I finally saw the new Disney Aladdin movie, and I thought it was a fun addition to the fairy tale canon.
My two teens wanted to go with me and that reminded me how great Disney is at creating family movies. I mean, my teens are older teens and they still want to see Disney fairy tales with their mom!
As we’ve come to expect from Disney, this movie is visually stunning. The world-building was a feast for the eyes. It’s a musical, so there is a lot of singing and dancing. The plot is centered on the characters who feel trapped in their current circumstances and yearn for the freedom to do what they want most. And despite the title being Aladdin, a lot of the movie is focused on what Princess Jasmine wants.
- Princess Jasmine wants to rule her people (external goal); a law is standing in her way that doesn’t allow a princess to be sultan. Her internal goal is that she wants her voice to be heard (Speechless song.) She also wants Aladdin.
- Aladdin wants to marry Jasmine (external goal); a law is standing in his way that says a princess has to marry a prince. His internal goal is that he wants to be seen as he who he really is, more than a street rat.
- Genie wants to be human so he can be free of the lamp (external goal); human greed is standing in his way–his master has to wish freedom for him. His internal goal is to be master of his own decisions, live his own life.
While the credits were rolling I asked my kids what they thought of it. They both said they liked it, and then my daughter gave me a wary look and said, “This isn’t going to be one of those movies that you go through all the plot holes on the way home, is it?”
Um, maybe I have earned a reputation with my family. To be fair, most of those plot hole discussions surround super hero movies and time travel movies. I digress…
No, the only complaint I had leaving the theater–and we were all in agreement on this–was a reprise of the Speechless song that seemed out of place. Especially so when Jasmine’s daring move of female empowerment didn’t do anything to improve her immediate circumstances…rather, things were made much worse by her speaking out. It seemed much ado about nothing. (*Spoiler alert* Despite the bad timing of the song, her speech, ultimately, is what changes her father’s mind and helps Jasmine obtain her story goal. The song reprisal just made for an awkward scene that unnecessarily paused the action to make sure the point was hammered home.)
And after we’ve sat with the movie for a while, the takeaway favorite part of the movie was Aladdin’s awkwardness. Specifically the jams.
Okay, I just did a quick search of reviews to see what the critics are saying. Oh, it’s easy to be a critic, isn’t it? Sure, Aladdin himself could have used a little more time to fully swing through his character arc, and the carpet ride could have been more interesting, etc. but hey, overall, We’re not complaining. We liked it. If you like fairy tales, you’ll probably like it, too.
Have you seen it? Did you blog about it? I’d love to read what you thought. Join the blog hop! Click below and follow the instructions. IMPORTANT: remember to go back in and add the code to your own post so the blog hop will show up there, too.
