Textual Analysis of a Film Poster: Aladdin

Aladdin is a Disney animation, adventure comedy targeted at young children. 

As this film is aimed at children, the colours and illustrations used are very bright and bold in order to make it clear to the children who the characters are. It is obvious that Aladdin is the main protagonist because he is dressed in white trousers. White indicates that he is the 'good guy' because it has connotations of  goodness, purity and is a heroic colour. His facial expression is very warm and happy, making him likeable and approachable. The fact that he is smiling makes it clear to the audience that he is good and he is in the foreground of the poster, making him more of a central focus and therefore indicating to the audience that he is the main character.

The title 'Aladdin' is written in a gold, rounded style font. The gold has connotations of wealth and power, reflecting the power that Aladdin has. It is also a very angelic colour further showing the audience the goodness and innocence of the character. The round font means that the title is easy to read and therefore it is perfect for young children to see and understand. The fact that it is just one word makes a bold statement and intrigues and immediately engages the audience as there is not too much to read. The background of the title is purple, another colour that connotes wealth and power and sometimes royalty. The colours of the title also co-ordinate with what Aladdin is wearing, indicating to the audience that he is the main protagonist.

 

Next to Aladdin is Jasmine, the princess. It is clear to the audience that she is a princess because she is wearing gold jewellery. The colour gold has connotations of wealth and importance, indicating that she is of high status and has money. Her facial expression is also bright and happy, much like Aladdin's making her seem less threatening and therefore tells the audience that she is also a good character within the film.

 

Jafar is the villain of this film. We know this through the film poster because he is wearing red and black which are colours that connote evil death and suffering. Aladdin and Jasmine are above Jafar and are larger than him and therefore appear closer to the audience, making the audience feel closer to them and also tells the audience that they are above him in status. He is looking up to them with an 'evil' expression.
His eyebrows, clenched fist and teeth make him appear threatening to the audience. There is a cave behind Jafar which is a mouth opening of what appears to be a tiger which could be a reflection of Jafar's character. The face has an evil expression and you can see the sharp teeth of the creature. Inside the cave it is an orange colour, this makes it seem as if the cave is on fire creating an even more threatening image and further showing the audience that Jafar is the antagonist of the film. Next to Jafar is his bird, Iago. This bird is red which reflects the same connotations of the colours that Jafar is wearing. The bird is mirroring Jafar's expression and the angle at which he is looking at Aladdin and Jasmine.
There is also a strong contrast shown between the characters through the clothes that they are wearing. Aladdin and Jasmine are both wearing very loose clothing, whereas Jafar is wearing very tight clothing, and a large cape.

 

At the very top of the poster, there is the Genie. The fact that he is the largest character and that he is above all the other characters shows his importance. This gives the Genie a God like persona as he is so high up and is looking over all of the other characters. His wide smile and eyes make him warm and likeable, not at all threatening, making him immediately popular with young children. However, his blue colour is a direct contrast to this. The colour blue has connotations of sadness and so the fact that he is smiling shows a direct contrast to this and could possibly suggest a deeper meaning; that the Genie is in fact unhappy. He is also wearing bits of gold. Gold has connotations of power and wealth, suggesting his power over all of the characters and giving him more of a majestic feel. The Genie has a similar beard to Jafar which could suggest that the Genie may not be all good or could show a connection to Jafar. The fact that both Jafar and the Genie have the beard makes Aladdin the outcast and tells us that he is not of the same status and from the same area as the Genie and Jafar.

Aladdin is holding a lamp. He is holding the lamp very close to him and with two hands, which signifies to the audience the importance of this prop. The two colours of the lamp are gold (a powerful and majestic colour) and pink. The pink flash on the lamp shows its power and the white light in the centre highlights its importance as white is a colour which connotes peace and purity. The colour pink has connotations of love, romance and passion and as Aladdin is holding it in front of him and Jasmine, it suggests to the audience that there will be a love interest between them.

The carpet that Aladdin and Jasmine are sitting on is also purple and gold, showing its magic and power, however, in the centre of the carpet, there is a blue square. Within the blue square, there appears to be red fire which has connotations of evil and death and there are also tigers with their mouths open, just like the cave behind Jafar. This suggests that there will be evil within the magical world that Aladdin and Jasmine are in. The monkey on the back of the carpet is a loveable and comic character, due to the facial expression of wide eyes and an open mouth. It appears as is the carpet is in motion and he is clinging on the back of it. A monkey is a very popular and likeable animal and so would appeal to children of a young age and would add a bit of comedy to the film.