After a long wait and endless speculation over whether or not Will Smith would do the
genie justice, the live-action Aladdin movie was finally released.
And you know what?
I’m just going to say it.
I thought Will Smith was just magical.
Following up Robin Williams’ genie was a huge risk and he did a great job.
But as much as many of us enjoyed the new version of Aladdin, there was quite a bit
that was done differently, or just left out all together.
And I’m not just talking about the little creative differences…
There’s some stuff that Guy Ritchie and the producers chose to leave back in the 90’s.
Some darker stuff… or at least, some stuff that was a little too provocative for 2019.
And for that reason, the creators decided that these things had to be, for lack of a
better phrase… “fixed”..
Hey guys, I’m Kyle with WickedBinge.
And today we’re taking a look at 10 dark things from the original Aladdin that the
remake “fixes”.
And just to be clear, we’re not saying all of this stuff should’ve been changed, that’s
for you to decide -- Let’s get started!
Arabian Nights Lyric
There’s no denying that Arabian Nights is a really memorable Disney song, if not one
of the most iconic openers.
That said, the song has undergone quite a bit of revisions since it was created…
After some people got a bit upset.
In the original, the narrator describes Agrabah by saying: “Where they cut off your ear
if they don’t like your face / it’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home!”
Back in 1993, this was actually amended for the home video release to say “Where it’s
flat and immense and the heat is intense”, but kept the “it’s barbaric, but her,
it’s home!” line.
The barbaric line was destined to be axed by Disney, as the live-action remake is changed
again.
Replacing the barbaric line, as well.
The whole lyric is now “Where you wander among every culture and tongue/it’s chaotic,
but hey, it’s home!”
r Whether you see it as progression or over-sensitivity,
Disney was definitely not taking risks with the original lyric.
Off With Her Hand
In the original animated movie, during the marketplace scene at the beginning, a shopkeeper
threatens to cut off Jasmine’s hand for stealing bread to give to children.
In the live action remake, the shopkeeper never reaches the point of violence.
Instead, Aladdin is able to immediately offer him Jasmine’s bracelet.
One could argue this ties in with the previous change.
Disney not wanting to showcase something barbaric like the threat of cutting off a hand -- to
avoid criticism of painting middle eastern culture in that way.
On the flip side, it might just be that the threat of severing someone’s hand might’ve
been deemed too violent nowadays.
Harem Girls
When Aladdin is escaping from the towns’ guards at the beginning of the original film,
while singing his first song, he barges into a room of very scantily-clad women.
It’s never really specified what they’re really supposed to be… but, you know, look
at Aladdin’s face.
He knows what’s going on…
And they even knew his name...
But, whether they’re, uh… “ladies of the night”... or not is unclear.
But many referred to them as the Harem Girls based on what they were wearing.
Harem typically refers to wive, concubines or servants in Middle Eastern cultures.
Either way, they obviously weren’t going to make it into a 2019 Disney movie.
And they were replaced by school girls.
Sorry Aladdin.
Nasty Caricatures
Say what you want about people being oversensitive to the song lyrics, there’s probably a more
compelling criticism for some of the more nasty caricatures that existed in the original
Aladdin.
As Roger Ebert pointed out back in the 90’s, the original film had a lot of offensive and
stereotypical character designs.
He stated “Most of the Arab characters have exaggerated characteristics… hooked noses,
glowering brows, thick lips…
But Aladdin and the princess look like white American teenagers.”
Although many probably wouldn’t agree that Aladdin and Jasmine are designed to look white,
the criticism about the other characters was hard to deny.
The live action remake changes this and showcases the population of Agrabah in a much better
light.
Jafar Makeover
And honestly, one of the characters that is shown in a far better light, physically anyway,
is Jafar.
In the original, some argued that Jafar’s appearance was offensive because he was a
negative racial caricature.
In the live action remake, not only is Jafar not hideous… his casting spawned about a
million “hot Jafar” memes.
Some have actually argued that having a villain who is more attractive than the hero is a
bit of progress in and off itself.
But what do you think?
Is there anything wrong with having beautiful heros and ugly villains?
Personally, we think it should be about whatever serves the storytelling best.
But what do you think?
Jasmine’s Lack of Goals
The original movie was way more about Aladdin than Jasmine.
Granted, we get it, his name is in the title…
But the animated film kind of left Jasmine underdeveloped.
In the remake, we’re given far more of her backstory, as well as her own goals -- specifically
in regards to leading.
She’s even given her own new song to sing titled “Speechless”, which centers more
around her own dramatic need and desires.
Likely amended to the story to balance it out with a little more focus on the female
lead.
Lack of Female Characters
Speaking of Jasmine, the original animated film actually lacked other female characters.
But more specifically, and this ties in with the previous point, Jasmine didn’t really
have anyone to interact with aside from her dad and her tiger, friends that were male
or female -- leaving for little opportunity for character development.
With the addition of Dalia the Handmaiden, Disney not only adds another female character…
but also a close friend for Jasmine that would help establish her goals and dramatic need.
Prince Ali Lyric
Ah, more lyrics.
And honestly, in hindsight, this one was a little uncomfortable for a happy Disney song.
When Aladdin strolls into town as royalty during the Prince Ali song, Genie’s lyric
is “he’s got slaves, servants and flunkies…”.
Even for 1992, you gotta admit, that’s a bit of a strange line to be gleefully singing
about during a happy Disney tune.
In the 2019 film, that line has been replaced with “he’s got ten thousand servants and
flunkies…”
You know, since having slaves isn’t exactly the ideal attribute of a children’s movie
hero.
Interestingly enough, another lyric in the song that was switched up was “brush up
your Sunday Salaam”.
Simply shifting it to Friday…
Since Friday is the Muslim holy day.
Jasmine and Jafar Yikes
This is kind of the big one.
One that we don’t really notice as kids, but look back in hindsight and go…
Yikes.
Frankly, a lot of people would argue the objectification of putting Jasmine in chains and a harem outfit
is bad.
But I don’t even think that would be too big of a deal in and of itself if it weren’t
for the fact that Jasmine, in the original, is like 15 maybe 16.
And Jafar is a really, really creepy old guy.
If you were dealing with a PG-13 movie that wasn’t based on underage heroes, you’d
get away with that… but for obvious reasons, this was a road that Disney was not going
to head down.
And honestly, in a lot of ways, they actually rewrote some of this in a way that was more
complimentary to Jafar’s character.
Jafar never actually has any desire to marry Jasmine in the remake.
He really couldn’t care less about her.
It isn’t until he wants to showcase his power over the Sultan, who he hates since
he’s the man who limited his power in the past, that he threatens to marry his daughter.
With Jafar, it’s all about his lust for power and not Jasmine…
And it comes off way less creepy and unsettling, while still maintaining how evil he is.
Becoming Sultan
This is possibly the biggest change from a story arc standpoint, because it almost shifts
the emphasis from Aladdin to Jasmine in the final act of the film.
If you remember, in the original film, the big problem was that it was written in the
rules somewhere that a woman can’t be Sultan.
And because of this, Jasmine had to marry a prince, essentially so that he could take
over as Sultan after they’re married.
Disney obviously wanted to switch that up and make things a little more empowering for
girls, and built Jasmine’s own arc around convincing her father that she was equip to
lead as Sultan.
In the end, after she demonstrates her abilities and Aladdin defeats Jafar, her father sees
the error of his ways and allows her to take over as Sultan.
So instead of Aladdin getting the eventual title through marriage, she does.
But with all those changed stated, what do you think?
Which of these changes do you think were desperately needed?
Which ones do you think were unnecessary?
Let us know in the comment section below.
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But most importantly, stay wicked.