In fact, records show that the folktale on which Disney's Aladdin is based is originally set in China, and later mixed with a story set in Persia as told by a Syrian woman, then translated and added to 1001 Arabian Nights by a French man, adding to the layers of cultural conflation and Orientalism at play.
Aladdin, a classic Disney film was not always just that; its origin is from the stories from the Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales.
If Ritchie's film was based on the original story, the entire cast would be Chinese - apart from the sorcerer, who would be North African - but as it's said to be a faithful remake of Disney's animation, Aladdin and Princess Jasmine should really be Middle Eastern or South Asian, despite the film not being an authentic ...
In the both Galland's text and Richard Burton's popular 1885 English translation, Aladdin lives “in a city of the cities in China.” Illustrations of the tales from the Victorian era depict the story and its characters as Chinese.
Her country of origin, for example, has been frequently disputed. While some claim Jasmine is Arab because the movie opens with a song called Arabian Nights, others believe that the architecture in Agrabah is clearly based on the Taj Mahal, making Jasmine Indian.
In fact, records show that the folktale on which Disney's Aladdin is based is originally set in China, and later mixed with a story set in Persia as told by a Syrian woman, then translated and added to 1001 Arabian Nights by a French man, adding to the layers of cultural conflation and Orientalism at play.
Where is Jasmine from Aladdin supposed to be from?
She is an independent, rebellious young princess from Agrabah, a Middle Eastern kingdom ruled by her father, the Sultan. As the future sultana, Jasmine has a strong sense of obligation to her country.
Jasmine is a secular creation by a wealthy company. It is incidental that she is Arabic, and practically irrelevant that she is Muslim, as she has zero connection with Islam or actual Muslim women.
The Aladdin's identity in the folktale is connected with the traditional Muslim in 10th century Chinese cultural setting, while the identity constructed in the Disney's animated film is Aladdin in Arabic setting with the American mind and values of freedom and heroism.
And despite the fact that some white extras had their skin darkened during filming, Disney did cast actors of Middle Eastern descent in most of the main roles.
Disney's movie Aladdin is no exception. Hopefully, you don't need a map to determine that Aladdin And Jasmine's Agrabah doesn't actually exist. But, dialogue and visuals suggest that Aladdin's Agrabah may be based on an amalgamation of Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
Now I know better. I am a professional entertainer, and I also have an anxiety disorder called panic disorder. Those with panic disorder deal with frequent panic attacks during which they experience a surge of adrenaline resulting in symptoms like a racing heart, shortness of breath and intense fear.
She comes from the South Asian-inspired Kingdom of Sherabad, which Jafar wanted to conquer to expand Agrabah. She also is mentioned to have been the victim of murder, which caused her husband to keep their daughter inside the palace for protection.
Finally, as it been revealed that Aladdin is not a prince, he can't marry Jasmine because of the law. He could use the last wish, but he already promised to use the third to release the genie free.
Supervising animator Glen Keane was inspired by various teen idols and movie actors in designing Aladdin's physique. The main inspiration for his appearance was originally Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future, but later changed to Tom Cruise. Keane based the movement of Aladdin's loose pants on rapper MC Hammer.
When Aladdin revealed that Jafar was controlling the Sultan through his magic snake staff, Jasmine's hatred grew stronger for what he was doing to her father. Later, after Jafar successfully took over Agrabah, he made Jasmine his slave and wanted her to become his queen, much to her utter horror, anger and disgust.
What's fascinating about the origins of this tale is that, even though 1001 Nights has been traditionally translated in English as Arabian Nights, the original story was set not in the Arab world, but in China. Early 19th and 20th-century versions of the story clearly show Aladdin as culturally Asian.
In the new remake of Aladdin, it suggests that princess Jasmine is half Indian. For starters, Naomi Scott, the actress playing princess Jasmine is half Indian. The story was first contested in Syria, in an Arabic oral form. Aladdin and Yasmine are Arabic names, but that doesn't say much about their ethnicities.
In the original story, Aladdin is born to a poor tailor in “the capital of one of China's vast and wealthy kingdoms”. The Chinese setting of the story, however, has in most recent iterations, notably the Disney animated film of 1992, been almost entirely rewritten.
Universally accepted, the character's status as Disney's first Arabic princess "won over hearts" upon the film's 1992 release, according to Andre Tartar of Vulture.com.
