DISCLAIMER: This site is 100% for entertainment purposes only and does not involve real money betting. This supports the idea that Genie only changes Aladdin's appearance, which he also indirectly confirms a few lines later: Why is there so little Middle Eastern, Arab or Muslim (or other minority group) representation in film and television? KEEP READING:Disney+ Rebrands Non-MCU Marvel Films as Marvel Legacy. Nobodys canceling these movies, he said. 13 Comments. But I've realized how problematic Aladdin's character is. Why or why not? A lot. Aladdin was criticised for perpetuating Orientalist stereotypes of the Middle East and Asia (Credit: Alamy), Daniel Newman, professor of Arabic at Durham University, acknowledges that Western portrayals have come a long way from the lotus-eating, Orientalist fantasies of yesteryear, but barring a few exceptions, what has happened is that one clich has been replaced by another; from the scimitar-wielding lascivious Arab, we have gone to the bomb-wielding terrorist Arab. While some moderate characters have been introduced in shows such as Homeland, he says, the pervading feeling is one of threat, based primarily if not exclusively on religion., Id ask the animators to add benevolent market-vendors and heroic guards who befriend Aladdin, Shaheen said of the 1992 Aladdin, conscious of the image of Middle-Eastern people that might be made on the films young viewers. (a conflict involving Iraqs invasion of neighboring Kuwait) in the early 1990s prompted the directors to set the story in the fictional city of Agrabah, an adaptation of Baghdad. Thus, when Disney reported in 2016 that a live-action adaptation was in the works, director Guy Ritchie had to contend with the original films controversial legacy. New foreign series, such as Jinn, available now on Netflix, may also rely on fantasy or folk culture, but they provide authentic place settings and use local talent and perspectives. "These shouldn't be watched by children by themselves," Daryl Sparkes, senior lecturer of media studies and production at the University of Southern Queensland, told CNET, "because children are like little sponges and they soak up attitudes and feelings and opinions.". Alan Menken, famed Disney composer, discusses enduring appeal of "Aladdin." The musical visits San Jose this month, with live-action film due in May. pic.twitter.com/X9aGjXv97o. In Disneys animatedPocahontas, the most striking inaccuracies are her age (she was a child when she met Captain John Smith, according to Encyclopedia Britannica) and there was no real romantic relationship between the two. Most of the Arab characters have exaggerated facial characteristics hooked noses, glowering brows, thick lips but Aladdin and the princess look like white American teenagers. Press J to jump to the feed. Most people consider Aladdin to be set somewhere in the Middle East. In the examples below, the illustration of Aladdin on the left, circa 1930 by an unknown artist, (Credit: Getty Images/Hulton Archive), and the illustration on the right from the early 20th century (Credit: Alamy), both clearly depict Asian clothing and settings. Instead of simply being upset with her father for restricting who she can marry as in the 1992 version Jasmine aspires to be the first female sultan and is frustrated by her fathers refusal to consider her because of her gender. Credit: Outnow/Alamy. Even real-life cities are melting pots of different languages, racial and ethnic groups, and religions, just as Agrabah is. While the 1992 movie had all the fairy-tale elements to attract viewers adventure and intrigue, an evil villain, a plucky underdog, a forlorn princess trapped by tradition, and an array of supporting characters, Aladdin didnt fare well with critics. This was inevitable. Others defended Scott, noting that the story includes Indian aspects, Agrabah is meant to be a melting pot of cultures, and Jasmines mother is said to be from another land, making it entirely plausible that Jasmine could be an Indian woman. Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe. As mentioned above, the original, one of many films released as part of the Disney Renaissance, made $504 million worldwide over its entire box office lifetime. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim advocacy group. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Was it possible to accurately depict cultural nuances using a fairy tale? Potato Head survived by a thread and liberal white men working at Disneyland saved black women from the horrors of Splash Mountainnow Aladdin is racist. One distraction during the film was its odd use of ethnic stereotypes. Disney+ updated its policy toward its films containing offensive material, posting a new disclaimer and adding new movies to its list of programs that feature "negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures." For many, Disneys 1992 film Aladdin conjures up images of innocence: star-crossed lovers on a magic carpet, a benevolent pet tiger and a comedic genie who would grant every hearts desire. Agrabah is a made up place thats a combo of a few different cultures. ", clearly implying it's cutting off the hand. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together. Otherwise they wouldnt seek to continue to make money off of their offensive, racist creation. First published on October 19, 2020 / 11:46 AM. Disney also puts silly, PC warning labels before much of its back catalog of films. The movie itself never explicitly states where in the real world the story is taking place, so all fans can do is speculate. Just so were clear, Disney made Aladdin. After the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee complained about song lyrics describing the setting in the film, Where they cut off your ear if they dont like your face,. Original cartoon versions of movies such as Dumbo, The Jungle Book . Something like this is surely the reason they put it afront of the video, just to be safe. How do you see this issue changing in the future? We just let them know that it is a piece of media from another time, Skorodin says. In Richard Burton's telling, the "hero" is shallow, lazy, greedy, and easily. Proponents of the film also encourage focusing on the great strides the 2019 film made in being more diverse and inclusive. ', As 10 million Disney+ subscribers browse through the new streaming platforms hefty film and TV library, a line at the end of select content summaries might catch their attention: This program is presented as originally created. Not only does Aladdin have a chance to lift a generation of actors from being type-cast as terrorists to the ranks of famous actors, but it also awakens a curiosity among audiences toward the. 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Aladdin (/ l d n / -LAD-in; Arabic: , Al ud-Dn/ Al ad-Dn, IPA: [ala addin], ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale.It is one of the best-known tales associated with The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (The Arabian Nights), despite not being part of the original text; it was added by the Frenchman Antoine Galland, based . But maybe thats the issue that Disney and other major corporations cant seem to understand. "As part of our ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, we are in the process of reviewing our library and adding advisories to content that includes negative depictions or mistreatment of people or cultures," reads a page titled Stories Matter on the Disney website. Aladdin does trick the Genie into freeing him from the Cave of Wonders without using a wish. But just which films and shows meet the criteria for the disclaimer is not clear. Credit: Others say that accusations of racism are overwrought. . The crows in Dumbo. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. Versions of Aladdin from the 19th and well into the 20th centuries depict the main character as culturally Asian, not Arab. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. 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Similarly, The Jungle Book has been criticized for employing some African/African-American racial stereotypes to depict a group of monkeys, even going so far as to have another character call them mangy and flea-picking, among other problematic elements. The film-makers including director Guy Ritchie are on the hunt for leads who can live up to the animated films loveable street urchin Aladdin and Princess Jasmine. Bias/Anecdote: While I can't remember too much about Aladdin specifically that might call for this (the changed line about cutting off your hand during the opening theme comes to mind, but that's already been removed), the overall tone plays on a great deal of stereotype tropes for Middle-Eastern cultures that aren't really that accurate or true, or are at least heavily exaggerated. The original movie contains a scene of Goofy smoking a cigarette that was previously edited on Disney+. Given that is fictional, whos to say it cant include many different races and ethnic backgrounds? Agrabah is a made up place thats a combo of a few different cultures. It may contain outdated cultural depictions.. After Mr. As the film-makers of the new live-action remake of Aladdin struggle to cast their hero, Sophia Smith Galer looks at the troubled history of the Disney classic. Growing up, I loved watching Aladdin, just like any other child that enjoyed Disney movies. Friendly reminder that all top level comments must: start with "answer:" (or "question:" if you have an on-topic follow up question to ask). Nothing else. are plenty other streamers out there. Twenty-seven years ago, Disneys animated version of Aladdin was the highest-grossing film of 1992, earning over $346 million in worldwide box office revenue. Answer: A lot of older movies (god I hate calling movies from the 90's "older") include often passive stereotypes or themes about minority groups that while may not have been intentionally harmful, still perpetuate potentially harmful or offensive ideas about a culture or location. Ron Clements and John Musker, the directors of the 1992 film, said in 2015 that the movie was originally intended to be set in Baghdad, Iraq. Read about our approach to external linking. The film was criticised for perpetuating Orientalist stereotypes of the Middle East and Asia. The American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee saw light-skinned, Anglicised features in the heroes Aladdin and Jasmine that contrasted sharply with the swarthy, greedy street merchants who had Arabic accents and grotesque facial features. The Stories Matter page on Disney's site notes the characters' connection to racist minstrel shows. There wasnt so much a backlash for Apu, Rather a shitty Asian comic realised he would get some media attention by claiming it to be racist.Now Asians are out of a character that was a representation of their culture at the start of the simpsons show. And if you liked this story,sign up for the weekly bbc.com features newsletter, called If You Only Read 6 Things This Week. As mentioned above, the original, one of many films released as part of the, Here, TeachMideast provides you with in-depth background and context so you can decide for yourself whether society is succeeding in its demand that Hollywood do a better job portraying minorities. Aoki, who has worked with Disney-owned ABC in the past as a part of the Asian Pacific American Media Colation, says he has concerns that the language in the disclaimer would not be understandable to a younger audience, likely the biggest demographic for the massive Disney+ library that dates back over eight decades. It's barbaric, but hey, it's home". Others defended Scott, noting that the story includes Indian aspects, Agrabah is meant to be a melting pot of cultures, and Jasmines mother is said to be from another land, making it entirely plausible that Jasmine could be an Indian woman. 2. Samuel Gelman started at CBR as a news writer in August 2019 before becoming a news editor in November 2019. At the end of the overview, you can also find resources section for further exploration in the classroom. To learn more about how stories have impacted society, please visitwww.disney.com/StoriesMatter. 5. Since Disney Plus launched last November, experts have criticized the soft language used in its disclaimer on older titles like 1941's Dumbo, that warned films "may contain outdated cultural depictions.". Why does Aladdin have a warning now? Of any of the big, more modern movies Pocahontas should be the first one with a disclaimer. It reads: "This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. The problems in Alladin specifically, I believe, are that an Arabic accent was used only for the villain, songs had racist lyrics, and there were very inaccurate and stereotyped portrayals of the entire setting/region. In updating the film and its content, from the Muslim Public Affairs Council, an LA advocacy group, as well as groups comprised of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Muslim scholars, activists, and creatives. Due to the advisory groups input, the film avoided the crude portrayals found. Non-Christian religions, the countries and . Delivered Wednesdays. The film and its creators refused to do the work of normalizing and humanizing people of color for American audiences. 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Aladdin now has a warning on Disney + pic.twitter.com/ZzrX6qHqct, This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. Could he overcome the perception that the story was inherently bigoted? Become a home entertainment expert with our handpicked tips, reviews and deals. Don Owens. If the consensus from those directly harmed is that we need stronger wording you will receive no argument from me. did apparently meet with Galland at some point, but it remains unclear how much, if any, of the story came from him. Gary Sheffield Jr is the son of should-be MLB Hall of Famer, Gary Sheffield. In the examples below, the, With the advent of the Hollywood film industry, the story returned to its fabled Middle Eastern origins, replete with exotic and exaggerated stereotypes note the poster for a. Disney+ updated its offensive content disclaimer for films such as Aladdin, Peter Pan and Dumbo. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. And yet, some scholars say the central character could be partly . For more information, please see our Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe. The new disclaimer appears on screen before the start of movies like Aladdin, The Aristocats, Dumbo, Lady and the Tramp, Peter Pan, Swiss Family Robinson and The Three Caballeros. Some accused Disney of reinforcing notions of Oriental interchangeability, pointing to the fact that name Jasmine has Persian roots, not Indian. Iconic film critic, Roger Ebert, wrote in his 1992 review: One distraction during the film was its odd use of ethnic stereotypes. After Shaheen protested against the film alongside the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Disney agreed to alter the lyrics in Arabian Nights for Aladdin's video release in 1993, and defended it, as it was a rare film to feature an Arab hero and heroine. Shaheen warned that these images would perpetuate negative stereotypes that literally sustain adverse portraits across generations. He argued: There is a commanding link between make-believe aberrations and the real world, and warned of the negative portrayal of Agrabah, the films fictionalised city that he called Hollywoods fabricated Ayrabland. It appears that for some, this warning wasnt unfounded: in 2015 it was revealed that 30% of Republican voters in the US would vote in support of bombing Agrabah. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. A lot of it is, honestly, hard to tell or point out when you're not part of the group involved. Aladdin's racism feels lazy. Besides from what I vaguely remember about Aladdin was he was a poor theif (or street rat for the non PC types) who befriended an enslaved genie and found a magic carpet ride in order to overcome evil Jafar, win the affection of a bra wearing princess, and became the king of Arabia or something. Pocahontas was staight full of lies and racial slurs. While the voice cast of the 1992 movie was entirely white, the live-action film boasts a diverse cast. Most people consider Aladdin to be set somewhere in the Middle East. To learn more about how stories have impacted society, please visit. The warning was crafted by Disney's advisors council, which includes representatives of the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA),Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment,Define American,Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media,GLAAD Media Institute,Hollywood, Health & Society,IllumiNative,The National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP),RespectAbility,The Science & Entertainment Exchange andTanenbaum. Nearly a year later, on Thursday, Disney said that after consulting with a council of organizations representing minorities, it's added a new disclaimer acknowledging the "harmful impact" of. So going forward, several such films on the Disney+ streaming service will include the following advisory: "This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. The Middle East has a robust entertainment industry and creative voices in the region regularly share their stories through film, television, music and other media forms. Now only days after his death, the live-action Aladdin remake has been questioned over its casting woes. March 16, 2021, 12:54 pmupdated March 16, 2021, 1:46 pm They want to make up for any offensive messaging they may have been a part of, Robertson told the publication. Why is it important to have culturally-accurate depictions in film and television? Its a convenient system that insists actors-of-colour need to be household names to be cast, while nobody wants to give them a break. Alexander posted a list of potential actors on Twitter, asking Guy to give me a call., The well-loved soundtrack for the 1992 animation is actually an edited version of the one that was heard in cinemas (Credit: Alamy). It shows them speaking in an unintelligible language and repeatedly refers to them as "redskins," an offensive term. It was even broader than that because we talked about the history of stereotypes and the lack of roles for Asian Americans. Alex Murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for murders of wife and son, Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed last month, doctor says, White supremacist and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes kicked out of CPAC, Tom Sizemore, actor known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Heat," dies at 61, Biden team readies new advisory panel ahead of expected reelection bid, At least 10 dead after winter storm slams South, Midwest, House Democrats unhappy with White House handling of D.C.'s new criminal code. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Whether the new film-makers choose to stand in the old guard or vanguard remains to be seen. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Today, Disneys new content, as well as all its properties, now pushes a radical, left-wing agenda harmful to children and the nuclear family. Twenty-seven years ago, Disneys animated version of. The iconic films Aristocats (1970), Peter Pan (1953) and Swiss Family Robinson (1960) also feature the warning ahead of the film. The Disney drama kicked into higher gear after we saw Dr. Seuss books go from being $5 to $500. Jennifer Bisset is a Senior Editor for CNET. The rest of us can FF through that crap, chuckle at it and enjoy the show. Its either that or the children are rebelling against authority. This isnt the first time that Disney has been criticised in relation to Aladdin. The meetings are held virtually and are very raw according to one attendee. After the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee complained about song lyrics describing the setting in the film, Where they cut off your ear if they dont like your face, alternate lyrics were dubbed into the video and soundtrack releases. for Aladdin, or see the movie in theaters now, and make your own conclusions. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together. It might be worth asking ourselves when the new film is released: what would Jack Shaheen think? Yes. The decision to attach this message to some animated films was met with both praise from people who viewed it as an accountability measure and criticism from those who thought its wording was. We coulda sworn we went to Disneyland and waited in line for two hours to be entertainednot for an education.. ThePeter Panentry reads: The film portrays Native people in a stereotypical manner that reflects neither the diversity of Native peoples nor their authentic cultural traditions. , which tells the story of an affable street-urchin who accepts the services of a trickster genie to win over the sultans daughter, Jasmine. Disney is now issuing tougher warnings against racial stereotypes in some of its classic films on its Disney+ streaming service. The company said that while it can't change he past, "we can acknowledge it, learn from it and move forward together.". Several representatives of minority advocacy groups spoke withThe Hollywood Reporterabout their reactions to the Disney+ disclaimer and what, if any, extra measures can be enacted by Disney to caution viewers of culturally insensitive material. Gambling related content is not intended for anyone under the age of 21. Reimagining the Middle East: Grassroots Movements, Arab American Heritage Month Resource Guide, wear clothing from a wide array of cultures, allegedly darkening the skin of white actors and crew, Middle Eastern critic Maha Albadrawi says. Aladdin is one of them. Jasmine was also given a more complex plot line in the new adaptation. A handpicked selection of stories from BBC Future, Earth, Culture, Capital and Travel, delivered to your inbox every Friday. If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" wins big at SAG Awards, HBO's "Succession" will end with season 4, creator says, Richard Belzer, comedian and "Law & Order: SVU" actor, dies at 78, "The Last of Us" creator Neil Druckmann on the series' success, Ryan Seacrest leaving "Live"; Kelly Ripa's husband, Mark Consuelos, to step in. You know, I actually dont mind this in one respect for now; it gives the reactionary, mob something to point at as evidence they are doing something to educate. The movie that inspired her to want a career in film is Lost in Translation. Warner Bros. featured a similar warning regarding some of its older cartoons, such as Tom & Jerry, which appeared on Amazon, according to CinemaBlend. So much so that Disney+ added a warning label before the film starts. In its history, Disney has produced 56 animated movies. Although Disney posted this message in front of the original Aladdin, the version on Disney+ has still removed the "cut off your ear" line from the opening song and Aladdin's mumbling on the. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. By casting actors of different nationalities and ethnic groups, the movie was able to showcase a wide range of cultures, giving a platform to voices traditionally omitted in Hollywood. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.