Here’s what we know and don’t know about the history of the story, according to scholars who have studied the origins the Aladdin story: How old is the original story of Aladdin? And yet, some scholars say the central character could be partly inspired by a real person. The rags-to-riches story of a street urchin named Aladdin who asks a genie in a lamp to make him a prince is a work of fantasy. When the new live-action adaptation of Disney’s animated classic, Aladdin, hits theaters on Friday, it will be just the latest step in the very long history of the tale - one with surprising origins.
