The Disney movie Aladdin has a setting in a Middle Eastern country, something which can be learned right away with the theme song “Arabian Nights,” along with the animated scenery shown in the opening scene. With that being said, an audience should expect to see the entirety of the cast with darker colored skin, Arabic accents, and strong facial features; however, this is not the case. The representation of the two main characters, Aladdin and Jasmine, as light skinned Europeans without native Arabic accents is inaccurately portrayed.
Although young viewers more than likely do not realize this false representation of a Disney prince and princess, many Arabians could see this as a disrespectful gesture to their ethnicity’s pride and feel discriminated against. Those in the Middle East, and anywhere for that matter, should be able to embrace their differences and feel comfortable to be themselves in their own skin; Disney does anything but that by utilizing a twisted portrayal of the main characters rather than embracing the dark skin and accents that they should truly have, which puts the pride of Arabs at stake.
Through the deception of Aladdin and Jasmine’s appearances, the creator of the animation seems to be making the point that the authentic look of Arabians is unfamiliar and threatening. By covering up and altering what the main characters should actually look like, it appears that the designer does this in an effort to make them look more attractive and friendly in contrast to the other characters in the movie who are less liked and problematic.
Characters such as Jafar, the Sultan, and the merchants- have the accurate Middle Eastern look with darker skin, strong facial features, and native Arabian accents; however, these characters who are not as good in the eyes of those watching all have “darker,” ulterior motives when it comes to the well liked and charming prince and princess. The creator does this and makes it seem that authentic Arabians are dangerous and villainous, which is exactly what audiences take away.
As a minority, Middle Eastern ethnicity is unfamiliar in the eyes of many people who live in other countries. Aladdin and Jasmine are white-washed in order for white European children, often the majority, to relate to the characters more so than those who are of minority ethnicities. This is wrong for Disney to do because it segregates people based on their skin color, language, and ethnicity, when they should truly be taking the opportunity with movies like Aladdin to showcase the differences of peoples in this world while at the same time showing how although different, everyone is similar in many ways; the world is made up of diversity, but at the end of the day, it consists of one race- the human race.
Some people may think that it is alright for Disney to simply account for the majority and portray characters to look white-European when they are truly Middle Eastern. They could say that this creates more common ground and relatability for young viewers who are predominantly white. This reasoning is flawed in so many ways. By making movies based in different geological locations with people of different ethnicities and cultures, Disney can take the opportunity for children to learn more about those of different backgrounds; if this is taken into consideration, there will be less racism present due to an understanding of others and a newfound respect for their culture.
By the two main characters of the Disney movie Aladdin being portrayed in a way that is inaccurate to their true Arabian descent, it is insulting to those in the Middle East who do not look or sound like the glorified characters, but rather resemble the problematic and villainous cast members. The purposefully deceiving representations of Aladdin and Jasmine show how problematic it is that the creator makes an effort to try covering up the true Arabian characteristics that the prince and princess should have shared with the other characters in the movie. Someone’s true colors should always be shown and never hidden; therefore, it is not right and incorrect that the creator altered the appearance of characters to better fit a white society.
Jaden your essay was really great! I love the way that you strongly assert your points and the argument that you are trying to make. Jumping straight into the main topic the essay is one strategy but you may want to consider adding a hook/introduction to draw the reader in. Additionally, you might want to provide a deeper analysis of the complexion and the customs of Middle Eastern culture in order to make your argument stronger. In other words you might want to make your argument more general like we discussed in class. As I said before the way you convey your claims is great but some of the claims I don’t really understand where you are coming from. Once you explained it to me though in class they became clear, so perhaps rewording some of them would be beneficial. I think you have a really great essay on your hands!