OPINION: A reel pioneer вЂ“ remembering Jack Shaheen The story is set in Agrabah, which is what Orientalism imagines Arab or Middle Eastern authenticity to be. But, upon closer inspection, are Jasmine, Aladdin, and the rest of the characters in the film Arab at all? Aladdin is supposed to take place in the Arab World or the Middle East or the Muslim World, which to the broader public and scores of Hollywood filmmakers, are interchangeable. Earlier this month, Disney responded to the media storm by casting Egyptian Canadian Mena Massoud to play Aladdin and Naomi Scott as Jasmine.Д¬asting Massoud seemed to appease those seeking racial concordance with the actor and character, while the decision to hire Scott, who is half Indian (and half white), still left many dissatisfied.Д¬ertainly, casting an actress of Indian descent to play an Arab, or an Agrabian, continues the Orientalist tradition of conflating Arab and Indian, Middle Eastern and anybody and everyone Brown. The filmвЂ™s casting became a globally trending topic, with allegations of racism and colourism and, more specifically,В whitewashingВ вЂ“ Disney seeking to cast white actors for the roles of Aladdin and Jasmine вЂ“ driving the apparent controversy.

Rumours of the forthcoming Aladdin film struggling to find actors for its lead roles set social media ablaze. The film disseminates dangerous representations of the Middle East, and its peoples, to the youngest and most impressionable minds, at a time of intensifying Islamophobia in the United States, Europe, and beyond. Therefore, while who plays Aladdin and which actress assumes the role of Jasmine deserves attention, the bulk of the concern and criticism should be concentrated on the storyвЂ™s inherent Orientalism and racism. A made-up place based on a made-up place.

Aladdin, the film and its aggregate franchise, is not only a material embodiment ofВ OrientalismВ вЂ“ the system that reduces the Middle East, and its elaborately diverse peoples, cultures and faiths, into a backwards monolith вЂ“ but also an enterprise that generates extravagant profits from perpetuating these misrepresentations.Д«eyond problematic characters and themes, AladdinвЂ™s Agrabah, the fictitious Middle Eastern setting of the film, is a cartoon remake of the Orient, a fictive and distorted recreation of the Middle East itself. UPFRONT: Is Hollywood too close to the military? (9:34)ДЇor the diverse groups of people that hail from the Middle East, the region that inspires the story and setting for Aladdin, the film renews a range of concerns.

Aladdin old release date