INTRODUCTION
There are very few children who grew up in the 1990s who does not remember watching Disney’s “Aladdin.” They remember the image of endless sand dunes, hidden caverns, flying carpets, a beautiful princess, a handsome hero and, of course, a big blue genie. Disney’s Aladdin garnered a great deal of praise and theatrical success. “Aladdin,” unlike previous Disney animated features, where the characters and stories were in some fictitious worlds and kingdoms, “Aladdin” was going to bring to life elements of a real world location. “Aladdin” takes place in the Arabian Desert. Brining this story to life, would rely heavily on research, images and history to adapt the real world landscapes, architecture, clothing styles and arts traditional to that locale and culture, while still staying true to the Disney style and legacy. However, that is not always easy and the studio, writer directors and animators have and continue to face some criticisms of their design and characterization. Others praise the film for its creative elements and comedic family appeal. After screening the film, it seems that the animators did a fantastic of blending the Arabic setting and the staple elements of Disney films and the producers, directors and animators invested in a great amount of research and study to these Arabic locales, styles and cultures in the best possible way, after all this film is a fairy-tale not a documentary. In order to best understand all that went into the production of this 90s Disney classic, it is best to look at all the elements individually.
BACKGROUND
Disney has, from its earliest appearances of Mickey Mouse to one of its most recent successes “Frozen,” been making magical animated features that have brought art, music, joy and good humored entertainment for generations. Disney produced multiple classic fairy tales, like “Snow White,” “Cinderella” and “Sleeping Beauty,” however, throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s Disney produced a few animated features, some, like “The Black Cauldron,” simply was not received as well as previous classics. It was not until “The Little Mermaid” that Disney once again had a huge animated success (Maslin 1). It paved the way for Beauty and the Beast, which won multiple awards, as well as, an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. So when Disney Studios, hoping to maintain the positive momentum, were seeking the story that would bring them the next big success; eventually it was shared it would be a Disney interpretation of “Aladdin.”
Disney’s “Aladdin” is based on a “The Arabian Nights: One Thousand and One Nights.” The original tale Disney took some liberties with the story in order to make it more family friendly and lighthearted. Ultimately, the core was the same a poor boy finds a magic lamp with a genie inside that grants wishes. This is a concept that pop culture tends to call “Disneyfication.” Disney has a way of taking a story and making certain that it has the elements of “good fairy-tale,” where there is a clear hero, clear villain, a love interest, whimsical characters and, of course, a happy ending. That is how all Disney animated features essentially follow that same formula (Murnane 1). Most people are familiar with the Disney interpretation on storytelling, but have little real knowledge from where the stories were taken, In the original story “Cinderella,” when the Prince brings the glass slipper to Cinderella’s house, her “evil” stepsisters, so eager to fit the show, actually cut of their toes to make it fit. That did not make it into the Disney film. In the original story of “The Little Mermaid,” the mermaid dies at the end when her love interest marries another, but she is unwilling to harm him to allow her to return to her mermaid form, so instead she dies and becomes sea foam. That ending might be a tough sell in a Disney film. It is not uncommon for Disney to change and alter stories and make it theirs. “Aladdin” is no different (Borthaiser 1). Again, “Aladdin” required the writers, designers and animators not just to create a new world, but create a whole new world that had to be rooted in a realistic place on the others side of the Earth. The goal of the artists was to marry some of the elements of the locale and culture and marry it with the archetypes of a traditional Disney movie.
DISCUSSION
A film, especially an animated film, is a very layered process. There are many elements that must come together to create the greater whole. The best Disney movies blend a great story with great performers and great designers with great animators. In order to look at the process of making the film and to look at how they incorporated Arabic concepts, culture and imagery into the story, it is best to look at some of the different elements individually.
Environment
The story takes place in the city of “Agrabah,” where a teenage Aladdin lives, he is poor and must steal food just to eat; so evading and cleverly escaping the city guards is a daily occurrence (“The Making of Aladdin-A Whole New World” 1). In order to create a convincing interpretations of the desert and what a city in the midst of that would look like they studied images and photographs of the Middle East. There are huge towers that burst into plumes or rounded domes. There are tall and ornate arches and doorways. On the streets there is a huge outdoor market with traders and artisans lined up in rows, selling everything exotic spices, ornate rugs and fresh fruits. However, one can distinctly tell the difference between the more humble buildings in the part of the city where the poorest people live. The Sultan’s palace in comparisons is far more grand. Almost every wall and pillar is made of what looks like white marble. Wide open rooms with vaulted ceilings and 15 foot arched walkways overlooking the city. The lavish palace included a courtyard full of exotic plants and fountains. There is clearly a sense of luxury (Research & Production Design for Disney's Aladdin 1).
These settings relied on the genuine architecture of the nation in which it was meant to represent. It also sets up a very clear theme that is addressed in the film; the different between the rich and the poor. Aladdin is from the poorest part of town, where many people live hand to mouth, while the wealthy, like Princess Jasmine, live behind high walls and have no idea what is going on in the rest of world; where every need, want and desire is at hand. This is relevant to the story because it shows how Aladdin wished, like many of the poor and downtrodden, to have more, to rise up and above his poverty. It shows the audience that Aladdin is a thief to survive not by villainous desires (“Research & Production Design for Disney's Aladdin” 1). Director and writer, Ron Clements and John Muske and all of the talented animators wanted to capture the polarization of this society; the great span that separates the rich and the poor, the “haves and have nots.” They also wanted to feature the beautiful architecture, arts and design. They used the natural and cultural influence to help create this magical and mystical feel of the story (“The Making of Aladdin-A Whole New World” 1).
Characters
Of course the core of any story is the characters. First and foremost it is necessary that the characters created are endearing and individuals that people can have interest in, compassion and relate to. At the same time, the animators needed to rely on images of what people of Arabic heritage looks like? What is unique about their facial features? What is their skin tone? Along with physical characteristics, there are other aesthetics to consider. What would people be wearing? How would they style their hair (“Research & Production Design for Disney's Aladdin” 1)? With this element of realism to be considered it is paramount the character animators marry the Arabic culture and environment, while presenting elements that would be most appealing to the good of the story and the audience.
Aladdin:
In the case of Aladdin he had to be someone that they could sympathize with his plight and want him to achieve his goals and gain that ever-necessary happy ending that is trademark of Disney films. Animators under the control of supervising animator Glen Keane, went through a number of concepts of what is the best Aladdin to appear in the film. There were many different interpretative sketches of this character. Some appeared to be much younger, some older, and all completely different from the next. Different artists shared the vision of an Arabic Aladdin based on their research and resources. They ultimately chose the version that had both youth, but mature enough to participate in the inevitable love affair between he and Princess Jasmine. The Aladdin we know is street smart, clever guy with olive skin, ruffled hair and cunning smile (“Research & Production Design for Disney's Aladdin” 1). Someone who despite his humble origins has all the making of a hero. The animators, again, are making a Disney animated feature, which means that there are some formulaic requirements that every character must have. Aladdin must not only favorably represent all of the racial and cultural features of an Arabic character, but he also must appeal to the mass American film market; the focal demographic, of course, being children; take or leave it that is Disney’s intention not history lessons (Wingfield and Karaman 1). Children, particularly, young children are not questioning the artist’s choices and they are not that interested in cultural accuracy. They want to be entertained and made to laugh and sing. The Aladdin that the artist chose seems to have met all those criteria given the ultimate success and popularity of the film.
Princess Jasmine:
Jasmine is, like Aladdin, a character that must have appeal to the audience; it is paramount for children, especially little girls, can relate and want to be like her. She is the damsel in distress. Her father, ignorantly, insists that she marry for the good of the Kingdom, but she does not want to marry for profit or politics, she wants to marry for love. Jasmine does not want the isolated life she lives separated from the rest of the world any longer. As princess there is little question that she must be attractive. The animators wanted to capture of the “exotic” beauty of an Arabic noble. Like Aladdin, the artists animators under supervisor Mark Henn, presented many different interpretations of the character. Each and everyone were quite different from the model chosen. Some presented a Jasmine that was more of a caricature of the Arabic features and style, looking more like “I Dream of Jeanie” than more authentic options. Others early sketches presented a very conservative version of the Princess. She is fully covered from head to toe, including a head covering that enclosed all but her face. Ultimately, the style they chose showed the essence of Arabic features, but included the stylization that was much more simple. While not conservative, Jasmine’s semi-revealing outfit translates into her rebellious and non-traditional attitude about the laws and traditions of the society around her. Mark Henn later admitted that he designed most Jasmine based on his own sister. (Bell 1).
Jafar:
No Disney movie would be complete without the perfect antagonist; the villain. Jafar acts as the oblivious Sultan’s counsel. He aids the Sultan in making decisions for his Kingdom. However, Jafar is taking advantage of the Sultan, he is driven to achieve power and is willing to engage in nefarious acts to acquire it. Disney villains are often as popularized as the heroes in the film. The artist responsible for Jafar was Andreas Deja, who looked at many different interpretations of Jafar (“The Making of Aladdin-A Whole New World” 1). Some presented a short, stocky Jafar; some presented him with a full beard. When the production finally choice the image they thought best for the film. It proved to be this very tall, thin and smooth talking manipulator. If one looks closely enough, Jafar carries a serpent staff, which he used to entrance and manipulate others and he is tall and thin and slinky himself, not unlike the famous phrase “the snake in the grass.” He is dark, greedy and a little sadistic. However, as bad as Jafar can be, in a Disney film he cannot be too scary and, in fact, needs to be humorous at times. The dry and droll personality of Jafar can be amusing, especially when paired with the outrageously loud and comical parrot Iago, voiced by Gilbert Gottfried, which is a classic ploy included in Disney films. Presenting the villain with a humorous side-kick softens the “evil” of the villain in question. Jafar is no different (Wingfield and Karaman 1).
The Sultan:
While the Sultan is not the focus of the story, his presence is important. As a ruler of the Arabic world it would be necessary for him to appear and behave the ways that Arabic rulers have in the past and do today. The Sultan could easily be a character that is highly dislike by audiences. The Sultan is forcing his daughter and pressuring her to marry against her will and he is clearly living in luxury while his people are destitute; this could be off-putting and could come across as a poor leader and clearly an elitist. That being said when the production and the individual artists worked to find ways to present the Sultan in a way that would endear him to the audience and separate him from the true villain Jafar , while led by animator, David Pruiksma. The artists chose a model of the Sultan that made him rather funny to look at. The Sultan was incredibly short and quite round, an image that evokes silliness and joviality (“The Making of Aladdin-A Whole New World.”1 ). In order to free the character from negative connotation, they made him oblivious, weak-minded and easily manipulated man that has no idea what is going on in his kingdom; due to Jafar’s lies and spell casting.
The Genie:
The Genie is probably the most memorable character in the film, given the fantastic voice talents of Robin Williams. The Genie is a magical being so there is a lot of freedom for the artists to consider for his appearance. There are some very classic images in Arabic story telling of what a “genie” is supposed to look like. The artists led by supervisory animator Eric Goldberg, took those traditional elements, like the top-knot of hair, the style of hat and the cuffs that bind them to their lamps or masters. However, unlike the rest of the characters, which are often visually determined before choices of performers have been selected. The artists always attempt to incorporate some of the nuances of the voice actor into the character, but with the genie it was entirely different (Hill 1). While the general structure of the genie may have been influenced by Arabic style, most of the facial expressions, characterizations, physical actions and sense of humor were complete determined by Robin Williams himself. The animators essentially did all of the animating around William’s performance, incorporating him literally into the character. In the case of the genie the animators were not guided by Arabic cultural accuracies, and more on the performance that made the character so memorable (Johnson 1).
Whimsical Characters:
Of course there are many other characters in Aladdin that are not as easily developed, as with all Disney films, there are always side-kicks and companions that all the characters interact with. Many of these characters are not people at all. Just as in the Little Mermaid, the crab, the fish and the seagull remain at her side and the assorted anthropomorphized household objects in “Beauty and the Beast” all provided comedic relief in the stories, “Aladdin” is no different. The artists on Aladdin needed a companion for Aladdin, multiple different animals were consider, but Abu the monkey, became the best match. Disney is known for its whimsical ability to create anthropomorphized animals, granting them human qualities that would otherwise not exist. Primates are the easiest to endow with human characteristics. The animators worked to provide Abu with the ability to fully emote; we see when he is surprised, angry, happy and worried. As in any Disney movie animals play a huge role and are integral for the protagonists success. However, there is one character that is easily the hardest to design and animate. No fairy-tale in Arabia would be complete without the presence of a “flying-carpet.” Animator Randy Cartwright had the difficult feat of bringing the carpet to life. The Magic Carpet in the film resembles all of the ornately designed carpets common in Arabic countries. In fact that is all that he is. He has no face, no eyes, no nose, no mouth and immediate way of conveying emotion or intent. Carpet is a square piece of fabric with four tassels. Animators had to work hard to make simple gestures and posturing to convey worry, urgency and sadness. By taking an actual piece of fabric and throwing it around learning how it lands and the shapes it can take. From this the animators were able to begin to incorporate emotions to go with those postures. We know when Carpet is sad when he flops forward and his tassels hang low; in the same vein when he is excited we him stretch himself wide and jump up and down. (“The Making of Aladdin-A Whole New World.” 1).
So given the research and resources used to design the characters, were the artist able to capture a positive interpretation and a realistic presentation of Arabic land, peoples and culture. As a matter of fact, that question is a matter of perspective. Disney and many happy audiences could easily say that they see no issue with the writing, design and themes of the film. However, that does not speak for everyone. There are many who, since the 1990s and through to the present, that feels that “Aladdin” is not accurate, is disrespectful and relied too heavily on cultural and racial stereotypes. Shortly after the film’s release there were some lyrics in the film’s opening song, which references that the Arabic culture as “Where they cut off your ear If they don‘t like your face, It‘s Barbaric, but hey, it‘s home” (Wingfield and Karaman1). Disney immediately adjusted the song with apologies. For many people who are not pleased with the interpretation of Arabic imagery and culture in the film claim that there were many elements that placed Arabic culture in a bad light and created images that are more stereotyped than authentic. Aladdin and Jasmine, while with a darker skin tone, otherwise have more Americanized features and were both voiced by American actors. They argue that Jafar is the only major character who truly looks and sounds Arabic and he is the villain (Schaffer 1). They resent the idea of ineffective and bumbling Sultan and the inferences that the Arabic culture is a violent and barbaric place where everyone has a sword and often dismember the thieves who are hungry and poor. Many feel this sets a negative and stereotypical bias that misleads the audience, particularly a young audience, establishing a negative image (Murname 1).
It is true that some of lyrics to a song were deemed to be offensive, and the production quickly changed. There is no reason to believe that the artists intentionally misrepresented or pointedly chose to present any negative elements. Disney was making an animated feature film that would appeal to families and children alike, just as all previous Disney movies; what Disney was not making was a documentary on Arabic architecture, art and culture. They are telling a fictional tale, while this was inspired by an Arabic story it cannot not be looked to as scholarly reference or real-world depiction. What so many are calling “stereotypes,’ Disney, like many artists and filmmakers, call these things “archetypes.” There are certain formulas that good stories all seem to have in common at the core. Aladdin needing to be perceived as likeable hero and Jasmine as a damsel in distress undermined by a sneaky underhanded villains, like Jafar, are all designed based on storytelling archetypes, which are more important that any kind of cultural accuracies. This is the same as the ‘disneyfication” of a story (Murname 1). There is no doubt after reviewing the immensity of photographs, artwork, sketches and research materials it becomes clear that a great deal of effort was made to fuse Arabic environment and culture with a new-beloved Disney fairy tale. This does not mean that some people may feel differently, as they have a right to do, but there appears to be no subversive or disrespect intended in regards to the subject matter.
CONCLUSION
Ultimately, Disney’s “Aladdin” was well received by the masses and was incredibly successful for the Disney Corporation. The story, the images and the incredibly memorable performance by Robin Williams has cemented “Aladdin” as a classic Disney film. Looking at the extent of research, artistic styles and character designs it would be short-sighted to disregard these efforts to create something that hinted of the land of the story’s origin, while making an animated family film. It may not reflect the more complexities, details and a direct history of the Arabic people, but it offers a new interpretation of ancient story for a modern audience. Ultimately, Disney did not intentionally disparage the Arabic people and the artistic and cultural influences researched contributed to the art and storytelling desired.
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