Summary
- The theory that the events of Aladdin didn’t happen exists due to the peddler’s storytelling at the start of the movie.
- The peddler was intended to be revealed as the Genie in the original movie, enhancing the theory.
- Aladdin’s sequels debunk the theory, revealing minor but intriguing perspectives on the original story – but the sequels aren’t canon.
Aladdin is one of the most beloved Disney animated movies, but it hasn’t been safe from a variety of theories, among them one that claims none of the events of the movie actually happened. After going through a couple of rough years with critical and commercial failures, Disney rose again with what’s now known as the “Disney Renaissance”. This period between 1989 and 1999 saw the studio producing successful animated movies again, beginning with The Little Mermaid in 1989. Among them was Aladdin, released in 1992, based on the Arabic folktale of the same name from One Thousand and One Nights.
Aladdin tells the story of the title street urchin (voiced by Scott Weinger), who finds a magic lamp that contains a genie (Robin Williams). The Genie grants Aladdin three wishes, which he uses to impress the Sultan of Agrabah and win his daughter Jasmine’s (Linda Larkin) heart, but the Sultan’s vizier, Jafar (Jonathan Freeman), wants the lamp for himself so he can take the sultan’s place. The story of Aladdin is told by a peddler introduced at the beginning of the movie, and this has made way for a theory that says the events of the movie never really happened.
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Aladdin Theory Claims The Whole Movie Was Made Up By The Peddler To Sell The Lamp
Everything The Peddler Said Wasn’t True
Unlike most Disney animated stories, Aladdin doesn’t go straight into introducing the characters of the story, and instead, the audience meets a peddler. When the peddler finishes singing the opening song “Arabian Nights”, he addresses the audience and welcomes them to Agrabah, which he claims is a city of mystery, enchantment, and the finest merchandise, after which he quickly sets up his merch stand. To keep the audience’s attention, the peddler takes out a lamp and explains it’s not what it looks like, and that it once changed a young man’s life.
A popular theory claims that everything Aladdin went through wasn’t real, as it was all a tale the peddler came up with.
After that, the peddler begins to tell the story of Aladdin, and the movie’s story finally begins. The peddler isn’t seen again, but a popular theory claims that everything Aladdin went through wasn’t real, as it was all a tale the peddler came up with. Even better, the peddler made up the whole story of Aladdin just to sell the lamp to the viewer, meaning that the lovable street urchin most likely wasn’t real, either. As the peddler isn’t seen again in Aladdin, it’s unclear if he managed to sell the lamp after such an exciting story, but at least the audience bought the tale of Aladdin and Jasmine.
This Theory Changes The Confirmed Aladdin Theory About The Peddler & The Genie (For The Better)
The Peddler Is The Genie, But Not The Way You Think
The theory of the peddler making up the story of Aladdin and thus the events of the movie not happening at all links to one of the most popular Aladdin theories which has already been confirmed. For years, the peddler was theorized to be the Genie, due to the design of their beards, how the peddler showed some magic tricks at the beginning, and the way he talks. Aladdin co-director Ron Clements confirmed this theory and revealed they actually planned for the peddler to reveal himself as the Genie at the end, but they left this idea out.
A
Reddit
user suggested an interesting twist to the peddler’s real identity by saying that he is the Genie, but not in a literal way.
The peddler being the Genie could mess with the above theory as it means that the Genie was simply sharing his own story with the audience, but there’s another layer to the theory that makes the peddler’s identity even better. A Reddit user suggested an interesting twist to the peddler’s real identity by saying that he is the Genie, but not in a literal way. The peddler was the Genie in the story he made up to sell the lamp, so the powers he showed at the beginning were just magic tricks.
A big question about the peddler is why the Genie would be posing as a merchant and try to sell the lamp that he disposed of at the end of Aladdin. This layer of the theory makes this part of the story a lot more believable, though it clashes with the concept art of the peddler revealing himself as the Genie – unless that was also part of his tale.
The Aladdin Sequels Debunk This Theory, But There’s A Twist
Aladdin Got Forgettable Sequels
Like other Disney animated movies, Aladdin got sequels that weren’t released in theaters. These served as a continuation of the original movie, therefore debunking the theory about the peddler making Aladdin’s story up just to sell the lamp. However, the straight-to-video sequels of Aladdin (and every other Disney movie that got these) aren’t canon, so the theory about the peddler and the lamp could still be possible. The fun part of this theory is that it doesn’t change the events of Aladdin, instead giving a new perspective on it and a minor but important character.
Aladdin (1992)
Aladdin is a 1992 Disney animated film centering on a street urchin named Aladdin who stumbles across a magic lamp. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker, Aladdin was praised upon release, especially Robin Williams as the voice of Genie. In 2019, the movie received a live-action adaptation.
- Director
- Ron Clements , John Musker
- Release Date
- November 25, 1992
- Cast
- Scott Weinger , Robin Williams , Linda Larkin , Jonathan Freeman , Frank Welker , Gilbert Gottfried , Brad Kane , Lea Salonga
- Runtime
- 90 Minutes