Beyond Orientalism? Evolving Political Correctness in Disney’s Live-Action Film Aladdin (2019)

Abstract

Walt Disney’ animation film Aladdin (1992) has been beloved all over the world. However, the animated film has been harshly criticized by analysists for its cultural and racial prejudices and lack of consideration for gender equality. In 2019, the live-action version of Aladdin was released and Disney aimed to overcome the previous criticism based on some advice from the people who belong to a Middle East community. The purpose of this article is to conduct a comparative analysis of the 1992 animation version of Aladdin and the 2019 live-action version from the conceptual perspectives of Orientalism, feminism, and political correctness. This research argues that there exists a shift from Orientalist viewpoints and gender inequity embedded in the 1992 animated film to more politically correct perspectives that improved the storyline and empowered Princess Jasmine in the live-action version of Aladdin (2019). Finally, this article investigates to what extent the 2019 live-action version of Aladdin has overcome the cultural, racial, and gender stereotypes of the Middle East and the Middle Eastern people through the comparative examination of the two masterpieces produced by Walt Disney as a global media culture production.