The Diamond vs. The Rough

It wasn’t until I was watching Aladdin for the millionth time this past month that I actually saw Aladdin. Aladdin the man, that is. In comparison to all of the other people of Agrabah, he stands out; simply put, he seems ‘Americanized.’ Although Agrabah is a fictional setting, we can assume it is a part of the Arab world due to the opening number “Arabian Nights”—Aladdin, however, doesn’t follow this suit. In Saving Other Women from Other Men in Aladdin, Erin Addison notes that he is ”the only clean-shaven man in the movie,” “his skin is light, and he flashes a big, boyish smile. He and Jasmine are the only human beings with American accents and without conspicuously aquiline noses” (9). The other characters all have darker complexions, more facial hair, and other features associated with Arab countries. Why not Aladdin?

In fact, when examining other Disney movies—especially those that include a Disney princess—the main characters have American accents despite the culturally dynamic worlds in which they live. Think of Ariel, Belle, and Mulan; their accents are clearly American. Only the most recent Disney princess, Brave’s Merida, maintains her Scottish accent. This begs the question: must all Disney heroes and heroines be Americans?

Apparently, yes.

In Agrabah, besides looking more Arabian, the background characters and regular citizens all appear…extravagant. They swallow fire, juggle knives, and act rather barbaric. Aladdin, in comparison, is a clever dreamer, a “diamond in the rough.” Did Disney mean to go further with this statement to say that Americans are the “diamonds” of the world, while others, particularly those in Arab nations, are “the rough?” This conclusion is just a little too easy to draw. Of course, Disney would never want a prince, a role model for children, to come from this “rough,” and therefore the only logical conclusion is to Americanize the hero. Right?

This final validation comes when Aladdin finally secures his princess.

“I choose you, Aladdin,” Jasmine says lovingly, to which he replies, “Call me Al.”

Alas, he is now fully and completely American. 

And yet, we still wonder why a large portion of the world thinks of America as a place full of greedy, egotistic, pompous, and imperious people. Maybe this "false" sense of superiority Americans feel is actually quite real and prevalent. Maybe we have just become blind to it.

Disney's spell strikes again.