For this research paper I shall critically analyze the film Aladdin. The film even though aesthetically pleasing to the eye and catchy to the ear thanks to Disney’s team of animators, actors, and sound engineers, the film had one fatal flaw; its orientation. The film was accused by critics for its perpetuation and sustenance of stereotypes about people and the culture of Middle Eastern origin. This essay seeks to examine the films plot, cast, mise-en-scene, cinematography etc.
Introduction
Disney’s 1992 film Aladdin follows the story of a young street urchin who falls in love with a princess and saves her father’s kingdom from the wrath of an evil sorcerer. It is an animation film that can be classified as adventure, fantasy, musical or romance. The Sultan’s Grand Vizier Jafar and his parrot seek a magic lamp that holds a genie but only a diamond in the rough can retrieve it. Enter Aladdin, a street urchin who falls in love with a princess, Jasmine who won’t accept any suitors proposing marriage. The story follows a predictable plot where Aladdin becomes riche enough to marry the Sultan’s daughter and together they defeat the Grand Vizier. The entire film revolves around the street urchin Aladdin as he and his pet struggle to fend for themselves. They steal their meals from the merchants and vendors in the marketplace. His life is portrayed as fun and eventful. Aladdin’s situation is a complex one, he is portrayed as thieving street urchin who survives out of his resourcefulness in a world where odds always seem stacked against him. From the start, the film’s pedagogical endeavor is clear. From the shallow plot, the animation of its characters to the voices behind the characters.
There are several themes that show up throughout the film. The most prominent one is that of entrapment. Aladdin, is in a word, trapped. Jasmine is also trapped too. So is the Genie (Scurry 29). Aladdin’s trap is poverty and the streets, they are part of him. All his life, he has known life on the streets and poverty has been a permanent fixture in his life. He falls in love with the princess and suddenly he is filled with the desire to escape his past. So he disguises himself as prince in a bid to win over the princess. This is Aladdin’s way of trying to escape his own trap. Jasmine on the other hand, is a princess who lives in a castle but escape the feeling of being confined.
Robin Williams, the writers and animators of Aladdin at Disney were able to translate the storybook version into a thrilling animation flick. The animation by Walt Disney set new standards as far as animation blockbusters are concerned. The animations on Aladdin are thoughtful and the songs well written or sang, the characters are also well-developed. In addition, there is wealth of minor characters who have definite and well thought roles. When Aladdin first met the princess, they uttered the same words when they observed the palace from a distance, ‘You’re just trapped. This feeling or reference to entrapment is repeated several times throughout the film. Jasmine is trapped in a patriarchal and traditional system whose expectations is that she marries a prince even though she only wished to marry for love. Her freedom and independence is restricted and this only serves to amplify the feeling that she is trapped. Hence, she eventually decides to escape her captivity and because in her own words, ‘I won’t have my life lived for me. Both Aladdin and Jasmine are rebellious in nature and are driven by the need to be free to make their own choices.
The Genie too is trapped in his own way. He has been a captive in his lamp for a long time before Aladdin found the magic lamp. In his own words the genie says that his greatest wish was freedom, to be his own master (Mitchell 26). The genie was trapped in the real sense of the word. He was a slave to the magic lamp and its owner. The genie, unlike the other two characters has no freedom of choice. He has to do his masters bidding. Throughout the movie these characters play a central role as each tries to grapple with his or her entrapment. The desire for freedom drives this characters and it is the most prominent theme in the movie. Their quest for freedom and to escape entrapment pits them against the films antagonist, Jafar. Jafar is the Sultan’s Grand Vizier, this means he holds a lot of sway with the ruler.
Critics were however not kind to what they termed as Disney’s whitewashing of an oriental adaptation. This to them represented a worrying trend in the appropriation of culture both in film and music where ethnic arts are whitewashed for mass consumption. They claimed that the nature of the film pre-disposed it to have ethnic characters and that Disney’s decision to have the animation voiced by pre-dominantly white cast amounted to rip-off. Compared to its predecessors the Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid however, Aladdin falls short and is very shallow. The main characters too are based on two cliché teenage types and are not quite as absorbing as they should be. The support characters however, are much more expansive as well as well overpowering and almost steal Aladdin and Jasmine’s show. Case in point, Abu steals the show with his antics from mimicking Aladdin and Jasmine to his comments throughout the story (Kincheloe 17).
The most stand out feature of the film however is the orientation, it jumps right at you. According Edward Said orientation is the deliberate whitewashing of the Orient by the west. It involves dominance and restructuring in attempt to have authority of the Orient. Orientation undermines the orient or the Middle East by attempting to represent the occident or the west in a more superior light. The west has been known to stereotype other culture in film, music and other arts. From Native Americans to Africans, stereotyping is common in western literature and art. The impact of this is an imbalanced perception of the occident and the orient where the west is viewed as more advanced, civilized, and modern (Said 3). The orient however, is portrayed as primitive, exotic, and uncultured. Patronizing depictions of depictions of the culture in the Middle East can be found all over the film Aladdin.
The Arabs in the film are depicted as hostile, barbaric, irrational, and uncivilized from the jump. Even though Aladdin steals from the traders, in their attempt to capture him they are painted as an antagonist lot. The opening musical score titled Arabian Nights is full of these stereotype and it tries to portray barbarism as normal in oriental culture. For instance, here are some of the lyrics in the song,’ cut off your ear if they don’t like your face… It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.” This opening score sets the tone and pace for the film in the display of superior bias against the orient (Said 31). The physical depictions and the accents used in the portrayal of the Arabs in the film also further the orientation in the film. From Jafar to the guards to the vendors Aladdin steals from, their physical features are harsh and show hostility. In addition, their complexion is dark and they are dressed in stereotype Middle Eastern outfits. The Arab city of Agrabah which is also painted in negative light also gives foreigners a picture of the orient that is unfavorable compared to cities in the occident. Such a portrayal inaccurately generalizes the physical appearance and the culture of the orient. Stereotypes such as the one found in films like Aladdin perpetuate and sustain false innuendo about people of Middle Eastern origin. The film was criticized for its negative portrayal of Arabs and the culture of Islam. When the first song in a film as successful as Aladdin slanders an entire people and their culture, then the film was bound to attract widespread criticism.
Mise-en-scene refers to the artful staging of a scene by relying on actors, props, scenery, and lighting. The setting of the film is in the fictional city of Agrabah in the orient. Aladdin is a story found in Arabian nights and it has its origin in the Middle East hence the city of Agrabah was found in the orient. Mise-en-scene is also evident in the movement of human figures in the film. For instance, when Jafar is threatening Aladdin he towers. The genie also towers over Aladdin when he is let out of the Magic lamp. Moreover, when Jasmine objects to her father’s demands to get married to a prince she shrinks back and starts walking away from him. The costumes worn by the various characters is also significant. The dressing of Jafar, the guards, and the merchants chasing Aladdin at the market is made of harsh colors that make them look hostile. They have moustaches and ‘evil’ smiles to much their threatening nature. Composition is another element of mise-en-scene, it refers to how space, actors and objects are arranged visually in a frame. Color is also used to good effect. For instance, when Jafar transitions from being Sultan into a sorcerer. His costumes and the atmosphere after transition assume a darker tone.
Cinematography is a term used in film-making to refer to the art of camerawork and photography. Since it is an animation, there are no cameras used or photographs taken. However, referring to the placement and visualization of camera angels cinematography is evident in how the drawing or animation of the images. A low angel is used when Jafar proclaims his new found sorcerer’s power to the Sultan and his daughter, Jasmine. During the scene, the lighting is dark and ominous to give the scene a somber mood. The camera also zooms on Jafar’s face to show his mischievous evil smile as he plots on his next attack. In contrast, a higher angle is employed when he demands that they submit to his power and creates a storm. The same high angle when he disappears screaming down the lamp. Finally, an extreme close up if employed when showing us Abu being found in the snow.
The film utilizes continuity editing and short length of shots throughout with shots dissolving at 1.56 during transition. Reverse shots are used during conversations and dialogue, moving from character to character as they speak. In addition, the film relies on narrative sequencing and does not violate the 180 degrees rule. Sound also plays an important role in the success of the film with each character from Jafar, Aladdin, the Sultan to Jasmine, Lago, and Abu each having a distinct voice. The film also utilizes sound effects to enhance the mood of scenes. Case in point, when Raja changes from a tiger and into a kitten. The music and accents in the film also play an important role because they define the location or setting of the film. Character, especially villains have Middle Eastern accents and the songs have an oriental ring to them.
In conclusion, I agree that animation as form has the unique ability to inoculate the viewer from ideology and reality. The cartoonish nature of characters resigns the form to being regarded as childish and hence nobody takes the ideas expressed in animation films serious. However, in the same way, animation has the unique ability to express ideas that other forms would struggle (Jenson 20). Case in point, characters such as the genie would stand out as ridiculous in any other form except animation. The films fatal flaw lies in its shallow plot and orientation, otherwise Aladdin qualifies as a Disney classic.
Works cited
Aladdin. Dir. Ron Clements, John Musker. Perf. Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin. Walt Disney Pictures, 1992. DVD.
Ashman, Howard. “Arabian Nights.” Lyrics. Aladdin (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). Walt Disney Records, 1992.
Jenson, Nina. “Children’s Perceptions of Their Museum Experiences: A Contextual Perspective.” Children’s Environments 11.4 (1994): 300-24. Print.
Kincheloe, Joe. Teaching Against Islamophobia. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2010. Print.
Mitchell, Timothy. Colonizing Egypt. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1988. Print.
Said, Edward W. Orientalism. New York: Vintage Books, 1979. Print.
Scurry, Samuel. "Orientalism in American Cinema: Providing an Historical and Geographical Context for Post-Colonial Theory.” All Theses (2010): Paper 789
