Tropes A to D / Aladdin

Aladdin Trope Examples
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2D Visuals, 3D Effects:
- The Tiger Head leading into the Cave of Wonders, as well as the cave escape sequence.
- The Carpet is slightly less conspicuous, as its movements were traditionally animated, while the pattern on it is CG.
- The magma itself is 3D-rendered.
10,000 Years:
- Genie states that he's been trapped in his lamp for 10,000 years, that's to say since the very beginning of the Neolithic period! Who or what made the lamp at a time when metal working didn't even exist ^note is a mystery (this is assuming he's not just being hyperbolic, which for obvious reasons is completely in-character).
- Genie's first words upon his release are given a Meaningful Echo later on when Jafar is turned into a genie and trapped in his own lamp.
  Genie: 10,000 years in the Cave of Wonders ought to chill him out!

Abhorrent Admirer:
- The big, croak-voiced lady in "One Jump Ahead" that sweeps up Aladdin to coddle him. "Still I think he's rather tasty!"
- The flamingo that's attracted to Iago in his flamingo disguise, and gets the business end of one of his stilts for her trouble.
  Iago: Ya got a problem, pinky?
Abnormal Limb Rotation Range: Genie takes off his head and turns it around twice in his first scene.
Act of True Love: Genie is willing to face an eternity of servitude if it means Aladdin and Jasmine get to stay together. For his part, Aladdin is willing to forego the right to marry the princess if it means freeing his friend. They both get what they want when the Sultan remembers that he can change the law forbidding Jasmine from marrying a commoner any time he likes.
Actually Quite Catchy: During the "Prince Ali" song, Iago is dancing along until Jafar's Death Glare puts an end to it.
Adaptational Heroism:
- In the original story, it was never explained what made Aladdin the Chosen One; he just was. He didn't seem to care what the princess thought about marrying him at all, and never freed the genie or even became friends with him. Since Aladdin is still an anti-hero, this isn't necessarily much of a change, though he's still different from his original counterpart regardless.
- If you regard the film as an unofficial remake of The Thief of Bagdad (1940), the Sultan is a more sympathetic version of his counterpart in that film. Both are silly, toy-obsessed old men who give their daughter's hand in marriage over to the villain. However, the Sultan in Thief of Bagdad did this of his own free will after being bribed with an especially impressive new toy. The Sultan in Aladdin only does it after being magically brainwashed by Jafar's staff.
Adaptational Protagonist: In the original tale of Aladdin, Aladdin is the protagonist, and the tale focuses on his rise from a lowly commoner to a rich prince by the use of a magic lamp. The princess of the original tale, Badroulbadour (meaning "Full Moon of Moons") is the Standard Hero Reward for Aladdin —or, in Princess Jasmine's words, "a prize to be won". Fast forward to 1992 and Disney's version tries to rectify the princess's presence in their adaptation by developing her character so she can be somewhat of equal standing with Aladdin.
Adaptational Villainy: While it's far from the first adaptation to make Grand Vizier Jafar a villain, it's probably the most well known example of it. In the Arabian Nights, Jafar was a minor character but generally a hero (although Sunni tradition, which thinks very highly of Harun al-Rashid, assumed that Ja'far must have been guilty of something if the great Caliph had him killed), and in the original story, the Grand Vizier (who is actually not the same character as Jafar, as Jafar did not appear there) is hostile to Aladdin at first, but then he has a point, and is actually The Good Chancellor in contrast to the Disney movies depiction of Jafar as an Evil Chancellor; the real villain of the story is a magician from North Africa.
Adaptational Location Change: The original story was set in China, while this version changes the location to the Middle East, in the fictional country of Agrabah. This also leads to Race Lift.
Adaptation Deviation: The film deviates heavily from the original tale. The setting is now entirely in Arabia whereas in the original it began in China, there is only a single Genie when the original had a second “Genie of the Ring” in addition to the Lamp Genie, Aladdin was not limited to three wishes, the Sorcerer and the Vizier were separate characters, to name just a few of the changes. This movie seems to be more heavily inspired by The Thief and the Cobbler and The Thief of Bagdad (1940) than the original story.
Adapted Out: The Genie of the Ring makes no appearance in the Disney adaptation, nor does Aladdin's mother.
Advertising by Association: The original trailer announces, "Featuring six new songs from the Academy Award-winning composer of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast," and also plays clips from both movies at the start.
Affectionate Gesture to the Head: After Aladdin tricks Jafar into becoming a genie, which results in him getting trapped in a lamp of his own, Genie playfully ruffles his hair as a way of congratulating him.
Genie: Al, you little genius, you!
Agony of the Feet: One of the guards jumps on one foot after doing some involuntary firewalking in pursue of Aladdin.
All Cloth Unravels: "Things are unraveling fast now, boy. Ha, ha!" (Now, it was unraveled by a spell, rather than just pulling on a random thread.)
Almost Kiss
- Between Aladdin and Jasmine in his hideaway before they are interrupted by the guards, just after Jafar is revealed as a traitor, and again at the conclusion before Genie grabs them in a group hug.
- Aladdin and a belly dancer conjured during "Friend Like Me" also nearly kiss before she transforms into the Genie.
Amputative Sentencing:
- The original lyrics to the song "Arabian Nights" included a line describing Arabia as a place "Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face." After protests from Arab-American advocacy groups, the line was re-recorded ahead of the theatrical release as "Where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense."
- While chasing Aladdin through the streets, Razoul the guard bellows that he'll take Aladdin's hands as a trophy.
- When Princess Jasmine disguises herself as a peasant and wanders through the streets, she takes an apple from a stall and gives it to some kids. The irate vendor, brushing off her claims that she's the Princess, threatens to enforce the penalty against stealing himself and grabs a sword. Jasmine is only saved by Aladdin stepping in and claiming she's his insane sister.
Amulet of Concentrated Awesome: Apart from the three rules (can't kill, no bringing back the dead, no forcing people to fall in love), the Genie will grant any three wishes to his master. Riches, power, anything. However, it's important to keep a hold on the lamp, as anyone who takes it is now the new master. Aladdin learns this the hard way when Jafar gets a hold of it.
Anachronism Stew
- Mostly in Genie's gags. He makes many references to modern-day movies and has a lot of props that are out of the time period, such as slot machines, top hats, etc.
- During the "A Whole New World" sequence, Aladdin and Jasmine fly by an Egyptian stonemason working on The Sphinx. They startle him, causing his chisel to slip and break off the nose of the Sphinx. However, in reality, the Sphinx would have been thousands of years old by Aladdin's time, and the ancient Egyptians long gone.
- Also, after the song's done they end up watching a Chinese New Year Celebration on the roof of what looks very much like the Forbidden City in Peking; the palace wouldn't be built until 1406-20.
- The prince at the beginning, wearing his heart-spotted undies beneath his traditional garb.
- When Aladdin tumbles through the clotheslines in his first appearance, a modern bra is clearly visible among the falling clothes.
- Iago says "Bring the guns, the weapons, the knives... and, uh, how about this picture? I don't know, I think I'm making a weird face in it." Miniature paintings were absolutely not in vogue in the Abbasid period, but more to the point, THE GUNS? According to the DVD commentary, that was Gilbert Gottfried ad-libbing, and it got a laugh out of Robin Williams.
- Princess Jasmine's regular outfit is an anachronism, overlapping with Artistic License – History. The bedlah outfits worn by her (and various harem girls throughout the film) are a Hollywood invention, created during the early twentieth century. Hollywood popularized it enough to result in a defictionalization. If you get over that, it still makes no sense at all that the Princess goes around wearing a belly dancer costume.
- Abu pulls out what is, on closer inspection, a modern bobby pin to pick the lock and free Aladdin within the dungeon.
- When Jafar sends Aladdin away in a flying tower, he does so by setting up and swinging his scepter like a golf club.
- The Sultan calls Iago "Polly", while this name for parrots would not be used until the 17th century.
And Now You Must Marry Me: Jafar plans to control the Sultan and have him order Jasmine to marry him so that he can become the new Sultan.
Angry Fist-Shake: Aladdin angrily shakes his fist when cursing The Old Convict who got him trapped in the Cave of Wonders.
Animal Reaction Shot: A shot of Abu and Iago (a monkey and a parrot, respectively) looking disgusted at Jasmine giving Jafar a Kiss of Distraction.
Animate Inanimate Object: The Carpet is a magic carpet that can fly and carry people while doing so. He also has a personality of his own.
Animation Bump: Noticed in most of Genie's animation in general, having been supervised by former Richard Williams associate Eric Goldberg. The scenes in the Cave of Wonders also make use of this trope, using 3D effects for the magma and the tiger head.
Answer Cut: After Jafar's line "I must find this one, this... diamond in the rough.", the scene cuts over to introduce the "street rat" Aladdin.
"Arabian Nights" Days: The film is set in a rather stereotypical Middle Eastern city, although the original Aladdin story is usually set in China.
Arbitrary Mission Restriction: When the eponymous thief enters the Cave of Wonders to fetch the magic lamp, he is allowed in, but told to "Touch nothing but the lamp." Upon entering, he finds a massive trove of treasure, but he abides by the condition. Fully justified in that when his pet monkey Abu does touch some of the treasure, shit massively hits the fan, they almost die, and then they are trapped in the cave and must find a way to escape.
Armor-Piercing Question: A light-hearted example would be when Aladdin asks Genie what he would wish for. Genie, who was mostly comedic since being introduced, is beyond shocked that someone actually asked him what he would like. His initial hesitance makes it even more of a tearjerker when he tells Al that he wants to be free of his lamp.
Arranged Marriage:
- The Sultan attempted to set Jasmine up in one but she was constantly rejecting them. Jafar attempts to hypnotize the Sultan into forcing Jasmine into one with him so that he can become the sultan.
- The Sultan implies that his own marriage was also arranged; he mentions that her mother "wasn't nearly as picky."
Artistic License – Chess: There's a scene in which Genie and the carpet are playing chess with each other. Not only is the White King missing — which is not possible under any circumstances — the board itself contains only 49 squares, which would make the game simply unplayable.
Aside Glance: When the Sultan, frustrated with Jasmine's rebelliousness, glares at Rajah and declares, "Allah forbid you should have any daughters!", Rajah turns a baffled look towards the audience. This also doubles as both a Silent Snarker moment and an Animal Reaction Shot.
Attack! Attack... Retreat! Retreat!:
- Aladdin: "This is no time to panic! ...Start panicking!"
- Also, this exchange:
  Woman: Getting into trouble early, aren't we, Aladdin?
  Aladdin: Trouble? No way. You're only in trouble if you get caught.
  Razoul: Got'cha! [Captain Razoul grabs him]
  Aladdin: I'm in trouble!
- Also inverted:
  Guard: He's got a sword!
  Captain Razoul: You idiots. We've all got swords!
Audible Gleam: When Aladdin is first revealed as "Prince Ali" (in the musical number), when he flashes that big toothy grin.
Award-Bait Song: "A Whole New World". It's one of the best-known examples of the trope within the Disney canon, on par with "Beauty and the Beast" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight".

Back from the Dead: Defied — Rule #3 of the genie code forbids this. The phrasing of said rule suggests that it's not impossible, but that Genie refuses due to the results typically being unpleasant.
Badass Arm-Fold: Jafar folds his arms to show how powerful he is, like the scene where Prince Ali visits.
Badass Boast: "Friend Like Me" is part the Genie showing how powerful he is and what he's capable of, also part showing Aladdin how lucky he is to have found Genie. "Prince Ali" is all this with regard to Ali's fortune/possessions/exploits/etc.
Bait-and-Switch Character Intro: Iago the evil parrot is first introduced by having him spend a few moments repeating things like a normal parrot... and then ask, "Where did you dig this bozo up?", revealing that he has a smart mouth and can talk properly.
Balcony Wooing Scene: Aladdin flies up to Jasmine's balcony on his magic carpet to woo her, though technically it happens on Jasmine's balcony rather than underneath it.
Barefoot Poverty: Aladdin walks around barefoot while he's a penniless "street rat", until he becomes a prince with the Genie's help.
Batman Gambit: Aladdin, being a Guile Hero, is good at taking advantage of people's predictable behavior.
- He tricks the Genie into freeing him from the Cave of Wonders without actually making a wish by mocking his supposedly mighty powers.
- Knowing that Jafar is a power-hungry jerkass, he tricks him into using his third wish become a genie himself, only for him to inadvertently trap himself in the lamp because of said wish.
Bazaar of the Bizarre: The vendor in the beginning is selling quirky stuff.
Be Careful What You Wish For:
- Aladdin's wish to become a prince didn't make him any more attractive to Jasmine; if anything, she liked him less as a prince than as a "street rat."
- Aladdin's trick to defeat Jafar: making him ask to be a genie—because that would lock him in a lamp.
Becoming the Genie: Aladdin tricks Jafar into wishing to become a genie. Jafar only realizes the downside when it's too late.
Aladdin: You want to be a genie? You got it! And everything that goes with it! Phenomenal cosmic powers, itty-bitty living space!
Bedlah Babe: Princess Jasmine is possibly the single most famous bedlah-wearer, in the harem pants and the little off-the-shoulder belly top. Jafar dresses her up in an even skimpier red version when he enslaves her. Additionally there are three girls frequently seen from the top of a balcony - all of whom wear this costume, as well as some harem girls Genie conjured up during the "Prince Ali" song.
Been There, Shaped History: During their romantic magic carpet ride, Aladdin and Jasmine made a sculptor break The Sphinx's nose, literally shaping history.
Berserk Button:
- Iago being fed crackers by the Sultan, with the latter often asking "Polly want a cracker" before feeding him. This is also the primary motivation for Iago wanting to aid Jafar in usurping the Sultan.
  - Ironically, said berserk button was also what finalized Iago's decision to defect from Jafar in the beginning of Return of Jafar, and leave Jafar in a well.
  - Shows up in King of Thieves as well:
  King of Thieves: Good birdy... Polly want a little—
  Iago: [wielding a vase] Say "cracker" and I'll let ya have it on principle!
- Touching the forbidden treasures is a major one for Cave of Wonders. When Abu gets the gem, the cave promptly collapses in on itself to prevent Aladdin and Abu from escaping.
- The harem girls' matron bluntly pointing out that Aladdin doesn't have any parents and taking a swipe at him is the only point in "One Jump Ahead" where Al is visibly angry.
Beyond the Impossible: When Jafar asks Genie to make Jasmine fall in love with him and Genie explains that Magic A Is Magic A, until Jasmine starts flirting with him. She's exploiting his ego but by the look on Genie's face you know he's thinking "I can't do that...can I?"
Be Yourself:
- The entire point of Aladdin's Character Development. He thinks that he's worth nothing without the Genie and that Jasmine wouldn't be interested in him if he wasn't a prince. Naturally, Jasmine falls in love with him when he's just a poor boy living on the streets (and she initially doesn't care for his princely alter-ego) and Aladdin puts up a good fight against Jafar on his own and manages to defeat Jafar by turning his own power-hungry nature on him, all by tricking him into wishing he was a genie, which comes with strings attached. In the end, he even frees Genie when he could've used his last wish to become a prince again. Moral of the story: don't try to find love or get ahead in life by pretending to be someone you're not.
- Genie himself offers this advice to Aladdin... while disguised as a bee.
  Beenie: Want me to sting her?
  Aladdin: Buzz off!
  Beenie: Fine, but remember, bee yourself.
  Aladdin: Yeah, right!
Big Ball of Violence: When the guards are after Aladdin for stealing bread, they jump onto him, creating a dust cloud and when the dust clears they are shown to have incapacitated each other instead of Aladdin who slipped away before the scuffle happened.
Big Door: The doors of the palace of Agrabah are extremely tall and wide, and allow for the below trope.
Big Entrance: The entire "Prince Ali" number is an extended version, but getting your elephant to kick down a palace door and slam the Big Bad and his parrot sidekick into the wall makes for an especially good climax. It's so big it provides the current page image.
Big "NEVER!": Jasmine, while throwing a glass of wine in Jafar's face.
Big "NO!":
- Jafar at the start of the film when Gazeem gets eaten by the Cave of Wonders.
- Aladdin, when Abu goes for the giant gem in the Cave of Wonders (which angers the cave's guardian after he told them not to touch anything but the lamp and starts the cave's "self-destruct").
- Jafar after he betrays Aladdin and realizes he doesn't have the lamp.
- Jafar when he gets sucked into his own lamp as a result of becoming a genie at the end of the film.
Big "SHUT UP!": Jafar's last line in the film. He and Iago start arguing after they're trapped in the lamp, and when Genie banishes them, Jafar screams "SHUT! UUUUUUUUUP!" as the lamp flies off into the desert.
Big "WHAT?!": Jafar upon seeing that he gets everything that comes with Becoming the Genie.
- He does a smaller Big What when Iago says "What if you were the chump husband?" Though this is less because he's actually confused about Iago's plan and more because Iago called him a chump.
Big "YES!"
- When Jafar thinks he has the lamp, he yells out "Yes!". He possibly has the record for the quickest transition from a Big "YES!" to a Big "NO!".
- Aladdin yells out "Yes!" as well after his first kiss with Jasmine, and promptly jumps backwards off the balcony (he knows Carpet is there to catch him).
Bilingual Bonus:
- In "Friend Like Me", Genie refers to the newly affluent Aladdin as "nabob" (an Arabic phrase meaning "important, wealthy or powerful person").
- In the same song, the Genie, in his guise as a waiter, uses a magic pencil to fire the word بوقلمون ("turkey") onto a notepad before whipping a cloche off a plate bearing a whole roast turkey.
- Most of the signs are just Foreign-Looking Font or random scribbles, but there is a sign over Jafar's door that's readable Arabic. It has his name and title on it. Which makes you wonder why it's on the inside of a secret door.^note
Bitch Slap: Jafar slaps Aladdin just before he exiles him to the "ends of the earth".
Black Comedy Animal Cruelty: Iago endures a lot of violence from Jafar - most apparent in the scene where he is violently smashed between a door closed by Jafar in a way that would kill a normal bird and clearly hurts Iago. However, Jafar never seems to have the intent to hurt Iago per se, it's more that he, out of his narcissism, doesn't care about Iago at all and treats him recklessly.
Blessed with Suck:
- PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER! ...itty-bitty living space.
- A genie is powerless to stop his new master from trying to harm/kill his previous master, however much they liked them, as what turns out to be the case when Jafar seizes the lamp from Aladdin, Genie can only stare on sadly at this dire turn of events.
Bond One-Liner: Jafar gives a whole Hurricane of Puns after he steals the lamp from Aladdin:
- "I wish to rule on high, as Sultan.": Uses the Genie's magic to steal the Sultan's clothes and move the palace to the top of a mountain.
- "Down boy.": Turns Rajah into a tiger cub.
- "Say hello to your precious Prince Ali.": Uses magic to switch Aladdin back into his street clothes.
- "His assets frozen, the venue chosen, is the ends of the earth.": Sends Aladdin and Abu to the arctic^note
- "Princess, your time is up.": Traps Jasmine in a hourglass.
- "Don't toy with me.": Turns Abu into a toy monkey.
- "Things are unraveling fast, now boy.": Unravels Aladdin's magic carpet.
- "Get the point.": Traps Aladdin in a ring of swords.
- "I'm just getting warmed up.": Breathes fire at Aladdin.
- "Perhaps you'd like to see how snake-like I can be.": Turns into a giant cobra.
Bound and Gagged: Happens to Aladdin forcing him to use his second wish.
Bowdlerise: The line "where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face" was changed to "where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense" for the VHS/DVD/Blu-ray/digital video releases because of complaints by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. Nevertheless, in the same musical number, the line "it's barbaric—but, hey! it's home" was retained despite similar complaints. The "cut off your ear" line was retained in the film's original soundtrack, but the special edition has the bowdlerised version.
Boyfriend Bluff: Though in this case Al pretends Jasmine is his Cloudcuckoolander sister. Points to Jasmine for immediately getting it and playing along.
Aladdin: Come on sis, time to go see the doctor.
Jasmine: [to a camel] Oh hello doctor, how are you?
Aladdin: Uh uh, not that one...
Brainwashed Bride: Jafar wants to marry Jasmine so that he can become the next Sultan through marriage. It initially doesn't work, but eventually, once he finally gets his hands on Genie's lamp, he wishes for Jasmine to fall in love with him. Since Genie isn't allowed to force love, the wish cannot be granted. Somehow, though, it works, and Jasmine falls in love with Jafar. Subverted, since she was just faking the whole thing to distract him.
Bread of Survival: The titular street rat and his pet monkey Abu are able to steal a loaf of bread and evade the Sultan's guards. However, before they can savor it, they come across two orphans even hungrier than they are, leading to Aladdin and Abu (the latter very reluctantly) breaking the loaf in half and giving it to the children.
Break-Up/Make-Up Scenario: When Aladdin and Genie have an argument.
Briar Patching: After Jafar has seized the lamp, and used two of the three wishes to become Sultan of Agrabah and the most powerful sorcerer, Aladdin tells Jafar that the Genie is more powerful. An outraged Jafar uses his final wish to become the most powerful genie... and gets sucked into the magic lamp, where he is imprisoned.
Buddy Picture: The filmmakers have admitted that the relationship between Aladdin and Genie is at least as important (if not more so) than that between Aladdin and Jasmine.
Buzzing the Deck: While the Sultan is flying the magic carpet around, he at one point flies quickly over Aladdin and Jafar, causing both of them to duck as he does.
By Wall That Is Holey: When Aladdin is banished to the frozen wastelands by Jafar, and his transportation (a broken off tower of Agrabah palace) starts rolling towards him, realizing there's no way to outrun the threat, he notices a tiny window and decides to position himself just perfectly so that the tower will simply roll over him.

Caged Bird Metaphor: As the Sultan is talking to Jasmine about rejecting her suitors, she goes over to a bird cage in the garden and picks up one of the birds, petting it as she talks about wanting to marry for love. The Sultan then puts the bird back in the cage as he tells her that she has to follow the laws and fulfill her duties. The subtext is that, like the caged birds, Jasmine feels trapped by her role as princess and yearns to escape the rigors of palace life. At the end of the scene, she opens the cage and sets all the birds free.
Came Back Wrong: Implied and defied — when Genie says he can't bring people back from the dead, he adds "It's not a pretty picture. I don't like doing it!", implying that he actually is physically capable of bringing back the dead, but the results are... unpleasant.
Camera Abuse: The merchant at the beginning invites the audience to join him, only for the camera to zoom forward into his face, forcing him to peel himself off the lens.
Merchant: Please, please, come closer! [smacks into camera] Too close, a little too close!
Can't Get Away with Nuthin': Jasmine, while trying to run away, takes an apple to give to a hungry kid. She is immediately beset upon by the shopkeeper who attempts to give her the standard punishment for thievery: losing a hand!
Captain Obvious:
- After Gazeem is killed while trying to enter the Cave of Wonders:
  Jafar: Gazeem was obviously less than worthy.
  Iago: Oh, there's a big surprise! That's an incre—I think I'm gonna have a heart attack and die from that surprise!
- Lampooned when the guards are chasing Aladdin and Abu:
  Frightened guard: He's got a sword!
  Razoul: You idiots! We've all got swords!
Cave Mouth: The Cave of Wonders' opening is a big tiger's mouth with sharp teeth. It also talks ("Who disturbs my slumber?").
Cement Shoes: Applied to Aladdin to make him drown but the Genie comes to his aid.
Central Theme: Freedom. Aladdin and Jasmine feel trapped by their respective but polar opposite lifestyles, and the Genie hopes to one day find a master that would wish him free of the lamp. Jafar, on the other hand, wants the freedom to just cut loose and act like the psychotic Evil Sorcerer he really is beneath the composed exterior.
Chase Scene: In the song "One Jump Ahead", Aladdin is being chased by Razoul for stealing a loaf of bread.
Chekhov's Skill:
- Early/midway through the movie, Aladdin belittles the Genie's power and abilities, prompting Genie to show off exactly what he's capable of by getting the gang out of the supposedly inescapable tomb in the Cave of Wonders, without actually using a wish on getting out. In the climax, when Jafar appears to have won and rendered Aladdin and the other good guys helpless, Aladdin belittles Jafar's power and abilities by pointing out the Genie gave him his powers and is stronger than him. This prompts Jafar to use his final wish to become a genie, and everything that goes with it.
- Like some other kinds of birds, Iago is an impressive vocal mimic. In the movie, they introduce his ability to impersonate Jasmine while he's making fun of her, then uses it later to trick Aladdin into leaving the lamp unprotected.
- When Aladdin and Jasmine first meet, we see that she's very good at catching on and playing along with Aladdin's cons. At the end of the movie, she quickly notices him trying to steal back the lamp and promptly starts flirting with Jafar, to keep Jafar's attention elsewhere.
- The end of "One Jump Ahead" sees Aladdin grab a rug and take a flying leap, Foreshadowing his handling of the carpet.
- When Aladdin and Jasmine are in his hovel he rolls an apple across his shoulder to toss it to her. Towards the end of "A Whole New World", "Prince Ali" does the same trick which confirms Jasmine's suspicion that Aladdin and "Ali" are the same person.
Chewing the Scenery: Done in-universe when Aladdin poses as Prince Ali.
Child Marriage Veto: Jasmine adamantly sticks to her guns on this.
Circling Birdies: Played with—Iago sees numerous Sultans on Carpets circling his head after an injury. For bonus points, they're chanting in chipmunk speed: "Haveacracker!Haveacracker!Haveacracker!"
Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: The film has color motifs based on its desert setting. Blue (water) = good, red (heat) = evil, and yellow (sand) = neutral. For example:
- Through most of the film, Aladdin's outfits are sand colored and purple, signifying that he's a good yet flawed person. At the very end, after his Character Development, his princely outfit is violet blue.
- Jasmine is purely good, so she always wears blue or purple, except when she's enslaved by Jafar and forced to wear red.
- Genie is also purely good, so he is blue.
- Jafar's signature color is red, and his sidekick Iago is a red parrot.
- The Sultan wears a sand colored outfit, but with touches of blue, highlighting that he's a good man, but one who tends to be ineffectual and a Horrible Judge of Character.
- In the Cave of Wonders, the magic lamp's chamber is blue, while the forbidden treasure that Abu touches is a red ruby.
Comedic Strangling: When Jafar is laughing, Iago tells him to "get a grip". Jafar grabs Iago by the throat and Iago chokes out, "Good grip!".
Comically Missing the Point: When Jafar tries to hypnotize the Sultan into having Jasmine marry him, the Sultan breaks out of the trance not to point out that it's against the law (Jasmine must marry a prince), but to mention that he's "so old."
Company Cross References: Genie frequently invokes this.
- When Aladdin promises Genie that he'll use his third wish to free him, Genie believes he's lying and promptly turns his head into Pinocchio's, complete with growing nose.
- When searching a book for a spell that will turn Aladdin into a prince, he mentions "Alaskan King Crab" and gets his finger snapped from inside the book by Sebastian, complete with the first few bars of "Under the Sea" playing.
- When trying to coax a depressed Aladdin into freeing him, Genie says to him as "When You Wish Upon a Star" starts to play...
  Genie: Aladdin, you just won the heart of the princess! What are you going to do next?
  (Aladdin doesn't listen and drops onto a pillow)
  Genie: Hey, your line is "I'm going to free the genie." (beat) Any time.
- At the end, the newly-free Genie prepares to see the world and dons a tourist getup, complete with a Disneyland Goofy hat. Doubles as an Actor Allusion, as Robin Williams wore that same outfit for the short film Return to Neverland.
Composite Character: As mentioned under Adaptational Villainy, the vizier in the original story was skeptical and mildly antagonistic to Aladdin at first, but not truly the villain; the real villain was the sorcerer hunting the genie lamp. Jafar is the sorcerer hunting the genie lamp and an Evil Vizier. Additionally, the genie of the ring (who gets Aladdin out of the cave) and the genie of the lamp (who is much more powerful and the one who actually grants the rest of his wishes) are combined into Genie.
Convection, Schmonvection: Aladdin, Abu, and Carpet all come within inches of the lava while escaping the Cave of Wonders.
Counterpoint Duet: Briefly used in "Prince Ali". An odd example, as the two melody lines are expressing more or less the same opinion (that Prince Ali is great and handsome), rather than conflicting ideas.
Crashing Through the Harem: This happens to the title character while he's escaping the guards (after stealing a loaf of bread) and singing "One Jump Ahead".
Creator Cameo:
- Shortly after Aladdin gives his bread to starving children, two men discuss the prince who is passing on the street. They are modeled and voiced by the film's directors John Musker and Ron Clements (other characters are drawn like crew members).
- A caricature of animator Tom Sito makes an appearance as a manure salesman at the end of the "One Jump Ahead" number.
Creepy Cave: The Cave of Wonders, despite the title. It doesn't get any creepier than a cave shaped like a lion's head that can talk. The cavern will only allow entrance to a Chosen One, automatically killing anyone else. For the one that it does let in, there is one rule: only touch the lamp, nothing else. Aladdin does adhere to this, but Abu grabs a sparkly jewel, angering the cave, and the whole place turns into a lava deathtrap that Aladdin and Abu barely escape. When they get out, Jafar betrays them and knocks them back down into the cave, which is now less lava-filled and more dark and gloomy.
Crowd Song: Special mention goes out to "Prince Ali", which is not only a Badass Boast, in song, but is almost as crowded, if not more so than "Belle".
Crystal Ball: Jafar uses a magic hourglass to find out who the Chosen One is.
Cultural Translation: A lot of the elements from the original story are westernized, and then topped off with an overdose of Anachronism Stew.
Curse Cut Short: When Aladdin (as Prince Ali) returns, to the surprise of Jafar and Iago, Iago says "How in the he- I mean, uh, AWKKK!"
Cymbal-Banging Monkey: Jafar turns Abu into one during the climax.

Dark Reprise:
- Jafar's version of "Prince Ali".
- Aladdin delivers a short, melancholic reprise of "One Jump Ahead" while heading back to base after being chased around town by the royal guards.
- Crossing over with Leitmotif, when Jafar has Genie lift the palace and place it on a nearby mountain, you can hear a slowed, more sinister refrain of "Friend Like Me" in the background.
Deadpan Snarker:
- Iago is an obvious case of this, especially in contrast to the considerably less sarcastic Jafar.
  Jafar: Patience, Iago, patience. Gazeem was obviously less than worthy.
  Iago: Oh there's a big surprise! I think I'm going to have a heart attack and die from that surprise!
- And...
  Jafar: Finally, you will bow to me!
  Jasmine: We will never bow to you!
  Iago: Why am I not surprised?
- Jafar has his moments, though:
  The Sultan: [introducing 'Prince Ali'] This is Jafar, he's delighted too...
  Jafar: [utterly deadpan] Ecstatic.
- Genie as well, especially when he is under Jafar's control.
  Genie: [deadpan] Jafar, Jafar, he's our man, if he can't do it... [shouts, face right up to the camera] GREAT!
Death Glare:
- Jasmine has a pretty impressive one when questioning Aladdin after the carpet ride. The even more menacing one she has on her face early on when the guards capture Aladdin and she's told she has to speak to Jafar.
- Jafar has a fairly good glare too. Most notably when he meets "Prince Ali", and when Iago suggests that "[Jafar] should be the chump husband."
- When Jafar is revealed as a traitor, he finds himself facing a triple glare from Aladdin, Jasmine, and the Sultan.
Deconstruction: In the original Aladdin story, Aladdin gets everything he wants—riches, marriage to a princess, the sultanate—by constantly wishing with two enslaved genies, and he's perfectly happy with his situation until his enemies try to take it from him. Here, Aladdin does the same, but starts feeling bad for wholly depending on the Genie for everything and needing to keep him captive in order to maintain the deception, plus constantly lying to Jasmine and the Sultan. On the other hand, it becomes a Decon-Recon Switch when Al decides to use his last wish to grant the Genie his freedom, and his heroism and (belated) honesty still help him win Jasmine's heart.
Defiant Captive: When Jafar indulges in a I Have You Now, My Pretty in the third act, Jasmine throws a glass of wine in his face. and shouts a Big "NEVER!".
Delayed Reaction: When Aladdin announced to the Genie that he is free it doesn't register with the latter until a few seconds later.
Deliberate Values Dissonance: Downplayed. While this film's depiction of medieval Arabia is otherwise very politically correct, the "Prince Ali" song does casually mention that Ali has "slaves, servants, and flunkies" in his ranks. While they're all just a fabrication made up by the Genie, it says something about this society's values when slaves are used as a selling point for how awesome a prince is.
Demoted to Extra: In the stage musical, the Magic Carpet is a prop, not an actual, sentient character, and only appears during "A Whole New World" and right at the very end.
Denser and Wackier: Compared to many other Disney films, especially the films preceding it, Aladdin is a very comedic film, especially when Genie shows up. It's also this compared to the original Aladdin story.
Deranged Animation: Genie's rapid shapeshifting can be rather unnerving.
Description Cut: "Someday, Abu, things are going to change; we'll be rich, live in a palace, and never have any problems at all." Cut to the Sultan and Prince Achmed having a problem, with the latter screaming "I've never been so insulted!".
Destroy the Villain's Weapon: Aladdin notices Jafar using his snake staff to brainwash the Sultan, so he takes it and destroys it. Not that it matters, though, because once Jafar uses the Genie to wish to become the most powerful sorcerer in the world, he magically gains a new staff.
Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: As Aladdin hangs on the steps of the Cave of Wonders, Jafar COULD have helped him up, gotten clear of the collapsing cave, taken the lamp in accordance with their agreement, and sent Aladdin on his way, none the wiser. Instead he decides to willingly dispose of the only person capable of entering the Cave who had no idea of the lamp's value while standing next to the collapsing cave himself. All just because he wanted to screw Aladdin over for no real reason. Unfortunately for Jafar, it ends up backfiring on him massively.
Didn't Think This Through:
- Jafar's final wish is to become a genie, with "phenomenal cosmic powers — itty bitty living space!"
- Aladdin when he wins Jasmine's affections. He didn't anticipate the fact that being married to Princess Jasmine would mean he'd become the future sultan and feels overwhelmed by his lie.
- When Jasmine sneaks out of the palace, she forgets to bring money with her. When she sees a hungry kid try to take an apple from a stand, she takes the apple and gives it to the kid, and nearly gets her hand chopped off for stealing.
Disney Acid Sequence: "Friend Like Me".
Disneyfication: The stories of the Arabian Nights were definitely not family or kid aimed tales; they covered adult subjects like forced marriage, infidelity, serial uxoricide^notewife-killing, and explicit descriptions of human anatomy... and that's just in the frame story! That's not even getting into the parts where Scheherazade starts rambling on about corpse-tearing ghouls, bestiality, or penis humor, and the sometimes racist content in the stories. Disney's Aladdin removes all of this to make the film appropriate for kids and families.
The Diss Track: Jafar's "Prince Ali (Reprise)" is about exposing that Aladdin is just a nobody who became "Prince" Ali after using the Genie's magic.
Distracted by the Sexy: Deliberately invoked by Jasmine in order to distract Jafar so Aladdin could get the lamp. Unfortunately, it backfires when Jafar sees Aladdin's reflection in Jasmine's tiara.
Don't Touch It, You Idiot!:
- "Touch nothing but the lamp." Aladdin (although tempted) actually follows the advice. Abu, however...
- A total aversion from the original tale, in which Aladdin was permitted to take (and keep) as much of the treasure as he wanted, provided he retrieved the lamp.
The Door Slams You: Happens to Jafar and Iago both at once, when "Prince Ali" makes his big entrance. Happens to Iago earlier when Jafar quickly shuts a secret door so Jasmine won't notice it, accidentally trapping Iago between the door and the wall.
Double Entendre: "Arabian nights, like Arabian days, more often than not are hotter than hot in a lot of good ways..."
Balcony Harem Girls: "Oh it's sad Aladdin's hit the bottom!" (One girl gets an ass shot while another uses hers to hip bump Aladdin)
Dramatic Sitdown: Jasmine, when receiving word that Aladdin's sentence (death by beheading) has been carried out already.
Dramatic Spotlight: Genie conjures several of these during the song "Friend Like Me".
Dwindling Party: In the climax, Aladdin and his friends try to get the lamp away from Jafar, who takes them out one by one until only Aladdin is left.
Aladdin: (Taking on Jafar) Get the lamp!
(Jasmine runs to get the lamp)
Jafar: No! (throws Aladdin off and shoots Jasmine, trapping her in a giant hourglass) Haha Princess! Your time is up!
(Abu jumps for the lamp)
Jafar: Don’t toy with me! (shoots Abu, turning him into a toy monkey)
(Carpet flies in and grabs the lamp)
Jafar: Things are unraveling fast now, boy! Ah hahahahahaha! (shoots Carpet, unraveling him into a pile of tassels and thread)

Aladdin / Tropes A to D

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Aladdin / Tropes A to D

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