Aladdin is a poor but good-hearted boy who lives in the streets of Agrabah. Survival is not easy. As he runs away from the guards, Aladdin expresses his Activator, Woo, Positivity, Adaptability, and Self-Assurance talents freely in his opening song.
"Know this. Only one may enter here. One who lies far within. The diamond in the rough!" – Cave of the Wonders
A diamond in the rough is a metaphor we use for raw talents, which need to mature. And Aladdin is a great example of that.
Enter Jasmine, a princess of strong and determined character, unhappy with her lack of freedom in relation to her future. She expresses her Command, Includer, Discipline, Focus, and Achiever talents throughout history. The sultan, all powerful in Agrabah, after arguing with Jasmine, tells Rajah, her pet tiger: "I hope you never have daughters!"
On the same day that he is despised by a snobbish prince, Aladdin accidentally meets Jasmine in the market and saves her from trouble. Both live a quick adventure, Aladdin falls in love with her, but knows he has no chance to marry her due to his humble origins.
By rubbing the magic lamp, Aladdin releases the Genie, who for millennia was alone. Genie steals the scene with his Positive, Strategic, Arranger, Communication and Relator talents showing to Al all his magical power and sincere friendship. Aladdin asks to become a prince, because he knew that by law it was the only way to marry Jasmine and he wanted to impress her.
He becomes Prince Ali of Ababwa, and acts trying to speak pompously and lying shamelessly, copying the princes he had already seen. That was the formula of success in his mind. It turns out this was the opposite of what Jasmine dreamed of. By using his Woo and his Self-Assurance unproductively, Aladdin projects the image of being another arrogant prince who cares only about his possessions and wants to have Jasmine as a prize. But all is not lost and an unusual and magical invitation changes everything.
"Do you trust me?" - Aladdin to Jasmine
After the magic carpet ride, Jasmine discovers that Ali is actually Aladdin, but he again does not have the courage to tell the truth and explains that he disguised himself as a commoner when they first met.
Jasmine falls in love with Al, and he is afraid of losing her. Genie celebrates with his Positivity talent and uses his Relator to advise Aladdin to tell the truth. The immature Woo of Aladdin can not free the Genius ....
Aladdin has a quarrel with all his friends. This crisis makes him realize that the prince act is costing everything he holds dear and values. So he decides to tell Jasmine the truth, even if it means losing her.
But Jafar messes things up, stealing the magic lamp and becoming sultan with his first wish to Genie. Aladdin uses his Activator and Adaptability to face Jafar.
Aladdin matures and discovers that he does not have to live a character, that being himself was good enough.
After defeating Jafar, Genie tries to convince Aladdin to become prince again, because Jasmine was a one-of-a-kind woman and he should not lose her.
Aladdin decides to use his talents for a selfless goal. His virtuous act frees 2 people and opens a legacy. Genie is freed from his lamp prison and curse, Jasmine is free to choose whom to marry, and the change in law means that the next generations of princes and princesses of Agrabah will inherit this right as well.
A whole new world opens before this talented diamond, which is now shining and shimmering with his splendid Strengths!
CliftonStrengths Top 5 Themes for Aladdin's main characters (by Calebe Luo):
Aladdin: Activator | Adaptability | Woo | Positivity | Self-assurance
Jasmine: Command | Includer | Discipline | Focus | Achiever
Gênio: Positivity | Communication | Relator | Strategic | Arranger
Jafar: Focus | Strategic | Deliberative | Individualization | Significance
PS:
This post is a cultural piece, created to democratize CliftonStrengths culture. All characters are intellectual property of Disney, Inc. Names and descriptions of CliftonStrengths talent themes are property of Gallup, Inc.
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