With several massive successes already in the bank, Disney is continuing to re-make its classic animated films in live-action, with Mulan hitting theaters in 2019, and Aladdin next on the slate for 2019 as well. It's no surprise that Disney is continuing to churn out the hits, with fans adoring the combination of beautiful remakes and new twists on old favorites. What is surprising, however, is that Disney's Aladdin has been plagued with controversy after controversy... all on the sensitive subject of race.Despite reassurances from both director Guy Ritchie and producer Dan Lin that the upcoming movie will be 'authentic', 'not like Prince of Persia', 'diverse', and will make a real commitment to honoring the culture depicted, decision after decision has raised the eyebrows of fans. Whitewashing has become a hugely talked-about topic in Hollywood over the past few years, and it seems that despite constant criticism of films that wipe out erase POC characters, change them, whitewash them, or even celebrate racist tropes or white saviors, the big studios are failing to figure out how to create a great, diverse movie without these problems arising. Even when the controversies hurt ratings or box office figures (as happened with Iron Fist, Ghost In The Shell, The Great Wall, and several others), questionable decisions keep being made.Related: Disney's Aladdin Criticized For 'Browning Up' ActorsNow, Aladdin is at the center of yet another controversy on race, as the production is accused of putting extras in brownface, rather than hiring people who don't need makeup to 'blend in' on the streets of Agrabah. As the furor around the production continues to grow, we wonder whether the constant scandals could be enough to hurt Aladdin's bottom line, or whether Disney will continue to find success despite the controversy.

The Latest Controversy: 'Browning Up' Actors

Aladdin

This most recent controversy arose when Kaushal Odedra, a stand in for one of the lead actors, told the media that he saw a line of 'very fair skinned' extras and actors outside makeup, waiting to have their skin painted to allow them to pass for natives of the fictional city of Agrabah. This is obviously deeply problematic, not only because of the history of blackface and white performers painting their skin to mock other races, but because it means that Disney has actively chosen to hire white performers for roles that should go to those with darker skin.

Disney responded to the allegations immediately, and confirmed that there are around 100 white actors who are having their skin darkened so that they can blend in. However, Disney has also stated that the other 400 of the 500 performers, stunt performers, dancers and animal handlers that they have brought in are Indian, Middle Eastern, African, Mediterranean or Asian. The studio claims that the 100 local performers who are being 'browned up' for Aladdin are those with special skills, such as "special effects rigs, stunt performers and handling of animals". The implication here is that these were positions that are so specialized that it was impossible to find someone to fill them who would 'blend in' without makeup. Of course, this claim has had fans scoffing, as the massive Bollywood film industry would presumably have performers, stuntpeople, and animal handlers that would have been perfectly suited to the job, if none could be found closer to home.

Other Controversial Decisions Disney Has Made

Prince Achmed seems to have been replaced in the live-action Aladdin movie

Of course, this is just one of several controversial decisions that Disney has made with Aladdin. Possibly the biggest furor so far has been the introduction of a new, white, character to the film: Prince Anders. Anders (Billy Magnussen) is a Norwegian Prince, and a rival suitor to Jasmine... which sounds a lot like the role of Prince Achmed in the original. The difference, of course, is that Achmed was not Norwegian - meaning that Prince Anders is almost certainly a whitewashed version of the original character.

The lady he is courting, Princess Jasmine herself, has also had her own controversy. Although Disney made the commitment to casting a brown-skinned actress, they chose Naomi Scott, who is of mixed British and Gujarati Indian descent, and quite light-skinned. Fans were angry at the idea that Middle Eastern and South Asian people are interchangeable in the eyes of Disney (although it's worth noting that the original mixed Middle Eastern and South Asian cultural elements), angry that the lead was not darker skinned or with more classically Middle Eastern features.

Is All Press Good Press?

One of the big issues with the constant controversy isn't just that it may lead some fans to boycott, but that it is going to make promotion for the film particularly difficult. Whitewashing controversies have already damaged past films, as we mentioned earlier, and while part of this is a conscious choice on the part of the audience, another part of it is that the scandal overwhelms the production. Constant controversies become the only thing talked about, and potential viewers don't hear anything else about the film that might make them want to go see it. While there is a certain amount of reach that scandal has, audiences also need to hear about other elements of the film that will appeal to them.

The constant controversies will also undoubtedly cause problems on a press tour, assuming that Disney goes ahead with one. Every interview is likely to bring up at least one of the problematic choices made, which means that the kind of interview that is fantastic for ticket sales doesn't happen, and the press tour is instead used almost entirely to address issues that fans have with casting choices.

With relatively unknown actors also cast in major roles (a conscious decision made by the creative team), it may also be more difficult for them to cope with a barrage of questions about race - opening the door to even more scandal. A similar thing happened with the critically panned Iron Fist, when star Finn Jones became increasingly angry and defensive when being asked the same questions time and time again. The combination of a poor press tour and promotion being overshadowed by controversies may lead to a miserable showing at the box office.

Are Disney Fans Too Devoted To Care?

Of course, there is one thing that Disney has going for it that could be enough to save Aladdin, even if the film is mired in controversy: the power of the Disney brand. The massive success of the live-action adaptations so far is in part thanks to the incredible strength of the Disney name, combined with a hefty dose of nostalgia for the original animated classics. Aladdin, despite 'browning up' actors, whitewashing a character, and mixing up Middle Eastern and South Asian people and cultures, still has nostalgia and that Disney magic going for it - and that might be all it needs to succeed at the box office. However, whether that is a good thing is yet to be seen.

In many ways, Disney has been seemingly committed to making Aladdin (and Mulan) as culturally sensitive and diverse as possible, but this constant string of problematic choices suggest that it's not being done as well as it should be. There's no doubt that it will still do well, but could the audience's anger at insensitive treatment of race be enough to take a swing at the House of Mouse, and actually connect? If so, that may strike a huge blow to the Hollywood norm... and if not, it simply proves that as far as fans are concerned, Disney can do no wrong.

Next: Everything We Know About The Live-Action Aladdin So Far

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