As much as I absolutely loved BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Trousdale and Wise, Disney, 1991) I cannot say the same about ALADDIN (Ron Clements and John Musker, Disney, 1992). I had two major problems with this film. The first is that in 1992 Hollywood still cannot get past it's stumbling feet and still puts out a film that blatantly uses stereotypes and racial profiling in its release of a film. Now I know that the film is animated and supposed to be fun, but it's a children's film. And when Hollywood releases something of this nature it further positions and strengthens these stereotypes to yet another generation of American children. The film positions Arab and middle eastern people as savages, as backwards and uneducated, as believers and practitioners in magic and sorcery. It paints their culture as backwards in regards to familial and gender roles and relationships. Hopefully one day soon films like this will not be so culturally accepted.
My second problem was probably also it's greatest source of amusement to most audiences and that is the character of Genie (Robin Williams). Williams is energy and freneticism personified and I believe him to be a supreme talent. Yet his over the top act did not mix for me in this film. If you are going to set a film in the Arabian Nights period, you do not mix in jokes denigrating homosexuals, again further establishing stereotypes and slurs.
The biggest difference between these two films (and I watched them back to back) is that I was delighted watching BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and about halfway through ALADDIN is that I hadn't once smiled or laughed. Such a dichotomy.
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