Aladdin was developed and released at a time when Hollywood couldn’t care less about impactful concepts like cultural appropriation, but it seems that even now, some fans have a hard time grasping exactly what it is the animation gets wrong about fictional Agrabah and the Arab culture.
The Mouse House can’t afford to be this careless, however, which is why they’ve flagged the 1992 classic with a content warning label that clearly indicates their work “includes negative depictions and mistreatment of people and cultures.”
Some don’t understand why this should be the case, but it all has to do with how the movie takes stereotypes about Arab culture and then magnifies them tenfold, until they’re a parody of the original concept, which itself was misinformed in the first place.
As highlighted by another user, there’s a YouTube video that perfectly breaks down what all the fuss is about, so make sure to check it out if you wish to learn more.
Having lived in several Arab countries over the years, I can see why many of them would roll their eyes at Aladdin and how it depicts their culture. Now, some would attribute this to oversensitivity and making a mountain out of a molehill, but there’s a world of difference between getting something slightly wrong and blatantly undermining a culture’s history, which, some might argue, is precisely what Aladdin does, even if a bit unwittingly at times.
The 1992 animated feature has always been a contentious movie, whether the debate involves the studio’s prejudiced depiction of Eastern cultures or Robin Williams’ publicized conflict with the producers. And though the recent live-action remake was a box office showstopper, that doesn’t necessarily translate to the story passing through today’s social media meat-grinder in one piece.