#A Fool's Golden Cage foreshadowing

[mable-stitchpunk]

What does Coffcord honestly think of Lure?

Balsam's reckless little friend. Don't get me wrong, he respects Lure and admires how much devotion he has for his princess... but he can't help but see his youth and compare it to Balsam's, even when he has a couple of years on Balsam.

Coffcord worries about Lure. He has every right to- he knows that he has undertaken a massive responsibility. It's more than taking care of the heir to the throne, it's the fact that he is putting himself at the forefront of major issues for the throne.

But for now, Coffcord will offer his support and assistance when he can, and only pounce on Lure if he really, really messes something up.

[justalostprincess]

All three of the Aladdin soundtracks are brilliant works of art. From song and score, stage and film, each one respects and builds upon the previous versions. Each one is executed with shockingly consistent continuity and masterful quality. All three, the original 1992 animated film, the Broadway musical, and 2019 live-action film, are unique musical feats that miraculously combine into a single epic journey.

Aladdin (1992) was the third Disney soundtrack for which Alan Menken composed the score. It introduced even more original songs and themes, and solidified the classic Disney style we know and love. 

The Broadway channels the Jazz and Swing genre, which was initially intended for the movie. The Genie scats on multiple occasions and the orchestra uses saxophones and trombones, which are typically associated with a standard jazz ensemble. Menken says they aimed for a  “Jazzy, 40s tone” as an homage to an era that shaped so much of the music we know today. 

Menken stated that the 2019 film “turned out to be everything [he] could have wished for”, a statement which should not be taken lightly. This installment brings a more Arabic instrumentation in the strings, winds, and percussion. The audience is immersed in the setting of the tale, yet the core of it remains true to its predecessors. 

Upon further inspection, one will be able to recognize the recurring melodies across all versions of the story. Each one carries a particular feeling and story within itself, giving significant meaning to each appearance. I have listed and attempted to explain a few of these precious themes here. There are many more I have not mentioned and perhaps many more I have not recognized, but I hope to in the future. 

In the 2019 score, it is incredibly clear that Aladdin’s theme is One Jump Ahead, more specifically the softer Reprise(s). It is constantly present when Aladdin is being himself and more than just “a poor boy”, whereas, Prince Ali is used when Aladdin uses this persona, almost always when he lies.

A few people may be familiar with the song Proud of Your Boy, which was scrapped from the original movie. It was meant to be sung my Aladdin where he promised his mother that he would try to be a better person and stop stealing from other people. This song is very precious to Alan Menken because it was one of the last songs Howard Ashman helped write before he died. It was extremely heartbreaking when it was removed, especially in the shadow of grief from losing one of his best friends. 

The Broadway was a perfect opportunity to finally present the song again. Performed at the beginning, middle, and end, it truly is the heart of entire musical. Other numbers and plot-lines were also restored in the revival, but none were as significant as this one. 

Proud of Your Boy’s theme is still very present in the 2019 score, even if the song is absent. One of the places it appears is when Aladdin is Returning the Bracelet to Jasmine. It is a wonderfully appropriate time and place, where Aladdin chooses to be kind and selfless, and it implies that Aladdin is still trying to be better for his mother. 

To Be Free is a lesser known theme/song. It is played when Genie dreams of being wished free in the tracks To Be Free and Aladdin’s Word, however it is mostly used as Jasmine’s theme. 

It can be heard in both films when Aladdin sees Jasmine for the first time in the Agrabah Marketplace. In the original score, it plays as Jasmine Runs Away, at the Ends of the Earth and the Battle, when they are losing the fight against Jafar and Jasmine is trapped in an hourglass. 

In Aladdin: a Musical Spectacular, a short stage show that played at Disney’s California Adventure, To Be Free is brought into song. Alan Menken (of course) composed the piece and even wrote the lyrics to it. Jasmine laments not only her inability to leave the palace, but also her want to think on her own and be herself. She yearns for “freedom to stretch these golden wings and freedom to touch the sky.”

In Speechless, the new song Jasmine sings in 2019, she sings “I will take these broken wings; watch me burn across the sky!” as she stands up and refuses to stay in her “cage”. Jasmine confirms that the true freedom she has desperately longed for is not physical, but the mental and emotional repression she had lived under her entire life. 

In 2019, Aladdin’s Hideout is a beautiful piece of score where three themes are combined. First, One Jump Ahead plays, then To Be Free, and finally A Whole New World. The music introduces both characters individually and their combined theme when they have bonded together. 

Arabian Nights is the theme for the entire story, this legendary adventure. The final line, “A fool of his guard could fall and fall hard out there on the dunes” perfectly foreshadows and echoes as Jafar falls to his own foolish greed and imprisons himself. 

What I have written here has only addressed a microscopic fraction of the intricate work and talent that has gone into every note and every word. 

Thank you Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, Tim Rice, and every other person who put so much work, love, and care into the telling of this legendary story through music. Listening and taking this long and beautiful journey is one of the most magical experiences I will ever have. It has taught me what it means to be free, to have and be a friend, and I will do my best to keep those lessons and this love in my heart and everything I do. Thank you, so very, very much.