Is Tangled just a Remake of Aladdin?

I watched Tangled in 2012 for the first time and haven’t looked back at it until recently. I’ve noticed since I’ve involved myself more in the Disney community that it is a VERY loved movie. It’s also the beginning of the new Disney era, and was right on the cusp of being a classic and just a new age animated movie. I decided since all of the love it always gets to watch it again last night, and I enjoyed it, but I felt like it seemed too familiar. Where had I heard about a trapped princess who falls in love with a thief before?

Oh yeah, Aladdin.

Upon this realization I figured I would compare the two movies, and see if Tangled is just a remade version of Aladdin or not.

Image from: https://giphy.com/gifs/kiss-tangled-rapunzel-frHK797nhEUow

Image from: https://giphy.com/gifs/aladdin-love-kiss-85Sri3VkRm7gA

The Plot

Similarities

When describing Tangled, one would say it’s about a girl with a magical power, who has been trapped up in a tower all of her life when the evil Mother Gothel stole her from the kingdom when she was a baby. She stumbles upon a thief, he takes her back to the kingdom, and they fall in love. The events of this story sound very similar to the events of Princess Jasmine, who has been trapped in her kingdom all of her life because of her father, and she wants to venture out into the market. She one day does, and stumbles upon a market thief, who returns to the kingdom as a prince to her and they fall in love.

Differences

According to IMDb, the synopsis of Tangled is, “The magically long-haired Rapunzel has spent her entire life in a tower, but now that a runaway thief has stumbled upon her, she is about to discover the world for the first time, and who she really is.”. Also according to IMDb, the synopsis of Aladdin is, “A kindhearted street urchin and a power-hungry Grand Vizier vie for a magic lamp that has the power to make their deepest wishes come true.” Although both plots are almost exactly the same, the story is told from different perspectives. In Tangled its from the perspective of Rapunzel, and in Aladdin it’s from, well, Aladdin. If the tables were turned and Aladdin was told from Jasmine’s perspective, we would get almost the exact same movie out of it.

The Characters

Rapunzel and Jasmine

The two look very physically different, which is to be noted. But their present and future lives are very much the same. Rapunzel is frustrated at 18 years old that she hasn’t seen the world beyond her tower yet, and all she longs for is independence and to make her own choices. Jasmine is also frustrated that she’s stuck in the castle with the Sultan, when she wants to see the rest of Agrabah, which she has never seen before. They both fall in love quite quickly with thieves, but realize both boys come from good intentions.

Image from: https://giphy.com/gifs/disney-tangled-2Pp3NUUp5S1Hi

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Flynn Rider and Aladdin

Both Flynn and Aladdin are professional thieves who have been stealing for a long time. They both know their way around their lands. Flynn however, tends to steal more important things and gets himself into more trouble than Aladdin does. Both have very intimidating enemies though, and they both fall in love with their respective princess. Flynn doesn’t lie about his identity, but his identity is questioned when Rapunzel thinks she’s just being used for the tiara.

Image from: https://giphy.com/gifs/disney-tangled-prince-14pz3CqcSowJiM

Image from: https://giphy.com/gifs/disney-aladdin-daze-z2YiftHRaPbWw

Mother Gothel and Jafar

The villains of both stories, Mother Gothel and Jafar want the power that the royal families have, but in different ways. Mother Gothel isn’t interested in being the queen or taking over the throne, but merely wants Rapunzel’s powers from her hair to keep her young. Jafar does want to be the Sultan and to take over Agrabah. Both have the same intentions though, to use the princesses to their own advantage.

Image from: https://giphy.com/gifs/DwtsXCEMnmx7a

Image from: https://giphy.com/gifs/disney-aladdin-walt-disney-animation-studios-jafar-13FD3rp8IqYUXm

Pascal and Raja

Pascal and Raja serve as the sidekicks to Rapunzel and Jasmine, and protect them as much as they can, whilst also keeping them company while they are locked away. Both animals adore their owners and they also accept Flynn and Aladdin almost right away, as they know they are right for their princesses.

Image from: https://giphy.com/gifs/disney-tangled-rapunzel-pascal-7yYJYnF3mEXn2

Image from: https://giphy.com/gifs/disney-aladdin-jasmine-xf9lBSY13kzx6

The Songs

When Will My Life Begin & One Jump Ahead

The content of the songs aren’t similar at all, however they both are near the beginning of each film and give us a glimpse into the daily lives of the main characters. If it were flipped and told from different perspectives, Flynn’s song would be similar to Aladdin’s, and Jasmine’s song would be similar to Rapunzel’s.

I See the Light & A Whole New World

You cannot deny that both of these songs have the same underlying meaning and are played at almost the exact same times during each movie. Rapunzel finally sees the lanterns fly into the sky which she’s longed to see her whole life, and Jasmine finally sees the world after being locked up for her whole life. Both are duets with the other main characters, both show that the pairs are falling in love with each other, and both are shown whilst riding something (a boat in Tangled and a carpet in Aladdin).

Image from: https://giphy.com/explore/i-see-the-light

Image from: https://giphy.com/explore/aladdin-and-jasmine

The Endings

Both films end in a wedding for the two main characters, as well as the defeat of both villains. Although this is pretty standard for a princess movie, both of these movies also end with showing the true identity of the thieves. Rapunzel realizes Flynn really does care for her and she saves his life, and Jasmine realized Aladdin’s true intentions of wanting to become a prince for her.

In conclusion, Aladdin and Tangled are almost the exact same movie, just told from two different perspectives. Do you agree with me? Leave a comment!

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Image from: https://giphy.com/gifs/disney-aladdin-jasmine-SyR7VvbciZqrm