Disney’s Aladdin was very different from the original story (what’s new ?). I really loved the storyline and more surpisingly, the complexity of the characters. For example, with Aladdin, he is a dynamic and transformative character. Unlike the lazy character in the original story, Disney’s Aladdin is warm hearted, as he gives bread to hungry children on the street and saves Jasmine on multiple occasions. He learns to defeat Jafar, he takes the time to get to know the genie, and he proves his value.
My favorite part of the Disney film was the genie character ! In the original story, the genie had zero personality and was used merely as a tool to move the plotline along. Although the genie only played a minor part in the written story, he was lively and funny in the Disney version. He was also truly human, since he had motivations to be freed when granting Aladdin’s wishes, which made him a more realistic, less magical character. (I also like how Disney came up with the idea of three wishes, which were restricted in nature – you can’t force anyone to fall in love, ask for any more wishes, or ask for deaths !)
Even Jasmine, in my opinion, was more autonomous and independent than average Disney princesses. It was not just her beauty that made her unique – she had some fierceness to her (I mean look at those furrowed eyebrows below!). Within the first 20 minutes, the audience gets a sense of her rebellious side. She feels the need to run away from her life as princess, and instead take on the identity of a peasant. Aladdin thinks that the key to Jasmine’s heart is wealth and luxury, yet when he presents his wealth, Jasmine has no interest and doesn’t care about self-absorbed, rich princes.
Unfortunately though, one of the most interesting characters in the original tale – Aladdin’s mother – was removed. Furthermore, another difference from the original story is that it seems that Jafar was a combination of both the evil magician and the Vizier.
I also love the idea of second chances that is portrayed in the film. Originally, Aladdin did not use his last wish to grant the genie his freedom, which ended up infuriating the genie. But when Aladdin is no longer a prince (and therefore ineligble to marry Jasmine), the genie insists that Aladdin use his final wish to become a prince – but this time, Aladdin has learned his worth, and fulfills his promise to free the genie.
I also love how the Sultan’s ultimate decision about Aladdin being a proper suitor for Jasmine is not rooted in wealth, or status. Instead, Aladdin has proved his worth by staying loyal to the genie and having the bravery to defeat Jafar. The best part of the story is, who Jasmine ends up with is no longer Sultan’s decision by the end of the story, since «the princess shall marry whomever seem deems worthy »
Of course, I know that many elements to Aladdin perpetuate Orientalist stereotypes, and I am not the first to notice this – there is an all too obvious distinction between the heavy Arabic accents of the ugly greedy street merchants and the light-skinned heroes of the story like Aladdin. This is important because after watching Aladdin, the film’s young viewers will have an image of Middle-Eastern people that is completely inaccurate !
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