Full Movie Plot: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aladdin_%281992_Disney_film%29#Plot
I saved watching the movie Aladdin for last, mostly because it is tied for my favorite movie ever with Mulan. It came out in 1992 (one year before I was born) and I first remember watching it at 8 years old, though I am sure I started watching it much earlier than that. I also vividly remember watching the sequel Aladdin and the King of Thieves and the spin off Aladdin TV show that used to come on the toon Disney TV Channel, so I guess it is apparent that I really liked this movie when I was little.
When I told one of my friends that I was going to watch this movie she replied “Aladdin… isn’t that the movie where that kid lies about being rich and then gets a girl?” Needless to say this comment put a bit of a damper on my whole Aladdin experience. After watching the movie I realized that she was right. Aladdin does lie to Jasmine repeatedly by telling her that he is a prince when he is really an orphaned “street rat” and in the end, despite all his lying, he ends up marrying Jasmine anyway. This was a little upsetting. Here I was at 17 figuring out that one of my favorite movies as a child encouraged lying. After thinking about it for a while I realized that the lying isn’t the point of the movie, what should (and did) stand out was the fact that Aladdin had to lie in the first place. From the very beginning the movie makes a point to show that Aladdin is a “good guy.” A character describes him as “a diamond in the rough” and someone whose “worth lies far within.” The only problem is that he is poor, and because of that nobody will give him a break. This is made abundantly clear by the song “One Jump Ahead” which features the clever and charming Aladdin fleeing from a group of violent guards who chase him for stealing a loaf of bread in order to avoid going hungry.
Aladdin only lies to Jasmine because no one takes him seriously because of his lack of wealth. I think the real point of the movie is to make the viewers realize that sometimes people allow unimportant things such as money and wealth to get in the way of someone’s true character. In the end, Aladdin realizes that he cannot keep up his charade and eventually comes clean to Jasmine, who still chooses to marry him even though he is only a lowly street rat. All of this goes to show that though money and status do matter far too much to some people, there will always be those who are able to appreciate a person’s true character.
One other thing I noticed about this movie is that, though many consider Jasmine to be one of the traditional “Disney princesses,” she is still very strong willed and confident. Though lesser Disney princess (like Ariel, Snow White, and Cinderella) spend their free time day dreaming about a handsome prince coming to sweep them of their feet, Jasmine resists her father’s attempts to marry her off to one of her various wealthy, royal suitors. Jasmine also yells at her father, Jafar (her father’s evil advisor), and Aladdin for fighting over who she should marry, telling them that she is “not a prize to be won.” Jasmine clearly values her freedom of choice and control over her own life and cares more about character than wealth or royal blood, which I think makes her a better role model for young girls than a lot of the more traditional Disney princesses.
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