• zifnab25 [he/him, any]
    ·
    edit-2
    3 years ago

    Aladdin uses his first wish to infiltrate the aristocracy and assassinate the Vizer. He used his last wish to free the Genie from eternal servitude. The Sultan reveals the transparent falseness of the class system by arbitrarily rewriting law on the spot to suit is daughter.

    Much like the Little Mermaid, and Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin reveals that the constructs dividing peoples are simply legacies of a corrupt system. You don't need magic to overcome them, merely the political will to rebel.

  • Lucas [he/him]
    ·
    edit-2
    3 years ago

    I think media with magical wishing is just depressing and reveals a lot about the writer/creator.

    Wonder Woman 1984, Wish Upon, Fairly Odd Parents, etc

    They won't show compassionate or selfless wishing that disrupts a status quo. Instead, they paint people as selfishly naive as if they're trying to prove the common folk can't be trusted with any power at all. WW1984 was the most blatant about with this.

    Edit:

    Forgot to add the really insidious capitalist narratives that these stories push. There's usually a sort of moralizing that fits into the protestant work ethic. You can't be happy with just getting things. You have to earn them.

    Also they put shame on wanting things in general. "Gosh, it sure was selfish of me to want to change my material conditions. I should be happy with the system Agrabah has to offer. Somebody like Jafar can take over if we're not careful!"

    • Shitbird [any]
      hexagon
      ·
      3 years ago

      my favrit disney movie is :shrek-mike: