Disney's Aladdin Response - Samuel Joseph

After watching Disney’s Aladdin (1992), I'm still upset that Aladdin didn't wish the genie free the first opportunity he had. I was always taught growing up that in order to be “a man” you must always be a man of your word, no matter the circumstance. I was also taught to never make a promise you can’t keep. Unfortunately, we were able to see greed and self-interest kick in for Aladdin, and he broke those two rules, at first at least. Nonetheless, I felt pretty upset for the genie in that moment.

I really enjoyed the beginning scene; I appreciated the fact that Disney chose to acknowledge the audience at the beginning of the film, breaking the fourth wall, so to speak. In fact, the peddler was probably my favorite human character in the film, just a pretty funny guy. After that scene, I was left questioning why he chose to mention that the coffee machine was also a hookah… and I’m like c’mon man this is a kids film!! I also recognized that voice, and it turns out that the peddler was voiced by the legend that also voiced the genie in the film, Robin Williams. Another interesting mention here, thepeddler at the beginning is the genie himself in the movie… Disney was supposed to hint to this towards the end of the film but didn’t include that part after final edits.

I also appreciated the role of the animal companions, and I felt like they were equal to human characters most of the time, if not even more important. Lago, Abu, and Rajah were all extremely important characters and in most cases were a sense of comic relief (aside from the genie). Rajah was an extremely loyal companion to Jasmine and probably took care of her more than any guy ever could. Abu was a quality companion to Aladdin, and I think it’s safe to say we can call him Aladdin Jr. He’s there to save Aladdin when he needs help, and gives Aladdin company wherever he goes. Lago is just Lago. Funny. Smart. Slightly evil.

Anyways, lets talk about Jasmine. The story is set in Agrabah, which I assume to be somewhere in Saudi Arabia. It’s weird to think that she dresses the way she does when women in Saudi Arabia have historically been some of the most restricted women. Also, her outfit, her father’s outfit, the tiger, and the palace all remind me of India. Her clothing and her father’s clothing remind me a lot of classic Indian clothing, tigers are extremely present in India, and the palace seems to resemble the Taj Mahal. They probably should’ve just set the scene somewhere in India to be honest. Aside from that, Jasmine seems to have common sense, and a lot of it. This is a significant change from Snow White, who was extremely innocent and gullible. Jasmine is able to stand up for herself, her person, and her rights while Snow White easily fell into the trap of the Queen. She has that courage, that boldness about her, the same boldness almost that we see in Mulan. Disney has created a smart, individualized princess here who can stand up for herself, and I applaud that. What I’m upset about is that she is the only significant female character in the movie, which is absolutely abysmal, and there’s no apology that could make up for that. Hopefully they do a better job with this in the live action remake that is coming out very soon.