Aladdin Central Messageboard

[Meesh]

1 - Jasmine is the real hero of the first movie.

If she hadn't gotten up the nerve to run away in the first place, Aladdin may not have wished to be a prince, thus gaining connections to the palace, where he got the incentive to defeat Jafar. Also, her open-mindedness and forward-thinking inspired reform in the law and a marriage to someone who better understands the people of Agrabah.

2 - Aladdin (the character) would be better of without Abu in the first movie.

After the moment he steals the lamp and gives it to Aladdin, he is 100% irrelevant to the plot EXCEPT for Jasmine's line "It's a shame Abu had to miss this," which really isn't all that crucial to the end game/plot.

Aladdin wouldn't have even needed Abu to save him from Jafar and steal the lamp if Abu hadn't touched the forbidden treasure in the first place. (This hot take assumes that Jafar planned on stabbing Aladdin all along, which he would probably fail in doing. The only kink in this theory is if Jafar had some kind of plan that would actually believably kill Aladdin after he safely got the lamp. And we have no indication he did.)

Aladdin and Jasmine also wouldn't have had to run away from the guards if Abu hadn't stolen from the vendor. (Plus similar happenings in the "One Jump Ahead" sequence, like when Abu stole the jewelry and Aladdin had to turn around to grab him.)

Sure Abu un-cuffed him in the dungeon, but this was unnecessary because Jafar would have freed him.

He also saved him from Razoul right before "One Jump Ahead," but whether or not this was necessary depends on whether you think Razoul was going to kill Aladdin or arrest him. For the rest of the sequence, they seem to be trying to kill him. But when Razoul captures him, his sword isn't out, so I'd like to think he was just going to imprison him. In which case, he'd be out in a matter of days because Jafar would find him.

EDIT: I'm ranting this to my boyfriend and realizing that, if Razoul had successfully arrested him before "One Jump Ahead", he wouldn't have met Jasmine. Which is a huge kink in my hot take.

Boyfriend also makes the point that Aladdin would have been lonely and friendless without Abu. Obviously Valid.

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Any of you got any Aladdin-related hot takes or shower thoughts? Or disagree with mine?
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[imekitty]

1. Hahahaha, but then why not go further than that? Maybe Cassim is the hero because if he hadn't run away himself, Aladdin might not have been in the situation he was to meet Jasmine at all. Or he might not have rescued her because he would've just seen her as a thief and not someone he'd want to associate with anyway.

But regardless, yes, Jasmine is definitely a hero in the first movie!

2. I'll comment on this later because I just got back from a two-week vacation (that included Disneyland and a Disney cruise) and I'm exhausted, but I think Aladdin definitely needed a friend to keep himself sane. :b At least he's not weird about it like Kristoff is with Sven.

[Meesh]

1. Yeah my boyfriend was giving me a hard time like, "That's like saying 'The real hero is the teacher that inspired me to...'" I realize it's kind of bs but playful argument is fun
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[imekitty]

Actually, if Cassim hadn't run off, maybe Aladdin would've already been in a relationship with that girl in pink in the harem...

Or maybe it would've been HIS harem.

[Meesh]

Someone please write that alternate reality
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[imekitty]

Or Aladdin does save Jasmine and then she ends up joining his harem.

Sorry, I ruined it.

But anyway, we all know Aladdin and that pink girl had something going on between them.

[Meesh]

In Elemental My Dear Jasmine, when Jasmine asks Aladdin if he had any girlfriends, and he answers "Tons!"

... You know that harem girl was one of them.
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[imekitty]

I wonder what answer Jasmine was expecting? Like hello, has she seen her boyfriend? And further, has she seen the other guys in Agrabah? Not much to choose from...

Aladdin and that girl maybe had some sort of forbidden relationship going on and she was forced to join a harem so that she could no longer waste her time with a streetrat.

His other girlfriends probably broke up with him because they were convinced he'd never amount to anything and could never provide for a family. Him being their future sultan must be quite a shock.

[Meesh]

[imekitty]

[imekitty]

Aladdin: Yeah, babe, I'm totally rich! And don't tell anyone, but I'm actually a prince, too!

Lahela: Really? :D ?

Aladdin: Yeah! I just sometimes dress as a commoner to escape the pressures of palace life.

Lahela: A prince from where?

Aladdin: ...A...ba...bwa. Ababwa.

Lahela: Ooooooooh! 8D

[imekitty]

Lahela's father: Lahela, what have I told you about hanging around that boy?!

Lahela: But Daddy, he's a prince!

Lahela's father: No, he's not. I used to know his father. Lowlife scum begets more lowlife scum.

Lahela: But--

Lahela's father: Enough! I have already found a husband for you. You shall wed Kamal.

Lahela: But he's so ugly!

Lahela's mother: All men in Agrabah are ugly. Like the sand being everywhere, get used to it.

[Meesh]

YES GOOOOOD
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[imekitty]

So I was thinking about it, and here's what I think would've happened if Jasmine hadn't first run away.

Aladdin would've been captured under Jafar's command regardless. So he still would've ended up going to the Cave of Wonders and meeting Genie. He'd have the same conversation with Genie about freedom and whatnot up until Aladdin finally starts thinking about his first wish. He has already been dreaming about palace life and is too nice a guy to just take the palace by force. He remembers that the princess has been getting a lot of suitors lately, and he's sure he can win her over what with the "tons" of girlfriends he's been able to secure in his young life so far. So he wishes to be a prince so that he can try to marry her himself and get into the palace that way.

But he does not expect to actually fall IN LURVE. :3

And then the rest of the movie is more or less the same. And in fact, it's more believable because Jasmine really seriously thinks he's a prince now instead of a prince who decided to dress as a commoner the exact same day she did in a city he doesn't even live in.

And so in the end, yes, Aladdin is the true hero.

[Meesh]

But the only reason the sultan let Aladdin marry Jasmine after knowing that he was a street rat was because he saved the kingdom. Without the lamp, could Jafar feasibly take over the palace, giving Aladdin the chance to prove himself?
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