Is Aladdin offensive?
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Aladdin
sgarfield-35533 — 10 years ago(September 14, 2015 06:27 AM)
Does Disney's Aladdin create an offensive construction of the Arab culture through generic western stereotypes of the east?
Evidence such as the change in original lyrics of Arabian nights, the way Jasmine is portrayed and also through the characters themselves (skin tone & facial features) could suggest an offensive portrayal of the Arab culture.
Is this accurate to suggest? -
Stratego — 10 years ago(September 14, 2015 08:01 AM)
It's interesting you never hear such complaints about how French people and culture are portrayed in Beauty and the Beast or other movies that take place in Europe. I agree with the other poster, people are too touchy.
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Stratego — 9 years ago(July 22, 2016 07:20 AM)
That's because they're usually white people. They have stereotypes but they're never used to be discriminated against like people of color do.
Now that's already a great example of a stereotype used against white people! And no, a stereotype is a stereotype, there's no difference in the way French people and Arab people are stereotyped in Disney films. -
PillowRock — 10 years ago(September 15, 2015 02:16 PM)
through the characters themselves (skin tone & facial features)
Do you mean because they're not Arab-looking enough?
You do realize that much of the production design of
Aladdin
, including many of the character designs, was based on the 1940 version of
The Thief of Bagdad
, right? I mean, once you've seen them both it becomes pretty obvious that the Jaffar in
Aladdin
, for example, is a caricature of the German born actor Conrad Veidt as he appeared in the role of Jaffar in
The Thief of Bagdad
. -
cartesianthought — 10 years ago(October 21, 2015 11:19 AM)
I'm not offended.
I just think the writers and animators should have taken a trip to the middle east to see what it actually looks like, rather than relying on movie cliches.
In fact, that's exactly what they did with Mulan. -
Szabu — 9 years ago(April 28, 2016 12:40 AM)
I'm glad Aladdin's fantasy kingdom of Agrabah is nothing like the Middle East of today. The Middle East is a joyless, dry (not just in a literal sense) and depressing. And yes, I've actually been there, in Saudi Arabia.
If anything, Aladdin's portrayal of Arabic culture is the opposite of offensive. -
racy1285 — 10 years ago(October 25, 2015 04:17 PM)
Would you please elaborate this one? What is wrong with the way Jasmine is portrayed?
I think he's talking about if the movie was accurate to the middleeast. Jasmine would most likely be wearing middleeastern type of garment. I don't think Middleeasterns would take too kindly to a woman especially a Princess wearing that two piece that Jasmine is wearing in the film. They are a very modest people especially when it comes to showing skin.
We also need to remember that these are fantasy films. They aren't documentaries. Its basically like asking "Lord of The Rings" to be accurate. -
Stratego — 10 years ago(October 27, 2015 01:39 PM)
Technically, Jasmine would've lived in the women's quarters, called the harem. But she was more dressed like a belly dancer. Although there was a time that women in the harem enjoyed quite a lot of freedom, I doubt they dressed like that.
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GreenGoblinsOckVenom86 — 10 years ago(November 06, 2015 06:38 AM)
No. But then it is made by Americans so therefore anybody from that part of the world would be offended by it. Frankly I think a movie that is somewhat offensive to Arabs is True Lies but it doesn't bother me that much. But it was made before Islamic Terrorism was as big of a thing as it is now.
Green Goblin is great! -
Miss_Georgia — 10 years ago(November 26, 2015 01:32 PM)
No, it is not offensive. It is a disney animated movie and not a documentary. Jasmine's clothes were chosen because they are pretty. I was a little girl when Aladdin came out. Loved it and thought "oh she is pretty! Her outfit is so cool!". It is not a documentary and one of the main characters is a genie (they do not exist) and a talking bird. Yeah, I think we will all survive, lol. No one should look to disney for realism. Its entertainment. As another poster said, no one gets up in arms dissecting whether or not Beauty and the Beast was true enough to France and French culture.