Disney movies are what many people all around the world grow up watching, and Aladdin is well-known to be one of the many iconic movies with one of the most notable Disney princesses, Princess Jasmine. The animated film was remade into a live-action version recently, and the movie premiered just last week on May 24th, 2019. There was a lot of anticipation and eagerness for this film because the original animated version is evidently a Disney classic. Personally, I sat down in that movie theatre with all the expectations in the world because of how excited I was to watch a Disney princess I idolized as a child become modernized while I am growing into an adult. After the film, I came out with all these expectations met and with more empowerment in myself than I never would think a Disney film would give me.
***************WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW****************
First and foremost, there were a few plot changes to the live-action comparing it to the original film, but I believe these changes were for the better. Some of the modifications in the new movie included the major character change in the female lead, Jasmine. In the original film Jasmine does not have a significant role in how the characters resolve the overall dilemma with the antagonist, Jafar. The animated version also does not focus on Jasmine’s personal goals, but in the live-action remake, she actually has a prominent role in portraying a strong female lead.
The film overall emphasized the progressiveness of Jasmine and her significance in the plot. Live-action Jasmine was evidently represented female empowerment, whereas animated Jasmine was majorly focused on her love life. The modernized Jasmine also had a personal goal becoming the Sultan and improving the environment and lifestyle of all the people in her kingdom. She also wished to continue to become a woman that could bring honor to her late mother. This major change in the lead character heavily influenced the plot to be more orientated around the theme of empowering women, rather than undermining them. This was obviously a positive adaptation because it shows the female audience, especially the younger girls, that a woman’s role in life isn’t made significant by a male partner or lover, and that females can be powerful and have a voice for themselves without any help from others.
Other changes in the story included how Jasmine and Aladdin met, the role of the Genie, and the role of Jafar. These adjustments were all made to support the new and improved plot of the film where Jasmine and Aladdin has a more sincere and authentic healthy relationship, while the Genie and Aladdin develop a genuine friendship, and Jafar is more of an antagonist with misogynistic intentions.
Although there were many doubts about the live-action remake before its release because of the cast and teasers, the film was as good as a modernized version of a classic story gets. To address the public uncertainty about the cast because of the significant cultural and racial aspects of the original film, the cast was chosen with much consideration to that worry, in my opinion. The original Aladdin was heavily inspired by different Asian cultures that includes Arabian, Indian, Pakistani, Kurdish, Persian, and etcetera. These cultures were definitely not disregarded with the live-action cast. This cast included Naomi Scott, who is of Gujarati Indian descent playing the role of Jasmine, Aladdin was played by Mena Massoud who is Egyptian, Nasim Pedrad who is from Iran and played Dalia, and Jafar who was played by Marwan Kenzari and is Tunisian. Those were just a few of the main characters of the many in the film, which proved that Hollywood did not fail us with casting appropriate actors for certain roles.
Overall, the film was very successful in achieving a plot of importance that introduced and portrayed many themes throughout the 2 hours and 8 minutes of screening. With a talented cast and crew, Aladdin was re-scripted to address more progressive and modernized topics, but did not fail to attain and show the authenticity of the original story. The romance was enhanced and complemented by the changes in the plot, which I believe made the film memorable and amazing. This truly was a diamond of a live-action remake in the rough of many other failed live-action films thus far.
Tags: aladdin, arts and entertainment, disney, disney princess, movie, movie review, princess jasmine, redwood high school, visalia ca, visalia california, will smith