Aladdin

In the 1992 Disney movie Aladdin, Jasmine, an Arabian princess, has three days to marry a prince before her eighteenth birthday. Although she explains to her father, who is the Sultan of Agrabah, that she only wants to marry for love and not because of some law, he still insists that she marries for her own protection for the future. However, she meets and falls in love with Aladdin, who lies about being a prince when he is really just an orphan living on the streets of Agrabah. Of course in a fairy tale, there has to be that one evil person. In Aladdin, Jafar, the Grand Vizier to the Sultan, and his parrot, Lago, do their best to make sure Aladdin’s fate is in their hands. Since Aladdin is the “diamond in the rough,” Jafar selfishly tricks him to go search for the magic oil lamp that contains a genie inside in return for a reward of riches. But, Aladdin actually ends up with the lamp and accidentally rubs it. He quickly becomes fond of the genie. Aladdin’s first wish is to become a prince to impress Princess Jasmine. Believing that he can trick everyone, still Jafar realizes that “Prince Ali of Ababwa” is just the street boy Aladdin and he orders him to be killed. Using his second wish, the genie saves Aladdin, which leaves him with only one wish left. Right as he gets the courage to tell Princess Jasmine that he is just a phony, Lago takes the lamp from right under him and gives it to Jafar. Of course the genie is at the mercy of his master so Jafar has three wishes. His first two wishes make him the most “powerful person on Earth.” Aladdin then tricks Jafar to wish that he were more powerful than the genie, which turns him into a genie himself. With the help of the genie, his best friend Abu (a monkey), and the magic carpet, h...

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... crying over him just like women are supposed to in this society. Even when she had nothing to do with Aladdin being sentenced to be killed the first time, she felt guilty. She trusted someone just because he had a flying carpet? So basically what the movie says is that women cannot see the world on their own, they need the assistance of a man. I guess it was good that I was oblivious to the actual messages behind the movie when I was a child because I probably would have never envisioned myself as Princess Jasmine. I am disappointed that the directors of this film created a movie for an audience of young girls and knowing at the same time that they are sending the message that men are superior to women.

One last side note: is it not ironic how the movie is named after the male protagonist when the storyline is really based around the female? Shame on you Disney.