Elizabeth Reneau Disney Aladdin Response

Well, the moral of the story is I want to be taken on a magic carpet ride… Disney brought a new magic to this once grim story of Aladdin. This film is basically an animated rom com with some Disneyification and cultural assumptions. I loved the audience interaction with the film through the musical compositions. I am always a sucker for the classic boy meets girl love story which Disney loves to capitalize on. However, while Disney added its magic and pixie dust to a once non-dynamic story, they missed on the cultural misrepresentations and generalization of different people groups along the way. Everyone likes to hear the good news before the bad, so let’s start with the things Disney got right.

I thought Disney excelled in showing the different facets to Jasmine and her character. I think it is so important Disney added Jasmine to the franchise because she represents a different culture beyond the ridiculous obsession with the white ideal. I love how she empowered herself to be bold and live in the freedom everyone deserves. I think for all the little girls out there (and even me at 19) who watch Jasmine and see how she “sets the bar high” for herself in regards to the man she wants to love is so valuable. It is valuable because society today throws around marriage and love like it is nothing, and Jasmine makes it something important to her. I also loved the animation Disney displayed throughout the film. I laughed several times when the genie switched to different characters or showed different personalities. I thought it brought humor to the darker parts of the film, making it more childlike.

Now, to the things Disney got wrong. Let’s begin with the setting of this version of Aladdin and the different cultural issues Disney displayed about this region. So, in the original version, Aladdin was in a Chinese area. In the movie however, we are taken to a middle eastern area. The markets and streets emphasize forms of trading in middle eastern countries, but the issue was the assumption that women of this culture are seductive, there are many “street-rats” in this area of the world, and there are many robbers/sketchy people.

Next, and in my opinion the biggest issue of the film, was the treatment of women. Jasmine was treated as a piece of property ready to be sold off to the next best buyer. Her father attempted to shield her from this, but the law at this time in history agreed that women did not earn the right to decide who they could love. Disney takes on misogyny to the fullest effect and does not shield its audience from issues of women inequality. Jafar wanted to marry Jasmine for his own personal gain—not love. He would use her as a piece in his power-hungry puzzle of life. Aladdin also used Jasmine’s status as a princess to make his past life as a homeless “street-rat” seem non-existent. 

However, even with the things Disney did wrong, they got a ton right. Aladdin is one of my favorite Disney films because it allows you to dream. It allows you to think of love. And it challenges you to stand up for what you believe in.