Aladdin

**Aladdin** is the titular protagonist of Disney's 1992 animated feature film of the same name. A former street rat from the city of Agrabah, Aladdin spent much of his youth scraping for food and ducking guards with his monkey sidekick Abu. Though sanguine, Aladdin's poor upbringing left him with severe insecurity, making him feel worthless and undeserving of love, specifically that of Princess Jasmine. He nevertheless sustained a heroically selfless deposition, which in turn made him entitled to a magic lamp concealing a wish-granting genie.

Aladdin is based on the eponymous character of the *Aladdin* folk tales featured in the Middle Eastern *One Thousand and One Nights* stories.

## Background

Aladdin was born to Cassim and Zena, citizens of the kingdom of Agrabah. Due to their struggling background, Cassim left Agrabah shortly after Aladdin was born in hopes of finding a better way to provide for his family. Due to this, Aladdin never met or knew his father, believing he was dead and was given a dagger as his only memento. A few years later, Aladdin's mother passed away, leaving him an orphan and forced to fend for himself. By the time Cassim returned, he couldn't find his family, believing them to be dead, resulting in him leaving Agrabah out of despair, where he'd eventually become a leader of the infamous Forty Thieves, though this would remain unknown to Aladdin for an extended number of years. Due to being orphaned so early, Aladdin never received a formal education, nor had a positive role model to guide him through life. With no form of income, he was forced to learn to survive on the streets of Agrabah. Lacking other means, he steals only to survive, but his good heart often moves him to donate his stolen goods to those who are as poor, if not poorer than him, making him a Robin Hood-like figure.

When Aladdin was seven, he had his first encounter with Razoul, the new captain of the Sultan's guard, after stealing an apple from a fruit stand. Initially, the boy managed to outmaneuver the guards, but was eventually apprehended and sentenced to detention within the palace dungeon; however, he managed to escape by picking the locks to his chains. While in his mid-teen years, he stole a vest, a pair of pants, and a fez from a clothesline, which would form his signature outfit. At the age of ten, Aladdin was best friends with a fellow street rat and thief, Amal, but unlike Aladdin, he stole money and valuables for his own selfish greed, which Aladdin was strongly against. Aladdin was present when Amal disappeared, unaware that he was taken and became an El Khatib, serving one of his future adversaries, Mirage. When he was sixteen, Aladdin fell in with a group of circus performers and con artists: Aziz, Fatima, Minos, and their pet monkey, Abu. Aladdin and Abu would form a brotherly relationship throughout this endeavor, and would eventually leave the circus, but remain together as both partners and best friends.

### Development

In the earliest stages of the story, Aladdin was portrayed as a much younger character—a boy, as opposed to a young man. The idea was brought upon by animator Glen Keane, who believed Aladdin, the lead of an underdog story should have a more meager, vulnerable appearance to match his role in the film's narrative. In addition, he claimed that typical Disney films have a sort of class system with their characters, such as the cartoonish sidekicks, the dramatic villains, the beautiful heroines, and the boring "Prince Charming"-type heroes that "nobody ever wanted to animate". Though directors Ron Clements and John Musker enjoyed the idea, executive producer, Jeffrey Katzenberg did not, feeling the romantic relationship between a meek Aladdin and the beautiful Princess Jasmine would come off as unrealistic, as Jasmine wouldn't find herself physically attracted to that portrayal of Aladdin. Katzenberg saw the early versions of Aladdin to be along the lines of Michael J. Fox, but should instead be along the lines of Tom Cruise, in terms of appearance.

Glen Keane rectified the issue, making Aladdin a tad more muscular, with broader shoulders, and more defined features. However, to keep in touch with the original concept, Keane, Musker, and Clements worked to retain a sense of youth and innocence to Aladdin through his facial design and character portrayal, prominent during the film's more comedic scenes.[2][3]

An integral part of Aladdin's story during the early stages of the film was the role of his mother. Initially, Aladdin was not an orphan, but instead, a young boy living alongside his single mother in the lowest part of Agrabah. Throughout the story, Aladdin's quest to find something greater than himself, and prove his worth, was driven by a desire to make his mother proud, famously vocalized through the deleted song "Proud of Your Boy", written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. When the film underwent a rewrite, from start to finish, writers and consultants, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio suggested the mother and concept surrounding her to be scrapped from the film, to which the filmmakers agreed, having discussed the deletion beforehand.[2]

### Personality

“*...a young man who, like this lamp, was more than what he seemed: a diamond in the rough.*”
―Peddler
Despite his upbringing, at the start of the film, Aladdin was a generally optimistic, fun-loving, and charming character. Though he was forced to steal for survival, he showed joy in escaping the brutish guards, alongside his sidekick Abu, and showed an attempt to find enjoyment in the struggles of his day-to-day life. Nevertheless, though he did not mind stealing from the marketplace denizens, albeit forcibly so, Aladdin was, in no way, a selfish character. Not only were the thefts for survival, as mentioned before, but Aladdin was also never above sacrificing his food for the less fortunate of Agrabah, such as starving children. This is an example of Aladdin's selflessness, which was showcased several times throughout the film, specifically for the sake of Jasmine, and most notably, during the finale, Genie. This trait was also carried over to the further stories of the franchise, such as *The Return to Jafar*, where the street rat is shown to commonly rob lairs of thieves and donate the stolen jewels and riches to Agrabah's less fortunate citizens.

While harboring a modest amount of physical prowess, Aladdin's true strength lies within his intelligence and wit. He utilizes these aspects to best his enemies, and such practices have proven effective in various situations throughout the franchise. He is a quick-thinker, with the ability to formulate a scheme (usually varying in scale, making him rather versatile) that ends in his favor. Aladdin also takes advantage of his societal stereotype to further his schemes, as most wouldn't expect a meager street urchin to have the intellect to outwit others.

Although generally cheery and fun-loving in nature, Aladdin was also shown to be insecure throughout the original film's events. Being a street rat, Aladdin normally faced discrimination in the city of Agrabah and was seen as a worthless member of society. This cruelty eventually led Aladdin to believe such claims; he saw himself as unworthy of Princess Jasmine's affections, believing she deserved someone of higher class and, by extension, someone who can provide for her. These insecurities would prompt Aladdin to perform negative acts such as compulsively lying, going back on promises, and hiding his true self under the guise of "Prince Ali".

Once the climax of the original film arrives, however, Aladdin is stripped of his aid (including magic and the help of his allies), forcing him to act independently to save the city. He does so by putting his wit to use and successfully ends the battle victorious. Following these events, Aladdin became more accepting of his status, refusing to continue living a lie, and embracing who he is as a person.

As seen throughout episodes of the television series, however, Aladdin's insecurities haven't diminished completely. Although more accepting of his status as a "street rat", Aladdin remained somewhat self-conscious when given important tasks to complete, as seen in the episode "Mudder's Day", where the Sultan was confident enough to place Aladdin in charge of an expedition, though the latter would continuously doubt his own leadership out of anxiousness. In "My Fair Aladdin", Aladdin made an attempt to reform his image to better conform with Jasmine's dinner guests, consisting of haughty, high-classed royalty. This would only result in his downfall as the most important person in his life, Jasmine, was unamused by Aladdin's attempts in concealing his true nature. In spite of this, Aladdin's allies, and more specifically Jasmine, would continuously provide support and a catalyst that would aid Aladdin in regaining his confidence. One other noteworthy time, was in "The Return of Malcho", where Aladdin felt insecure when he was placed in charge of Agrabah while the sultan, Jasmine, and most of the group were on vacation and the responsibility of keeping the kingdom safe while having to put up with Iago and Razoul's advice on how the Sultan would handle things. This was put to the test when Iago's old enemy Malcho arrived, and Aladdin had to keep Iago protected in the palace to avoid putting the citizens in danger. Eventually, the stress of dealing with Razoul and Iago's bad advice and bickering were able to snap Aladdin out of his self-doubt, allowing him to take proper leadership and devise a plan that allowed them to successfully trap Malcho.

### Physical appearance

Animated and designed by Glen Keane, Aladdin is a traditionally handsome, slender, slightly muscular young man with broad shoulders, black, messy hair, thick matching eyebrows, and brown eyes.

As a street rat, his clothing is, unsurprisingly, rather limited. He is barefoot, donning a purple, sleeveless vest, red fez, and baggy, cream pants with a single patch covering a hole within them.

As Prince Ali, however, Aladdin's attire is lavish to coincide with his princely facade. The colors resemble the primary colors of Jasmine's father, the Sultan, consisting mostly of cream, gold, white, and purple. The outfit's appearance, itself, also resembles the Sultan's, consisting of a large turban (with what appears to resemble neck shade coming down on opposite sides) complete with a ruby gem and bluish, deep purple feather, cream undergarments, and a matching top, with a cape flowing down, just below his calves. The outfit is finished with golden brown shoes with swirled tips. His turban also conceals Genie's lamp beneath his head. In *Return of Jafar*, he wears this outfit before encountering Iago and being attacked by Abis Mal and his group.

At the end of the first film, Aladdin wears a purple openly short Arabian coat with a white shoulder armor on both sides of his short coat with gold trim, at the back of his short coat, it resembles a long purple cape, cream pants with a red and brown fez around his waist and the golden-brown shoes from his disguised Prince Ali outfit. He also wears the same hat from his primary outfit, but it was purple and gold striped.

In *Aladdin and the King of Thieves*, Aladdin now wears a different outfit as opposed to the previous two films.

In its initial appearance before their wedding was interrupted by his father Cassim and at the end of the film where he marries Jasmine and went to their honeymoon by riding a magic carpet, Aladdin wears an outfit similar to his disguised form as Prince Ali as he wears a very long cream openly Arabian royal jacket with a large sailor collar, underneath is a yellow sleeveless tunic with brown trim and a white long-sleeved undershirt, cream pants, and brown shoes with swirled tips. His turban has a different design with brown linings and the feather is yellow with a purple gem in the center.

Later when he confronts his father Cassim and being tested by him to face Sa'Luk, Aladdin wears black undergarments with a matching sleeveless top with a red obi around his waist and a medium blue long-sleeved shirt. He also adorned with a blue cloak that can cover his head and face and a gold emblem on the left side. This outfit is also his father's primary outfit.

His main outfit throughout the movie and his crossover appearance in *Hercules: The Series*, Aladdin wears a purple sleeveless garb with gold trim, a white long sleeve undershirt with dark brown folded sleeves, light blue pants with a red sash and dark brown shoes with swirled tips. When he meets his father Cassim for the first time, his main outfit is covered with a cream cloak and a gray turban on his head.

He later rips the right long sleeve into the shorter sleeve from his main outfit to cover the Hand of Midas.

### Abilities

* **Expert Tactician:** Aladdin has demonstrated amazing cleverness, as he has feats of being able to outsmart enemies multiple times. During the first film, he is proven to be capable of evading capture from the guards despite being greatly outnumbered and overpowered.
* **Excellent Speed:** Aladdin is very fast, having spent years outrunning the officers of Agrabah during his theft of food.
* **Excellent Agility:** Aladdin is very agile, showing similar acrobatics and grace to his monkey Abu.
* **Excellent Reflexes:** Aladdin possesses good reflexes, able to dodge the repeated strikes from Jafar in his massive snake form.
* **Skilled Swordsman:** Aladdin has demonstrated some swordsmanship abilities, despite it not being known whether he had any training. His primary weapon in the video games and the films is the scimitar which was the main weapon of Razoul's royal guards. Aladdin demonstrates using a weapon when he fought Jafar in his king cobra form and later in the third film where he was tested by his father.
* **Skilled Hand-To-Hand Combatant:** While normally prevailing through wit or teaming with his allies, Aladdin is a capable fighter. Against Sa'Luk, the most skilled fighter of the Forty Thieves and physically much stronger than him, Aladdin proved able to fend off the foe's assault rather effectively while landed his own number of blows and even narrowly defeated him.
* **Animal Communication:** Aladdin is an animal whisperer, as he was able to understand Abu, his pet monkey when to a normal person, he simply speaks gibberish.
* **Expert Thief:** Aladdin became a skilled thief, gaining a lot of experience since the age of 7.
* **Excellent Strength:** Though not his most noteworthy trait, Aladdin does have a certain degree of strength as he was strong enough to dig Carpet out from being stuck under a broken palace tower in a snowy wasteland in the original movie. With a two-fisted hit, he was also able to knock out Sa'Luk, who was at least twice his size.

## Trivia

* "Aladdin" translates as "devout of the faith" in Arabic.
* Whenever Aladdin tells a lie, the feather on his turban falls and covers his face.
* Aladdin's voice actor was Scott Weinger from the hit TV show *Full House*. In the two-part story "The House Meets the Mouse", the Tanner family goes to Disney World. While there, DJ (Candace Cameron Bure) begins to see Steve's face on other guys, portraying Disney characters. The first and most notable among them was Aladdin.
* Glen Keane was inspired by the rapper MC Hammer when it came to designing Aladdin's signature outfit.
* The younger-looking model for Aladdin's design can still be seen in the film, during "Friend Like Me", which was animated earlier in the film's development.
* The scene where Aladdin donates his food to the poor children was added to show that Aladdin was a good person in spite of his thefts, as they feared the lighthearted tone of "One Jump Ahead" could have otherwise delivered the message that stealing could be fun.[2]
	+ Lyricist Tim Rice further emphasized that Aladdin's thefts were purely for survival rather than fun in "One Jump Ahead", with the lyrics "Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat".[2]
* Before Brad Kane took the role of Aladdin's singing voice, Scott Weinger auditioned for the singing part as well but was ultimately rejected.
* In the live-action remake, Avan Jogia, Riz Ahmed, and Dev Patel were considered for the titular role before Canadian actor Mena Massoud was cast.
* In earlier drafts, Aladdin had three human friends named Babkak, Omar, and Kassim. Though they were cut from the animated film, they later appeared in the stage version.
* The Broadway musical has Aladdin confide to his friends Babkak, Omar, and Kassim that he's working to give up thieving not only due to a vow he made to his mother prior to her death, but also because he doesn't want the first impression people have on him to be 'thief'.
* Aladdin was originally going to appear in the second season of the ABC drama series *Once Upon a Time*,[4] though he would not make an appearance until Season 6.
* As a tribute to John Musker and Ron Clements, Aladdin's apple trick was done by Maui in *Moana*.
* In the episode "Elemental, My Dear Jasmine", Aladdin claims that he had "tons" of girlfriends before meeting Jasmine, although it is unknown if he was actually being serious as the movie and television series make it clear that with the exception of Amal and Abu, he was alone most of his life. It's also worth noting that Aladdin is shown to be deeply insecure about himself and constantly works to earn the affection and approval of many other characters, most notably Princess Jasmine.
* In the episode "Two to Tangle", it's revealed that Aladdin has unexplored magic powers hidden within his soul. This may possibly be a link to him being "The Diamond In The Rough".
* In truth, Aladdin made only two wishes, becoming a Prince and Genie's freedom, since he was unconscious when Genie saved him from drowning; however, due to their "no more extra" agreement before, three wishes are still counted.
* Aladdin has two heirlooms - a song that can be played from an Oud as discussed in the live-action remake, and a dagger belongs to his father as foreshadowed in *Aladdin and the King of Thieves*.