Throughout the story, Aladdin's quest to find something greater than himself, and prove his worth, was driven by a desire to make his mother proud, famously vocalized through the deleted song ' Proud of Your Boy', written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. Initially, Aladdin was not an orphan, but instead, a young boy living alongside his single mother in the lowest part of Agrabah. Īn integral part of Aladdin's story during the early stages of the film was the role of his mother. However, to keep in touch with the original concept, Keane, Musker, and Clements worked to retain a sense of youth and innocence to Aladdin through his facial design and character portrayal, prominent during the film's more comedic scenes. Glen Keane rectified the issue, making Aladdin a tad more muscular, with broader shoulders, and more defined features. Fox, but should instead be along the lines of Tom Cruise, in terms of appearance. Katzenberg saw the early versions of Aladdin to be along the lines of Michael J. Though directors Ron Clements and John Musker enjoyed the idea, executive producer, Jeffrey Katzenberg did not, feeling the romantic relationship between a meek Aladdin and the beautiful Princess Jasmine would come off as unrealistic, as Jasmine wouldn't find herself physically attracted to that portrayal of Aladdin. In addition, he claimed that typical Disney films have a sort of class system with their characters, such as the cartoonish sidekicks, the dramatic villains, the beautiful heroines, and the boring 'Prince Charming'-type heroes that 'nobody ever wanted to animate'. The idea was brought upon by animator Glen Keane, who believed Aladdin, the lead of an underdog story should have a more meager, vulnerable appearance to match his role in the film's narrative. In the earliest stages of the story, Aladdin was portrayed as a much younger character-a boy, as opposed to a young man. Aladdin and Abu would form a brotherly relationship throughout this endeavor, and would eventually leave the circus, but remain together as both partners and best friends. When he was sixteen, Aladdin fell in with a group of circus performers and con artists: Aziz, Fatima, Minos, and their pet monkey, Abu. Aladdin was present when Amal disappeared, unaware that he was taken and became an El Khatib, serving one of his future adversaries, Mirage. At the age of ten, Aladdin was best friends with a fellow street rat and thief, Amal, but unlike Aladdin, he stole money and valuables for his own selfish greed, which Aladdin was strongly against. While in his mid-teen years, he stole a vest, a pair of pants, and a fez from a clothesline, which would form his signature outfit. Initially, the boy managed to outmaneuver the guards, but was eventually apprehended and sentenced to detention within the palace dungeon however, he managed to escape by picking the locks to his chains. When Aladdin was seven, he had his first encounter with Razoul, the new captain of the Sultan's guard, after stealing an apple from a fruit stand. Lacking other means, he steals only to survive, but his good heart often moves him to donate his stolen goods to those who are as poor, if not poorer than him, making him a Robin Hood-like figure. With no form of income, he was forced to learn to survive on the streets of Agrabah. Due to being orphaned so early, Aladdin never received a formal education, nor had a positive role model to guide him through life. By the time Cassim returned, he couldn't find his family, believing them to be dead, resulting in him leaving Agrabah out of despair, where he'd eventually become a leader of the infamous Forty Thieves, though this would remain unknown to Aladdin for an extended number of years. A few years later, Aladdin's mother passed away, leaving him an orphan and forcing him to fend for himself. Due to this, Aladdin never met or knew his father, believing he was dead and was given a dagger as his only memento. Due to their struggling background, Cassim left Agrabah shortly after Aladdin was born in hopes of finding a better way to provide for his family. 5.2 Disney's Aladdin in Nasira's RevengeĪladdin was born to Cassim and Zena, citizens of the kingdom of Agrabah.

Jasmin in aladin