Ron Clements and John Musker, the directors of the 1992 film, said in 2015 that the movie was originally intended to be set in Baghdad, Iraq. Most people consider Aladdin to be set somewhere in the Middle East. While the movie is set in a city based on Baghdad, Iraq, Aladdin contains aspects of multiple Middle Eastern and Asian cultures The sultan’s palace in Aladdin, left, and the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. In the examples below, the illustration of Aladdin on the left, circa 1930 by an unknown artist, (Credit: Getty Images/Hulton Archive), and the illustration on the right from the early 20th century (Credit: Alamy), both clearly depict Asian clothing and settings.Ģ. Throughout the Victorian era, “Aladdin sport a Manchurian queue and Chinese slippers, and the architecture feature distinctly Chinese pagodas.” The emphasis on the Chinese aspects of Aladdin during this time period through the use of “ chinoiserie ” (the imitation of Chinese motifs and techniques in Western art) was especially popular. Versions of Aladdin from the 19th and well into the 20th centuries depict the main character as culturally Asian, not Arab. A Syrian named Hanna Diyab did apparently meet with Galland at some point, but it remains unclear how much, if any, of the story came from him. While the true origins of the tale of Aladdin cannot be completely verified, the story is often attributed to French writer Antoine Galland, who claimed a Syrian told him about a boy and a genie in China. The original Aladdin was actually Chinese At the end of the overview, you can also find resources section for further exploration in the classroom.ġ. We take a look at the origins of the folktale, the previous dramatic portrayals of the story, the 1992 animated film, and how the filmmakers tried to overcome past controversy in the latest rendition of Aladdin. Here, TeachMideast provides you with in-depth background and context so you can decide for yourself whether society is succeeding in its demand that Hollywood do a better job portraying minorities. As mentioned above, the original, one of many films released as part of the Disney Renaissance, made $504 million worldwide over its entire box office lifetime. Aladdin earned $604.9 million worldwide after a little over two weeks in release, with $232.4 million domestic and $372.5 million international for the musical remake. Could he overcome the perception that the story was inherently bigoted? Was it possible to accurately depict cultural nuances using a fairy tale? Reviews have been mixed but the film has been popular, nonetheless: the 2019 film surpassed the original film within a month of its release at the box office. Thus, when Disney reported in 2016 that a live-action adaptation was in the works, director Guy Ritchie had to contend with the original film’s controversial legacy. The film remains controversial to this day. But, a completely white cast voiced the film, and the association of Arabs with violence, greed and other negative traits suggested that Hollywood was insensitive at best and xenophobic at worst. Wouldn’t it be reasonable that if all the characters in this movie come from the same genetic stock, they should resemble one another?Īfter the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee complained about song lyrics describing the setting in the film, “Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face,” alternate lyrics were dubbed into the video and soundtrack releases. Most of the Arab characters have exaggerated facial characteristics – hooked noses, glowering brows, thick lips – but Aladdin and the princess look like white American teenagers. Iconic film critic, Roger Ebert, wrote in his 1992 review : One distraction during the film was its odd use of ethnic stereotypes. Some were alarmed by the film’s stereotypes and generalizations about Arabs and the Middle East. While the 1992 movie had all the fairy-tale elements to attract viewers - adventure and intrigue, an evil villain, a plucky underdog, a forlorn princess trapped by tradition, and an array of supporting characters, Aladdin didn’t fare well with critics. Twenty-seven years ago, Disney’s animated version of Aladdin was the highest-grossing film of 1992, earning over $346 million in worldwide box office revenue. The film is an adaptation of a folktale from the 18th-century, Arabic-language collection, A Thousand and One Nights. In May 2019, Disney released a live-action version of Aladdin, which tells the story of an affable street-urchin who accepts the services of a trickster genie to win over the sultan’s daughter, Jasmine.
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