1. Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves vs. Aladdin
The movie Aladdin and the story Ali Baba and the 40 thieves have
many similarities and differences. We read the Arabian folktale in our 6th
grade elements of literature books while we watched the movie Aladdin that
was created by Disney in the early 1900s. In fact, the folktale Ali Baba and
the 40 thieves was mentioned by the genie in Aladdin!
There are many similarities between Ali Baba and the 40 thieves and
Aladdin. In both folktales there’s a magical cave filled with riches which
have a specific type of key that is needed to enter the cave. In Ali and the
40 thieves the password is “Open sesame”. This moves the giant boulder
blocking the entrance to the cave. Of course the thieves can’t just leave the
cave wide open for the whole world to see, so to close the cave the password
is “Close sesame”. In Aladdin the key to the cave is the golden beetle. The
cave is a big lion head and the beetle has two halves which once put together
open the cave….but there’s a catch. If you aren’t considered worthy then the
cave will make you vanish from the Earth, Scary right? In this case you need
the beetle, be worthy, and not touch anything but the floor and the genie
lamp.
Another similarity between Ali Baba and the 40 thieves and Aladdin is
their genre. Ali Baba and the 40 thieves and Aladdin are both not only
Arabian folktales, but they’re both fantasy. In Ali Baba and the 40 thieves I
highly doubt you could get a bit boulder to move by simply saying “Open
sesame” or “Close sesame”. It also seemed a little far fetched in places like
where Morgiana killed the thieves with such ease just by using hot oil. In
Aladdin there’s a brilliant genie whose life-long dream is to be set free.
Genies would be amazing to have in reality if they stayed in good hands and
didn’t get seized by evil but sadly genies do not exist. This fact proves
Aladdin is a fantasy movie.
The characters in Ali Baba and the 40 thieves and Aladdin are similar
too. They both have an intelligent trickster character. In Ali Baba and the
40 thieves the trickster is obviously Morgiana. Morgiana cleverly protects
Ali Baba by secretly mimicking the thieves marks that they placed on the

2. door, This eventually pushed the thieves to go straight to Ali Baba’s house to
kill him for taking their gold. Fortunately, Morgiana was 1 step ahead and
killed the thieves until only 1 remained – the leader. Appearing in an Arabian
outfit Morgiana stunned the guests with her dancing which included a
dagger. When close enough she plunged that dagger right into the thieves
heart, killing him once and for all. In Aladdin the trickster was Aladdin
himself. He escaped all guards and did it like it was as simple as breathing.
These actions made Aladdin “worthy” of entering the cave and Japhar knew
it. By fooling Aladdin, Japhar gets the lamp while Aladdin plunges to the
molten lava below. He’s saved though by a magic flying carpet! In the end
Aladdin beats Japhar sending him to a life of being a genie.
As there are similarities between Ali Baba and the 40 thieves and
Aladdin, there are differences. One for example is how in Ali Baba and the
40 thieves, the only magical thing is how the rock moved by the commands
“Open sesame” or “Close sesame” while in Aladdin there’s a big blue genie,
and a cave that lets you enter only if you’re considered worthy. Oh, and did I
mention there’s a MAGIC FLYING CARPET TOO?! Comparing these magic
filled items to a cave, which do you think is more magical? There is way more
magic in Aladdin than in Ali Baba and the 40 thieves.
Another difference would be the background of the women. Morgiana
from Ali Baba is just a regular girl who has quick wits and high intelligence.
She’s loyal to Ali Baba and would do anything for him. Jasmine from Aladdin
could marry any prince in the world if she wanted but refuses them all.
Jasmine is a beautiful princess who doesn’t care if you’re poor or rich, but
what’s on the inside. Out of all the people in the world Jasmine chooses
Aladdin, a dirty street boy with a good heart. A regular girl to a royal
princess - big difference.
The fates of the villains are different too. In the folktale Ali Baba
the fate of the lead thief was a quick death. While trying to get revenge he
was stabbed by Morgiana quickly putting his life to an end. Now in Aladdin,
Japhar was put to work as a life as a genie. Hopefully nobody sets him free!
I honestly don’t know which fate is better – a life as a lonely genie or no life
at all.

3. As you now know Ali Baba and the 40 thieves and Aladdin have many
similarities and difference. Both are FANTASTIC Arabian folktales but if I
had to choose just one I would definitely pick Aladdin. I can guarantee you
it’s not because Aladdin is a movie and Ali Baba is text because if Aladdin
was text too I bet I would like it just as much. I loved the many twists and
turns that took place in Aladdin. While thinking “Oh, Aladdin and Jasmine
are going to marry now and live happily ever after,” I thought that was the
end of the movie but then Japhar ordered to marry Jasmine instead and set
off a whole line of new events to happen, I like Aladdin because it constantly
kept me entertained and interested. I look forward to reading/watching
more Arabian folktales.
By,`
Ellen Tsao