Aladdin

As the 31^st Disney film, Aladdin is one of Disney’s most well- known films.  The idea for Aladdin was originally pitched by a lyricist, Howard Ashman, and the screenplay went through three drafts before Disney’s president at the time finally agreed to the movie.  When Aladdin was finally released, it received critical acclaim for its animation, music, characters, and for Robin Williams’ role as The Genie; and it was a box office success, becoming the highest grossing animated movie up until The Lion King, even though it took many weeks to take the number one spot.  I was very excited to review this film as, though I had watched it a couple times when I was younger, I was not as familiar with Aladdin as I was with other Disney movies.  I hope everyone loves this movie as much as I do! Whatever your thoughts I’d love to hear from you!

Aladdin (based on a story from the book One Thousand and One Nights) is about a young man, Aladdin, who lives on the streets of Agrabah with his monkey, Abu, and who yearns for a better life than the one he’s living.  One day, Aladdin meets and falls in love with Princess Jasmine, whose dad is trying to force her to marry someone she doesn’t love.  Meanwhile, the evil royal vizier, Jafar, is looking for a magical lamp so that he can take the throne.  In order to find the lamp, Jafar disguises himself and gets Aladdin to go with him to The Cave of Wonders.   Aladdin and Abu end up getting stuck in the cave, where they meet the genie of the lamp whose dream is to be free.  Aladdin then goes on a quest to try to win over Jasmine’s heart.  This movie has some good messages like how we should be ourselves.  The Genie tells Aladdin that he shouldn’t have to worry about his looks or social status when it comes to hanging out with Princess Jasmine; he should just be himself.  Speaking of Princess Jasmine, she’s the most independent of the Disney Princesses thus far, as she rebels against the royal custom that she has to be married by her next birthday and she stands up to Jafar’s wicked ways.  The film’s animal sidekicks, Abu and Rajah, are also quite adorable, and the late Robin Williams does a fantastic job playing the role of The Genie!  Despite the great animation, music, and mostly fun characters, this film can get pretty dark.  Jafar is rather creepy and might scare younger kids, and there are also some stereotypes regarding people who are from the Middle East; a warning about the stereotypes even pops up when you click on the movie.  So, I would caution parents regarding creepy Jafar and the racial stereotypes.  The biggest theme that I see in this movie is free will/freedom.  Aladdin, Jasmine, and The Genie all feel trapped in different ways and for different reasons—and they all wish that they were in world other than the one that they find themselves in; and I think that we can all relate to that, most especially now. 

“To be free. Such a thing would be greater than all the magic and all the treasures in the world.”

The Genie