Disney, Aladdin and 'Subtle' Racism | Film Essay and Analysis

in 1992 Disney released Aladdin a film based on an Arabian folk tale it was the highest grossing film that year and has been warmly regarded as a Disney classic and staple of many childhoods ever since however while we can appreciate the fun and great storytelling of this Disney classic I think it's also important to recognize the part the film played in perpetuating racist stereotypes and attitudes towards the Middle East and Asia an area sometimes known as the Orient what is the Orient you might have heard of the term Oriental it's kind of a capsule to describe everything east of Europe typically referring to parts of the Middle East and Asia the West was referred to as the occident but eventually this was dropped in favor of just the Western world the meaning of the Orient as a location has changed somewhat over the centuries sometimes the term includes Northern Africa and excludes certain Asian countries such as Siberia as an adjective Oriental usually refers to cultures people countries foods and more despite being vastly different places these countries and continents are grouped together as the Orient cultures in Asia and Africa were usually combined and conflated reducing them to one unique set of people for comparison the Middle East also brings together 17 countries and one territory in multiple continents however the Oreo goes much further than this encompassing a lot of East Asia and North Africa it also can include Central Asia and South Asia in his 1978 book orientalism Edward said criticized How the West perceived the Orient this perception was created for how the Orient is represented through literature Melia and Middle Eastern academic studies these representations were produced mainly by westerners politically these false perceptions play a strong part in justifying the Imperial Ambitions of the Western World against the east the attempts made by European powers to dominate Asia created biased reporting on the goings-on of that world which was regular folks only accessed information about how those countries operated the reporting switch between romantic and mystical depictions of the East to a brutal and uncivilized place this was done to prove to audiences that the Orient was in need of the power to bring them in line with the seemingly civilized and ordered Western countries the West Was depicted as the superior world since the disconnected East was so backwards and strange in comparison depicting the Eastern countries in this fashion was done to other them the act of atherine is to separate a personal group from oneself they are inherently different and with that notion comes feelings of distrust caution and confusion it's alienating other arena is derogatory because it strips the subject of similarities that may invoke companionship and understanding although these Oriental societies could be depicted as barbaric violent and primitive they also could be depicted as romantic magical and sensual there's a fetishism to orientalism wherein it's seen as exotic or mysterious because it's so different from the Western world you can teach them to be civilized like the west but you can also teach them more exciting acts as well or they teach you their strange ways in that department in return Aladdin wasn't the first or the last in visual Media or let's return to feature these countries in such a demeaning and false way before Aladdin there was One Thousand and One Nights also known as Arabian Nights This was a collection of Middle Eastern folktales collected over many centuries these folk tales date back to between the 8th and 13th century its framing device has a ruler's wife telling him a new folktale each night to prevent him from killing her in the morning like he'd done to so many of his wives before her fortunately for her this story ends with the ruler deciding his wife can live it is in this collection of folktales that Aladdin first appears the story of Aladdin and the wonderful lamp wasn't added until the start of the 18th century by a French translator so Aladdin wasn't part of the original text and has no authentic Arabic source the original story is similar to Disney's Aladdin adaptation with some minor differences a sorcerer who is unconnected to the sultan tricks Aladdin into entering a magic cave to get the lamp with the assistance of a magic ring this magic ring summons a small time Genie who helps Aladdin escape the cave after the sorcerer's betrayal then the lamp's much more powerful Genie helps Aladdin become rich marry the Sultan's daughter and defeat the sorcerer the scheming busier and The Sorcerer's evil brother interestingly the opening of the tale describes Aladdin as being set in one of the Cities of China however much of the language in the story has Arabic Origins such as Sultan whereas you'd expect it to be emperor in China it may have been written this way because China would be seen as a far away exotic land to the Middle Eastern audience the Chinese aspect tends to be emitted from adaptations of the source material there have been a lot of adaptations of Aladdin so to go through this history would take far too long therefore I'm just going to focus on the one that most influenced Disney's 1992 Aladdin and that is the thief of Baghdad this film doesn't seem to be a direct adaptation of the Aladdin story more so inspired by the book of 1001 Nights with the Aladdin tale being the main inspiration it follows Prince Ahmed who is betrayed by his advisor Jaffa when Ahmed escapes imprisonments with his new friend and Thief Abu he meets and falls in love with a princess Jaffa wants to marry the princess so blinds Prince Ahmed and transforms Abu into a dog the princess agreed to be with Jaffa and does this magic but jaffa's shipwrecks Ahmed and Abu fortunately Abu finds a genie whom he tricks into helping him defeat Jaffa and free the imprisoned Ahmed and princess Abu then flies off to more Adventures on his magic carpet obviously both films adaptations of the same text but Disney's Aladdin took a lot of ideas from the thief of Baghdad these include naming the villain Jaffa or Jafar the childish and overweight Sultan obsessed with toys the name Abu for the prince's sidekick as well as the general look of the setting and characters there is an unfortunate amount of brown face from the white actors portraying the leads such as Prince Ahmed and Jaffa I would like to say Disney improved on this when adapting the story but looking at the cast list for the 1992 film I think they took inspiration from that too but their Brown faces were animated so it's okay right while the story mainly follows ahmed's quest to defeat Jeffer and marry the princess Abu is the Aladdin stand-in rescuing Ahmed and tricking the genie into helping them he does briefly get turned into a dog in the film so having an animal named Abu in Disney's Aladdin is a homage to the character the animal version of Abu was allegedly meant to take advantage of the animation style wherein Abu is an animal that can speak a little bit and have human emotions and reactions to situations it's easy to see why Disney chose to copy a lot of elements from the FIFA Baghdad it was a critical and Commercial Success and 50 years old when Disney's version was being released I guess that seemed like a good enough excuse for them to include the originals outdated depictions and racism too anyway on to the main event Disney's Aladdin story recap in case you actually haven't seen Aladdin or it's just been a long time here's a quick recap impoverished Thief Aladdin is tricked by the Sultan's advisor Jafar into retrieving a magical lamp from a cave Jafar betrays him but Aladdin manages to summon a genie from the lamp to save himself musical chaos ensues Aladdin wants to marry Princess Jasmine after a chance encounter on the streets with help from a genie musical romance ensues Jafar steals the lamp from Aladdin and becomes the new Sultan and most powerful sorcerer he Exiles Aladdin but he returns and tricks Japan into turning himself into a powerful Genie this Trapster fire in the lamp banishing him to the Cave of Wonders where the lamp was originally found ten thousand years of imprisonment for Jafar ensues Aladdin frees the genie with his final wish and the sultan allows Jasmine to marry the street brat Aladdin for love so that's the Disney version of the tale onto the analysis of the film itself the setting [Applause] from the outset the setting is made explicit as well as a nod to its source material the story is set in the fictional land of Agrabah the film is not trying to present its animated tale as real life or pretend the Middle East is this wondrous magical place with genies and Magic lamps exactly try to separate itself from reality either the opening song describes this tale taking place in the Arab world The Peddler tries to sell his merchandise to the audience stating it's the finest this side of the river Jordan this however places to tell in the real world Middle East the location of the actual Jordan River from the Peddler's accents and his stereotypical camel in the desert there is an image the filmmakers are trying to put in your mind imagery that hearkens back to the Oriental imagery Edward said criticized in his book for othering and combining a huge group of people in order to exert power and dominance over them it is truly beautiful imagery and the artwork is gorgeous but the depiction is damaging the song goes on to describe the setting in a bit more detail where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense it's barbaric but hey it's home this wasn't the original opening Disney actually changed the lyrics after protests from the American Arab anti-discrimination committee the more offensive lyric was where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face the intention of the song is to paint a brutal image of the Middle East a place that despite its beauty is uncivilized and dangerous and the people that live there accept this violence because it's a part of their culture considering the majority of the western audience likely haven't visited the Middle East or heard much about it especially in 1992 this would be their first exposure to that area I'll have your hands for a trophy Street rat or this for a loaf of bread they may not believe genies are freely roaming around but some of the brutality and imagery would still stick in their minds when thinking of the area as discussed earlier the architectural design was inspired by the 1940s film the FIFA Baghdad the Disney filmmakers also Drew inspiration from the city of Baghdad in Iraq which was the original setting for Disney story however director of Aladdin John musker stated the first Gulf War stops them from using this location directly musker told E news that he took letters and did a jumbled anagram and came up with Agrabah the Indian city of agra's Taj Mahal was the inspiration for the story's Royal Palace however it seems they used 19th century orientalist paintings and photographs of the Arab world for the majority of their inspiration not realistic photographs or paintings but the Oriental propaganda created for a romanticized but inferior image of the Middle East and Asia Disney definitely had the resources to actually visit these locations and get authentic beautiful architecture instead they chose the push imperialist insulting propaganda so although Disney seems to try to sidestep criticism and controversy by placing the story in the fictional and animated land of Agrabah there are clear and intentional likenesses to the real world or Oriental racism that make this depiction uncomfortable the characters it's important to note how the characters of Aladdin and Jasmine and even the sultan are depicted visually in contrast to Jafar now having harsh lines to Define an evil character in more detail than the sweet rounded features of Heroes Is Not Unusual in animation however it is how the film leans into harmful stereotypes of Arab people to depict the characters that is the issue back in 1992 this uncomfortable depiction was highlighted by acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert he wrote in his review one distraction during the film was its odd use of ethnic stereotypes most of the Arab characters have exaggerated facial characteristics hooked noses glaring brows thick lips but Aladdin and the princess look like white American teenagers wouldn't it be reasonable that if all the characters in this movie come from the same genetic stock they should resemble one another Jafar does have slightly darker skin than the three characters of Aladdin Jasmine and her father The Peddler introduces him as dark men Waits with a dark purple the exaggerated features that add to his villainous look are stereotypical qualities to juxtapose the Western impale Beauty ideals naturally Aladdin and Jasmine are given Western Beauty ideals as protagonists likewise the lead character's accents are very Western based whereas the barbaric regular folk of Agrabah retain Arabic accents the film is clearly aimed at a western audience given all of its pop culture references delivered through Robin Williams iconic betrayal as the genie in his own American accents however when the film's good guys are meant to be western standings and the bad guys remain caricatures of real Arab people with Arabian accents what kind of message does that send to the audience especially the very young audience watching this children's film it's not a very trusting or inclusive message at least there is also the sexualization of Princess Jasmine who is canonically 16 in the film in one scene she is dressed in Scarlet Red and seduces the much older Jafar to distract him from Aladdin this comes hand in hand with sexualizing exotic women because they come from a different distant culture their mystery is eroticized it makes me think of The Taming of the Shrew mindset orientalism makes these people seem inferior and uncivilized but that just makes sexualizing them more exciting Jafar even refers to Jasmine as a shrew and is seduced by her later true a deer has marriage why Disney why as mentioned in the orient section a big reason why certain countries are depicted this way is to make them seem inferior to the Western audience watching them this gives the Western World permission or Reason to invade these countries and control them to help bring them up to speed with the rest of the world whether they like it or not this type of content is usually referred to as propaganda because it is biased or misleading information used to promote a political cause or point of view and yes Disney's Aladdin helps promote and push this propaganda to small children whose first awareness of the Middle East and Asia would likely come from this film Aladdin is a fantasy Tale But as discussed its art and story are rooted in real Arabic location and cultures muddying the waters between real and fake the West Ends the Middle East relationship have tended to be tenuous at best especially in the wake of 9 11 and the political strife and war that resulted from it it's interesting how even a film in the early 90s laid groundwork for people more readily turning against this barbaric land end up holding this distaste for Arabic culture even in modern day in 2015 530 GOP voters in the U.S were polled by public policy polling and it was found that 30 would support bombing Agrabah seven percent said they were unsure it's unclear how many of the respondents were aware of the tongue-in-cheek nature of the question as the city being fictional wasn't referenced even so there does seem to be a link between depictions of Arab nations in a negative light influencing audiences to think worse of them since the film was aimed at Children and Families Disney had more responsibility and messages and attitudes it represented knowing it could influence a lot of young people that's part of why stories and depictions are sanitized a bit when adapted to Disney yet it clearly didn't care enough about how this Fantastical and racist orientalism would affect the Middle Eastern Asia or just figured the continued oppression of these locations could only be beneficial to the Western world and you may still think what's the big deal Aladdin is a fantasy movie for children well Song of the South was also a fictional movie with fantasy elements aimed at children and Disney definitely tries to ignore they ever made that film mainly for its controversial depictions of certain people even 30 years after release Aladdin remains a staple in family homes and watched on repeat as a Disney classic when children watch these characters with Arabic features and heavy accents act shady and violent on the streets of Agrabah they don't tend to think hey it's fictional so all good but internalize the fear and distrust that comes from watching these characters they likely have no other reference point for a good Arabic person who doesn't look like the anglicized Aladdin or Jasmine especially in media so this is their lesson professor of Arabic at Durham University Daniel Newman acknowledged that Western portrayals have come a long way from the mystical orientalist fantasies but barring a few exceptions what has happened is that one cliche has been replaced by another from the Scimitar wielding lascivious Arab we have gone to the bomb wielding terrorist Arab this portrayal definitely makes sense in the aftermath of 9 11 where demonizing the entire Arabic people has had a hand in allowing Wars and other acts of retaliation to take place and if you still think I'm over analyzing Aladdin Disney plus literally puts a warning before the film something I only found out when I went to re-watch the film for this essay this message lasts 10 seconds and is unskippable so there is no missiness there is no warning for the 2019 remake but I think casting non-white actors in the lead roles meant they felt they could get away with it this time I mean uh you don't seem to know how dangerous Agrabah can be as mentioned the setting while beautiful and magical is very violent this may be one of the most violent Disney animated films I've seen the manchafar sends into the cave is eaten alive and never heard of again innocent sweet Jasmine almost has her arm chopped off over a misunderstanding within about 30 seconds Jafar tries to kill Aladdin multiple times and tells Jasmine he's been beheaded these are just a few examples this is interesting because when adapting stories for their Disney films Disney would usually sanitize the work I mean The Little Mermaid didn't have to kill the prince or risk turning into sea foam at the end of the Disney adaptation right and Cinderella's stepsisters didn't have to cut off parts of their feet to fit into the glass slipper even when the French Resorts violence at the end of Beauty and the Beast it's because they have been manipulated and riled up by Gaston but then again they're set in Europe and therefore the Western World so why depict them as barbaric or uncivilized Disney seemed pretty happy to keep and even expand upon any potential opportunities for violence from their Arabic people in Aladdin the violent undertones in danger of the setting is apparent throughout the whole film this is the character's life and lands so it is inherently in their nature conclusion Disney's Aladdin is a beloved classic and fantastic family film however beneath its colorful and funny exterior there is a troubling undercurrent of racism and harmful stereotypes that should not be ignored from the setting of Agrabah to the character's appearances and accents harmful stereotypes are frequent in the film and these attitudes and ideas influence the young audience watching the film's portrayal of the Middle East and Asia as a place of danger and brutality despite its Fantastical elements has real-world consequences it contributes to a distorted view of these regions one that has been used to justify imperialist Ambitions and Military interventions in these real world places even in modern times these portrayals can still shape public perceptions and attitudes enjoying Aladdin its magic story and characters is okay but it is important to acknowledge the racist roots of the filmmaking decisions and to really understand the depiction of the Middle East is closer to fiction than fact that way you can avoid accidentally creating your own harmful prejudices and falling for the Oriental propaganda pushed in certain media and I can also acknowledge Disney are taking baby steps and trying to rectify their past in some ways the lesson here is to be more mindful of the way we produce and consume art and how it influences audiences and it's never too late to learn from our mistakes and do better in the future thanks for watching I hope you enjoyed the video please don't forget to like And subscribe for more it's really encouraging to me if you'd like to hear my thoughts on the 2019 remake I might do a follow-up video it depends what you guys want thanks again

Channel: Caelin RGT

Views: 4,287

Keywords: aladdin, disney, racist, racism, orient, orientalism, oriental, orientalist, edward said, 1992, 2019, remake, original, jasmine, jafar, thief of bagdad, middle east, geography, asia, arabic, american sniper, indiana jones

Id: 8g5ArLc-OvE

Length: 24min 18sec (1458 seconds)

Published: Fri Sep 15 2023