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In the "Jafar's Hour" segment (the one in which he makes his two first wishes and sings his reprise of "Prince Ali") of Disney's Aladdin, Jafar uses his sorcerer powers to reverse Aladdin's clothes from the Prince Ali outfit to the "street-rat" rags, revealing him as Aladdin. But why does Jasmine believe so quickly that Aladdin was a street rat all along disguised as Prince Ali ? Of course, it is the truth, but it's not what a normal person would deduce from the situation.

Remember that at that point, Jasmine has been told by Aladdin-Prince Ali that he actually is Prince Ali but sometimes disguises as Aladdin the Street Rat, an explanation that made sense and convinced Jasmine. Jasmine, when seeing Jafar turning back Ali in his Aladdin clothes, should have normally thought: "This rotten guy is putting Ali back in his disguise to humiliate him ! And he thinks I am going to believe his crazy story that this is his true form ? Bah !".

Of course, unless the writers were dumb (which I refuse to think of the Disney artists), I'm probably missing some detail. If you know what this detail is, may you answer ?

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  • I've actually noticed this before as well. It seems kind of ridiculous that she would seem surprised when she already has an explanation. My personal opinion is that for the sake of simplicity and to keep the song moving along, the writer's kind of rush through that part and we as a viewer are meant to suspend our reality and understand that this is the moment where Aladdin is truly exposed as being an imposter.
    – sanpaco
    Commented Jul 15, 2015 at 17:00

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Well, if you recall (or view the link provided by Red), she didn't really necessarily believe anything. All she said was, "Aladdin?" She didn't sound angry or shocked, but more inquisitive, as if to say, "Could this be true?". It was at that point where he responds with, "I tried to tell you..." that there is no question in her mind. It all happens in a matter of seconds. Once he confirms it, it's a done deal.

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  • Jasmine didn't say "Alladin?". She said "Ali?".
    – user71192
    Commented Aug 12, 2023 at 2:31
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But why does Jasmine believe so quickly that Aladdin was a street rat all along disguised as Prince Ali ? Of course, it is the truth, but it's not what a normal person would deduce from the situation.

This is not the first thing that happens. There are previous indications.

  • Jasmine met a street rat who was clearly in his element in the street. He wasn't out of place.
  • Jasmine has an innate dislike of her usual suitors. Aladdin is not like the other rich men.
  • Jasmine already caught him lying that he wasn't the street rat she met in the market. While she seems to believe his second lie (that he's a real prince who pretends to be poor), it does establish two things:
    • Aladdin lies to her.
    • Aladdin's life on the street (even if he's really a prince) has kept him grounded and is likely the reason (or an indication that) he is not a pompous rich ass.

Secondly, you're missing subtle details from the script.

(JAFAR zaps ALI back to ALADDIN.)

ALADDIN: Jasmine, I tried to tell you.

Notice:

  • Jafar dresses Aladdin in the exact clothes that he wore when Jasmine met him. That can't be coicidence, Jafar must at the very least have knowledge about Aladdin's life on the street.
  • If Jafar were lying and was pretending the real Ali is a street rat, then "Ali" would have called out Jafar on doing so. Something along the lines of "stop this charade" or "Jasmine doesn't care about my wealth". He doesn't.
  • Aladdin immediately responds to what Jasmine would think if she believes Jafar, which inherently shows that Aladdin thinks Jafar's claim is believable.
  • "I tried to tell you" inherently states that Aladdin was still keeping a secret.

Consider all the information Jasmine has available when Jafar reveals it to her:

  • Aladdin lies to her.
  • Aladdin is not like rich men and lacks their mannerisms.
  • Aladdin is no stranger to living on the street (which she sees when she meets him as a street rat), he clearly looks like he's lived there for some time.
  • Aladdin is not confused by Jafar's claim.
  • Aladdin does not contest Jafar's claim.
  • Aladdin himself reveals that there was indeed a secret he wanted to talk to her about.

It's impossible for her to ignore the evidence.

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This is because Aladdin acts in such a manner that he is exposed rather than humiliated after Jafar revealed it, if I remember right.

Look here:

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I've noticed this too, but Jafar didnt say

look, prince ali dresses as a street urchin called aladdin in his spare time

like Aladdin told her he did, but basically said something like

look, he's not a prince that pretends to be a street urchin, he's a street urchin pretending to be a prince

and hence why jasmine ended up being shocked like

why did you lie and tell me it was the other way around

At least thats how I figured it was.

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