Disney has been accused of attempting to white wash their Guy Ritchie-led ‘Aladdin‘ reboot after creating and placing a brand new white character with no ties to the original movie and throwing him into the mix.
Why it now faces the threat of a boycott?
Full story below…
After years of being erased or ignored by big budget pictures, actors of colour led the charge to push diversity to the forefront of the zeitgeist and celebrated when Disney announced its plans to build a live-action Aladdin armed with Middle Eastern thespians.
Alas, the picture now finds itself on the wrong side of public opinion after its creators revealed that they had built an entirely new character named Prince Anders just so it could hire Billy Magnussen.
This morning, thousands have taken to Twitter to scold the move citing the industry’s refusal to go to such lengths for actors of colour as their grounds for concern.
Guys, the wrote a new part into Aladdin just so they could do this https://t.co/tY6SRk3ryZ pic.twitter.com/fzTkNsZokI
— geejayeff (@geejayeff) September 5, 2017
Disney can make a frame by frame remake of Beauty and the Beast, but Aladdin needs to be altered?! The animated film was perfect wtf! pic.twitter.com/pcz2k4rXyX
— ferdosa @ TIFF (@atomicwick) September 6, 2017
#aladdin I am so confused to why they add a new white character to a complete story that is set in the Middle East???♀️ pic.twitter.com/71xzOpFXCS
— Nardy ☕️? (@NardosNy) September 6, 2017
Don’t forget that after “auditioning” thousands of ME actresses they cast a British-Indian actress, who has worked w Disney before. #Aladdin pic.twitter.com/UfiY24linW
— ferdosa @ TIFF (@atomicwick) September 6, 2017
they did not just rewrite Aladdin?? Just to add a white person into it?? Right in front of my salad?? https://t.co/bmoTX8gaT2
— #defendDACA (@VancityReynIds) September 6, 2017
Disney shoehorned a white guy into the #Aladdin movie because they just gotta have a white person in a movie set in the Middle East pic.twitter.com/roxofsFWdk
— RJ Sharp (@RandallJSharp) September 6, 2017
I’m already boycotting this Aladdin remake to be honest.
— emily ✨ (@parkwayem) September 6, 2017
Smh. They CREATED a new role just to have a white person in Aladdin
— 94 (@__1j3) September 6, 2017
Imagine going out of your way to rewrite a classic Disney version of Aladdin just to fit a white character in there. Amazing.
— Rysh ??? (@riripatelxo) September 6, 2017
#Aladdin too difficult 4 Hollywood to cast a real Middle Eastern actress to play Jasmine but easily creates a new white character pic.twitter.com/PItGlcghQj
— MSH❤️BANGTAN BOYS (@YoongiKookbaby) September 6, 2017
Live action Aladdin canceled https://t.co/NxUZTva1l3
— TWICETOBER (@JaeClassics) September 6, 2017
Alright, here’s why everyone is so mad.
Historically, Hollywood has made little to no effort to use its influence to combat the racism it helped to endorse with some of its earliest pictures.
Instead, it has fostered an environment in which brilliant actors of colours are refused access to the buffet of roles and opportunities laid out for other actors who may or may not be just as talented.
In order to put food in their mouths and money in their pockets these actors are forced to slip into parts which are beneath them on all fronts and do little push the business of accurate storytelling forward.
This is why the world rejoiced when ‘Get Out‘ fared as well as it did.
The problem isn’t with Prince Anders or the awesome actor employed to play him, but with the effort which has gone into creating and promoting a character of European descent while every excuse is made not to hire African, Asian & Middle Eastern players for roles they are more than capable of filling.
Wow Disney. What a whitewash. I like to see y’all squirm ur way out of this one saying it wasn’t
Disgusting.
Of course they would add a white characters totally unrelated to the original movie, to appeal to their white audience. Smh. They’ve been doing this for decades.
I hope it tanks
Remember white is right, everybody loves white and everybody wants to be white. You will be shock at the billions of brainwash people that believe it.
First of all, the original Aladdin was set in the Maghreb, not the Middle East, second, the original princess was from the Far East and was named Badroulbadour, Disney created a new character Jasmine, and changed its ethnicity to Arabic, that’s what you call whitewashing. It’s amusing to see the level of ignorance when it comes to the people of the Middle East, whitwashing ? Most middle easterners are Caucasian, some blond with blue eyes, to say that Hollywood is trying to whitewash them is foolish.
You still live up to your racist and ignorant reputation. LMAO I knew exactly what you were gonna say.
can’t wait to see it!