Therefore, children watching this movie are most likely to associate Arab-Islamic culture with cruelty and aggression, whereas the representatives of the European world can be perceived as positive characters. As a result, the intention of filmmakers to make Aladdin more European is a direct example of discrimination against people of other races and cultural backgrounds. Furthermore, antagonists are described as darker individuals with black beards. When it comes to their language, the couple speaks with white American accents, whereas the antagonists of this movie speak with an Arabic accent, which makes some words confusing (Alhassen, 2018). In addition, they have European facial features, although these characters are brown-skinned. Even though Aladdin and Jasmine represent Arabs, they are depicted as whitewashed individuals with European versions of Arabic names (Alhassen, 2018). Moreover, it is essential to pay attention to the physical appearance of the main characters of this movie. In turn, this song created a negative impression of the Arab-Islamic world from the first minutes of the movie. Even though these lyrics were removed from the final version of the soundtrack, it still had the phrase “It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home” (Shaheen, 2014, p. Consequently, it encouraged Jack Shaheen to open negotiations with the representatives of Disney. Its original lyrics included the phrase “They cut off your ear if they don’t like your face” (Shaheen, 2014, p. ![]() The first examples of orientalism were noticed in this animated movie in 1992 when the soundtrack was criticized for the racism against the Arab-Islamic world. However, it is a well-known fact that an author with a European colonial view of the world contributed to the literature with the original Aladdin. Accordingly, Aladdin has a long history that still should be explored. ![]() In turn, Ḥannā Diyāb doubts the honesty of the French writer, as Diyab was the first one to tell this story in 1709 (Romano, 2018). French writer Antoine Galland revealed that he had the opportunity to meet a Syrian storyteller who was the original author of this story. At the same time, there was no information regarding the author of this tale until the 18th-century translation of 1001 Nights. Early 19th-century versions of the story provide information that this tale was set in China (Romano, 2018). Even though Aladdin is portrayed as an Arab in the movies, historians state that this character has Chinese origins. The History and Significance of AladdinĪladdin has become one of the most tremendously popular animated movies in the entire world since 1992 when it was released by Walt Disney Pictures. To protect the languages, lifestyles, art, cultures, and values of the representatives of Asia and the Middle East, it is essential to avoid the biased image of different population groups in literature, cinematography, and art. ![]() The author of the book highlights that the development of orientalism was not an accidental process but rather a well-planned operation aiming at enabling the political, economic, cultural, and social domination of the West. The main characteristics of orientalism are a tendency towards despotism, aberrant mentality, the habit of inaccuracy, and backwardness. According to Said (1978), orientalism can be defined as a prejudiced representation of the Arab-Islamic world by Western civilization in different kinds of art. Published in 1978, this book was initially misunderstood by other scientists and researchers, as it was the only source related to the meaning of a new term. Nowadays, Edward Said’s Orientalism can be considered one of the first books discussing the importance of the problem of orientalism. ![]() Thus, Aladdin is a contemporary example of orientalism, as this movie is filled with racist and sexist tropes, which creates an improper image of Asia and the Middle East. Taking into consideration that Disney movies have a considerable effect on the development of children, the wrong demonstration of minority groups can result in a potential increase in discrimination against other racial communities. On the other hand, the majority of critics argue that Asia and the Middle East are demonstrated as regressive, innately opaque, and bizarre cultures in this work of art. On the one hand, it depicts and popularizes the life of Arabs who have always faced discrimination and xenophobia throughout the world. Widely known as one of the most diverse animated movies presented by Disney, Aladdin has become a tremendously popular example of orientalism in modern culture.
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