Aladdin is a 1992 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures.The film is the 31st Disney animated feature film and was the fourth produced during the Disney Renaissance.It was produced and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, and is based on the Arabic folktale of the same name from the One Thousand and One Nights. Middle Eastern kids deserve better. I also attend many Masjids regularly and understand common opinion. 18 Answers. The studio behind the upcoming Aladdin remake (directed by Guy Ritchie) reportedly struggled to cast a Brown actor who can act, sing, and dance—after much Internet uproar, newcomer Mena Massoud and the light-skinned white and Indian actress Naomi Scott were cast as Aladdin and Jasmine. There's a lot to like about Disney's 1992 Aladdin and there's a lot to be offended by. Not to mention how sexualized Jasmine’s outfit is. Disney's racist cartoons won't just stay hidden in the vault. And if you liked this story, sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called “If You Only Read 6 Things This Week”. has been questioned over its casting woes, they’re struggling to wrap up their months-long search, The American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee saw. The films with the updated disclaimer include Peter Pan, Dumbo, Lady and the Tramp, Fantasia, The Jungle Book and Swiss Family Robinson, among others. Whether the new film-makers choose to stand in the old guard or vanguard remains to be seen. Here’s why "Aladdin" is my favorite Disney movie and why it should be yours too! I’ve always had two names. Disney+ subscribers were under the impression that everything would be staying on the new streaming platform. Aladdin is set in nonsense “Agrabah,” a faraway place that’s “barbaric, but hey, it’s home,” a line from a song so racist Disney changed some of the lyrics the year after. From Friends to Foes: What Does the Future Hold for the SNP Amid the Salmond-Sturgeon Clash? The Japanese snipers in the film wear glasses, have slanted eyes, buck teeth and speak … … After Shaheen protested against the film alongside the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Disney agreed to alter the lyrics in Arabian Nights for Aladdin's video release in 1993, and defended it, as it was a rare film to feature an Arab hero and heroine. I understand that the movie was released in 1992, a less progressive time. The film and its creators refused to do the work of normalizing and humanizing people of color for American audiences. Models that aren’t…, Fueled by a spike in the revelation of police violence cases catalyzed by protests around the country, people…, Introducing The Next Generation Of Leaders And Thinkers. This week saw the death of Dr Jack Shaheen, one of the most respected and loudest critics of the vilification of Arabs in Hollywood, who successfully campaigned for offensive lyrics to be changed in the original Aladdin soundtrack. Truthfully, that's bad enough. The part which worries me the most is the song Arabian Nights. Disney have not commented on the search, and although it has been suggested that the lengthy casting process is due to the studio's commitment to finding the right actors, some are critical of the studio’s struggle. The Lion King (2019) Disney Amazon. That is even more important in an era of mass media, all-you-can-watch online streaming. May 21, 2014. Yara is an aspiring journalist, she enjoys talking about politics. What gives the Native Americans their distinctive coloring? The series is a parody of The Real World and follows the misadventures of the housemates in the fictional show of the same name and uses a sitcom format with a reality TV show setting.. It might be worth asking ourselves when the new film is released: what would Jack Shaheen think? As the movie begins, a character describes his Arabian home as a place “where they cut off your ear/ If they don’t like your face,” and concludes, “It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.” Relevance. Shaheen warned that these images would perpetuate negative stereotypes that “literally sustain adverse portraits across generations.” He argued: “There is a commanding link between make-believe aberrations and the real world,” and warned of the negative portrayal of Agrabah, the film’s fictionalised city that he called “Hollywood’s fabricated Ayrabland.”  It appears that for some, this warning wasn’t unfounded: in 2015 it was revealed that 30% of Republican voters in the US would vote in support of bombing Agrabah. It’s been revealed that they’re struggling to wrap up their months-long search because of a difficulty in finding a singing, dancing actor who is Middle Eastern or Indian to play the title role. Lv 4. As the film-makers of the new live-action remake of Aladdin struggle to cast their hero, Sophia Smith Galer looks at the troubled history of the Disney classic. Anonymous. The "Stories Matter" site also explains why those particular movies will feature the new warning by pinpointing the racist caricatures and stereotypes present in some of the films' scenes. In fact he looks more like he works weekends in a guitar shop in the midwest than he does the Middle East. Our hero Aladdin is a street-smart peasant who, with one rub of a magic lamp, meets up with the most hip, hilarious, and totally unpredictable Genie the screen has ever seen. Why, exactly did Disney choose not to add her? Jasmine’s character is just as problematic. The well-loved soundtrack for the 1992 animation - A Whole New World notably won Disney an Academy Award, along with another Oscar for the entire score - is actually an edited version of the one that was heard in cinemas. Shop Now. The new Disney+ streaming service officially launched on Tuesday, November 12, with popular animated movies such as the original “Aladdin”, “Bambi”, “Dumbo” and “Cinderella” among the titles included. He also asked the producers “to respect Islam and to add a humane character, Aladdin’s mother, an Arab woman willing to sacrifice everything for her son’s happiness.”. But it’s not as innocent as it seems. Arab women are constantly sexualized in Western media, dressing like belly dancers and seducing men, which Jasmine later does in the movie. Of all the items on this list, this is the one Disney has tried the … The original “Aladdin” featured a song titled “Arabian Nights”, which included offensive lyrics that were removed after a successful campaign by the late film critic Dr. Jack Shaheen. 1. Every movie based in the Middle East is almost always about war or terrorism. In the years following the Pearl Harbor attack, perhaps Disney believed Americans would get a good chuckle out of the film's Asian stereotypes. By Hope Schreiber. The character was so offensive that, while she made an appearance in the 1963 TV broadcast, she was digitally removed from future appearances, including the home video release in 2010. It isn’t just another Disney live-action reboot of the cartoon and leaves a mark on the viewers. Disney is just obviously implying that Middle Eastern homes are barbaric. Aladdin. Arabs barely get roles in Hollywood movies, but when they do, it’s constantly negative. The degree to which cartoons like those in Charlie Hebdo are perceived as offensive may also relate to Islam's strong religious tradition of avoiding images of the prophet. Answer Save. Your email address will not be published. Why is it that Disney can only have one person of color in their princess lineup? Growing up, I loved watching Aladdin, just like any other child that enjoyed Disney movies. Less well known is the fact that the film sparked a racial controversy, one that is still reverberating today. It’s disgusting, but not surprising. On Horses And Garden Lawns: How To Break Free Of History, We Are All Sarah Everard: The UK Abduction And Murder Haunts Women Around The World, Why I (Sometimes) Wish I Went By My Chinese Name. Sexy Aladdin. Share This Story. As we all know this is the live-action of the cartoon we all grew up watching in which a […] Aladdin’s ethnic background is not really relevant to the storyline. The whole idea behind the movie — and subsequent wartime cartoons featuring this Disney character — was to dehumanize and make the enemies look like fools. 6 Aladdin (1992) Aladdin was the fourth film to be released in the Disney Renaissance era. “Aladdin is not an entertaining Arabian Nights fantasy as film critics would have us believe,” wrote Jack Shaheen in 1992, then a professor of mass communications at Southern Illinois University, “but rather a painful reminder to 3 million Americans of Arab heritage, as well as 300 million Arabs and others, that the abhorrent Arab stereotype is as ubiquitous as Aladdin’s lamp.”. … Aladdin is out in the theaters to watch and it’s pretty amazing as the ratings and reviews have shown. We won't get into what the Gulf War may have had to do with this film, but we can look at the offensive stereotypes within. UPDATE: Disney has updated their content warning on Disney+ to an unskippable, 10-second message in front of controversial movies or shorts. Why is Aladdin so sexy as a cartoon character? The original lyric in the first verse of the song Arabian Nights described Arabia as “Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face”. :D :P. 2 0. scarborough. The film was criticised for perpetuating Orientalist stereotypes of the Middle East and Asia. Aladdin, which came out in 1992, is a popular movie with fun songs and an interesting plot. Read about our approach to external linking. Disney Plus adds disclaimer about racist movie stereotypes. Sign Up for Disney+. This was, again, a film … “Aladdin,” with a U.S. box-office gross of $207 million since its release last November, is the most successful animated feature ever and is a highly anticipated product for the home video market. Drawn Together is an American adult animated television sitcom created by Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein and premiered on Comedy Central on October 27, 2004. “The cartoons you are about to see are products of their time,” the Warner Bros. disclaimer reads. The American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee saw light-skinned, Anglicised features in the heroes Aladdin and Jasmine that contrasted sharply with the swarthy, greedy street merchants who had Arabic accents and grotesque facial features. Aladdin is a 1992 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures.The film is the 31st Disney animated feature film and was the fourth produced during the Disney Renaissance.It was produced and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, and is based on the Arabic folktale of the same name from the One Thousand and One Nights. Your email address will not be published. A scene from the 1953 animated movie "Peter Pan." Aladdin. As the movie begins, a character describes his Arabian home as a place “where they cut off your ear/ If they don’t like your face,” and concludes, “It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.” Related: Why Aladdin 2: The Return Of Jafar Is The Best Disney Sequel. LOL He is my fave disney prince and I love him so much! Aladdin lives on the streets and survives by begging and stealing food. There’s a lyric which states ‘where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face it’s barbaric but hey it’s home’ Barbaric? Are you kidding me? Now only days after his death, the live-action Aladdin remake has been questioned over its casting woes. The song says a long time ago, a Native American blushed red when he kissed a girl, and, as science dictates, it's been part of their race's genetic make up since. Why plant owners are using chemical-free 'banana water' to make their greenery double in size in WEEKS - and all you need is some overly ripe skins; Suez Canal mega-ship is on the move! 4 years ago. Films and cartoons often represent their time, some jokes and clichés from 50, 40 or 30 years ago are no longer relevant today and can even be viewed as offensive. It's a disturbing 60 minute nightmare full of racism, abuse, and bizarre horror. This shapes the way people look at Arab countries. Back in 1992, Shaheen cited “cable television and videocassettes” as making it easy for stereotypes to travel far and wide. I have one whose hand I hold every day, who has been at…, After Brown v. Board of Education and a period of resistance – especially in the South – against…, Diversity has become a much bigger priority for fashion and beauty brands that go global. 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