An Essay & Film exploring the representation of Neurodivergence in the character Genie from the 1992 Disney classic Aladdin.
The year is 1994 - I am 8 - undiagnosed ADHD, dyslexia, autism - I am sitting on the worn out sofa, by the window, watching a VHS of the Disney Classic Aladdin.
This document will outline my personal insight into the representation and relationship between traits of Neurodivergence and Disney’s character Genie, portrayed in the 1992 film Aladdin. I will be utilising anecdotal insights based on my tenure as a Director of DYSPLA, an Arts Council England supported Artistic Studio producing the work of Neurodivergent Artists, as well as Medical, Social and DYSPLA models of Neurodivergence supported by the wider community.
- created in 1992 by Disney - for this story I have chosen the film Aladdin - the character Genie - exuberant and erratic Ginie - a plethora of Neurodivergent traits - Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder and dyslexia depicted as the character - never quite achieving a formal medical diagnosis - slipping through the gaps - Genie - Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation - not only through the words spoken and actions taken by the character, but through the filmic cuts, the rhythm, shapes and colours - the character embodies subsets of Neurodivergence - Jeffrey Katzenberg the CEO of Dreamworks animation and the man who had revolutionised Disney animation said that they animated Genie in Aladdin to bring Robin William thinking to life on screen.
This character gave me peace. As an 8 year old, unaware of how I fit into the world, aware of my separation from society, I was longing for a place of safety to settle, a mirror to mimic. A structure which precedes, that I can replicate, knowing the path already trodden. The 8 year old saw the characterisation of Genie and felt a path open.
Neurodivergent
“Sometimes Abbreviated as ND, neurodivergent means having a style of neurocognitive functioning that diverges significantly from the dominant societal standards of ‘normal’. Neurodivergent people include dyslexics, dyspraxics, AD(H)D, autistics (including those with Asperger’s), dyscalculics, OCD, dysgraphics, Tourettes, etc.” (The Westminster AchievAbility Commission for Dyslexia and Neurodivergence 2018.)
- much like this story - a depiction of Neurodivergence - ADHD - Dyslexia - exhibited through the Neurodivergent Aesthetic - the rhythm of the ideas - shifts from word to word - Skips between thoughts
Neurodivergent Aesthetic -
“An aesthetic is defined as the nature of beauty and taste from a specific perspective. We propose that the Neurodivergent Aesthetic is defined as art created by those who are neurodivergent. The ND Aesthetic is a transcendental, intuitive, humanist aesthetic, which is led by one's instincts and natural inclinations.” (DYSPLA.com)
As a reader of this text, you may feel lost and broken - I simply ask that you, allow this embodiment, the embodiment of the character of Genie, of ADHD and Dyslexic Flow, to be tolerated when reading my story…
“The artists thought in colour, space, time and shape. Conceptual thinking would involve visualisation, flowed and off-tangent to meet at a variety of converging points. The conceptual thinking to production resided in a variety of contextual situations, or, as the artists described, ‘ zones’. One artist called this situation as being ‘electrocuted’; the place where the physical feeling meets the visualisation in a space that is internal.” (Hewlette, p. 271,)
Within the filmic embodiment there are immediate signs of ADHD and many other Neurodivergent comorbidities that relate to hyperactivity and impulsiveness, constantly changing activity or task, but I’d like to briefly focus on four elements. Time Blindness, Extroversion, Reward Deficiency Syndrome and Disembodyment.
The Genie emerges from the lamp - screams - talks excessively - the biggest character in the room - larger than life - beyond life - the exuberation and energy released from Genie and mirrored in ADHD are represented through a millennia of existence.“10 thousand years can give you a real crick in neck”. The experience of time through millennia is a God given gift. The perception of 1 minute can last a lifetime and hours pass in the blink of an eye. The Genie, like many of our ADHD compatriots, live within polychronic temporal structures, Time Blindness. ADHD and the nature of self-control. Guilford Press.), is a common trope of ADHD. If viewed from the common monochronic, market driven, linear structures of the western world, time blindness can mean a struggle to perceive and manage time effectively. This can result in difficulties in prioritising tasks, meeting deadlines, and gauging the time required for specific activities. But if we allow for integration of Polychronic structures embed within the concept of Special Relativity and Gravitational Time Dilation. The field equations of gravitation. Sitzungsberichte der Königlich Preußischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.), we understand that the larger the object, the greater the physicality, the greater the shift in the perception of time. Our Ginie, the towering character of Brobdingnagian proportions, psychic energy flowing outwards and strengthened by emotional hyperarousal.
Jungs definition of the Extrovert, primarily obtaining gratification from outside oneself (Jung, C. G. (1921) Psychologische Typen, Rascher Verlag, Zurich – translation H.G. Baynes, 1923), beyond oneself, is an often used caricature for those of us with ADHD. We explode as the energy of hundreds of lives. His expansion, growth beyond human, reaches the cavernous confines of the cave, towering over us. A mighty mountain. (Aladdin 01:08:20)
Back in 1994, Kneeling on the sofa looking out the back window, I looked up at the clouds, across the horizon, over the distant hills, I often imagined sitting atop of a mountainous Cumulonimbus. Just as I sit upon the peak, my dream is broken and the cloud gives way to my human weight. I fall past the condensed air, to my death.“Oi!” Genie’s face launches towards ours. Retracting back to human size. Retracting back to the reality of our delicate humanity. The highs and lows, dynamic in the extreme emotional rollercoaster, emphasised through Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria and our, High Sensitivity, susceptibility to extreme emotional sensitivity and emotional pain.
Played by Robin Williams - A neurodivergent actor - bi polar - ADHD - dyslexic - death through suicide - The Ginie’s laugh speaks volumes - “I suffer from severe dyslexia. I was the only child on my block on Halloween to go ‘trick or trout’ … Here comes that young Williams boy. Better get some fish.” - Robbin’s laugh speaks volumes - he knows the death defying tightrope he walks between acceptance and oblivion - I think to myself - “get back in the lamp! - the safety of the lamp” - ADHD has a significant effect on life expectancy with those of us with ADHD surviving 13 years less than those who do not share our aggravated traits.
“Freedom… but oh, to be free” - (Aladdin, 1992, 00:42:26:00) - what is freedom but death - a reincarnation - a separation from one body to the next - This Genie wishes to be free from their current existence.
Those of us who have ADHD find it difficult to regulate our actions, over emphasise our connection, lack impulse control, cause relationships to be overly tense and fragile. As a child Williams was introverted and struggled to make friends. He sought acceptance through comedy, becoming popular after joining the drama club in high school. The Genie must fulfil the 3 wishes. He must please his maker. The lamp has been rubbed, the genie is summoned, “phenomenal cosmic power” released from the confined “itty bitty living space”, to flourish in chains. Grant the wishes of their master. Aladdin questions…
“You're a prisoner?”... “ It's all part-and-parcel, the whole genie gig…But, oh--to be free…To be my own master, such a thing would be greater than all the magic and all the treasures in all the world!”
ADHD people want more than a standard life can offer, the lack of Dopamine means we need higher stimulation. Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) has been proposed to explain why ADHD brains need stronger incentives.
We are “stuck in the present” - no where left to go - no excitement - Impulsive presentation of ADHD exhibit the time perspective of the Present Hedonism dimension - The Genie jokes - “it’s only an eternity of servitude” (Aladdin, 1992, 01:19:20) - Much like Williams own issues with addiction…“Williams's frantic energy that night may partly be attributed to cocaine, which he was using heavily around that time. He later teasingly claimed that he was naturally so manic that the drug actually helped him to stay calm”
We crave another life - something beyond now - feeling separate from our own bodies - leaving the confines of the lamp - Disembodiment - “Women with ADHD often feel disconnected from their bodies due to being punished or shamed for simple movements such as stims or fidgeting in childhood.” -
Aladdin asks…”What would you wish for?” - “ah, forget it.” - self doubt seeps in - Self worth drops and confidence slips. Self Esteem in those who suffer from dyslexia is significantly lower than compared to non-dyslexics.
- Aladdin - “How about Laddie? Sounds like, Here, boy. C'mon, laddie.” - scottish accent - replicate - fit in - mask - separation from ones self to protect - an armour - become another character to be accepted - laugh - nervously - look for acceptance - stigmatised - too fast - the desperation in Robbins voice -
“Duplicated, duplicated, duplicated, duplicated, duplicated, duplicated, duplicated, duplicated, duplicated.”...The concept of Body Doubling is a effective coping strategy that is utilised by many with processing disorders - “Students with ADHD will often use “body doubling”, that is, working in the company of other people, at the library or at a coffee shop, as a way of self-imposing structure and Accountability.” - As part of the Artistic duo DYSPLA, I have found a successful model through body doubling. Like many of us, those who identify as both Neurodivergent and those that do not, I know if I didn’t rely on my community, I would not survive. But within our singular neoliberal structures, I am told of the shame of reliance on others for success.
“Even though such problems are not of their own making, neoliberalism's discourse insists that the fate of the vulnerable is a product of personal issues ranging from weak character to bad choices or simply moral deficiencies.”
“Right here direct from the lamp, right here for your enjoyment wish fulfilment.” (00:35:20)
Robin Williams’ childhood was said to be possessed by a terrible loneliness while being sent up to the attic to play alone with his toys - Actor Sam Neill, who worked with Williams on the 1999 film Bicentennial Man said that, “despite Williams being able to switch his funny side “on”, he could “sense the dark space inside” the Good Will Hunting star. Neill said that Williams was also “the saddest person I ever met” who appeared to be “inconsolably solitary”
“10 thousand years can give you a real crick in neck”.
The Genie can only exist when someone rubs the lamp. The genie can only be free if someone wishes them free.
“Aladdin, you've just won the heart of the princess. What are you gonna do next?...” The genie waits for their master to grant their freedom. Without this collaboration, the Genie remains in chains. “Psst, your line is "I'm going to free the genie.” Anytime.” (01:04:41). This depiction of body doubling, mirrors how many of us feel, without your double, we are nothing - the double is a crutch - “The only reason anyone thinks I'm anything is because of you…I can't keep this up on my own. I can't wish you free.”
“No one likes to be rejected, criticised or fail. For people with RSD, these universal life experiences are much more severe than for neurotypical individuals.”.
The script reads “i’ll loose her”
I hear “i’m a looser”
The traits embedded within ADHD give me an drive to want more to believe what I am and what I have is not good enough. My lamp, my existence to serve, to exist as part of the community is seen as a detriment to finding my individuality. The Genie is released, packs his bag and adorns the costume of the capitalist masses, a Disney Store Goofy trucker hat with plush ears. Immediate commercial satisfaction, amplifying dopamine production in a shower of fireworks. “I can't do any more damage around this popsicle stand. I'm outta here! Bye, bye, you two crazy lovebirds. Hey, Rugman: ciao! I'm history! No, I'm mythology! No, I don't care what I am--I'm free!”
The 8 year old smiles, gleefully. I wish I had another life. I wish I had more. I wish I am not me.
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