Why does Carpet act like he doesn't know Genie when they first meet?
In Disney's Aladdin, after Aladdin, Abu, and Carpet had just been trapped in the cave, Abu reveals that he stole the lamp back from Jafar. Aladdin tries to read an inscription on the lamp, and Carpet hops over to look at it with curiosity, leaning in to read the text as well (as if Carpet hadn't seen the lamp before). Carpet is surprised by the lamp moving on its own, and after smoke comes shooting out of it, whisks Abu to safety, hiding and peeking out from behind a rock. After the Genie appears and starts talking to them, Carpet also seems to be as confused as Aladdin.
A short time later, the Genie says "Yo, Rug Man! Haven't seen you in a few millennia, give me some tassel!", and the two perform a choreographed handshake, revealing that they know each other (supposedly from ten thousand years ago). Carpet goes for this handshake without hesitation, and clearly knew how to perform it, so Carpet must've done it at least a couple times before.
Clearly Carpet knew the Genie, and had interacted with him several times in the past, so why did he seem to not know about the lamp, and why was he surprised by the Genie's appearance?
Best Answer
This is Disney. It's a Children's movie, albeit enjoyed by adults. I think it would have been confusing to children to have Carpet know who Genie was, or for Carpet to act differently than the rest of the characters prior to (and immediately after) Genie's appearance. By all the characters on screen acting surprised together, it sends a unified message of surprise to the viewer. I'm sure this was the desired result. Then, having Genie interact with one of the characters, it immediately brings Genie into the "circle of friends" established as the main protagonists.
Pictures about "Why does Carpet act like he doesn't know Genie when they first meet?"
Why can Aladdin touch the magic carpet?
The carpet was not a piece of the "forbidden treasure". As a living being, the carpet was a prisoner of the cave, just like Aladdin and Abu. The carpet doesn't touch the treasure, because somehow it knows what will happen.Is the magic carpet a boy or girl?
Magic CarpetFirst appearanceAladdin (1992)Created byRandy CartwrightAliasCarpetGenderGenderless (referred to with masculine pronouns)Does the magic carpet have a name?
Character informationThe Magic Carpet (better known as just Carpet) is a supporting character in Disney's 1992 animated feature film, Aladdin. He is a sentient Persian carpet whom Aladdin befriends while traversing the Cave of Wonders.Why is Genie not free in Return of Jafar?
For The Return of Jafar, Williams was replaced as the voice of Genie by Dan Castellaneta (The Simpsons) because of a fallout he had with Disney. When Williams originally agreed to voice Genie, he reportedly came to an agreement with Disney that his voice couldn't be used to sell merchandise.If He DOESN'T VALUE YOU, Do This To Get Him To CHANGE! | Matthew Hussey
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: FWStudio, George Milton, Alexander Zvir, cottonbro