This is one of the few Disney movies that I had seen before starting this class. I remember that I had to watch both of the sequels immediately after seeing the first Aladdin. This has everything needed to be a great Disney movie! The music is incredible in this movie, Robin Williams is brilliant playing genie, the playful fighting between the magic carpet and Abu, and there are many more attributes that make this movie amazing as a whole.
Even though this is my favorite Disney movie, that does not mean that I think this movie is perfect. Obviously, the flaws of the typical Disney movie exist. Once again, there are some strong racist implications. Similar to Pocahontas, the middle eastern people are directly referred to as savages and are displayed as barbaric and inhumane. The middle easterners are constantly chasing Aladdin, the hero of the movie, and at one point they are about to cut off his hand for stealing, when it is necessary for him to eat. Basically, at the beginning of the movie, almost everybody is depicted as a villain since they try to capture and punish the hero. In addition, this depicts Aladdin with the stereotypical features of a white man rather than the middle eastern ethnicity he is supposed to represent. Just look at him.
While Aladdin is supposed to be a middle eastern man, he does not hold the appearance of one. Rather, they leave this for the villains.
Speaking of villains, Jafar is easily one of my favorite villains from any movie, let alone just Disney movies. First off, having a parrot companion voiced by Gilbert Gottfried is already a step in the right direction. Angry Iago is hilarious to watch. He is the villain that succeeded. He achieved all of his ambitions, becoming sultan and the most powerful wizard in the world. He truly had everything he could have asked for. The only way that he could have lost his power would be if someone had a genie and wished it away. However, he threw it all away because he still wanted more. He wanted to be all powerful, so he wished to become a genie. The downfall of Jafar is so amusing to me because Aladdin uses wit to defeat him. Aladdin knew that he could not physically beat Jafar, so he enticed him with the one thing he could not resist: power. Aladdin tricking Jafar into becoming a genie is easily one of my favorite villain downfalls.
Although it is possible relate to Jafar wanting power, the motives behind it make me wonder whether he deserves any sympathy. Jafar already has a lot of power as a wizard and Grand Vizier to the sultan. Why does he need any more? He is already rich, powerful, and holds a high status. He just could not appreciate everything he already had, when he was in a situation that most people could only dream of being in.
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