The films with the updated disclaimer includePeter Pan, Dumbo, Lady andthe Tramp, Fantasia,The Jungle BookandSwiss Family Robinson, among others. Santa's Workshop, Three Little Pigs, Clock Cleaners, Fantasia, The Rescuers, Toy Story 2, and a lot more programs are still edited for controversial content. Given that is fictional, whos to say it cant include many different races and ethnic backgrounds? The Middle East has a robust entertainment industry and creative voices in the region regularly share their stories through film, television, music and other media forms. However, experts continued to criticize the soft language used in the old Disney Plus disclaimers. Could he overcome the perception that the story was inherently bigoted? He also asked the producers to respect Islam and to add a humane character, Aladdins mother, an Arab woman willing to sacrifice everything for her sons happiness.. Rather, the story was often presented as a hybrid tale of the exoticized Orient meeting modern English-language styles and fashions,. The Stories Matter page on Disney's site notes the characters' connection to racist minstrel shows. Potato Head survived by a thread and liberal white men working at Disneyland saved black women from the horrors of Splash Mountain-now Aladdin is racist. She covers film and TV news and reviews. that Disney should stop trying to improve stories that are problematic and should leave them in the past, instead focusing on new stories that wont be tainted by previously offensive versions. To learn more about how stories have impacted society visit: www.Disney.com/StoriesMatter.". That Disney talent agents are pedophiles/child molesters? The problems in Alladin specifically, I believe, are that an Arabic accent was used only for the villain, songs had racist lyrics, and there were very inaccurate and stereotyped portrayals of the entire setting/region. It may contain outdated cultural depictions." We talked to people at Disney about that depiction I said there are probably a hundred [Native] people of that caliber that can do that and yet youre going to try and force Johnny Depp down our throat, says Skyhawk. A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. Aoki believes it should specifically note what the issue of each film is, rather than offering up an ambiguous line. For more, Xbox Game Pass Is Having its Best Stretch Ever, Attack on Titan Fans Are Desperately Searching for The Final Season Part 3's First Episode Online, The Flash: The Arrowverse's Red Death Isn't Who We Thought, $30 Million Worth of Funko Products are Being Sent to a Landfill, Atomic Heart Faces Backlash on Multiple Fronts, all the movies and shows on or coming soon to Disney Plus, The Simpsons Hit and Run Designer Wants to See a Remake - IGN Daily Fix. Aladdin is one of them. However, the outbreak of the first Gulf War (a conflict involving Iraqs invasion of neighboring Kuwait) in the early 1990s prompted the directors to set the story in the fictional city of Agrabah, an adaptation of Baghdad. To learn more about how stories have impacted society, please visit. Twenty-seven years ago, Disneys animated version of Aladdin was the highest-grossing film of 1992, earning over $346 million in worldwide box office revenue. It reads: This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. Reviews have been mixed but the film has been popular, nonetheless: the 2019 film surpassed the original film within a month of its release at the box office. Disney+ wants to say theyre focused on inspirational themes while half the children in Disney films have dead parents. The film and its creators refused to do the work of normalizing and humanizing people of color for American audiences. All Rights Reserved. "Our job is. The film-makers including director Guy Ritchie are on the hunt for leads who can live up to the animated films loveable street urchin Aladdin and Princess Jasmine. In May 2019, Disney released a live-action version of Aladdin, which tells the story of an affable street-urchin who accepts the services of a trickster genie to win over the sultans daughter, Jasmine. The movie follows a street urchin named Aladdin, who finds a magic lamp and genie and helps to save his city from the evil Grand Vizier. While the movie is set in a city based on Baghdad, Iraq, Aladdin contains aspects of multiple Middle Eastern and Asian cultures. Did watching it ever make you uncomfortable? While Agrabah is apparently described as this melting pot of ethnicities, that concept comes from the deeply-problematic 1992 animated film. film within a month of its release at the box office. We just let them know that it is a piece of media from another time, Skorodin says. Although Disney posted this message in front of the original Aladdin, the version on Disney+ has still removed the "cut off your ear" line from the opening song and Aladdin's mumbling on the balcony. Agrabah is a made up place thats a combo of a few different cultures. Aladdin (/ l d n / -LAD-in; Arabic: , Al ud-Dn/ Al ad-Dn, IPA: [ala addin], ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale.It is one of the best-known tales associated with The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (The Arabian Nights), despite not being part of the original text; it was added by the Frenchman Antoine Galland, based . Less well known is the fact that the film sparked a racial controversy, one that is still reverberating today. "Rather than removing this content, we see an opportunity to spark conversation and open dialogue on history that affects us all." By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. First noticed by Twitter user @324_B21, and reported by Mashable, films like the original 1941 Dumbo, The Aristocats, Jungle Book, the 1955 animated Lady and the Tramp all feature the same outdated culturual depictions warning. That, and the story is loosely rooted in One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, a collection of Middle Easter folk tales. Looking further back, 1940sFantasiahas been criticized for the depiction of a black centaurette called Sunflower polishing the hooves of a white centaurette, as well as another named Otika who briefly appears in the Pastoral Symphonysegment. Now, it admits they were not just "outdated" but "wrong" even back then and that such negative portrayals had a harmful impact in real life. The film remains controversial to this day. To learn more about how stories have impacted society visit Disney.com/storiesmatter, First off, when did Disney suddenly become a Civil Rights movement? Disney also came under fire for allegedly darkening the skin of white actors and crew members. By casting actors of different nationalities and ethnic groups, the movie was able to showcase a wide range of cultures, giving a platform to voices traditionally omitted in Hollywood. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversations to create a more inclusive future together., Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe. Aladdin(1992), which previously did not have a warning, has been added to the list. 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The new-and-improved, feminist Jasmine even performs an original song, Speechless, in which she sings about not allowing men to silence her. This thread is archived in the 1992 movie. We've received your submission. Most people consider Aladdin to be set somewhere in the Middle East. Why is there so little Middle Eastern, Arab or Muslim (or other minority group) representation in film and television? Yunioshi., We had several people from MANAA talking about the concerns of yellowface and what was wrong with Mickey Rooneys portrayal, he adds. 5. Furthermore, these advisors helped ensure that any Arabic-language text was correctly displayed and that the setting and dress were more culturally realistic. Aladdin, which came out in 1992, is a popular movie with fun songs and an interesting plot. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. You are agreeing to OutKick's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, but don't worry we don't spam. So much so that Disney+ added a warning label before the film starts. Bias/Anecdote: While I can't remember too much about Aladdin specifically that might call for this (the changed line about cutting off your hand during the opening theme comes to mind, but that's already been removed), the overall tone plays on a great deal of stereotype tropes for Middle-Eastern cultures that aren't really that accurate or true, or are at least heavily exaggerated. A subreddit to help you keep up to date with what's going on with reddit and other stuff. See some of the major differences between the films in this chart designed by our summer interns. Our job is not to get up and say, Heres a movie that you should feel guilty about for liking. But to pretend that the racism in it is not painful and acute? Disney did not respond toTHRs request for comment. Some other Disney films, like Fantasia, Aladdin, and Peter Pan, have been criticized as well, but notably, Disneys Song of the South remains absent from the service. All rights reserved. Disney+ updated its policy toward its films containing offensive material, posting a new disclaimer and adding new movies to its list of programs that feature "negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures." Ron Clements and John Musker, the directors of the 1992 film, said in 2015 that the movie was originally intended to be set in Baghdad, Iraq. BBC did an article discussing it a few years ago when the remake was being talked about that might point to some examples where it's coming from. The film was criticised for perpetuating Orientalist stereotypes of the Middle East and Asia. Could he overcome the perception that the story was inherently bigoted? Back in 1992, Shaheen cited cable television and videocassettes as making it easy for stereotypes to travel far and wide. 2023 CNET, a Red Ventures company. Disney claimed they included white extras only in a handful of instances when it was a matter of specialty skills, safety and control, but many still criticized the company for not taking the opportunity to hire more actors and crew members of Middle Eastern and South Asian heritage. The disclaimers are not a signal that the films have been canceled, Ben Mankiewicz, a host on classic TV network TCM, told the Reporter. 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While he has always loved superhero, sci-fi and fantasy films and TV series, it is only recently that he began reading comic books themselves. How do you feel about Aladdin? The company said that while it can't change he past, "we can acknowledge it, learn from it and move forward together.". This supports the idea that Genie only changes Aladdin's appearance, which he also indirectly confirms a few lines later: Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The original story from November 2019 detailing the original Disney+ content warning is below. Answer: A lot of older movies (god I hate calling movies from the 90's "older") include often passive stereotypes or themes about minority groups that while may not have been intentionally harmful, still perpetuate potentially harmful or offensive ideas about a culture or location. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. ', As 10 million Disney+ subscribers browse through the new streaming platforms hefty film and TV library, a line at the end of select content summaries might catch their attention: This program is presented as originally created. This is pretty much the progressive movement in a nutshell. After Shaheen protested against the film alongside the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Disney agreed to alter the lyrics in Arabian Nights for Aladdin's video release in 1993, and defended it, as it was a rare film to feature an Arab hero and heroine. We take a look at the origins of the folktale, the previous dramatic portrayals of the story, the 1992 animated film, and how the filmmakers tried to overcome past controversy in the latest rendition of Aladdin. After Mr. ", The movies that will now start with the disclaimer include "Aristocats," which features racist caricatures of East Asian peoples; "Dumbo," in which the crow characters perform a musical number in the style of racist minstrel shows; "Peter Pan," for its stereotypical portrayal of Native peoples; and "Swiss Family Robinson," in which pirates are portrayed as a stereotypical foreign menace, many in "yellow face" or "brown face.". The line you're thinking of is "Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face. "These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Don Owens. If you are a younger person and youre watching something and that youre not aware that theres potential violence or now, cultural insensitivity, I think [the disclaimer] is kind of protecting [filmmakers] the same way that it does those other catchphrases., Still, she says that Disneys decision to include a disclaimer is appreciated, noting it is the first step to correcting things that might not have been thought about 10, 20, 30 years ago when these [films] were being made., Aoki echoes that sentiment, saying he finds Disney today to be a totally different company from the one that existed even 20, 25 years ago. He adds: I spoke to a Disney executive a few years ago who told me that, I think it was every Friday, [CEO] Bob Iger has a meeting with all the company heads, including Marvel and Pixar and everybody that is under their corporate umbrella, and he says, OK, report to me what you have done to further diversity at this company. So its not lip service as far as, Oh, yes, we believe in diversity and we try to have open casting. In its history, Disney has produced 56 animated movies. But I've realized how problematic Aladdin's character is. Here, TeachMideast provides you with in-depth background and context so you can decide for yourself whether society is succeeding in its demand that Hollywood do a better job portraying minorities. The rest of us can FF through that crap, chuckle at it and enjoy the show. After the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee complained about song lyrics describing the setting in the film, Where they cut off your ear if they dont like your face, alternate lyrics were dubbed into the video and soundtrack releases. to be set somewhere in the Middle East. A Syrian named Hanna Diyab did apparently meet with Galland at some point, but it remains unclear how much, if any, of the story came from him. I do not want to shy away from that. Yes, Skorodin says. We take a look at the origins of the folktale, the previous dramatic portrayals of the story, the 1992 animated film, and how the filmmakers tried to overcome past controversy in the latest rendition of, At the end of the overview, you can also find. Of all Disney films, Song of the South has been perhaps criticized the most thanks to its depiction of African slaves. A content advisory notice for racism in classic Disney films, in place since last year, has been updated with a strengthened message. Please review Rule 4 and this post before making a top level comment: I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. The names Jasmine and Aladdin are both of Middle-Eastern origin, with Aladdin being derived from Arabic while Jasmine has its roots in Persian. (a conflict involving Iraqs invasion of neighboring Kuwait) in the early 1990s prompted the directors to set the story in the fictional city of Agrabah, an adaptation of Baghdad. Prior to all their films, and outside all their theme parks, Disney should display this disclaimer: Disney once made programming for children which, while entertaining millions of viewers of all ages, also brought diverse cultures and races together. Others defended Scott, noting that the story includes Indian aspects, Agrabah is meant to be a melting pot of cultures, and Jasmines mother is said to be from another land, making it entirely plausible that Jasmine could be an Indian woman. It worked. Thedisclaimerappears with some animated Disney classics such as 1967sThe Jungle Bookand 1953sPeter Pan,offering caution to viewers of racist and culturally insensitive depictions and references in the plots and characters of those movies. The 2019 film also removed several instance of the most egregious racism from the animated film. 8. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. 7. But just which films and shows meet the criteria for the disclaimer is not clear. ThePeter Panentry reads: The film portrays Native people in a stereotypical manner that reflects neither the diversity of Native peoples nor their authentic cultural traditions. Gambling related content is not intended for anyone under the age of 21. March 16, 2021, 12:54 pmupdated March 16, 2021, 1:46 pm alternate lyrics were dubbed into the video and soundtrack releases. Aladdin Now Has A Warning Screen On Disney+, Mike Brey Ready For Something New As He Steps Away From Notre Dame After 23 Years, Rick Carlisles Character On Display As Pacers Honor Late Indiana Media Legend David Benner With Cool Gesture, Keith Olbermann Calls For The Burning Of Disney World In Front Of DeSantis, Scientists Suggest Brilliant Strategy Of Blocking Out The Sun To Stop Climate Change. While the 1992 film is widely perceived as problematic, many point to the fact that the worst parts (including racist lyrics and caricatures) have been removed and replaced with accurate Arabic script and culturally-appropriate dress. For The Lone Ranger specifically,Skyhawk explained Johnny Depp taking on the role of Tonto, described as a spirit warrior from the Comanche tribe, was offensive casting resulting in an offensive character. Aspects of the story also have Indian influences, including Jasmines Indian tiger Rajah, and the sultans palace in the animated film looking remarkably similar to the Taj Mahal. Thats basically what they did and its the arrogance of Hollywood and the arrogance of Disney to say its our idea, its our money and were going to do it, whether you like it or not.. Several representatives of minority advocacy groups spoke withThe Hollywood Reporterabout their reactions to the Disney+ disclaimer and what, if any, extra measures can be enacted by Disney to caution viewers of culturally insensitive material. Besides from what I vaguely remember about Aladdin was he was a poor theif (or street rat for the non PC types) who befriended an enslaved genie and found a magic carpet ride in order to overcome evil Jafar, win the affection of a bra wearing princess, and became the king of Arabia or something. Warner Bros. featured a similar warning regarding some of its older cartoons, such as Tom & Jerry, which appeared on Amazon, according to CinemaBlend. One distraction during the film was its odd use of ethnic stereotypes. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. Thus, when Disney reported in 2016 that a live-action adaptation was in the works, director Guy Ritchie had to contend with the original films controversial legacy. In "Sleeping Beauty," Prince Phillip kisses Aurora while she's unconscious. They want to make up for any offensive messaging they may have been a part of, Robertson told the publication. 2 men found drugged after leaving NYC gay bars were killed, medical examiner says, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" wins big at SAG Awards, HBO's "Succession" will end with season 4, creator says, Richard Belzer, comedian and "Law & Order: SVU" actor, dies at 78, "The Last of Us" creator Neil Druckmann on the series' success, Ryan Seacrest leaving "Live"; Kelly Ripa's husband, Mark Consuelos, to step in. Throughout the Victorian era, Aladdin sport[ed] a Manchurian queue and Chinese slippers, and the architecture feature[ed] distinctly Chinese pagodas. The emphasis on the Chinese aspects of Aladdin during this time period through the use of chinoiserie (the imitation of Chinese motifs and techniques in Western art) was especially popular. The crows in Dumbo. CBS News has reached out to the Walt Disney Company for more information. Nearly a year later, on Thursday, Disney said that after consulting with a council of organizations representing minorities, it's added a new disclaimer acknowledging the "harmful impact" of. Why does Aladdin have a warning now? Following the Maypolice killing of George Floyd, a Black man, media companies like Sky and HBO Max have pulled content or attached warnings to prejudiced or racist material in their back catalogs, such as Gone With the Wind. I understand Peter Pan and Dumbo but why Aladdin? In the 2019 film, Agrabah is a port city that rests on the cusp of Eastern and Western nations, making it a thriving trade town and bringing together a melting pot of cultures and influences. The production designer used Turkish, Persian, and Islamic influences for the set design. Most recently, The Muppet Show had warning disclaimers placed prior to 18 of its episodes, warning viewers that the show features stereotypes and mistreatment of people or cultures., Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together, the disclaimer says, adding Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe.. RELATED:Amazon Prime Video Is Catching up to Netflix While HBO Max Outpaces Disney+ Growth. Aladdin is one of the greatest animated movies of all time and one of the main reasons behind that is the Genie character. Some were alarmed by the films stereotypes and generalizations about Arabs and the Middle East. 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