Aladdin (Disney)

"Some day, Abu, things are gonna change. We'll be rich, live in a palace, and never have any problems at all."

- Aladdin on his dreams.

"Do you trust me?"

- Aladdin's catchphrase to Jasmine.

"HEY! G-get your own.. movie."

- Aladdin after Stitch borrowed Jasmine for a ride on his spaceship.

Aladdin is the main protagonist of the film of the same name, and the sequels and cartoon series. He is portrayed as a good-natured but poor "street rat" who steals what he needs to survive but also shares with the needy - he is also quick to come to the defense of others and is a smart and agile opponent when forced into confrontations.

Ultimately, Aladdin becomes a true hero and saves the city of Agrabah from the villainous Jafar while winning the heart of Princess Jasmine. He is voiced by Scott Weinger with Brad Kane doing his singing voice.

Backgrounds
Aladdin was born 18 years prior to the first film to Cassim and an unnamed woman. When Aladdin was only an infant his father left him and his mother in order to find a better life for his family; however, Aladdin's mother was captured by bandits when Aladdin was two and was presumed dead. Due to being orphaned so early, Aladdin never received a formal education, and thus was forced to learn to survive in the streets of Agrabah. Lacking other means, he steals only to survive, but his good heart often moves him to give what he has stolen to others as poor or poorer than him, making him a sort of Robin Hood-type thief.

When Aladdin was 7, he had his first encounter with Razoul, the new captain of the Sultan's guard. Aladdin had stolen an apple from a fruit stand (in the same manner as Jasmine in the first film). Initially, the boy managed to outmaneuver the guards. Eventually, he was apprehended and sentenced to detention within the palace dungeon; however, he managed to escape by picking the locks to his chains. While in his mid-teen years, he stole a vest, a pair of pants, and a fez from a clothes line. When he was 16, he fell in with a group of circus performers; Aziz, Fatima, Minos, and their pet, who would eventually become his best friend, Abu the Monkey.

Personality
"He may be a petty thief, but he's got the soul of a hero."

- Rebecca Brayton on watchmojo.com describing Aladdin.   Aladdin is cheery, clever, trustworthy, bold, loving, generous, and resourceful. He is referred to in the first film as a "diamond in the rough", with his true worth hidden beneath his street-rat exterior. His heroism is often demonstrated by his selfless acts and his determination to rescue Jasmine whenever she needs his help. Aladdin's resourcefulness often shows in his ability to easily steal food for him and Abu, but he will often offer it to others less fortunate and reprimand Abu if the monkey tries to take more than they need. Aladdin's simple upbringing has taught him to cherish all that he has, especially those close to him. His concern for others has helped reunite him with his father and meet Jasmine. Unfortunately, this works against him on such occasions when he helps people like Iago and Cassim, forcing him to deceive Jasmine and the palace guards.

Aladdin is not without flaws. While courting Jasmine under the guise of Prince Ali, he constantly lies about his true identity, feeling that Jasmine would not accept him as he was. He initially acted arrogant, but came to realize that this performance was angering Jasmine. However, he has shown the ability to learn from his mistakes, and will do everything in his power to make up for it.

Physical Appearance
Aladdin is a handsome, slender, slightly muscular young man with black hair and brown eyes. As a survivor he is shirtless with only a purple vest, white pants with a yellow patch a brown belt and a bright red fez, he is also barefoot. Whereas as a prince, he has a white turban and clothing and Arab style boots. In the third movie, he wears a similar wardrobe that includes shoes.

Powers and Abilities
Aladdin has demonstrated amazing cleverness, as he has showed feats of being able to outsmart enemies multiple times. During the first film, he showed that he was capable of evading capture from the guards despite being greatly out-numbered and over-powered. Aladdin is also very fast and agile, and he possesses good reflexes. Aladdin has demonstrated some swordsmanship abilities, despite it not being known whether he had any training. Aladdin also seems to be an animal whisperer, as he was able to understand Abu, his pet monkey, when to a normal person, he simply speaks gibberish. Aladdin became a skilled thief, gaining a lot of experience since the age of 7.

Trivia

 * "Aladdin" means "devout of the faith" in Arabic.
 * Aladdin is the only Disney Prince to date to be the protagonist of his film instead of its love interest.
 * Aladdin was originally intended to be based physically on Michael J. Fox i.e. small and skinny before Jeffrey Katzenberg decided Aladdin needed to be a stronger, Tom Cruise-looking hero instead.
 * So far, Aladdin is the first Disney Prince to have his bare chest visible in much of his films/merchandise. This is probably because of Agrabah's hot climate. The second Disney hero to have this trait would be Tarzan. Oddly, Aladdin wears a shirt in the Disney parks while Tarzan does not.
 * Aladdin is the first Disney prince to not be royal by birth, the second being John Smith, the third being Li Shang and the fourth being Flynn Rider.
 * Aladdin is the third of four Disney Princes to initially be unaware that his Princess counterpart is an actual princess, thinking her to be a peasant girl, the other three being Prince Phillip, Prince Eric, and Flynn Rider
 * Aladdin is the first and only Disney Prince to be the main protagonist of a Disney princess film. In all other Disney Princesses films the respective princess is the main protagonist.
 * Aladdin is the second Disney prince to be seen as a child, the first being Prince Phillip, and the third being Kristoff.
 * Aladdin is the first to go further away from the film's settings (which is seen during the song of A Whole New World).
 * Aladdin is the third Disney prince to defeat the villain (the first two being Prince Phillip and Prince Eric, respectively).
 * Aladdin is the first Disney prince to go by more than one name, Flynn Rider is the second.
 * Aladdin is the first and only Disney prince to have their real name as the title of their film, while most Disney Princes serve as the secondary hero of their stories.
 * Aladdin's the only Disney Prince to have a more significant role than his princess. Jasmine's the first Disney Princess to be a deuteragonist rather than a protagonist, the second will be Elsa from Frozen, but Jasmine's the only Disney Princess to have a less significant role than her prince.
 * Aladdin's voice actor is Scott Weinger from the hit TV show Full House. Notably, Scott Weinger's character, Steve Hale, dresses up as Aladdin in the Full House episode "The House Meets the Mouse", even though Walt Disney World has a strict policy on guests dressing up as Disney characters in real life.
 * Scott Weinger's character Steve Hale from Full House has one thing in common with Aladdin. They like to steal food from someone, and eat it.
 * Aladdin is the first Disney prince to have the two same voice actors do (his speaking and singing voice) in all 3 films. The second being Li Shang from Mulan.
 * In the TV series, Aladdin was seen wearing a bicorne and taking a famous Napoleon pose.
 * Aladdin is the second Disney Prince to verbally participate in a duet with his respective love interest. The first would be Cinderella and Prince Charming when they sang "So This Is Love".
 * Aladdin is the fifth Disney Prince to not know his love interest's name until an event that allowed it to be revealed. The Prince, Prince Charming, Prince Phillip and Prince Eric were all unaware of their love interest's names until either the end of the film or they were told (the latter being Ariel telling Eric). Li Shang also has this problem for he believes Mulan's name to be Ping for a majority of the film.