ALADDIN (2019)
An honest, joyful adventure for the whole family.
Should You Watch It?
This is the kind of family entertainment that gives you plenty to enjoy and something worthwhile to discuss afterward. The action is thrilling and lively. The musical numbers are beautifully staged and choreographed. The story celebrates truth, honesty, justice, courage, compassion, humility, family, freedom, and doing the right thing.
The movie also has a generous heart. Aladdin is a roguish thief, but he helps starving children. Jasmine wants freedom and a voice in her society. The Genie longs for freedom from slavery. Against them stand greed, cruelty, lust for power, and tyranny.
There is light action violence, brief kissing, partial upper male nudity, and some light Romantic, pagan elements. For an entertaining, inspiring movie night with the whole family, WORTH THE TRIP.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESAladdin is a kindhearted street urchin in Agrabah who lives by his wits with his pet monkey, Abu. He meets a young woman who seems to be a handmaiden but is actually Princess Jasmine, the Sultan’s daughter.
Meanwhile, the Sultan’s evil advisor, Jafar, recruits Aladdin to retrieve a magical lamp from the Cave of Wonders. Inside the lamp is a powerful Genie who can grant three wishes. Aladdin hopes the Genie can help him become a prince and win Jasmine’s heart.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is first-rate entertainment, and the film earns that rating. It is beautifully put together, visually captivating, and as wonderfully entertaining as the original cartoon. The action is thrilling and lively, while the musical numbers are beautifully staged and choreographed.
The live-action format gives “A Whole New World” a fresh spirit of wonder. Will Smith makes the Genie his own while paying homage to Robin Williams’ performance, and he also plays the opening sailor with heart. Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott are excellent as Aladdin and Jasmine, and Marwan Kenzari is appropriately menacing as Jafar.
The Worldview
ALADDIN has a strong moral worldview. It celebrates freedom against tyranny and slavery, along with truth, honesty, justice, compassion, courage, humility, family, and doing the right thing. These values are contrasted with greed, cruelty, and lust for power.
The film’s central moral choice involves Aladdin deciding whether to pursue his personal dreams or tell Jasmine the truth about who he is. He chooses honesty. The story also shows that freedom carries responsibility: Jasmine speaks against injustice, Aladdin promises to give the Genie his freedom, and the characters must resist a tyrant who wants power for himself.
The film includes some light Romantic, pagan elements, as characters defy the law or pursue personal desires. It also contains slightly politically correct feminist elements supporting feminist empowerment. Jasmine resists restrictions placed on women in her society and wants to lead like her father. Her call to “do the right thing” ultimately becomes an appeal to stand against injustice and tyranny for everyone. A couple of male characters wear Muslim-type hats, but there are no references to Islam, Allah, or Mohammed that the review detected.
The film’s celebration of honesty aligns with Scripture’s call to truthful community: “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Very strong moral worldview overall that celebrates freedom against tyranny and slavery, as well as celebrates truth, justice, courage, humility, family, and doing the right thing, which are sometimes contrasted at important points with the Romantic, pagan values of greed, cruelty and lust for power, but there are some slightly politically correct feminist elements supporting feminist empowerment, but those elements also become folded into the movie’s strong moral worldview supporting freedom and the power, responsibility and rights of the individual, plus a couple male characters wear Muslim type hats but there are no references to Islam, Allah or Mohammed that we could detect
Foul Language
No foul language
Violence
Light, sometime comical, action violence such as city guards keep law and order and threaten and chase people who might be thieves or who are accused of stealing, hero and heroine climb walls and jump around to avoid capture by guards and irate man, hero is tied up and pushed into the ocean where he almost drowns, hero tumbles down a high rock in a magical cave but survives, hero pretends to fall from a high balcony but he’s actually saved by a magic carpet that he had placed under himself, villain steps on hero’s hand as hero clings to a ledge, heroine has a pet tiger who snarls at and threatens other people who might harm her, villain threatens to kill people opposing him, some light fighting and scuffling, etc.
Sex
No sex, but brief kissing
Nudity
Partial upper male nudity in one or two male costumes
Alcohol Use
No alcohol use
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Some stealing and deceit but rebuked, male genie comically appears as one of the women from a balcony cheering a prince as he enters the city, and there’s an evil sorcerer whose sorcery is ultimately rebuked and defeated.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Aladdin must choose between personal ambition and telling Jasmine the truth. Why can honesty be difficult, and what good can it produce?
Ephesians 4:25 · Proverbs 12:22Jasmine stands against tyranny and urges someone to “do the right thing.” When should we speak up against injustice?
Micah 6:8 · Proverbs 31:8–9Aladdin promises to give the Genie his freedom. What responsibilities come with freedom, and how should we treat people who lack it?
Galatians 5:13 · Matthew 7:12Aladdin helps hungry children even after stealing food. How should compassion shape the way we respond to people in need?
Proverbs 19:17 · James 2:14–17The Final Word
ALADDIN is joyful, stirring, and beautifully made. Its message about truth, freedom, courage, compassion, and doing the right thing gives this family adventure a strong moral center. With only light content concerns, it is WORTH THE TRIP for families of all ages.
