You may or may not have heard it before, but there's been a theory floating around for a while now that will forever change the way you think about Disney's Aladdin:
When we meet the Genie, he says that he's been inside his lamp for 10,000 years.
Just a few moments later, he references the "third century".
Based on the style of the clothing in the film, it's been suggested that Aladdintook place in the 1300s, but the math behind Genie's statements paints a different picture.
Consider this:
In addition to the mathematics behind it all, Genie also seems to be familiar with technology from the current era.
The only possible explanation is that the movie is actually set in a post-apocalyptic world, and that Genie and a small group of humans (the people of Agrabah) survived. Which also explains why he knows about long lost technology and forgotten celebrities.
Outside of the original movie, there are moments in the official video games where we see more of this wasteland...
...and what many have suggested is an unexploded atomic bomb?
Hold on though, we're not done yet, there's even more evidence.
Look at Iago, who possesses humanlike intelligence and the ability to speak like a person. CLEARLY, he's the result of genetic modification and/or experimentation.
But it isn't just his intelligence, Iago also has superhero-like healing abilities. We see all of his feathers burnt off in one scene, and then the next time we see him, all of his feathers have regrown.
It looks like the nuclear radiation may have also affected Agrabah's supply of fish.
Now, consider the ending of Aladdin...
...Genie says he's leaving to travel the world, but returns about 15 minutes into the direct-to-DVD sequel.
He claims to have seen the world, and gives everyone clearly-out-of-their-time-period gifts. Obviously, Genie discovered that everything outside of Agrabah was a wasteland and created fake souvenirs to avoid questioning.
You might be thinking, well, the Genie is omnipotent. He can see the future and uses magic to create futuristic items. However, events in the film contradict this explanation.
The Genie had no idea Aladdin didn't intend to free him, and didn't know Aladdin was going to trick him out of a free wish by suggesting Genie couldn't get them out of the Cave of Wonders.
Like, his jaw literally dropped out of surprise.
When this theory is mentioned, a lot of fans also point to the things Aladdin and Jasmine see during their magic carpet ride to support the time period.
However, we again have more mathematical inconsistencies. First, experts suggest the Great Sphinx of Giza was built in 2,500 B.C. Second, it's practically impossible for them to have visited all of the locations we see in a single night.
It seems more likely that Genie (or another magical being) created these illusions for the couple to visit on their romantic carpet ride.
Now, one last thing to consider: The Genie's knowledge of technology and pop cultures seems to stop in the early '90s.
So based on the evidence, it can only be concluded that in the movie’s world there was a nuclear disaster in the year 1992, and that Aladdin actually takes place in the year 11,992.
