Opera Meets Film: ‘Aladdin’ As A Reminder Of Opera’s Continued Influence On The Music Of Hollywood’s Major Blockbusters

By David Salazar

“Opera Meets Film” is a feature dedicated to exploring the way that opera has been employed in cinema. We will select a section or a film in its entirety, highlighting the impact that utilizing the operatic form or sections from an opera can alter our perception of a film that we are viewing. This week’s installment takes a look at a remake of Disney’s “Aladdin” and its debt to opera in its musical elaboration. 

Aladdin does not contain any opera and is widely seen as a fantastical musical. In fact, it’s been reimagined on Broadway as a musical, which would likely mean that it has little to nothing to do with opera in its essence.

But the new 2019 adaptation of the classic Disney film is very influenced by the operatic leitmotif in its approach to the film’s musical tapestry, moreso than even in the original 1992 animated film. And one new addition to the film is highly indebted to opera.

Leitmotifs have always played a major role in how composer Alan Menken writes his scores (and honestly, just about any good composer working in the film industry employs this technique rather readily and potently). But Menken’s style when comparing the two scores for the animated version and the live-action remake reveals a new-found musical economy in the latter film with even greater emphasis on developing the major motifs.

As with the original film – the score builds off of the major songs littered throughout the film, aligning their major themes with the four central characters in the story. “Arabian Nights” becomes aligned with Jafar and “One Jump’s” major musical material is utilized to develop the titular character; “A Whole New World” becomes the love theme for the film. These themes were used as such in the original film, but Menken develops and transforms them throughout the 2019 iteration; those associations are more pronounced and even the motivic relationships between the characters and their music are deepened and strengthened more than they were in the 1992 version, aligning with the remake’s own narrative development.

Aladdin’s leitmotifs from “One Jump” predate the song itself, the predominant musical material appearing when he helps out a bunch of children. A few scenes later, it becomes a major part of his interactions with Jasmine at his hideout. What is interesting is how Menken’s development of this material in this particular early scene, more so than in the animated film, really hints how the famed “A Whole New World” is but a musical variation on Aladdin’s second motif; in this very interaction between the two lovers, the famed theme is merely hinted in the context of Aladdin’s first theme, even if it never takes full-flight. In their ensuing interaction, an added scene in the remake, “A Whole New World” makes its first musical appearance, establishing itself firmly as their love motif, even if it is a rather fleeting musical quotation (we hear it next in the cave when the carpet is freed, hinting at its involvement in the climactic love scene).

At the climax of the film, the two themes will intertwine as Aladdin wishes the genie free and it is the soaring music from “One Jump” that transforms the divine character into a human, eventually reaching a second climax with “A Whole New World.” In this context, Menken transforms both themes beyond their original references, emphasizing Aladdin’s impact on the Genie and the connection of their friendship (and also develops the fact that their major musical motifs are rather aligned, as explored later). The genie’s ensuing dialogue with his new bride-to-be further develops “A Whole New World,” expanding the theme beyond Jasmine and Aladdin’s love and giving it a more universal and deeper emotional meaning.

Likewise, “Prince Ali’s” main theme gets some more motivic development, it’s arrival coming even before the famed song. As the genie tries to come up with the look for the new prince, we hear the theme gently play; different iterations of the theme play throughout Aladdin’s disguise as Ali. In fact, the motivic material from “One Jump” is rather absent throughout these sections of the film, emphasizing Aladdin’s seeming loss of identity. What is most interesting about “Prince Ali’s” motif is that, outside of the boisterous hit number, it is often presented in rather delicate and gentle musical orchestration that upon closer listen actually reveals this theme to be a musical ornamentation of Aladdin’s motif from “One Jump;” this emphasizes Aladdin’s own identity coming through in the context of his disguise; those themes actually come face to face when Aladdin is confused over telling Jasmine the truth. This was not as apparent in the original film.

The genie and Jasmine get, perhaps, the most interesting musical development in this film.

In the original film, a track called “To be free” was more closely aligned with the Genie’s wish. But the film opts for a different approach, using his more popular “Friend Like Me” for his motivic material; the main interval jump at the start of the piece is actually rather closely related to Aladdin’s leitmotif from “One Jump,” emphasizing the closeness of their relationship. This musical relationship actually becomes rather evident when the two have their confrontation over Aladdin wanting to continue lying. Otherwise, the music from this famed song returns again and again every time the genie utilizes his magic. It appears as he transforms Aladdin into a Prince and throughout the Harvest Dance where the theme winds up dominating the musical landscape of the piece as the Genie makes Aladdin the center of attention. A softened version also emerges after the Genie saves Aladdin from death. When Jafar seizes control of the lamp, the motif is portrayed in a minor key every time the villain makes a wish; in the original film, this motivic development was minimal.

Finally, Jasmine, who in the original movie literally had no song of her own, gets her big vocal moment in this film with “Speechless,” and its themes are woven throughout the film’s score. The main motif of the song is like Aladdin’s main musical signature, an interval of two notes. But whereas Aladdin’s is built on a repetition of a descending interval, Jasmine’s actually rises; it creates an emotional connection between the characters while allowing them their own respective identities. This motif appears well before the first appearance of “Speechless,” commencing when the Princess meets her first suitor Prince Anders. After the first vocal performance, the musical theme gets another appearance during the Harvest Dance. It actually initiates the piece, eventually overpowered by the Genie’s “Friend Like Me,” mirroring the visual storytelling of Aladdin (under the Genie’s influence) sabotaging the connection he is developing with the princess.

The theme then dominates the entirety of the third Act, developing throughout Jasmine’s confrontation with Jafar and her exchange with Hakim. The song takes full-flight in this scene and in, rather operatic fashion, literally stops all of the action and plot progression for a moment of dramatic introspection; it’s a highly uncommon approach in many of these movie musicals, but certainly a trademark of opera at large. No other musical number in the entire movie operates in this way. “Arabian Nights” sets up the world of the story; “One Jump” is an action sequence; “Friend Like Me” sets up the Genie as a character; “Prince Ali” provides some modicum of plot progression; and “A Whole New World” is about letting Aladdin and Jasmine’s romance bloom. All of them are integral to the plot. “Speechless” doesn’t move the plot forward – it’s all about Jasmine engaging with her inner emotions before taking action; this is very much the same function of many of greatest arias in opera. And even it’s staging with a long-take furthers this sense of theater and inner monologue as the men around Jasmine disappear into dust.

But the theme’s symphonic potential and development is further expressed during the final conversation between the Princess and her father the Sultan, finding a new emotional level through the use of “Speechless'” B section as she gains her wish to become Sultan; it eventually links up with one of Aladdin’s motifs, joining the two lovers musically and emotionally before letting their love theme blossom fully.

It must also be noted that this final sequence features the arrival of a new melody that makes a brief appearance during the first encounter between the lovers (later revealed to be from a deleted duet “Desert Moon“), further emphasizing Menken’s musical tapestry and approach.

The score isn’t a revolutionary one by any means, but as with other major Hollywood blockbusters we have explored on this forum (“Star Wars” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe), opera’s musical influence remains at the forefront of popular entertainment.

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