What’s not to love?
So last week was my birthday, and my husband, the wonderful and thoughtful planning person that he is, bought me a gift off my Amazon wish list the day before my birthday. Unwittingly he purchased the thing I wanted the most, a blue-ray version of Aladdin.
Aladdin is my favorite Disney princess movie because Aladdin is the only prince who actually had a personality, and he was clever and awesome. And because Jasmine is awesome and has a pet tiger. And there’s a magic carpet. There’s a lot to love about Aladdin! My sister and I used to listen to the soundtrack on cassette tape relentlessly.
But unfortunately I haven’t seen Aladdin since I was little because it is really hard to find on DVD (read: really expensive).
Anyway, with this sapphire disc case in hand, I was more than happy to introduce my children to my beloved Aladdin. And thus began my conflicting emotions.
Because now I remember that once upon a time I started writing a version of Aladdin, and now I want to write on it again. And I really don’t have time.
Retelling fairytales has been popular for quite some time, and I am not immune to the allure. I started planning this retelling many years ago, when I noticed that Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella were getting most of the attention. Aladdin is awesome, and it deserves to be retold too.
Like pretty much all Disney movies, Aladdin was simplified a lot for the modern children. In the Disney version, Aladdin is a charming rogue, a “diamond in the rough.” In the Arabian tale, Aladdin was such a slacker loser that his father died from sadness and his mother just sat around wailing at him to get a job. And then he has to use two genies and his mother’s begging to score a princess. And then all the people love him and won’t let the sultan throw him in jail when they find out that it was a genie that made him rich. And only three wishes? The genie of the lamp would never really limit himself like that.
Therefore, today I am writing a fairy tale retold about Aladdin. It’s not something I’m planning on sharing; I’m doing for myself. To take a break from feeling like I have to write on my Grover Cleveland Series or finish the edits on my short stories. I still love both those things, but sometimes it’s good to get away.
What’s your favorite fairy tale retold? Do you ever feel like one or the other doesn’t get the love it deserves?
So I would love to read your Aladdin retold story. I LOVE fairy tales and fantasy. I don’t know that I can pick a favorite princess. As a kid I loved Cinderella best because she was blonde and my mom actually let me see the WHOLE story. She only ever let me see Sleeping Beauty from the start of the movie until the evil queen turns into a dragon. I spent years wondering how the princess and prince ended up together. I’m sure you probably remember when I “baby sat” you and your sister and we watched SB and I was completely enthralled in the ending.
My favorite fairy tale is The Frog Prince. I like it for the strong personalities of the prince and princess and how the princess grows and changes to be a much better person by the end of the story.
My favorite children’s story of all time though would have to be The Horse and His Boy. LOVE CS Lewis!
🙂