BACKGROUND
After struggling through the troubling times of the 1980s, Disney animators were having a much better time in the 1990s because this was the so-named Disney Renaissance Era, a time when animation as a medium was not just being seen as silly cartoons, but an artform in and of itself – and the Disney Studios were the catalyst for this change in public perception.
Aladdin was the third animated movie to be released during this era. It followed The Little Mermaid (1989), which had entertained people with its fairy-tale format and Broadway musical style, and Beauty and the Beast (1991), which went one step further and entranced viewers with its magically romantic story. Beauty and the Beast set new ground as it became the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
It was quite a time for the artists and the company as a whole, as they set higher and higher standards for themselves in terms of the animation, the music, and the story of each of their full-length feature animated releases.
Luckily, Aladdin did not disappoint, although it was not nominated for Best Picture. Instead, Aladdin surpassed Beauty and the Beast with its box-office takings, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1992, and setting opening records in some countries. It beat out such 1992 films as A Few Good Men, Batman Returns, and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
Aladdin and its characters continue to be popular to this day, with Princess Jasmine becoming one of the official Disney Princesses, and Jafar being a much-loved villain. Genie has always been a fan-favourite character, and “A Whole New World” is constantly being performed both in and outside of the Walt Disney Company. It has stood the test of time.
I have seen Aladdin so many times throughout my life. It’s one of those films that I revisit often just because I’ve liked it since I was little. It’s a typical Broadway-style Disney tale and those are the animated films I like the best. Disney’s version of Aladdin is likely to be most children’s introduction to the tale, although the story has been adapted for pantomimes and small theatre productions as well.
PLOT
The plot of the Disney movie begins with a small peddler trying to sell random products to the viewer, all of which either break or are not as he describes. Eventually, the man shows us a rusty old lamp, and tells us that this lamp once changed the course of a young man’s life and that others have sought to take it for themselves, taking us into the story. Some time ago, one night, a tall, evil-looking man finds the entrance to the Cave of Wonders, the area which houses the magic lamp. He orders a thief named Gazeem to go in after it, but the Cave, which has the face of a tiger, tells them that only one can enter the cave: a diamond in the rough. Gazeem is not this person and the Cave swallows him whole. The man is determined to find this one person so he can get his hands on the lamp.
We then meet Aladdin, an orphaned street urchin who is constantly dodging the city of Agrabah’s guards as he steals food for himself and his pet monkey, Abu. He dreams of living in the palace, with no worries, finally becoming someone worthy, but is constantly disrespected and ignored by society. On the other side of the city, we see Princess Jasmine, who lives in the palace with her father, the Sultan. He wishes that she marries a prince by her next birthday, but she wants to marry for love so is stubbornly rejecting every suitor her father presents to her. She hates life in the palace, feeling trapped and not in control.
One day, she decides to go into the marketplace dressed as a commoner to see what life is like – though Jasmine is still wearing her big gold earrings and a sapphire headband, so how she expected to blend in, I don’t know! Here, she meets Aladdin, and tells him part of her life story: that her father is forcing her to get married, but leaves out the part about being the princess. Aladdin tells Jasmine that his life is difficult but he tries to make the most of it. The two realise they have a lot in common and there is a spark between them.
As they about to kiss, Aladdin is captured by the guards and taken to the palace dungeon, under the illusion that he is being arrested for kidnapping Princess Jasmine. In actual fact, the Grand Vizier, Jafar, needs him to retrieve the lamp from inside the Cave of Wonders, as Aladdin is “the diamond in the rough”; he has worked this out by using magic and the Sultan’s diamond ring. The Sultan is regularly hypnotised by Jafar, using his cobra-shaped staff, to do things for Jafar. Aladdin agrees to go into the Cave of Wonders as Jafar, disguised as an old beggar, asks him to do. The deal is Aladdin gets the lamp for the beggar and then he will get a reward. The only rule, given by the Cave of Wonders himself, is to touch nothing but the lamp. Aladdin gets to the lamp, having made friends with a magic carpet on the way, but as he picks up the lamp, Abu, not having much self-control, being a monkey and all, picks up a large ruby. Though Abu replaces it when he is scolded by the Cave of Wonders, everything in the cave melts, and Aladdin and Abu must escape quickly; Magic Carpet helps them fly through the cave, but at the last moment, Carpet is hit by a rock and pinned to the ground. Aladdin and Abu are thrown at the entrance steps, but cannot get up. Jafar asks for the lamp; Aladdin hands it over, but instead of helping them out, Jafar attempts to stab Aladdin, to give him his “eternal reward”. Abu bites Jafar, who lets go of Aladdin. As he falls to the ground, Carpet wriggles free of the rock and catches him before he hits the ground. Jafar is about to leave, believing Aladdin to be dead and that everything has turned out great for him, but as he looks for the lamp in his cloak, he finds it’s gone!
In the dark cave, trapped underground, Aladdin tries to work out how they get out. Luckily, it turns out Abu stole the lamp. Aladdin takes it from him and rubs it to try and read the inscription written on it. A cloud of smoke starts to come out of the lamp. An all-powerful genie appears, telling Aladdin that he has been trapped in there for 10,000 years, but now works for him, and grants Aladdin three wishes. Again, there are more rules here, with those being the Genie can’t kill anyone, can’t make anyone fall in love, and can’t bring people back from the dead. Aladdin uses this to his advantage and tries to get a freebie; he says to the Genie that he can’t have much power if he’s limited by those three things and says he doubts the Genie can even get them out of the cave. Angry at Aladdin’s lack of trust, Genie takes Abu, Aladdin, and the Carpet out of the cave and to some random island.
Here, the Genie realises he was tricked. Annoyed for a minute, he soon calms down and asks Aladdin to make his first real wish. As Aladdin can’t ask the Genie to get Jasmine to fall in love with him, he decides to become a prince. After parading through the city on his way to the Sultan’s palace, showing off his riches and wealth, Aladdin, now Prince Ali, meets with the Sultan and asks to be introduced to his daughter, Jasmine. At the same time, Jafar has tried to convince the Sultan that the Grand Vizier is supposed to marry the princess if a suitable husband is not found within the correct timeframe. The Sultan would much rather have Jasmine marry Prince Ali so says he shall meet with Jasmine – except Jasmine hears all of this and angrily tells all three men that she is “not a prize to be won”.
The Genie says to Aladdin that he should just tell Jasmine the truth; he doesn’t but he does try to win her over. They go on a magic carpet ride all over the world, and Jasmine starts to like him. But she is suspicious and accuses him of being the boy she met in the marketplace. He says that he was, but that he is still a prince who sometimes dresses as a commoner to be normal, something he knows Jasmine will understand. Jasmine and Aladdin fall in love that night, but on Aladdin’s return, he is tied up and thrown into the sea by the guards to stop him interfering in Jafar’s plans. Luckily, the Genie’s lamp is in Aladdin’s hat and the Genie is called. He sees Aladdin drowning and saves him as the second wish.
Back at the palace, Jafar hypnotises the Sultan to tell Jasmine that Jafar will marry her. She is furious, saying she wants to marry Prince Ali. As Jafar is about to say Ali left Agrabah, Aladdin arrives to save the day. He smashes Jafar’s cobra staff, breaking the spell on the Sultan. The Sultan orders Jafar be arrested but he vanishes in a puff of smoke, but not before he sees that Ali has the lamp, now realising Ali must be that street rat, Aladdin.
As Aladdin wrestles with his conscience over the fact he is going to marry Jasmine because of a lie, he tells the Genie who cannot wish him free with his third wish as was agreed since he might need his help again. Understandably, the Genie is upset and retreats back into his lamp. Iago, Jafar’s sidekick parrot, throws his voice and pretends to be Jasmine to lure Aladdin away from his room so he can steal the lamp. Iago passes it to Jafar, the two hiding within their secret lair. The Genie is now under Jafar’s control.
Aladdin meets Jasmine as the Sultan is about to announce their impending marriage to the crowd, however, as Jafar’s first wish he wants to be sultan so the crowd scatters as the Sultan’s clothes are taken off him and the Genie moves the palace to higher ground. For his second wish, Jafar chooses to be the most powerful sorcerer in the world as he is not being accepted as Sultan. Now, Jafar makes the others bow to him and sends Aladdin to the ends of the world. Thankfully, the Magic Carpet was sent along with Aladdin and Abu so simply flies them back to Agrabah, away from that snowy, cold place.
At the palace, Jafar is making full use of his power and orders the Genie to make Jasmine fall in love with him, so she can be his “trophy wife”. The Genie is about to say that is something he cannot do, when Jasmine spots Aladdin in the palace. She pretends to be in love with Jafar as a distraction, but the kiss is a step too far and Aladdin is seen in the reflection of Jasmine’s crown. Jafar puts Jasmine in a full-size hourglass and uses his powers to battle Aladdin, at one point becoming a huge snake. Aladdin is caught but comes up with a new plan; he convinces Jafar that the Genie is more powerful than him, which makes Jafar consider things. Jafar decides to become a genie for his third and final wish, forgetting that that means being trapped in a lamp forever. Jafar grabs Iago as he is sucked into the lamp and the two are thrown into the Cave of Wonders by the Genie.
The Genie offers to make Aladdin a prince again, as he was revealed to be the street rat by Jafar and now is not allowed to marry Jasmine, but he refuses, instead doing as he promised and setting the Genie free. Genie gets ready to go off travelling and says goodbye to Aladdin, saying that he’ll always be a prince to him. This makes the Sultan realise that Aladdin is a worthy husband to Jasmine, prince or not, and that he’ll simply change the law, allowing Jasmine and Aladdin to marry. They are married shortly after and speed away on their magic carpet, as the Genie pops up from the bottom of the screen: “made you look”.
CHARACTERS & CAST
Aladdin is the hero of the story, but unlike previous fairy-tale Disney films, he is not a prince – and that’s the whole point. He’s meant to be an underdog figure in the movie. He spends most of the movie thinking that he needs wealth to be happy, and that he is not good enough or worthy of anything, which is one of the reasons he makes himself a prince, because then he thinks he’ll feel better about himself. Of course, he doesn’t, and when everything has gone wrong, and he has no-one to help him, Aladdin has to rely on himself to fix things, and he succeeds, proving he doesn’t need to be anyone but himself. That’s an important realisation that I think society has lost in today’s “social media age”.
Glen Keane was the key animator for Aladdin. Aladdin was redesigned a number of times, as they couldn’t figure out how tough, how tall, how handsome, how normal he should be. Disney didn’t want him to be the boring hero, or fall into the stereotypical look of a hero. Originally, he was meant to be quite small but Jeffrey Katzenberg, the chairman of Disney animation at the time, didn’t believe Jasmine would be with Aladdin if he looked like that. He was “too Michael J. Fox”, and “not enough Tom Cruise”, apparently. They figured out the right look for him in the end though, with Glen Keane saying that MC Hammer was even an inspiration for the design of Aladdin, especially with Aladdin’s trousers and his energetic movements during his scenes where he is running away from the guards.
Scott Weinger voices Aladdin. Weinger saw himself in the character at times, as he had recently moved to L.A. and felt like he was the underdog in a big, tough town, like Aladdin. He is good at communicating the vulnerability of the character. At the time, Weinger was appearing as Steve Hale in the sitcom Full House, which he did from 1991 to 1995. Since then, Weinger has continued to return to voice Aladdin in other Disney projects, and also returned as Dr. Steve Hale in the revival of Full House, named Fuller House (2016-20).
As for Jasmine, Disney wanted something new and fresh for the character, so she would stand apart from the other Disney princesses, who, at least back in the earlier days of the animation studio, had been relatively passive and just generally “sweet”. Animator Mark Henn actually used an old photo of his sister, Beth, as inspiration for the design of Jasmine. Linda Larkin, who voiced the character, wanted to make sure she brought something strong to Jasmine, to show that she is spirited and powerful, not a victim. I think Jasmine is a good character, and despite the recent critique she has had for “not having control of her future”, I think she does. Jasmine is not one to stand by and watch others decide her life for her. This is evident when she overhears Jafar, Aladdin, and the Sultan discussing her and she responds: “I am not a prize to be won.” Linda Larkin is most known for her continued commitment to the character of Jasmine, returning to voice her for Disney multiple times.
For the sidekicks, Abu, the monkey, was voiced by Frank Welker. Frank Welker has a long history of voice acting for Disney and non-Disney projects, with him voicing many animal characters. For Abu, Welker initially started by just making “monkey noises”, but then added in human emotion to the noises to make Abu seem more like he was aware of the action and emotion going on with the characters, unlike a regular monkey. In Aladdin, Welker also voices the deeply mysterious Cave of Wonders, as well as Jasmine’s docile pet tiger, Rajah, who is her only friend in the palace.
Another sidekick, the Magic Carpet was going to be completely computer-animated. Previously, Disney had just used the computer for backgrounds, like in The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast – or big action scenes, such as the escape from the Cave of Wonders in Aladdin – so a whole computer-animated character would’ve been ground-breaking. However, they tried this and it made the carpet look too “computer-like”, so they drew the carpet by hand, including human-like movements to make it seem playful and emotive. Then, they decided to layer a texture to the carpet via the computer to give it an authentic feel. The design of the carpet includes elements of the film’s storyline, instead of being a truly authentic Middle Eastern-style rug.
Now for the “sidekick” who became the central focus of Aladdin for many. The Genie was voiced by legendary actor and comedian Robin Williams, who died tragically in 2014, gone from the world much too soon. Genie is perhaps his most iconic and popular movie role; it certainly widened his audience anyway. Contrary to belief, Genie was not Williams’ first animated voice role as he had voiced the character of Batty Koda for FernGully: The Last Rainforest, released in April 1992, seven months before the release of Aladdin.
Robin Williams was always the person Disney had in mind to play Genie, as he was not only known in the 80s and 90s for his comedy, but also for his dramatic roles. These included the hugely successful sitcom Mork & Mindy (1978-82), where Williams played the alien Mork, and then the more serious Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) and Dead Poets Society (1989), where on both occasions he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. Jeffrey Katzenberg did not believe Williams would agree, as most famous actors would not go near animated films at the time, however, Eric Goldberg, the animator for Genie, went to one of Robin Williams’ stand-up shows and sketched some visualisations of his jokes to show Williams to convince him to voice Genie. He was impressed and agreed.
Robin Williams gave so much to his role that Disney had extensive amounts of footage, impressions, and improvisation to cut down. From watching the film, you can see how much fun he had with the character. Scott Weinger got to record some of his lines with Genie, including the scene on Jasmine’s balcony where Genie is a bee, and spent most of his time trying very hard not to laugh. Disney loved Williams’ comedic moments, but they were also pleased with his sincere emotional scenes. The artistic style of Al Hirschfeld was used as inspiration for the design of Genie, as his style captured dynamic energy well. One shape would lead into another, which worked perfectly for Genie and his shape-shifting, getting the pose to fit the essence of the personality being impersonated.
Jafar is the villain of the piece, and he is my third-favourite Disney villain. I particularly like his voice, which sounds both menacing and eloquent. Disney wanted Jafar to sound refined, as though he had spent his childhood in boarding schools, ignored by his parents so he ended up “misunderstood”. This general idea was put into a deleted song for Jafar called “Why Me?”, which would’ve taken place during his actual song “Prince Ali (Reprise)”. I listened to “Why Me?” and didn’t like it. It sounded too much like he was whining about his life. I prefer villains’ backgrounds not be specifically stated to the audience; it’s much better to think they are just evil for no reason than to make them too normal and relatable. Jafar was designed by animator Andreas Deja, who took a while to come up with the final design, as some of his initial sketches made Jafar look too silly or cartoon-y. He ended up combining the best parts of a few of those, like the idea for his wide mouth, and his pointy shoulders and cloak. In contrast to the swirly, free lines of Genie, Jafar is drawn with straight, deliberate lines to match his strict character. Jonathan Freeman, who voices Jafar, put on an oily, sneery voice for Jafar. Freeman is another one of this voice cast who has returned to Disney to voice Jafar, and for the Aladdin musical, he even played the role of Jafar in the original Broadway production, not departing the cast until January 2022.
Jafar’s sidekick Iago, the fast-talking, manic parrot, was voiced by Gilbert Gottfried, with his easily distinguishable voice! Iago was originally going to be a stuffy butler-type sidekick, but the character was changed when Gottfried came on to the project. Gottfried spent much of his recording time improvising and ad-libbing[1]. The look of Iago was inspired by animator Will Finn’s pet cockatoo, who alternated between moments of quiet and then loudness. Gottfried began his career as a stand-up comedian, before moving into film roles. Some of these earlier credits include Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) as Sidney Bernstein, and the 1990 film Problem Child and its 1991 sequel as Mr. Peabody; these also starred John Ritter. Gottfried continued to voice Iago for Disney, and voiced Berkeley Beetle in the Don Bluth film Thumbelina (1994). In 1994, he also had a small role as Burt Banner in Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas. Gilbert Gottfried continued to appear in television and film projects throughout his life. Gilbert Gottfried passed away in April 2022. Also, very sad and gone too soon, like Robin Williams.
PRODUCTION
The original story for Aladdin comes from one of the tales included in One Thousand and One Nights, or Arabian Nights as it is generally known in English, a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales. The text was first translated from Arabic in the 1700s by Frenchman Antoine Galland, increasing its popularity and bringing further translations to the West. It has been said in recent years that Galland added “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp” to the collection, as it was not an original Middle Eastern tale, after hearing the story from a Syrian man called Diyab. He told Galland this story as well as others such as “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves” which was also not an original story. These stories made it into Galland’s translation of the One Thousand and One Nights, which was completed in 1717. It is unclear where Diyab first heard the story, and it is debated whether it is based on a real person or not[2].
There are a few differences between the original tale and the Disney film, as there normally are. Mostly notably, Aladdin was not an orphan; his father had died, but his mother was still alive, and played a big role in the story as she gave Aladdin the motivation to make something of himself. The Grand Vizier is not the villain of the story either; he wants the princess to marry his son, but a sorcerer is the real villain, who tricks Aladdin into retrieving a lamp but traps him in the cave instead – as Jafar does, so I guess Jafar is a combination of the two characters. There were also two genies – one from a ring that Aladdin has who frees him from the cave, and the other from the lamp. There were also no magic carpets, and no desire for Genie to be free at the end. That was an American value put onto the character by Disney, to give him more of an emotional arc, I suppose. Disney added the three-wish limit[3].
It wasn’t until 1924 that Hollywood first adapted the story for screen. This was the silent film The Thief of Baghdad, which was then remade several times, including in the Technicolor 1940 film of the same name. Even Disney took some inspiration from this story as they made the short film Mickey in Arabia, which starred Mickey Mouse, voiced by Walt Disney, and Minnie Mouse. It was released in 1932. Then, in 1992, we got an animated film[4].
Aladdin was in production at a time when the Disney Studios were booming, with the surprise success of Beauty and the Beast, which was up for the Academy Award for Best Picture during production on Aladdin, being a huge milestone. It was a time when Disney were commissioning lots of new projects, including the Beauty and the Beast Broadway musical production, which began in 1994, A Goofy Movie (1995), and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), and their theme parks were pushing for more. The animators were working flat out and struggling with their workloads and deadlines.
Ron Clements and John Musker, directors of The Great Mouse Detective (1986) and The Little Mermaid (1989), joined production on Aladdin, writing a draft of the screenplay and screening an early version of the film for Jeffrey Katzenberg in April 1991. They were concerned as nobody liked it, including Katzenberg, and thought the movie would be cancelled. Instead, on a day to be known as “Black Friday”, Katzenberg demanded that the whole film be reworked and rewritten but still needed to be kept to the schedule date of November 1992. There was incredible pressure. They had eight days to restructure the film, and basically work out an entire new story. Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio were brought in as writers. Changes were made, such as Aladdin’s mother being removed from the film. It came together quickly, and the new outline was pitched to Katzenberg who said to go with that[5].
To authentically represent the location and time period of Aladdin, this being a movie set in the Middle East around the 15th century, some of the Disney team visited ancient sites in countries like Iran to find architectural and cultural details that could be used in the animation of the film. Some of these included the onion-domed buildings, which we see as the Sultan’s palace in the film, as well as the recurring designs that resemble calligraphy brush strokes. They also looked at colour palettes carefully for the film, finding that blue matches the colour of water, a life-source especially in desert areas, so the heroes of Aladdin are depicted in blue, or similar “cool” colours, whereas the villains are “hot” colours like red and black[6]. Another example of this is the Sultan’s palace, which is quite open and airy, full of egg-shaped columns, however, when it becomes Sultan Jafar’s palace, it turns into this dark place with straight columns, almost resembling a dungeon, like his secret lair.
MUSIC
Since Disney had now become known for their Broadway-style musical soundtracks after the successes of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, there was pressure on the songwriting team of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman to deliver for Aladdin. Sadly, Howard Ashman died in March 1991 so was not able to complete his work with Menken on this film as he had with their two previous films. Lyricist Tim Rice, who had collaborated with Andrew Lloyd Webber on various stage musicals, was brought in to finish the music with Menken. Rice would go on to work with Elton John on the music for The Lion King (1994) and work on additional music for the Broadway musical of Beauty and the Beast in 1994. Some of Ashman’s original songs were cut from the film when the story changed.
The three songs that Ashman and Menken wrote for Aladdin and made it into the film are “Arabian Nights”, performed by Bruce Adler as the peddler, and “Friend Like Me” and “Prince Ali” performed by Robin Williams as the Genie. “Arabian Nights” is a good song to set the scene of the film. The song was extended and, for me, much improved as the opening song of the Aladdin musical, where it is performed by the Genie, but it’s ok here.
The two show-stopping numbers “Friend Like Me” and “Prince Ali” are fan-favourite songs from Aladdin, though I believe it is Robin Williams’ performance that actually makes these songs so popular with viewers! He has a lot of fun with his comedic impressions here. Of the two, I prefer “Prince Ali” but that’s probably because “Friend Like Me” is always being used by Disney in compilation albums and theme park shows so I think I’ve overheard it!
Tim Rice came in and wrote the lyrics for the songs “One Jump Ahead” and its reprise, “Prince Ali (Reprise)”, and “A Whole New World”. “One Jump Ahead” is performed by Brad Kane, singing as Aladdin instead of voice actor Scott Weinger. Kane continued to provide the singing voice for Aladdin in the two Aladdin sequels that followed the 1992 film. Though “One Jump Ahead” has some funny moments as Aladdin is running from the guards in the marketplace, such as his random and contrasting interactions with the women in the area, it’s not the best song for me. I do quite like the reprise though, as Aladdin wishes people wouldn’t just seem hims as a “street rat”. It’s a quiet, reflective song, which brings us closer to Aladdin as we find out just what he’s looking for in life.
“A Whole New World” is the big love ballad of Aladdin, performed by Brad Kane as Aladdin, and Lea Salonga as Jasmine, not Linda Larkin, her voice actor. Lea Salonga originated the role of Kim in the debut production of Miss Saigon in London in 1989, for which she won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Salonga then went on to star as Kim in the Broadway production of the show in 1991. She also returned to Disney to sing for the character of Mulan in their 1998 film. I like the song in the movie, however, this is the only version I like. Many singers and celebrities have since sung this song, with some being better than others. Again, this has led to me “overhearing” the song and not liking it so much anymore. Singers Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle recorded a pop version of the song for Aladdin’s end credits. This version topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1993 for one week, replacing Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”, and was the first song from a Disney animated film to top the US Billboard Hot 100.
“Prince Ali (Reprise)” is my favourite song in the soundtrack as it is Jafar’s villain’s song, performed by Jonathan Freeman. It shows Jafar using his power to destroy all of Aladdin’s dreams and he begins to go mad with power. It’s a short song, just over a minute, but it fully demonstrates just what lengths Jafar is willing to go to to get what he wants.
For Menken’s score, “Happy End in Agrabah” is a highlight for me, and is another one of Menken’s brilliant finale pieces. It moves you through so many emotions: triumph that Jafar has been bested; sadness that Aladdin and Jasmine can’t be together; happiness that Aladdin finally freed the Genie; and then more happiness when the Sultan allows Aladdin and Jasmine to marry. It’s a real rollercoaster and all in about four minutes!
The Aladdin soundtrack won numerous awards, including Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “A Whole New World” at the Academy Awards, where “Friend Like Me” was also nominated, and then two Golden Globes in the same categories. “Friend Like Me” and “Prince Ali” were also nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globes that year. “A Whole New World” won three Grammy Awards: one for Song of the Year, making it the first and only Disney song to win in this category so far; Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals; and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television. The soundtrack also won two Grammy Awards: Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media and Best Musical Album for Children.
RECEPTION
Aladdin did incredibly well on its release in November 1992, partly thanks to a good promotional campaign. After eight weeks, Aladdin became the most successful animated Disney film at the US box office, overtaking Beauty and the Beast. The Lion King (1994) would overtake Aladdin on its release two years later though. Worldwide, Aladdin grossed over $500 million and was the most successful film of 1992. Aladdin also won the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature, and Best Fantasy Film at the Saturn Awards. Scott Weinger and Robin Williams also won awards at the Saturn Awards for their performances as Aladdin and Genie. Robin Williams received the award for Best Comedic Performance at the MTV Movie Awards.
Though many reviews were positive, some were mixed, especially when comparing Aladdin to Disney’s previous two releases. Despite the soundtrack’s huge success, some did not find the music as good as the two previous films, and I would have to agree with this. Others said that the story was exciting, but that the Genie was really the highlight of the film. Many reviewers also criticised Disney’s Aladdin for their perpetuation of Middle Eastern and Asian stereotypes. This was further highlighted by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, who said that Aladdin and Jasmine have Anglicised features, basically “whitewashing” them, whereas the villains of the piece, like Jafar and the street merchants have hugely exaggerated “Arabic” features. The merchants are the only characters to have Arabic accents, whereas the main characters all have American accents. None of the voice actors were from the Middle East either. Disney defended their choices as it was rare for a film to feature an Arab hero and heroine, and to tell an Arabic story[7].
Another big problem was with one of the lyrics in “Arabian Nights”, which Disney did agree to alter after its initial theatrical release, for the 1993 video release: “Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face/it’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.”[8] I have never heard this lyric but it is truly awful and has no business being in any film, especially as it was meant for comedic effect. Disney did change it, admitting their mistake.
Because of the harmful depictions that appeared in the 1992 animated version of Aladdin, it was all the more important that these issues were highlighted and resolved for the 2019 live-action remake of the film, which was directed by Guy Ritchie, and starred Will Smith as the Genie. Although some casting choices were not considered “perfect”, such as Naomi Scott, who is a British Indian actress and not of Middle Eastern heritage, being chosen for the part of Jasmine, and a story breaking that white extras were being given make-up to change their skin tones, the diversity of the casting was much better than that of the 1992 film, with Egyptian-Canadian actor Mena Massoud taking up the main role. The Aladdin story as a whole is seen to be rooted in racism, given its unknown beginnings, and the difficult global political arena did not help the release of the 2019 film. Because of Aladdin’s standings as a quintessential Disney Renaissance Era movie, Aladdin (2019) did do very well at the box-office, though the film received mixed reviews, which is unsurprising due to the controversy surrounding the whole story. Many did like the greater characters arcs that were written for the characters of Jasmine and Genie in this film though[9].
I do think Disney are trying to be more progressive these days, though it can be difficult to be as forward-thinking when they have a mix of audiences, and a reputation for “wholesome family entertainment”. It’s not easy to please everyone, and it’s impossible to make a film that matches everyone’s views.
However, there was another controversy around the release of the original 1992 film, this time around the Genie. Supposedly, Robin Williams, after filming Spielberg’s Hook (1991) was tired and did not want to be the Genie in Aladdin, but as Jeffrey Katzenberg had asked him to take the role, and Katzenberg had cast Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society (1989), Williams felt he “owed” him. The part of the Genie was written specifically for him, with Clements and Musker desperately wanting him in the film. Williams also had some previous dealings with Disney Animation having been cast in Back to Neverland (1989), a featurette made for The Magic of Disney Animation pavilion at Disney-MGM Studios. As a tribute to this featurette, the yellow Hawaiian shirt that the Genie wears at the end of Aladdin is the same one that Robin Williams wore in that featurette.
After some persuasion, Robin Williams agreed to voice the Genie – but with some conditions. One of these was that neither Williams nor the Genie, who at the time was only a small supporting role in the film, could be used on any promotional materials for the film, so as not to conflict with Robin Williams other film of 1992, the live-action film Toys, which was being directed by Barry Levinson. Levinson had directed Williams in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) and had spent fifteen years trying to make Toys, so Williams knew how important it was to him. Katzenberg agreed to Williams’ condition.
When the Genie turned out to be a big hit with test audiences, this condition was re-negotiated and Williams allowed for Genie to take up around 25% of promotional materials, but could not present the character as the “star of the film”. This turned out not to be the case and Williams was furious, demanding that posters showing solely the Genie be removed. Some were removed, around 300 in total from the Los Angeles area, but others remained across the country.
Toys did not do well at the box-office that year when it was released in December 1992, and Robin Williams partially blamed Disney for this, having heavily promoted him as the star role in Aladdin. Robin Williams was quite vocal in his distrust of the Walt Disney Company after the release of Aladdin, and despite Katzenberg trying to make amends, Williams stated that he would never work for Disney again, refusing to read any scripts sent.
Robin Williams was true to his word and did not return to voice Genie in the first direct-to-video sequel for Aladdin, the 1994 film The Return of Jafar. Instead, Dan Castellaneta, voice of Homer Simpson in The Simpsons franchise, came on to voice the Genie, and continued to voice the Genie in the subsequent animated television series, Aladdin: The Series (1994-95), despite many of the original voice actors returning.
In October 1994, Jeffrey Katzenberg left Disney and went to DreamWorks. He was replaced with Joe Roth, who had been in charge of film production at 20th Century Fox. Roth had green-lit Robin Williams’ film Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). In 1996, to try to convince Robin Williams to take the role in the Disney-linked comedy Jack (1996), which I actually really like, Joe Roth apologised to Williams in a press conference, and then offered a public apology. Robin Williams agreed to star in Jack, and then agreed to voice the Genie again in the second direct-to-video sequel, Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996). Williams continued to appear in movies for Disney after that, including Good Will Hunting (1997), produced for subsidiary Miramax Pictures, for which he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. This only went on until 2000, when Joe Roth left the company and another controversy, this time around the film The Bicentennial Man (1999), arose[10].
LEGACY
Alongside the direct-to-video sequels, the animated television series, and the 2019 live-action remake, Aladdin also became a Broadway musical. The stage musical premiered in July 2011 in Seattle, and was tested in other US cities, before making its Broadway debut in February 2014 at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Some changes were made, such as adding in the characters of Babkak, Omar, and Kassim, Aladdin’s friends who were originally meant to be in the 1992 film but were replaced with Abu, and Iago is a human, not a parrot. Rajah was also replaced with human handmaidens, Jasmine’s friends. Other changes to the plot and characters were also made. Additional music was of course written for the musical, but other deleted songs by Ashman and Menken were re-introduced in the musical. These included the songs “Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Kassim”, a very fun song, “High Adventure” and “Proud of Your Boy”. Since its 2014 Broadway debut, the musical Aladdin has been staged all over the world, in countries such as the UK, Japan and Germany.
Aladdin was the first animated movie to gross over $200 million in the US and Canada, and it led to a lot of synergy in the Disney theme parks, with the parades and eventual attractions that would come from the film. To promote the film, a short parade named Aladdin’s Royal Caravan debuted at Disney-MGM Studios in 1992 and ran until 1995, consisting of dancers, characters from the movie, and even a 32-foot-tall Genie float. It was then replaced with a parade for Toy Story (1995). These parades were quite standard for Disney theme parks, especially in the US in the 1990s, in order to market upcoming movies, and were normally very similar park-to-park. Aladdin’s Royal Caravan debuted at Disneyland in 1993 and ran until 1994 when it was replaced with a new promotional parade for The Lion King (1994). Disneyland Paris seemed to run Aladdin’s Royal Caravan as well, debuting around 1993, but when it ended is unclear.
Going park-to-park, because there are quite a few Aladdin references at the Disney theme parks, let’s start with Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. At the Magic Kingdom, in the Adventureland area, there is a ride called The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, which opened in 2001. It is a similar concept to the Dumbo ride, whereby guests sit in magic carpets and can control how high or low they go. One difference at The Magic Carpets of Aladdin is that guests sat in the back row, as the carpets can sit four people, can tip the carpet back and forth, whereas only those in the front row control the height. Also at Adventureland, there is a permanent meet-and-greet location for Aladdin and Jasmine near their ride. Also at Magic Kingdom, as part of the Mickey’s PhilarMagic 3D show, there is a scene showing Aladdin and Jasmine singing “A Whole New World”. At Epcot, you can meet Jasmine at the Morocco pavilion in World Showcase, and at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Jafar and Aladdin both feature in the nighttime show Fantasmic! A now-closed attraction that referenced Aladdin at Walt Disney World was DisneyQuest, which began with invisible host Genie taking guests into the building via the magical elevator. Inside were five levels of interactive games, with one of these being the virtual reality game Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride. I remember trying this once but I was terrible at it! At Magic Kingdom, between 1998 and 2011, The Enchanted Tiki Room – Under New Management show ran, which was hosted by Zazu from The Lion King and Iago from Aladdin. A fire in 2011 caused the show to be closed and has now been replaced with Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room.
At Disneyland, there are two figures of Aladdin and Jasmine that appear in the it’s a small world attraction, and Agrabah and the Cave of Wonders feature as miniature lands on the Storybook Land Canal Boats and are also visible from the Casey Jr. Circus Train route. During Disneyland’s version of Fantasmic!, Aladdin and Jasmine sing “A Whole New World” whilst on a mechanical carpet, as locations from around the globe appear on water behind them. Also, from 2003 until 2016, Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular ran at the Hyperion Theater in Disney’s California Adventure. This was replaced by Frozen – Live at the Hyperion, however a version of this Aladdin show still exists on the Disney Cruise Line. Let’s also not forget that the two US parks’ Fastpass service is named after Genie.
At Disneyland Paris, there is a walkthrough attraction showing miniature scenes from the movie called Le Passage Enchanté d’Aladdin. There is also a buffet-style restaurant named Restaurant Agrabah Café in Adventureland. The Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride also exists here but under the name Les Tapis Volants, opening in 2002, as does the Mickey’s PhilarMagic show and scene. Paris’ version of the Storybook Land Canal Boats, Le Pays des Contes de Fées, takes guests through the open mouth of the Cave of Wonders and into the cave. The character of Genie appears in the Mickey and the Magician stage show.
At Shanghai Disneyland, guests go past an impressive fountain display of Aladdin, Abu, and Genie, the scene representing Aladdin in the Voyage to the Crystal Grotto boat ride. At Hong Kong Disneyland, characters from Aladdin appear in the Mickey and the Wondrous Book show, and the figures for Aladdin and Jasmine are in their it’s a small world attraction. The scene in Mickey’s PhilarMagic also exist here. At the permanent meet-and-greet location, Meet Disney Friends at Karibuni Marketplace, you may get to meet Jasmine and Genie, though they may not always be present there.
At Tokyo Disneyland, there is an Aladdin section in their nighttime parade, Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: Dreamlights. This is basically an updated version of the much-loved Main Street Electrical Parade. There is also a whole area of Tokyo DisneySea dedicated to Aladdin and other stories from the Arabian Nights: the Arabian Coast area. This area includes the rides Jasmine’s Flying Carpets and the Caravan Carousel, as well as restaurants and shops themed to Aladdin, such as Sultan’s Oasis and Abu’s Bazaar. There is also a 3D magic show which involves the Genie at The Magic Lamp Theater.
Though some Disney Parks have dedicated Aladdin character meet-and-greet locations, others do not, however, many Aladdin characters have been spotted in recent years. For example, at Tokyo Disneyland, it seems Jasmine and Aladdin are most likely to be seen either at the Arabian Coast or in Fantasyland. At Hong Kong Disneyland, Jasmine and Jafar have been the most recently spotted characters, and at Shanghai Disneyland, it is possible that Jasmine will meet guests around the castle along with the other princesses. At Disneyland Paris, all five characters – Jafar, Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, and Genie – have been seen before, and at Disneyland, Genie, Aladdin, and Jasmine were all seen together in 2023, and Jafar was a part of the Oogie Boogie Bash Halloween event and featured in the Frightfully Fun Parade. At Walt Disney World, Jafar is a regular in the Boo-to-You Halloween parade, and Genie and Abu have been seen at Special Events, alongside the permanent Aladdin and Jasmine meet-and-greets. Jafar is most likely to be at any park around Halloween, and Jasmine may be present at any Disney Princess character restaurants.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Though Aladdin wasn’t reviewed as well as Beauty and the Beast, it did still do very well. Some critics claimed that the film did well because of the Genie, and that he was the only character who was memorable; I would debate that. Despite the struggle in the initial production, Aladdin continues to be one of the most remembered animated Disney films for its exciting story and compelling characters, all of which have merit and are routinely highlighted at the Disney theme parks and within merchandising.
Aladdin is just as popular as ever with both children and adults today. It is still one of my favourites that I will always go back to and rewatch without tiring of.
REFERENCES
[1] Credit: Disney, Diamond in the Rough: The Making of Aladdin (2004).
[2] Credit: Olivia B. Waxman, ‘Was Aladdin Based on a Real Person? Here’s Why Scholars Are Starting to Think So’, Time (online), 23rd May 2019.
[3] Credit: Caryn Robbins, ‘From Fable to Stage to Film – A Magic Carpet Ride Through the History of ALADDIN’, BroadwayWorld.com, 26th August 2017.
[4] Credit: Disney, The Making of Aladdin: A Whole New World (1992).
[5] Credit: Josh Spiegel, ‘1992’s ‘Aladdin’ Barely Got Made – And It Only Proved How Unstoppable Disney Animation Had Become’, SlashFilm.com, 16th July 2019.
[6] Credit: Jim Fanning, The Disney Book: A Celebration of the World of Disney (2016), ‘A Whole New World’, pp. 82-83.
[7] Credit: Sophia Smith Galer, ‘The Aladdin controversy Disney can’t escape’, BBC News (online), 14th July 2017.
[8] Credit: Josh Spiegel, ‘1992’s ‘Aladdin’ Barely Got Made – And It Only Proved How Unstoppable Disney Animation Had Become’, SlashFilm.com, 16th July 2019.
[9] Credit: Aja Romano, ‘The fraught cultural politics of Disney’s new Aladdin remake’, Vox.com, 28th May 2019.
[10] Credit: Jim Korkis, The Vault of Walt 10: Final Edition (2021), ‘Robin Williams at Disney’, pp. 83-99.
The Disney Purist 