Disney's Aladdin - Character Deconstruction

Aladdin: Self-Insert/Main Character

A homeless guy that believes to be much bigger than he is. Al is a very well designed self-insert character. He longs for greatness but has a very long way to go. He’s homeless and desires to be a prince. He is also a very flawed character, making him relatable. He is greedy, prideful, and to a point, sexist. When he meets Jasmine, he doesn’t know she’s a princess but is attracted to her regardless because of her beauty. While it’s great that he loves her and doesn’t know she’s a princess he knows nothing about her and pursues her relentlessly; more so than other Disney “Princes.”

Jasmine: Rebellious Teen/Female Lead

A very strong female princess. In my honest opinion she’s one of, if not, the strongest female character in Disney. She rejects all of the female stereotypes that are applied to her. She does not just want a husband because her father wants her to get married, she wants a husband that she can love because she is “not a prize to be won.” She frequently leaves the palace so she can explore Agrabah herself and experience what she normally cannot. When Aladdin uses the power of the Genie to become Prince Ali, she is visibly upset that Aladdin wants to marry her for some selfish reason. Funnily enough, in the next scene Aladdin takes her on a magic carpet ride and she magically falls in love with him(I can’t tell if that’s a good character flaw or just poor writing. Idk you choose).

Genie: Comic Relief/Mentor

Obviously along with the Carpet and Abu, Genie is the comic relief. But, he also is an indirect mentor of sorts for Aladdin. The rules that he lays out for Al are that he can’t kill, can’t bring people back from the dead, and can’t make anyone fall in love. The rules are basically rules to live by. The rules having to do with death are to highlight the fact that death is permanent and if Aladdin chooses to go down that route he only has himself to blame. The love rule is to show that if the love was truly “meant to be” or whatever you wanna call it, then it will happen.