Within the Middle East Tehran is an entirely different city from Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi is an entirely different city from Istanbul, and so on. The city of Agrabah is a fictional construct chiselled in the form of great Middle Eastern cities, and although it accurately portrays small scenes of marketplaces and houses, there is an inescapable homogeneity and generalisation to the destination. Whether intentional or not, every element of Aladdin illustrates and exaggerates this stereotyping, both onscreen and in production.
After some controversy amidst vehement opposition from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee these were replaced, but Disney/Menken’s desire to keep them in the film remain clear exemplification of the ubiquitous ‘othering’ of the Arab world through promotion of long-standing negative stereotyping. Alan Menken’s memorable opening number of sets the scene of a ‘far off’ and ‘barbaric’ place, so far removed from any Western reality that it is inherently ‘foreign’ to a viewer with lyrics originally reading "Where they cut off your ear/ If they don't like your face/ It's barbaric, but hey, it's home”. Sitting down to watch the 1993 animation (subject of this article the 2016 live-action is for another day), it is impossible to avoid being drawn into the narrators promise to transport the viewer to a mysterious, dangerous, and dark world. Whether intentional or not, every element of Aladdin illustrates and exaggerates stereotyping, both onscreen and in production. The cult classic Aladdin is packed with energy, imagery, and charm, but is it reaching a point of irreversible outdatedness?
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