DVDizzy Forum

I hope this isn't a tacky topic but I want to know anyways. On another disney forum, they were having an argument about what ethnicity Aladdin and Jasmine are. Most said Indian, others said Persian and I think some random person said Chinese.

Does anyone know? I just think one gets a better understanding of the movie knowing which ethnicity is being represented. For example, some people are not aware that The Emperor's New Groove is set in South America. And I *think* Prince Eric in the Little Mermaid is French? Tarzan, amusingly enough, learns English from Britons but speaks with an American accent.

i always thought aladdin and jasmine were persian/arabic.. like the story that the aladdin story was taken from "a thousand and one nights"

they would be of arabian descent.

catNC wrote:i always thought aladdin and jasmine were persian/arabic.. like the story that the aladdin story was taken from "a thousand and one nights"

Same here, he could be any nationality from the middle east. In some parts of Greece, they used to wear the fez hats, or whatever they're called, and the type of pants he wears, now I'm not saying he's Greek, but the point is all of the countries have similarities, he's definately middle eastern, that's for sure!

I did not know Prince Eric was/might be french, I know Cinerella, Snow White, and Belle are all french. I think Sleeping Beauty is suppose to be Itallian, though in an interview, Mary Costa was told she had to be an English princess. But again there is a lot of Greek influence, especially in the way King Hubert dresses, it is very Greek, as for the landscaping and such, it could easily be parts of Greece or Italy...

The thing about Tarzan is funny, I hadn't noticed, and both of his parents were probably british as well!

I, for one, am now ashamed to admit that I did not realize Emporer's New Groove was south American until much much later...

One thing is for sure they did not do a good job, of showing the ethnic look of the Greeks in Hercules...

By the way does anyone know what ethnic backroung Pocahontas was? Just kidding...

Can't think of anything else.

Considering the story takes place in the desert city of Agrabah which is located in Northern Medina, a city of western Saudi Arabia - I'd assume that the main characters are of Arabian descent.

STASHONE wrote:Considering the story takes place in the desert city of Agrabah which is located in Northern Medina, a city of western Saudi Arabia - I'd assume that the main characters are of Arabian descent.

thats wat i would think and song in the movie is arabian nights

I would definitely have said Arab. Although I would have geared more towards Egyptian than Saudi. I can't see Jasmine getting away with being so scantily clad in Saudi!!!

Aladdin and Jamine are Arabian (though some argue Moroccan, since they can be found in Morocco at EPCOT). Belle is French, and I thought Aurora was supposed to be English (since the backgrounds were heavily influenced by ancient English tapestries). Cinderella and Snow White aren't supposed to be any nationality, they're from fairy-tale lands.

Well from the original fairytales (or at least the most well known versions) the following would appear to be the case:

Sleeping Beauty: French
Snow White: German
Cinderella: ? Think this may be French again.
Little Mermaid (so Prince Eric): Danish

As for Aladdin. There is no way these are Indian. Do you know what the landscape of India looks like? It's nothing like the deserts persented in the movie. The Jungle Book films are of course set in India.

The Arabian Nights stories are a mixture of Persian, Arabic and, yes, Indian folk tales. These were first translated into English in Sir Richard Burton (no, not that Sir Richard Burton) in the late 1800's. A warning for anyone thinking of reading the original Arabian Nights stories:

Burton's translation is not unchallenged -- quite to the contrary, modern translators consider it very opinionated and tinted by his prejudices.

I've not read the proper Aladdin (just looking on one Internet site has this warning: "a monster of a story, nearly 40,000 words!") so I cannot really say where it is set. It's generally accepted that the Arabian Nights take place all over the Middle East - from Baghdad (now of course part of Iraq), to Damascus (Syria), to Cairo (Egypt). Indians are mentioned in some, but as far as I know they are travelers from India rather than the tales being set in India. So all I can say is Aladdin is set somewhere in the Middle East - possibly in what is now called Iraq - which is a modern country made up by the British during the days of their Empire anyway (one of the reasons there's so much trouble there now).

Don't forget Iraq is called 'The Cradle of Civilisation' and many priceless historical artifacts were looted from the Baghdad museam.

Iraq, particularly the green heart of Mesopotamia, the fertile crescent of land between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, is the cradle of civilisation, the land of Nineveh, Babylon, Nimrud and Uruk, the world's first city. This is where the Sumerians invented writing 5,000 years ago, where the epic of Gilgamesh - the model for Noah and the flood - was committed to cuneiform a millennium and a half before Homer. It is the land of the Old Testament, the Tower of Babel and of Ur, where Abraham, the father of the three great monotheistic religions, was born.

So buy today's standards Aladdin would be Arabic, but historically he could be any of the above.

As for Jasmine's clothing. It's comething called artistic licence (but I believe it did offend some Arabs).

it's always amazing how much info 2099 gives us... our resident researchologist

2099net wrote:Well from the original fairytales (or at least the most well known versions) the following would appear to be the case:

Sleeping Beauty: French
Snow White: German
Cinderella: ? Think this may be French again.
Little Mermaid (so Prince Eric): Danish

As for Aladdin. There is no way these are Indian. Do you know what the landscape of India looks like? It's nothing like the deserts persented in the movie. The Jungle Book films are of course set in India.

The Arabian Nights stories are a mixture of Persian, Arabic and, yes, Indian folk tales. These were first translated into English in Sir Richard Burton (no, not that Sir Richard Burton) in the late 1800's. A warning for anyone thinking of reading the original Arabian Nights stories:

Burton's translation is not unchallenged -- quite to the contrary, modern translators consider it very opinionated and tinted by his prejudices.

I've not read the proper Aladdin (just looking on one Internet site has this warning: "a monster of a story, nearly 40,000 words!") so I cannot really say where it is set. It's generally accepted that the Arabian Nights take place all over the Middle East - from Baghdad (now of course part of Iraq), to Damascus (Syria), to Cairo (Egypt). Indians are mentioned in some, but as far as I know they are travelers from India rather than the tales being set in India. So all I can say is Aladdin is set somewhere in the Middle East - possibly in what is not called Iraq. (Don't forget Iraq is called 'The Cradle of Civilisation' and many priceless historical artifacts were looted from the Baghdad museam).

Iraq, particularly the green heart of Mesopotamia, the fertile crescent of land between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates, is the cradle of civilisation, the land of Nineveh, Babylon, Nimrud and Uruk, the world's first city. This is where the Sumerians invented writing 5,000 years ago, where the epic of Gilgamesh - the model for Noah and the flood - was committed to cuneiform a millennium and a half before Homer. It is the land of the Old Testament, the Tower of Babel and of Ur, where Abraham, the father of the three great monotheistic religions, was born.

So buy today's standards Aladdin would be Arabic, but historically he could be any of the above.

As for Jasmine's clothing. It's comething called artistic licence (but I believe it did offend some Arabs).

But we're going by the Disney films, not original fairy tales.

Prince Adam wrote:

2099net wrote:Well from the original fairytales (or at least the most well known versions) the following would appear to be the case:

Sleeping Beauty: French
Snow White: German
Cinderella: ? Think this may be French again.
Little Mermaid (so Prince Eric): Danish

As for Aladdin. There is no way these are Indian. Do you know what the landscape of India looks like? It's nothing like the deserts persented in the movie. The Jungle Book films are of course set in India.

Snip!

But we're going by the Disney films, not original fairy tales.

Okay. They're all made up places.

There's no way Aladdin is Indian. As I said, you only have to look at the landscapes in the film. I think they do fly over the pyramids at some point - so I would say Arabic from a country near Egypt (but not actually Egypt itself)

Little Mermaid - The name of the Prince 'Eric' suggests to me that the film could still be set in Denmark. Eric (or Erik) is a Norse name, so it originated from that general area (give or take), and Hans Christian Anderson was, of course, Danish. But this doesn't fit with the Mediterranean feel of the Ocean scenes which would suggest Southern Europe.

Sleeping Beauty's storyline is based on a version published in France. The artwork in general has an historic European, not just British feel. I would quite happily say that Sleeping Beauty was based in France. (But of course, it's a made up place).

Cinderella is again based on a version of the story published in France (I think - need to research this further). Based on no other evidence I'd say France.

Snow White - I said Germany as this is the country the Brothers Grimm lived in, and took their inspiration from. There's not evidence anywhere of which country it could be.

Beauty and the Beast is quite clearly set in France (although the Prince's name, Adam, seems to discredit this. Can you imagine France having a King Adam?). I suspect this decision was made based on the well respected 1946 French film "La Belle et la bête" rarther than any other reason.

I'm sure we all agree the Disney fairytales (bar Aladdin) take place in some fictionalised Europe.

2099net wrote:There's no way Aladdin is Indian. As I said, you only have to look at the landscapes in the film. I think they do fly over the pyramids at some point - so I would say Arabic from a country near Egypt (but not actually Egypt itself)

I think this is a given. even as a child I could have told he was well middle eastern, whether your persian or arabic, or even isreali, I think they all have very similar features... Oh and in addition to flying by Egypt, and China, they do fly through Greece (in the scene where he picks the apple off the tree, you can see a statue of cupid, and temple like structure, and olive trees . Anyway he's Arabian We don't need to know the exact location... somewhere in the desert...

2099net wrote:Little Mermaid - The name of the Prince 'Eric' suggests to me that the film could still be set in Denmark. Eric (or Erik) is a Norse name, so it originated from that general area (give or take), and Hans Christian Anderson was, of course, Danish.

This is true.

2099net wrote:But this doesn't fit with the Mediterranean feel of the Ocean scenes which would suggest Southern Europe.

Plus Eric himself doesn't look very Danish, but I would say this definately isn't France, I think disney was trying to be true to the origins of the story, which would be Northern Europe, in the Denmark area, but as 2099net also said, there is no, real location, it is simple a fairytale land, long ago, and far far away...

2099net wrote:Sleeping Beauty's storyline is based on a version published in France. The artwork in general has an historic European, not just British feel. I would quite happily say that Sleeping Beauty was based in France. (But of course, it's a made up place).

I still say Italy, but France, could make sense as well, I think with this one, again it can be set anyway you want it to be...

2099net wrote:Cinderella is again based on a version of the story published in France (I think - need to research this further). Based on no other evidence I'd say France.

Definatley France! The setting and everything else suggests it. When introducing the ladies at the ball, they title them Madmesielle, or however you spell it, and when she is running away the Duke calls after her "Madmesielle! Sinerita!" and sinerita, the n is missing the little squiggle at the top, is spanish, and what country neighbors France?... Spain!

2099net wrote:Snow White - I said Germany as this is the country the Brothers Grimm lived in, and took their inspiration from. There's not evidence anywhere of which country it could be.

I still say France. Brother's Grim may have been German, but they were not the only ones to have written the story, Snow White is another big French fairytale, and I just think if it was suppose to be set somewhere it would be france, but again, this is a story with nno clear location, so it's up to the viewers interpretation.

2099net wrote:I'm sure we all agree the Disney fairytales (bar Aladdin) take place in some fictionalised Europe.

I couldn't agree more!

Just to clarify, the reason why some (NOT ME) people on the other board thought that Aladdin was Indian was because the architecture in Aladdin seemed to suggest that to them. Something about the King's palace looking like Taj Majal (sp?). But like others have said here, I think the film itself incorporated elements from MANY cultures and that Aladdin and Jasmine are from somewhere in the Middle East. The terms "sultan" and "royal vizer" (sp?) are Saudi terms, no?

I'm also now leaning toward the Little Mermaid being set in NOWHERE. That is because remember Prince Eric was introduced to and didn't fall for the Princess of Glouer-something . . . a location which doesn't exist suggesting that the Little Mermaid is indeed set in some sort of European-ized fairy tale land.

Lady wrote:Just to clarify, the reason why some (NOT ME) people on the other board thought that Aladdin was Indian was because the architecture in Aladdin seemed to suggest that to them. Something about the King's palace looking like Taj Majal (sp?). But like others have said here, I think the film itself incorporated elements from MANY cultures and that Aladdin and Jasmine are from somewhere in the Middle East. The terms "sultan" and "royal vizer" (sp?) are Saudi terms, no?

Also that arcitecture(sp) can be found in Russia! (The Onion Dome tops)

Lady wrote:I'm also now leaning toward the Little Mermaid being set in NOWHERE. That is because remember Prince Eric was introduced to and didn't fall for the Princess of Glouer-something . . . a location which doesn't exist suggesting that the Little Mermaid is indeed set in some sort of European-ized fairy tale land.

Yeah Glouer Haven, although that also points to it being in the scandinavian part of Europe to me, but again as said many times before, it can be where ever you chose it to be, in your mind.

It's interesting you said one person thought Aladdin was Chinese Lady, because, having skimmed through the Arabian Nights version, he does infact get the Genie to create a palace for him in China (so that he would be judged "worthy" of marrying the Princess).

I'm sure this person must have been knowledgeble of the original story, as there's nothing in the film that I can think of that would indicate China!

Prince Adam on Cinderella wrote:Definatley France! The setting and everything else suggests it. When introducing the ladies at the ball, they title them Madmesielle, or however you spell it, and when she is running away the Duke calls after her "Madmesielle! Sinerita!" and sinerita, the n is missing the little squiggle at the top, is spanish, and what country neighbors France?... Spain!

Oh - fair enough it been a long time since I've seen Cinders. Cinderella is a French story, based on my web research.

Good to see Disney, although setting the stories in never-where, stick to their origins in most respects. Not like Dreamworks with their French Robin Hoods and Spanish Puss-in-Boots. [*]

[*] Their is a slim justification for Robin Hood having a French accent - one variation on the legend is that he was the son of a nobleman. Most noblemen at that time were decendents from the Norman (French) invaders. However, a number of years had passed, and it's doubtful they would have such a arch-French-accent. As for Puss-In-Boots it's 100% French.

2099net wrote:

Prince Adam on Cinderella wrote:Definatley France! The setting and everything else suggests it. When introducing the ladies at the ball, they title them Madmesielle, or however you spell it, and when she is running away the Duke calls after her "Madmesielle! Sinerita!" and sinerita, the n is missing the little squiggle at the top, is spanish, and what country neighbors France?... Spain!

Oh - fair enough it been a long time since I've seen Cinders. Cinderella is a French story, based on my web research.

Prince Phillip not Adam...

Aladdin is clearly Chinese per the original story. So there. Jaffar is African. The princess Aladdin marries also should be at least partly Chinese, since she would be the daugher of a Chinese king, but not necessarily a Chinese queen.

I hope this clarifies it for everyone.

Based on the movie, I think they are Arabian. They are not Arabic/Persian because according to the new sitcom Whoopi, those two cultures are completely different. However, it's easy to get them confused since they are the predominant cultures of the Middleast. Confusing them with Chinese could be because the characters flew through China on the movie. They are DEFINATELY NOT Indian. The landscapes vary. Besides, India and the Middleast are in two sepearate regions of the world. They're also not Egyptian because of their clothes. Something I would also like to clarify that I saw on another thread is: Why isn't The Jungle Book said to be the first story based on a non-European piece of work? It takes place in India, right? Right, however, this is a British story.

I thought it was funny that someone else thought that Prince Eric was French. After a couple of reviewings of The Little Mermaid, I thought so too. That would explain "Les Poisons" and other innatley French objects in the movie.

From the back of the VHS case.... (as I am reading it)


"Set in the mythical city of Agrabah...."



Mythical city.... mythical ethnicity??