How New Aladdin Fixes the Original Movie’s Biggest Plothole

Unlike Disney’s live-action Dumbo, which essentially had to create its own story to make up for the incredibly short length of the original, Aladdin mostly kept the plot as close to the source material as possible. There were changes, some more significant than others, but it stayed true to the story of the 1992 animated classic. However, staying true doesn’t mean you can’t fix something the original source material got wrong, and this version of Aladdin jumps at the opportunity to fix the tale’s most glaring plot hole.

Warning: This article contains spoilers from Disney’s Aladdin! Continue reading at your own risk…

As great as the original Aladdin is, it’s not a perfect movie. When looking at the flaws of the classic film, there is one plot hole that just about everybody will bring up. It’s the same plot hole that surrounds the iconic character of Superman.

How does know one, particularly Jasmine, recognize Aladdin when he’s dressed up as Prince Ali?

Aladdin and Jasmine meet early on in the movie, and then he decides to try to win her over by becoming a Prince. So he has Genie fulfill a wish and rides into the palace on an elephant, claiming to be Prince Ali. Just like when Superman is wearing glasses, no one understands that this is actually Aladdin, not even Jasmine. It’s strange considering he’s simply wearing different clothes.

However, in the live-action version of Aladdin that hit theaters this weekend, the problem is solved. When Aladdin and Genie talk about the particulars of the “Make me a prince” wish, Aladdin brings up a great point. He asks Genie how he’ll be able to fool Jasmine, Jafar, and the guards, since they all know what he looks like.

Genie explains that it’s part of the magic of the wish. Because of the powers of the Genie, people will see what they need to see when Prince Ali comes to town. This point comes back around later when Jasmine finally figures out that Aladdin and Prince Ali are the same person. Genie says that the magic doesn’t completely hide someone’s identity, just changes someone’s perception. So people are still able to see through it, it just takes a lot of figuring out on their part.

This simple explanation helps the entire story make more sense, adding another layer of believability to Aladdin’s journey throughout the movie.

What did you think of the live-action version of Aladdin? Let us know in the comments!

Disney’s Aladdin is now playing in theaters.