Aladdin

Aladdin was released in 1992 and grossed $504 million dollars worldwide. Needless to say it is quite a popular Disney movie. I did not remember much of the film so I was curious as to if the film was going to be different from the others we have viewed because of location and characters. The main difference I noticed in Aladdin (as opposed to Cinderella and Ariel) was the films central focus. The focus was on mostly Aladdin, the poor boy, not the Princess, Jasmine. It was an interesting shift from princess only dialogue and singing to a more dynamic, action-filled plot.

            Subtly humor is employed throughout the film. In the opening scene the man sells a hookah-coffee Maker-French fry maker of ‘great’ quality that broke on the spot. Jafar's evil sidekick is scarsatically funny. He said “I think I’m going to have a heart attack and die from that surprise” in regard to the man not being able to get the lamp. His sarcasm gives extra dimension to the film that many children probably do not pick up on.

Sexism and racism are used in the film to characterize Jafar, Jasmine, and some side characters. Jafar, the main antagonist of the film, is dressed in significantly darker clothing than the other people living in the palace. He also is usually in the dark when we see him devising his evil plans. He also has some feminine features; His eyes looked like he is wearing winged-eyeliner and his body is very thin. His mannerisms, sarcasm, and voice is similar to Scar from The Lion King. He had an evil, almost British-English sounding voice. Some of the evil characters aiding Jafar had heavy Arabian accents, contrasting Jasmine and Aladdin’s strictly English-American voices. He fit the stereotypical villain frame because he makes other do his work (Aladdin getting the lamp for him) and runs from the law/punishment.  

Jasmine is characterized by her gender throughout the film. Her father explain he wants to wed her because he needs to make sure she is “taken care of… provided for”, because she cannot do that herself. She also falls into the female stereotype when she is crying over Aladdin and says “I didn’t even know his name.” That is a classic princess ‘falling-in-love-without-knowing-him’ cliché.  Jafar also says to Jasmine, “You’re speechless I see, a fine quality in a wife”. That is extremely sexist and makes the audience hate Jafar even more.

I saw many parallels to The Lion King in Aladdin. When Jafar took over the palace, the city turned dark and evil. Similar to when Scar took over Priderock and everything turned dark and stormy. Also, Aladdin’s sidekick, Abu, and Mufasa’s sidekick, Zazu, are similar in that they help their owners accomplish tasks they otherwise could not complete.

            Overall, I liked the action aspect of Aladdin. It appeals to both boys and girls, which is important for a divided household like mine was (my brother and I). I did not like the stereotyping of Arabic culture/language or the sexism employed in the film.  My favorite part of the film is when Aladdin and Jasmine take the magic carpet ride over the city; They seemed like the perfect couple to me in that moment.