The Reigning Champion of Disney

Without a doubt in mind if I had to choose a Disney Character that reigns supreme it would have to be Genie from Aladdin. He with stands the pass of time and the pass of new generations of Disney characters (that are now fused with Pixar)to still be the popular icon that he is today.

It is not only this that persuades me, he is the king of Disney. I have formulated a list of reasons why he is Disney's best creation and have backed some these points up with evidence:

1. He is the ultimate performer - sing, dance, entertain, magic, comedy, impressions (Robert De Niro - Taxi Driver - 'You Looking at me?'
2. He is blue and so easily recognisable, i mean how many floating blue men with no legs are there?
   
3. He is a huge symbol of magical power and prowess
   
4. He is compact
5. Powerful
6. Immortal - never ending peace
   
7. He can change shape!
8. Knows how to party
9. One man army - so can defeat anyone (even Russia)!
   
10. Speaks many different languages
    
11. He gives wishes to anybody who rubs his lamp meaning that he treats everyone fairly and with the same rules applied:

• No wishing for more wishes - shows intelligence which is also shown by his rule of no refunds!
  
• No Killing - Shows morals
• No bringing people back from the dead - also shows morals and intelligence but free thinking and an ability to rule
• No forcing people to fall in love - he does not mess with minds

All of the above are shown in the clip below:


8. The Genie cares about friends - knows who to trust
9. He promotes selflessness - didn't hold Aladdin to his promise
10. He doesn't care about looks with a big blue belly and a silly comic hair cut
11. He is now free to do whatever he pleases and so he has more power

All of these things are shown in the ending scene of Aladdin:



By adding all these factors together you discover that the Genie would be a magnificent ruler and the fact that he has been locked away from the world for years should not be a draw back, for example all you need to do is look at Nelson Mandela who was locked away for years but ultimately became a peaceful ruler.

From the point of view of the creator's side the Genie is very interesting because they have implemented many stereotypes but at the same time broken many, for instance the genie is over weight with a bubbly cheerful disposition which is a huge stereotype. On top of this he has a gold earring and a curly beard signifying that he is from the middle-east. These techniques are rife within Disney but the Genie breaks some of these rules by transforming in to American icons like Forrest Gump (Aladdin and the Prince of Thieves). So he is unique in the way that he is designed and the methodology he transmits. If you were looking for a Disney character to reign supreme in terms of representations the best one to choose would have to be Mulan, who although has to masquerade as a man to do what is neccessary, she is an empowering symbol to women, showing that what men can do so can women in so doing creating an equality between the sexes.

Going back to the Genie however we should always remember that underneath all the blue satirical comments he is .... Robin Williams! Which in itself deserves a crown!