Review of Aladdin (1992) by Samantha H — 07 May 2018

Disney's Aladdin focuses on the concept that strength, power, wealth, and ultimate happiness comes from within oneself. This movie details the story of a poor street rat, Aladdin, who earns three wishes from a magical genie that he frees from a lamp and eventually squanders one of the wishes on the worldly desires of being someone other than himself. In an effort to impress and earn the affection of Princess Jasmine, Aladdin poses as someone of great power and wealth-all to discover that being himself was the best way to attract Jasmine and win her heart through the revelation of his true identity and genuine character. In the end, Aladdin's compassion for others and authentic loving heart prevails over his efforts to buy Jasmine's love, as his last wishes to save his own life and the life of the genie speak volumes to his character progression throughout the movie. Throughout the course of the plot, the adversary, Jafar, (who also happens to be the royal vizier) works to expose (and get rid of) Aladdin and steal the affections of Jasmine in hopes of eventually taking the crown and the title of Sultan. Jafar achieves some success through Aladdin's apparent defeat when Jafar has him kidnapped and thrown into the sea-forging him to use his second wish to save his life. Jafar's apparent success, however, is proven to be short lived when Aladdin makes his way back to the palace and defeats the now powerful genie, Jafar, by trapping him in a lamp for thousands and thousands of years. In the end, Aladdin exposes his poverty and true self to Jasmine to learn that she accepts(and prefers) him for his true self-and in turn so does her father and the kingdom, landing him the crown to eventually rule over the entire kingdom with Jasmine by his side.

The movie's overarching message of staying true to oneself is made clear through the depiction of Aladdin as Prince Ali versus when he is his true character from humble beginnings. Through pretending to be a big, powerful, and wealthy prince, Aladdin was never truly satisfied and unable to win over Jasmine, however, when he revealed his true self and big heart-despite his poverty-stricken background-he earned the love and acceptance of Princess Jasmine and defeated Jafar. Despite Aladdin's insecurities of being insignificant and unworthy of Jasmine's affections, he was admired, accepted, and overcame in the end as just a "street rat". I agree with this theme of being true to yourself and the concept that authenticity and being genuine is always more important and will carry you farther in life than deceit and forgery. While I think this movie portrayed the overall message well, I would have focused less on Jasmine's temporary infatuation with the Prince Ali on the magical carpet ride in order to emphasize the theme that being yourself is better than trying to be someone you're not. By including this part where it seems that Princess Jasmine is falling for Aladdin as Prince Ali, the movie's main argument for truth is weakened, as it seems that Aladdin achieves some success in lying about who he is and tricking the Princess in order to earn her affections. The redemption portrayed in this movie coincides heavily with Biblical truth as the Bible also teaches on being yourself and not trying to be like someone else. Throughout the Bible, we are told to that we were created in the image of God and are fearfully and wonderfully made- this biblical truth is supported throughout the course of Aladdin as it preaches the message that ultimate strength, wealth, acceptance, and happiness comes from within. The redemption in this movie also slightly departs from biblical truth in the way Aladdin relies so heavily on the magical genie to fix his problems and expects everything to be handed to him one a silver platter. In addition, although Aladdin perseveres through this journey of self realization, his main motivation is to earn the love and attention of a girl that he desires- whereas the Bible would encourage people to change ourselves only to be more like Christ and live a life that serves others. In the end, Disney's Aladdin condemns evil. This is made clear through the defeat of Jafar and the destruction of his wicked plans of greed and malicious intent; ultimately good overcomes bad and Aladdin and Jasmine live happily ever after. This film explores several worldviews including Christianity and Islam. The setting and origins of the movie definitely have a middle eastern Muslim background-as seen through the backgrounds of the characters and the religion practiced by them in the film (Jasmine's father, the Sultan, praises Allah). However, while this movie includes some Islamic elements, the overall message portrays a Christian worldview. Within the film, the genie represents Christianity's all-powerful and monotheistic God. In addition, the lesson that happiness does not come from materialistic things is also a common teaching within Christianity. In portraying the moral of this movie through this lens, the writers of this film would concur with the biblical message of seeking fulfillment within yourself and the belief in one god or supreme power. Overall, Aladdin includes both positive and negative elements but still exudes an ultimately positive outlook on life and happiness when it is successfully pursued and lived to the fullest with good intentions and a genuine heart. This movie is appropriate for all ages and would benefit anyone who decided to watch it, as it promotes a positive and pure way of living an authentic life.