Disney fans out there may be shocked to hear that the beloved 1992 Aladdin film was chosen by Entertainment Weekly as one of the most controversial films in history. The song, “Arabian Nights” opens the movie and the viewer is visually introduced to the sandy elements that Arabic individuals are exposed to everyday. In the song, a certain lyric caused an uproar, leading to protests by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. The lyrics were changed in July of 1993 from “Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face / It’s barbaric, but, hey, it’s home,” in the original release of the movie to “Where it’s flat and immense and the heat is intense / It’s barbaric, but, hey, it’s home.” The change was first seen in the 1993 video release. The original lyric was intact in the first release of the movie’s CD soundtrack but was changed in the re-release of the soundtrack. Due to this incident, Entertainment Weekly ranked Disney's Aladdin as one of the most controversial films in history.
Adding to the controversy, ACD (American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee) also complained about how lead characters, Aladdin and Jasmine, were portrayed as being light-skinned Europeans who spoke in a European accent. They claimed that most other characters in the movie were portrayed as having dark skin, speaking in an Arabic accent and drawn with Arab facial features, claiming these characters came across as villainous or greedy.
Though the film may have been controversial, its credentials show it was a masterful piece of work. Well received by critics, Aladdin went on to win two Academy Awards for Best Music Original Score for Alan Menken’s soundtrack and Best Music Original Song for “A Whole New World,” and was also nominated for Best Effects, Best Effects Editing, Best Sound, and another Best Song for “Friend Like Me.” The movie also won a Golden Globe for Best Song and Score. In addition, the Golden Globes presented Robin Williams with a special achievement award for his role as “Genie.” Other wins for this movie were The Annie Award, The MTV Movie Award, and the Saturn Award. With all these wins, it’s no wonder that Aladdin brought in over $217 million in the United States and $504 million worldwide.
Entertainment Weekly deemed The Passion of Christ as the number one most controversial film of all time, followed by A Clockwork Orange, Fahrenheit 9/11, Deep Throat, and JFK.
Geppi’s Entertainments’ auction at Hake's Americana last week sold two Aladdin color key originals during their January auction. One piece pictured Aladdin and Jasmine riding a magic carpet during the performance of the Oscar winning song, "A Whole New World" while the other art original displays the lovable Genie pulling pop-culture icon, and fellow Disney alum, Sebastian the crab, from a recipe book. Both pieces combined sold for over $4,300. See all of the prices realized at hakes.com.
If you are interested in what other movies made Entertainment Weekly’s most controversial films, please visit Entertainment Weekly online.
