the Sultan in the film is much more forgiving and weak. He ignorantly listens to Jafar, being literally under his control.
The Disney version takes away all sort of evil nature from the Genie. In the story, the Genie is almost demonic, described as ugly and scary. This Genie is lovable and enthusiastic and is literally blue, a mild non-evil color.
Ultimately, Aladdin’s cleverness leads him to success. He is able to outsmart Jafar, and bring back peace. The fact that Aladdin only has three wishes makes a much more interesting storyline. At the end, when he is faced with the dilemma of freeing the Genie and being a prince, part of my has always been frustrated. When I was a kid, I used to always wonder why he didn’t just wish to make himself a prince, and then give the lamp to Jasmine to wish for the Genie’s freedom. Looking back now, I can see how that wouldn’t have made for a good story.
Aladdin maintains the same lack of motivation and direction that exists in the story, but he’s not as “useless” in the film. Aladdin is very clever, and is able to get through life using his tricks and talents. He is also accompanied by Abu - this friendship paints him a lot more positively than in the original story.
Aladdin has clear influences from both the Middle East and South Asia; I originally thought that it purely had Middle Eastern influence. For example, Jasmine’s tiger’s name is Rajah, which is an Indian title meaning “king.” Additionally the story is set in the fictional city of Agrabah and the palace resembles the Taj Mahal - the Taj Mahal is located in Agra. This would also make historical sense, because India did have a Sultan for periods of time in history, and India does have a lot of Muslim and Middle Eastern influence.
The animals in Aladdin have personalities of their own: Iago has such a harsh voice and tone (which almost rings in my ears) which matches his critical, annoyed personality. Iago is also an interesting name choice given that it was probably inspired by Iago, the antagonist of Shakespeare’s Othello. Abu’s voice also stands out, and he also has a very developed personality. He is consistently bothered by Aladdin’s ignorance, but continues to put up with it and stays loyal.
The Sultan’s personality is very fitting of his appearance given the track record of Disney movies. His rather rotund shape and exaggerated facial features and attire match his pompous and ignorant yet kind nature. Compared to the Sultan in the story, the Sultan in the film is much more forgiving and weak. He ignorantly listens to Jafar, being literally under his control.
The Disney version takes away all sort of evil nature from the Genie. In the story, the Genie is almost demonic, described as ugly and scary. This Genie is lovable and enthusiastic and is literally blue, a mild non-evil color.
Ultimately, Aladdin’s cleverness leads him to success. He is able to outsmart Jafar, and bring back peace. The fact that Aladdin only has three wishes makes a much more interesting storyline. At the end, when he is faced with the dilemma of freeing the Genie and being a prince, part of my has always been frustrated. When I was a kid, I used to always wonder why he didn’t just wish to make himself a prince, and then give the lamp to Jasmine to wish for the Genie’s freedom. Looking back now, I can see how that wouldn’t have made for a good story.
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