Possibly one of the most beloved aspects of Disney productions are the soundtracks. So popular, these songs have been released several times on many different albums and CDs. What’s more appealing about them is that the songs maintain the traditional aesthetic of the location the film is set in. For example, Aladdin is set in the Middle East, and thus the instruments used are traditionally associated with the Middle East. As like is Mulan (Bancroft, 1998), the songs are given an oriental style. The title and lyrics of the song also increase the traditional values of particular cultures, such as in Chinese culture, honouring your family is very important, thus the song “You’ll bring honor to us all’ reflects Chinese traditions
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However, although Disney tries to maximise the cultural difference in their transnational films, they sometimes can present a negative view of a particular nation. The opening sequence of Aladdin uses the song “Arabian Nights” in addition to the moving image of a man travelling through the desert on screen. However, due to a controversial debate of the song containing the offensive lyrics “Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face”, as the below clip on the left shows, portrays a violent and uncivilized perception of the Middle East. The second clip shows what the lyrics were changed to in later releases of the film.
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It could be seen as a mere misinterpretation of what the culture is like in the Middle East, yet it can be argued that the songs are not just additions to the storyline or just filling in empty spaces in the film, they are there to portray specific American ideologies about these foreign nations, and in this case, embed the negative view of cruelty linked to the Middle East (Byrne & McQuillan, 1999, p.8).