Disney's 2019 remake of Aladdin makes several changes to the story originally presented in the 1992 animated film, including a very different ending to what some will expect. The 2019 reimagining from director Guy Ritchie is the latest live-action adaptation to come from Disney, following the successful retellings of Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and The Jungle Book.
In typical Disney style, they stayed very close to the beloved original movies, but also attempt to fix, flesh out, and update certain aspects. This is the case with Aladdin too; it includes iconic moments and songs, while also adding to the backstories of Aladdin (Mena Massoud) and Jasmine (Naomi Scott) and making the ending its own.
The original animated film ends with Aladdin tricking Jafar to become a genie, Aladdin freeing Genie, and the laws in Agrabah changed so Aladdin and Jasmine could be married. Aladdin 2019 mostly stays true to that original ending but makes some changes along the way. Jasmine willingly agrees to be Jafar's wife to save her father and handmaid, instead of becoming his servant. Aladdin is still able to trick Jafar (Marwan Kenzari) into asking for more power, and Genie (Will Smith) uses the grey area of this wish to bind him to a lamp forever. Genie proposes that Aladdin should use his final wish to change the Agrabah marriage law, but Ali still chooses to set him free. Still, Aladdin and Jasmine do get married, only after different events unfold.
Here's everything that happens in Aladdin's new ending, and how it differs from the 1992 original.
Genie Becomes Human - And Settles Down
The ending of Aladdin sees the street rat staying true to his original promise to free Genie from the lamp forever. Genie said earlier this is what he would do if he had any wishes, and even though Aladdin momentarily doubts if he can keep up his Prince Ali facade without magical aid, he ultimately does give Genie his freedom.
But, this ending is a bit different than the original. The animated movie sees Genie use his freedom to travel the world. In Aladdin 2019, Genie becomes a full-on human instead of merely being given freedom; his physical change means that he loses his blue form and magic abilities, leading to him taking on a brand new life. That new life does see him travel the world still, but with an added twist. Now that he is just a regular human, Genie asks Jasmine's handmaid Dalia (Nasim Pedrad) to be his wife, following half a movie's worth of flirting. She accepts, and they sail the oceans in a moderately sized ship with their son and daughter.
Jasmine Becomes Sultan - And Changes The Marriage Law
With Genie and Dalia leaving Agrabah behind, it is Jasmine and Aladdin who will lead the nation going forward. However, this can only happen after the marriage laws are changed. The law states that a princess must marry a prince from another country, with her new husband then becoming the new Sultan. Aladdin is not from royalty, no matter what wishes Genie could grant him, making it impossible for Aladdin and Jasmine to get married under the current decrees. In the original film, it is Jasmine's father, the Sultan of Agrabah, who abolishes this law and allows them to get married. While the original doesn't specify that Aladdin will become the new Sultan, it implies that this is the case, with Jasmine his Queen.
That does not happen in Aladdin 2019. At the end, Jasmine becomes the first female Sultan in the history of the country at the decree of her father and changes the ancient laws so she and Aladdin can get married. Before this happens, she must first chase him down after he left the palace, believing that his dream to be with her would never be. They kiss in the street, and the camera spins around them until the setting changes to their actual wedding. As Aladdin wraps up, Jasmine is now set to rule Agrabah with Aladdin by her side.
Why Aladdin Made These Changes
These changes may seem somewhat minor in the grand scheme of Aladdin 2019, but they help bring the stories of Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie to a more proper conclusion. For Genie specifically, making him a human with a family at the end instead of a free-minded ultra-powerful being helps clear up the film's opening. Just like the animated movie, Aladdin opens up with a random bystander who then tells the tale of the movie. This framing device focuses on a merchant who was also voiced by Robin Williams in the original film. The second role for Williams led some to wonder if the merchant could be one of Genie's many forms. The live-action film takes this a step further, with a regular looking Will Smith on a boat talking to two kids kicking off the film, eventually revealed to be Genie living his new life.
As for the adjustments to Jasmine's story, it is an undeniably more empowering ending for her character than what she received before. The live-action film explains much more about her backstory and own motivations than the animated movie, mostly centered on her belief she should be the next ruler. Much like the original film, Jasmine doesn't like other people telling her what she should do or say, but becoming the Sultan gives her significantly more autonomy as a character. The trickle-down effect it has on Aladdin isn't huge either; he still gets to be with Jasmine and isn't tasked with ruling a nation, for which he has no experience.
These Aladdin changes are significant enough to surprise fans of the animated film, but don't go far enough to alter the bigger picture meaning. The happy ending is still intact, it's just that now Genie gets closure to his story, and the changes for Jasmine only improve on her arc. All in all, Aladdin's new ending is a welcome conclusion to the story at hand that leaves Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie in different roles than they had before, with brand new potential arcs moving forward.