Rooney Disney Aladdin Response

If I’d watched Aladdin as a child, it was nothing like the story I read. Right off the bat, the story had a completely different tone than any Disney would take- describing a child as idle and careless, suggesting that Aladdin is a young boy who needs to mend his ways. Aladdin’s idle ways “so grieved the father that he died”! This sentence struck me as so abrupt it was almost comical, as if the story was very hastily set up so that the plot could begin as soon as possible. There was lack of any other context: I was left wondering what the father-son relationship was like, what was expected of Aladdin, how old he actually is, etc.

I am confused as to why the story was described to be set in China, when terms like ‘Vizier’ and ‘Sultan’ were employed. Is this a weird translation/orientalist literature thing? I also was not expecting the story to travel- to Africa, which seems far, depending on where they went.

Every story I have heard about a genie or a wish granter in any form has wishes limited to three wishes maximum. Thus, I was very surprised that there was not a cap at three wishes, and even more that there was no wish cap at all. Further, I have heard tales about genies being mischievous and tricky, finding loopholes in wishes to grant the stingiest outcome possible- again, this does not seem to be the case. Where did these tropes come from? Did Disney or some other Western tale create them? This genie grants all the wishes in full and more- he creates marvelous castles and amazing amounts of wealth for Aladdin.

I would absolutely not call this love at first sight, it’s more of a one-sided infatuation at first sight. Aladdin watches her bathe, wants to marry her for her status, and essentially buys her. He uses this gift- the genie- for nothing but personal gain. I guess that’s not surprising but it is disappointing. A genie, which we have established is not mischievous and will grant any wish, could solve so many problems in his life and community, not to mention the world, but Aladdin literally only uses it for material personal gain. His selfishness is apparent when he gives his mother 6 slaves and himself 20. Not that I condone slaves, but many a beloved prince prioritize their mothers- if present- and would do the reverse. His priority is himself and climbing the socioeconomic ladder as quickly as possible.

How does Aladdin come to hold such important political positions? He has no background, no expertise, and just a lot of gold. That’s political commentary, perhaps. It’s a classic rags to riches story- centered on one man, personal material gain, he gets the girl though she would likely be happier with someone else, and there is a happyish ending. But it is certainly not Disney.