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Jinn, Jinnee, Genie The Progression to the Genie of Disney’s Aladdin Disney’s Aladdin transformed the idea of the jinnee or genie to an idea that is different than what it was in traditional sources. The jinn of Arabic and Islamic cultures were often an invisible and mischievous creature born from smokeless fire. The jinn are mentioned numerous times in the Qur’an and are an accepted belief for Islam. Qur’anic descriptions however are minimal, and many people have elaborated on the imagery and stories of the jinn. The Thousand and One Nights is a collection of stories dating from between the ninth and fifteenth century. The story of Aladdin and the Marvelous Lamp is a part of some collections of these stories. The earliest known edition is a French translation from the 1700’s, the source of which has disappeared. The Thousand and One Nights features many stories of jinn who take many forms, they may be good or evil, and have been associated with a number of specific descriptions, places, and things. A number of these stories were used as sources for the film The Thief of Bagdad in 1928, and also a remake, which included a genie, in 1940. The 1940 film gave the genie more personality than earlier accounts, and he was seeking freedom from enslavement. Disney’s Aladdin was heavily influenced by the film and uses these characteristics of the genie, along with other plot and character elements, combined with the original story of Aladdin. Disney’s version added its own innovations to the genie by making him a friendlier, more fun, and kinder creature instead of the more traditional frightening trickster. Although the morally good jinn was not absent from traditional accounts, they were less common and never appeared like the Disney form. The idea of what a jinn is has progressed over time, and Disney has continued the development of the jinn or genie. They have transformed it into their own character that is far from earlier ideas of the jinn. |
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