Thus, when Disney reported in 2016 that a live-action adaptation was in the works, director Guy Ritchie had to contend with the original film’s controversial legacy.

The film remains controversial to this day. But, a completely white cast voiced the film, and the association of Arabs with violence, greed and other negative traits suggested that Hollywood was insensitive at best and xenophobic at worst. Wouldn’t it be reasonable that if all the characters in this movie come from the same genetic stock, they should resemble one another?Īfter the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee complained about song lyrics describing the setting in the film, “Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face,” alternate lyrics were dubbed into the video and soundtrack releases.

Most of the Arab characters have exaggerated facial characteristics – hooked noses, glowering brows, thick lips – but Aladdin and the princess look like white American teenagers. Iconic film critic, Roger Ebert, wrote in his 1992 review : One distraction during the film was its odd use of ethnic stereotypes. Some were alarmed by the film’s stereotypes and generalizations about Arabs and the Middle East. While the 1992 movie had all the fairy-tale elements to attract viewers - adventure and intrigue, an evil villain, a plucky underdog, a forlorn princess trapped by tradition, and an array of supporting characters, Aladdin didn’t fare well with critics. Twenty-seven years ago, Disney’s animated version of Aladdin was the highest-grossing film of 1992, earning over $346 million in worldwide box office revenue. The film is an adaptation of a folktale from the 18th-century, Arabic-language collection, A Thousand and One Nights. In May 2019, Disney released a live-action version of Aladdin, which tells the story of an affable street-urchin who accepts the services of a trickster genie to win over the sultan’s daughter, Jasmine.

Aladdin old person