1. BACKGROUND
2. PLOT
3. CHARACTERS & CAST
4. MUSIC
5. PRODUCTION
6. RECEPTION
7. LEGACY
8. FINAL THOUGHTS
9. REFERENCES

BACKGROUND

Thirteen years after the surprise success of The Rescuers in 1977 came Disney’s first theatrically-released animated full-length sequel, The Rescuers Down Under.

In that time, there had been only five other animated movies made and released by Disney Animation. The Rescuers Down Under was “lucky enough” to be sandwiched between two major successes within Disney’s “Renaissance Era”: The Little Mermaid (1989) and Beauty and the Beast (1991).

The late 1980s and 1990s were an exciting time for the Disney company. Their theme park division was going strong, the new management that came in to the company in the mid-1980s were settling in, and after The Little Mermaid, it seemed like the Disney animation department was finally back on track. Or was it?

The Rescuers Down Under didn’t end up being a huge success and sadly it was seen as a bit of a zit on the face of the Disney “Renaissance Era”. And one that couldn’t be covered up easily and forgotten, because it was a hugely expensive movie to make, because it was the first Disney feature film to be made entirely using CAPS – Computer Animation Production System – which was quite a feat, because not only was the technology in its infancy at this time, but that no more than a few short sequences had been made using CAPS before, nothing even close to a full-length film.

Despite pushing boundaries in this way, the risk ultimately did not pay off. The movie did not make money at the time of its release. Just because it was a sequel to The Rescuers, its success should never have been guaranteed. Although many enjoyed some of the sequences within the film, which are indeed very impressive, for multiple reasons, it did not make the impact that was hoped for.

I didn’t think I liked The Rescuers Down Under. I hadn’t watched it in years, but as a child I must have preferred The Rescuers Down Under to the original, because on re-watching it, the scenes all felt very familiar, so we must have watched the video many times! I am pleased to say that, actually, I do still like The Rescuers Down Under, though not as much as The Rescuers. Having said that, it’s not fair to compare them as the films are very different and The Rescuers Down Under could almost stand-alone without its predecessor.

PLOT

Much like The Rescuers, The Rescuers Down Under follows the same idea: that the Rescue Aid Society receives a call for help about a child, and their mice agents are sent to rescue them from whatever danger they are in. This, however, doesn’t happen until about fifteen minutes in to the movie, unlike The Rescuers where we are introduced to the society almost right away. Instead, The Rescuers Down Under starts with an impressive opening sequence, following a boy called Cody, living in the Australian Outback with his mother. Cody spends much of his time outside with the wildlife. He is told by a kangaroo – he can communicate with animals, just go with it – that a golden eagle is trapped up on a mountain, caught in a poacher’s net.

Cody climbs the mountain ridge and frees the eagle, who then takes Cody on a glorious flight through the clouds, over rivers, and through the forest, before showing him her nest of three eggs. Cody understands the importance of keeping the eagle, called Marahute, safe from poachers. On his way home, Cody goes to save a mouse from another trap – Disney theme park fans might recognise this mouse’s voice; it is Billy Barty, voice of Figment in the Journey into Imagination attraction – but ends up falling into a hidden pit, dug by a poacher. The poacher, Percival C. McLeach, comes to retrieve his find, only to find a boy. He helps the boy out, who threatens to tell the rangers about his poaching activities, but he is about to let Cody go, when his sidekick, Joanna, a goanna, finds an eagle feather in Cody’s backpack. McLeach, having already killed the mate, wants to find this eagle, and kidnaps Cody, because he refuses to tell McLeach of her location, throwing his backpack into the nearby crocodile pit, so that the rangers will think he fell in and was presumably eaten alive.

Only now, thanks to the mouse that Cody saved, do we get to see the Rescue Aid Society again. An SOS signal is relayed across multiple countries until it finds its way to New York City, where an emergency meeting is held by the Rescue Aid Society. The two agents the Chairman wants to send, Bernard and Bianca, are out at dinner, at a fancy restaurant, where Bernard is trying to propose to Bianca. But before he can, the two are summoned to the society headquarters and immediately sent to Australia. They find that Wilbur has taken over Albatross Air from his brother Orville, who took them to Devil’s Bayou in the previous film, and convinces him to fly them to Australia, despite there being a snow storm in New York. Eventually, they get to the Australian Outback. All three have to transfer to a “bigger bird” at one point, actually a commercial jet where they hide in the cargo hold, only to dive out of it at Sydney and continue their flight to Mugwomp Flats. There, they meet Jake, a hopping mouse and a regional agent for the Rescue Aid Society who volunteers to be their guide and to help on their mission. Meanwhile, Wilbur is taken to a dodgy-looking mouse hospital, with an overzealous surgeon, after he hurts his back during landing.  

From this point on, Bernard, Bianca and Jake traverse the Australian landscape, riding on snakes, and fireflies, on their way to find Cody. Jake flirts with Bianca right in front of Bernard, halting all of his attempts at proposing. Cody’s mother is told by rangers that he is presumed dead, but in reality, McLeach has locked Cody in a cage with his other animal finds, waiting for Cody to reveal the location of the eagle. Instead, Cody tries to free the animals but after a few attempts are thwarted by Joanna, McLeach has his own plan and “releases” Cody, telling him that the eagle has been killed by another poacher, so he has no use for Cody anymore. This is a trick by McLeach, as he knows Cody will go straight to the nest, as he believes the eggs have no mother now, so McLeach can follow him to the location. Bernard, Bianca, and Jake manage to find Cody at McLeach’s hideout just in time to hitch a ride on McLeach’s truck as he follows Cody to the eagle. The mice try to warn Cody, but it’s too late, and they are captured, including Marahute – except Bernard, who ends up separated from the group.

Wilbur manages to escape his medical team and finds Bernard, who instructs Wilbur to sit on the eagle eggs to keep them warm. The eggs were about to be eaten by Joanna, however, Bernard’s quick thinking meant he swapped the real eggs out for rocks. Bernard goes after McLeach, riding on a pig to get there quickly. Cody is being dangled over the crocodile pit, about to be dropped into the water, when Bernard cuts the power to the crane Cody is dangling from. McLeach resorts to shooting through the rope with his gun. Luckily, Bernard tricks Joanna into pushing McLeach into the water, and they both fall in, McLeach fighting off the crocodiles but ultimately falling to his death down the waterfall. Joanna swims to a rock and is unharmed.

Cody, at this point, has also fallen in as the rope has snapped, so Bernard goes in after him. Fortunately, Jake and Bianca have managed to free Marahute, and the eagle catches the two of them on her back as they cascade down the waterfall, saving them, and reuniting the whole team for a night-time flight over Australia, with Bernard finally proposing to Bianca to top off the happy ending. A final scene shows Wilbur still left on the nest, and the eggs hatch just as he is about to fly off.

CHARACTERS & CAST

Although Cody’s rescue is the central point of The Rescuers Down Under, surprisingly, Cody doesn’t need all that much help from Bianca and Bernard. He’s independent, and clearly knows his way around the Australian Outback. He’s not scared of anyone, so compared to Penny from the first film, he is much less likely to need, or want, help from Bernard and Bianca like she did. He is also a few years older than Penny. Cody is very brave, and clearly cares a lot about animals and conservation, judging by the number of times he risks his life to save others. Originally, the team working on the film were inspired by the aboriginal culture in Australia and wanted Cody to be an aboriginal. Jeffrey Katzenberg did not agree to this idea, as he was concerned it would decrease their chances at the box office. There was meant to be a dream sequence themed around aboriginal cave paintings too, but this idea was also abandoned. Cody is voiced by child actor Adam Ryen here. It’s worth mentioning that Cody doesn’t sound remotely Australian, despite supposedly being from there. Nor does McLeach come to think of it…

Percival C. McLeach is an incredibly evil villain, much worse than Madame Medusa, as he is quite capable of killing anything he wants, whether that be a golden eagle, or a young boy. He keeps animals captive, he throws knives at Cody to try and scare him into giving away the eagle’s location, locks him in a cage. He’s just nasty, but like all Disney villains, he gets his comeuppance in the end, joining the club of those who fell to their deaths. Though it may’ve been more satisfying for us if McLeach had been arrested and thrown in prison for the rest of his life for his illegal poaching… McLeach is voiced by American actor George C. Scott, best known for being in movies such as Dr. Strangelove (1964), Patton (1970), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor but declined it, and A Christmas Carol (1984). Scott also received three other Oscar nominations throughout his career, for his roles in Anatomy of a Murder (1959), The Hustler (1961), and The Hospital (1971). He later won two Primetime Emmy Awards for some of his television work, in 12 Angry Men (1997), and Hallmark Hall of Fame, Episode: “The Price” (1997).

Some of Scott’s recording sessions for The Rescuers Down Under did not go particularly well. He was reluctant to give the big performances necessary to deliver voice-over lines, and in one case did not want to come in for a session as he’d been injured working on another film. Disney convinced him to anyway, and, unsurprisingly, he read every line once, and once only, before leaving the studio – oops! But there were other times when Scott went above and beyond for the role. During McLeach’s death scene, where he is in the river about to go over a waterfall, Scott got a bucket filled with water and dunked his head into it between lines to give the true feeling that McLeach was sort of drowning! Scott drew the line at singing though, so those scenes of McLeach singing a weird poacher version of “Home on the Range” were actually sung by Frank Welker, who also “voiced” Marahute the eagle, and McLeach’s sidekick, Joanna[1].

Speaking of Joanna, she is a goanna, who is very obedient to McLeach, despite the fact he doesn’t care much about her, if at all, and frequently scolds her. Joanna is like the security guard, making sure every one of McLeach’s captives stays in line, alerting McLeach to any trouble-makers. She actually reminds me a lot of the lizard in Toy Story of Terror (2013) that collects all the toys from the motel so the manager can sell them online, in both look and behaviour. Goannas are Australian monitor lizards that can grow to huge sizes. The Disney artists studied these animals at the San Diego Zoo, as well as other Australian creatures, like koalas and kangaroos, and some were brought to the studio for further study.

Those are the new main characters that appear in The Rescuers Down Under. But obviously, Bernard and Bianca make a comeback, though Bianca isn’t as strong and independent as she was in The Rescuers, potentially due to the fact that she doesn’t know Australia or its wildlife well, so is happy to let Jake, their guide, lead the way. The CAPS technology did allow Bianca to look as glamorous as she did in the first film though, even being able to apply her perfect make-up, with details like eyeshadow and rouge that would’ve been difficult to achieve perfectly in every frame with hand-drawn animation[2]. Bernard becomes more heroic in this film, more-or-less single-handedly saving Cody from his grisly almost-death at the crocodile pits, protecting Marahute’s eggs, and tricking Joanna into pushing McLeach off the cliff into the crocodile pits. He has the majority of the action scenes, plus, we spend the whole movie rooting for him to finally propose to Bianca, which he finally succeeds in doing at the very end.

Bernard is voiced by American actor and comedian Bob Newhart, reprising his role from The Rescuers. Newhart starred in his own comedy variety show The Bob Newhart Show (1961-62), for which he won a Golden Globe for Best Male TV Star, and went on to star in the sitcom The Bob Newhart Show (1972-78), a huge hit at the time. He won three Grammy awards in 1961 for his comedy albums. Modern audiences may remember him as Papa Elf in Elf (2003) and as Professor Proton, a recurring guest role, in The Big Bang Theory (2007-19) for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, and its spin-off show Young Sheldon (2017-24). Bianca is voiced by Hungarian-American actress Eva Gabor, also reprising her role from the first film. Gabor appeared in stage productions, television series, and films throughout her career from the 1940s until her death in 1995. Some of her credits include portraying Liane d’Exelmans in Gigi (1958), which won all nine of its Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, at the Oscars ceremony in 1959, and Lisa Douglas in the sitcom Green Acres (1965-71). She had previously voiced the also glamourous and beautiful Duchess in The Aristocats (1970) for Disney before The Rescuers.

The other important mouse in The Rescuers Down Under is Aussie hopping mouse, Jake, who instantly falls for Bianca and spends most of the movie either flirting with her, or trying to impress her with his skills at navigation and neutralising animal threats. He makes Bernard immediately jealous, and though Jake isn’t openly trying to steal Bianca away, or being rude or mean to Bernard, you have to feel for Bernard at this point, and you just want Jake to leave the two of them alone. Jake doesn’t seem to be too well-developed as a character because we don’t get to see much of him, which is a shame. There could’ve been a lot more made of that love triangle dynamic, I think, but he gives another comedic element to the movie. Jake is voiced by Australian-American actor, Tristan Rogers, potentially best known for his recurring role as Robert Scorpio since 1980 in the ABC soap opera General Hospital (1963-present).

Then there is Wilbur, who flies Bernard and Bianca to Australia after they look for his brother, Orville, who flew them in the first film, however, Jim Jordan, voice of Orville in The Rescuers, passed away in April 1988, so the new character of Wilbur was created. These two albatrosses are named after the aviation pioneers, the Wright Brothers. Wilbur is voiced by John Candy and you can tell he had a lot of fun working on this film! He improvised many of the vocals for Wilbur. Candy provides much of the comical side of The Rescuers Down Under, something that was lacking in the original The Rescuers. I love John Candy, so I love Wilbur as a character, even though I don’t think many of his plot points were necessary, like his strange, held-against-his-will back surgery…But he’s a fun character nonetheless. Candy rose to fame in the Canadian sketch comedy show Second City Television (SCTV) in the 1970s, alongside many other famous Canadian comedians such as Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, and Martin Short.  He then began to appear in various comedy films, specifically in the 1980s, like The Blue Brothers (1980), Splash (1984), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), and Uncle Buck (1989). For Disney, he also starred in Cool Runnings (1993). John Candy sadly passed away in March 1994 at the age of 43. Gone much too soon…

There is also a collection of supporting characters of animals, such as Krebbs the Koala, a prisoner of McLeach who is incredibly pessimistic and a bit of a downer really, voiced by Douglas Seale, who went on to voice the Sultan in Aladdin (1992), and highly-strung, neurotic frill-necked lizard, Frank, another prisoner of McLeach, voiced by Wayne Robson. Their subplot is a bit thin too, so we don’t get to see too much of them, other than them trying to escape with Cody’s help, and then having no idea what happens to them in the end! Do they get released, or do they stay there forever?

Another supporting but very important animal character in this film is Marahute. Cody has a special connection with the golden eagle throughout the movie, after he rescues her from a trap at the start. The whole introductory sequence of Cody helping Marahute, and then him seeing her nest was always planned, however, originally, Marahute was going to speak, like the majority of the other animals in The Rescuers Down Under – Joanna is the only other one who doesn’t, which is a bit strange. Surely, they should all talk, or they all shouldn’t? Why are some more special? Anyway, that’s beside the point! The original scene included dialogue from Marahute, but it was then changed to see how it would look being wordless instead, and the animators found that the scene worked much better without the eagle talking, and I definitely agree[3]. How weird would that have been if Marahute had talked? Glen Keane was the animator for Marahute, who had animated Ariel in The Little Mermaid (1989) before this film, and went on to animate The Beast afterwards.

MUSIC

Luckily, the team working on The Rescuers Down Under decided to let the music do the talking in that scene. Like The Black Cauldron (1985), The Rescuers Down Under does not include any songs, making this only the second Disney animated film to do so. Instead, it relies heavily on its score, composed by Bruce Broughton. This was Broughton’s first score for an animated film, but he went on to compose other scores for Disney movies such as Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) and its 1996 sequel, and Bambi II (2006). He also composed music for other well-known movies such as Miracle on 34^th Street (1994) and Silverado (1985); the score for Silverado was nominated at the Academy Awards. Broughton has also won Emmy Awards for his musical compositions for television, such as those for Dallas (1978-91), winning two in 1983 and 1984.

I have a few favourite pieces within the score that I’d like to mention. The first is the “Main Title”, which features as the camera is rushing forward towards Ayers Rock, or Uluru, and Cody’s home. When I was younger it felt like this scene went on for so long, but it actually only takes about a minute. Another is “Message Montage”, which plays as the call for help is being relayed all over the world to get from Australia to New York City, and we get to follow the map as the message travels across the Earth.

But probably the most well-known instrumental within the score is “Cody’s Flight”. It is played during the most popular and iconic scene in The Rescuers Down Under. It’s a visually stunning scene, thanks to the computer animation, as the landscapes look so lifelike. You can see the wind blowing through Cody’s hair, and the eagle has such fine details, down to the feathers and the eyes, that couldn’t have been sustained if it had been hand-drawn. So many of the landscapes look so real, and the animals so life-like, it is breath-taking in places. Wilbur flying over the sights of Australia, like the Sydney Opera House, is another highlight. The music here is called “Bianca’s Kiss/Arrival Down Under”.

PRODUCTION

The latest advances in technology helped Disney create a majestic Australian setting, like the sequences above, where you can feel how big the area is both generally, and for the mice detectives. As I’ve already mentioned, The Rescuers Down Under was not hand-drawn. It was made with the most important development to be used by Disney at the time: the use of CAPS. Not only did CAPS keep costs down, but it meant that shots that were not possible before could be made now[4]. Disney had only used this technology occasionally in the 1980s, but that all changed with The Rescuers Down Under. CAPS allowed the digitalisation of inking and colouring animated cels, eliminating the need for this process to be done by hand. It also allowed for zoom effects, tracking shots, and multiplane camera shots. CAPS had been developed by Pixar who had spent much of the 1980s doing small but interesting pieces with it, such as the Luxo Jr. and Tin Toy shorts, which are remembered to this day. Pixar had originally been a part of Lucasfilm computer division only to become its own corporation in 1986, with financial backing from Steve Jobs. This would be Pixar and Disney collaborating to make a full-length feature film using the technology, something that hadn’t been done before, and that Pixar would not achieve on their own until 1995 with Toy Story. There was immense pressure to make a full film using this very new system, but Disney wanted to explore what CAPS could do for their animation business[5].

Off the back of the disaster that was The Black Cauldron in 1985, Disney Animation President Peter Schneider was approached with an opportunity: to use CAPS to benefit the Animation Department. He was told that it would be able to capture more complicated shots, and could give as much depth and fluidity of movement as a live-action film. Schneider discussed the possibility of using CAPS with Roy E. Disney around 1985, who championed the idea and pushed it forward. However, the cost of implementing it would be around $10 million, so Disney had to try to sell it to the executives of Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and, most especially, the Chief Financial Officer Frank Wells. Eventually, Wells agreed to sign the cheque to use the technology, although there is some debate around whether it was Eisner or Roy E. Disney who managed to convince Wells to do this!

One of the first examples of Disney using CAPS was in the opening sequence of an episode of The Magical World of Disney, which aired in September 1988. This sequence involved Tinker Bell flying towards Florida, with the camera then swooping around Spaceship Earth. Animated Sorcerer Mickey was on top of Spaceship Earth at Epcot, where he then shot magic out of his fingertips which materialised mouse ears on top of the water tower, dubbed the “Earffel Tower”, which was the original icon of the soon-to-be-opened Disney-MGM Studios theme park. The Disney Feature Animation Florida Studio that resided within the grounds of Disney-MGM Studios contributed around ten minutes of footage to The Rescuers Down Under, as well as ten minutes of the Mickey Mouse featurette that was released alongside it in theatres, The Prince and the Pauper (1990)[6].

After a few other small uses, it was boldly decided that CAPS should be used to make a full-feature. Peter Schneider brought in Thomas Schumacher, a theatrical producer who had worked on the 1984 Olympics, as a producer and asked Mike Gabriel and Hendel Butoy, who had just finished working on Oliver & Company (1988), to direct it. Gabriel was initially reluctant to accept. Though he was a fan of the original The Rescuers, he couldn’t understand why it would get a sequel and didn’t really believe it would work. Schneider simply said it was chosen because The Rescuers was Disney’s highest grossing film of the past ten years, bringing in around $200 million against a $7.5 million budget. Despite his concerns, Gabriel did eventually agree to direct The Rescuers Down Under. After some discussion, a research trip was greenlit for production to go to Australia for two weeks, where Gabriel and Butoy were joined by story artist Joe Ranft and animator Pixote Hunt. Research trips were not a common part of the production process at the time, so it was quite a big deal, especially to go to the other side of the world! Five members of production took a research trip to the Australian Outback, going on a 4,000-mile expedition to look at the landscapes and natural environments, such as Ayers Rock, to study them for use in the film.

The CAPS system was being built alongside the film being made, so there were a lot of setbacks and problems, like work having to start again, bigger computers being needed. It was a lot of stress and pressure to get it finished on time. In the end, it cost Disney more like $30 million instead of the $10 million that Wells had agreed to. This wouldn’t have been a concern had Disney known that the making of The Rescuers Down Under would lead to CAPS being used for bigger movies like The Lion King (1994), but they didn’t, so naturally, the executives were nervous.

RECEPTION

To offset any potential loss, The Rescuers Down Under was released with the 25-minute Mickey Mouse featurette, The Prince and the Pauper, which was the final Disney piece to use the traditional ink-and-paint process, as well as being the first animated short to be produced by Disney to accompany a feature film release. The twin-feature was released in November 1990 in the US, being warmly but not rapturously received[7].

The animation was praised, particularly the flight scenes, and some of the comedic scenes were enjoyed, but there are many more reasons why The Rescuers Down Under may not have done as well as hoped. Australia was believed to be the choice of location for the sequel to The Rescuers as there had been an increase in interest in Australian culture in the United States in the 1980s, perhaps in part due to the film Crocodile Dundee (1986) which was hugely popular in America, becoming the second-highest-grossing film of the year there. Paul Hogan, who played the titular character, won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, and the movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. As well as Crocodile Dundee, the 1980s also saw the rise of Australian actors like Mel Gibson and Nicole Kidman, and the start of the Mad Max franchise. However, the interest in “Aussie culture” was not sustained into the 1990s, so The Rescuers Down Under may have just missed its mark[8].

Another reason was that The Rescuers Down Under was released at the same time as smash Christmas hit Home Alone (1990). This is incredibly unfortunate and cannot be predicted, much like The Princess and the Frog (2009) being overshadowed by Avatar (2009) at the box office. There were also comments over the lack of songs, as The Little Mermaid (1989) had just revitalised the Disney standard for making Broadway-style animated fairy-tale movies. The Rescuers Down Under was only the second Disney film at the time, after The Black Cauldron (1985), to not include any songs; a “mistake” Disney would not make again for many years! The Rescuers Down Under is also quite dark, with a particularly evil, real, villain. There are many threats to life in this movie, which I was surprised about when re-watching, though I didn’t notice it much when I was younger.

For whatever reason, The Rescuers Down Under did not do well at the box office. Mike Gabriel received a call from Jeffrey Katzenberg during its opening weekend. The results were not good. Gabriel was told it made $5 million, but that it was ok, and they would move on to a new idea. That weekend, all advertising was pulled for the movie. Gabriel was devastated[9]. Bob Newhart, voice of Bernard, apparently wrote a note to Mike Gabriel saying not to worry about the box office result and that he was proud of the film regardless. Not long after this disappointment, Gabriel did have a new idea – to base a new animated feature on the historical figure Pocahontas[10].

LEGACY

There is very little reference to The Rescuers Down Under in the Disney theme parks, and in the media. Bernard and Bianca were available as walkaround characters in the Disney theme parks in the 1970s after the release of The Rescuers in 1977 and the two reappeared in promotional events for The Rescuers Down Under, but they are much rarer to see now. For example, Bernard and Bianca have only been spotted at Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland within the last few years; Bernard and Bianca appeared at the Disneyland after Dark: Sweethearts’ Nite in both 2022 and 2023, but have not returned since then, though they always could in the future. For merchandise, it’s best to wait for a milestone anniversary, when new pieces should be released, such as in 2020, for its 30^th anniversary, when new pins and an ornament were available to buy.

There were plans for a third movie, but after John Candy’s death in 1994 and Eva Gabor’s in 1995, it was cancelled. Given the financial failure of The Rescuers Down Under, and the fact that this put off many Disney executives from ever releasing a sequel theatrically, this would probably have been a direct-to-video sequel[11].

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Rescuers Down Under is more action-packed, with more peril and life-threatening moments than The Rescuers. But it is also much more comical than the oftentimes depressing The Rescuers. I do like both plots; they are just incredibly different. There are a few unanswered questions by the end of The Rescuers Down Under though. One being does Wilbur get back to Bernard and Bianca, getting them all home to New York, or is he forever stuck on Marahute’s nest? Another being, does Marahute get back to her nest? As her eggs have just hatched, she really ought to be there! What happened to the animals that were being held captive at McLeach’s hideout? I can only assume Cody told the rangers that there were animals there, and the rangers released them. We also don’t get to see the reunion between Cody and his mother, which I think would’ve been a nice ending to really tie up some of the loose ends.

Despite the critiques of The Rescuers Down Under, I quite enjoyed watching it, especially for the beautiful landscapes, and daring scenes. Disney didn’t want to detract from the story or the imagery by making it a musical, and I still think The Rescuers Down Under has a place in the hearts of many children who grew up in the 1990s, many who would not have seen The Rescuers initially, showing it could stand-alone.

The strangest thing about The Rescuers Down Under is that it sits right in the middle of two major Disney successes: The Little Mermaid in 1989 and Beauty and the Beast in 1991. The Rescuers Down Under may not feel like it should be a part of the Disney “Renaissance Era” to some, but to me, it does. This wasn’t meant to be a time when Disney used a tried-and-tested formula and just repeated that. Find a book, stick in a song here and there, and you’ve got a hit Disney animated feature film? That’s not how it works.

They had to try new ideas, they had to try new technologies to fit in with the times, and that’s exactly what The Rescuers Down Under did. It was the very first digital film to be produced in Hollywood. If it weren’t for The Rescuers Down Under, half of the sequences that people love in the later movies of The Lion King (1994) and Beauty and the Beast (1991) may not have existed, because they tried something new; they took risks. Without that, no company can ever progress. They pushed the boundaries of computer animation with this movie – the first company to really do so.

And Disney should get plenty of credit for that.

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REFERENCES

[1] Credit: Drew Taylor, ‘’The Rescuers Down Under’: The Untold Story of How the Sequel Changed Disney Forever’, Collider (online), 16^th December 2020.

[2] Credit: Disney, The Making of The Rescuers Down Under (2003).

[3] Credit: Drew Taylor, ‘’The Rescuers Down Under’: The Untold Story of How the Sequel Changed Disney Forever’, Collider (online), 16^th December 2020.

[4] Credit: Jim Korkis, Everything I Know I Learned from Disney Animated Feature Films (2015), ‘The Rescuers Down Under (1990)’, pp. 85-87.

[5] Credit: Don Hahn, Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009).

[6] Credit: Jim Korkis, ‘A Friday Visit with Jim Korkis: When Disney’s Hollywood Studios was a Studio’, YourFirstVisit.net, date unknown.

[7] Credit: Drew Taylor, ‘’The Rescuers Down Under’: The Untold Story of How the Sequel Changed Disney Forever’, Collider (online), 16^th December 2020.

[8] Credit: Josh Spiegel, ‘’The Rescuers Down Under’ Remains The Weird Speed Bump Between Two Disney Masterpieces’, SlashFilm (online), 18^th June 2019.

[9] Credit: Don Hahn, Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009).

[10] Credit: Drew Taylor, ‘’The Rescuers Down Under’: The Untold Story of How the Sequel Changed Disney Forever’, Collider (online), 16^th December 2020.

[11] Credit: Jim Korkis, Everything I Know I Learned from Disney Animated Feature Films (2015), ‘The Rescuers Down Under (1990)’, pp. 85-87.

1. BACKGROUND
2. PLOT
3. CHARACTERS & CAST
4. PRODUCTION
5. MUSIC
6. RECEPTION
7. LEGACY
8. FINAL THOUGHTS
9. REFERENCES

BACKGROUND

Ask anyone the question: “what is the best animated Disney film?” and I’m sure many people will say The Lion King (1994). The number of people who love that film is unreal…

But if you asked them again and told them to choose another one, I bet a large number of answers would be Beauty and the Beast. That’s not to say I mean that it is everyone’s favourite Disney film, because it’s not mine, though it definitely makes my Top 5, but nobody would argue with the fact that Beauty and the Beast is one of the greatest animated films of all time.

After Disney’s success with The Little Mermaid (1989), the company felt that just maybe they’d found the perfect formula for their movies: taking a fairy-tale, injecting it with some humour and a touch of Disney magic, and set it to a Broadway musical-style soundtrack. It had worked for Ariel, so let’s see if it worked for Belle.

But in the middle of the two films, Disney Animation actually released another movie: The Rescuers Down Under (1990). This film had very disappointing box-office results and because it was created digitally, its budget was incredibly high as well. This was not a fairy-tale, nor did it have a musical soundtrack though, so it just proved that perhaps they needed to replicate what they’d managed with The Little Mermaid.

And wow, did they succeed! Beauty and the Beast was even nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, the first time an animated film had ever received approval like this, and it became a huge hit, with children and adults alike. At the time, Disney had not received attention like this for one of their animated movies before, which then set off a wild decade for the Disney company.

I personally think Beauty and the Beast is close to perfection. The animation is stunning; the music is typical of a Broadway musical style; the characters are comical and lovable, as well as complex and flawed; the story is romantic and full of meaning – it’s just overall a brilliant movie, and is one of my favourite Disney films. There’s not much else to say on it; Beauty and the Beast was a total phenomenon.

PLOT

I doubt many people in the world have not seen Disney’s Beauty and the Beast but here’s the plot anyway. As told in the prologue, a selfish prince refuses shelter to an old beggar woman one winter’s night. She turns out to be an enchantress who curses the prince, his castle, and all who live there for his cruelty. She leaves a red rose that will bloom until his 21^st year and will then start to wilt; if he can find someone to love him, and earn their love in return, before the last petal falls, then the spell will be broken; but if not, then he will forever remain a beast.

The film then jumps to a small French village, where Belle is dreaming of greater things for herself, as she doesn’t fit in with the others and wants something more than “this provincial life”. At the same time, she’s having to defend her inventor father, Maurice, from the others who think he’s crazy, and trying to avoid Gaston, the village hunk, who’s determined to marry her. Her chance comes when her father is captured by a beast on his way to the fair to show his latest invention, and she goes to the castle to save him. As the Beast will not let him leave, Belle offers to take his place. The Beast accepts and Maurice is taken back to the village. Maurice enters the village tavern, trying to find help to free Belle; instead, they all laugh at him and he decides to find her himself. Gaston uses Maurice’s outburst to his advantage by using him as leverage: Maurice will be sent to the asylum if Belle refuses to marry him. Now, he just has to wait for her to return…

In the meantime, Belle and the Beast constantly clash, though she does make friends with his “staff”, who have been turned into enchanted objects, such as Butler Cogsworth becoming a clock, Mrs. Potts the cook becoming a teapot, and Lumière the maître d’ becoming a candelabra. They want to help Belle settle in as they believe she could break the spell and turn them human again, however, things come to a head when she enters the forbidden West Wing, the Beast’s living quarters in the castle, and he scares her away. Belle rushes out of the castle, only to find herself in the middle of the forest with a pack of wolves hunting her. Luckily, the Beast comes to her rescue, and from this point, we see the two, slowly but surely, start to fall in love.

One night, after a lovely dinner and a magical dance in the Grand Ballroom, the Beast gifts Belle his magic mirror, so she can see the outside world and check on her father. Through the mirror, Belle sees her father is ill, lost in the woods; the Beast frees her from the castle so she can be with him – he doesn’t expect her to ever return to him. Belle and Maurice return home, where Gaston is waiting for her. Despite Maurice being forced into the back of a van to be sent to the asylum, instead of agreeing to marry Gaston, Belle just proves the Beast’s existence with the mirror, sending Gaston into a jealous tirade, as he believes she loves the Beast. Belle and Maurice are locked in their cellar, whilst him and a mob of villagers storm the castle to kill the Beast.

The Beast, heartbroken at losing Belle and his only chance to be human again, doesn’t fight back and allows them to enter his castle. Soon, Gaston finds the Beast and tries to goad him into a fight, but the Beast does not want to fight back – until he sees that Belle has returned to help him. Beast and Gaston fight on the castle roof. Beast has hold of Gaston, ready to throw him to his death, but decides against this, providing he leaves the castle. Beast climbs up the castle to be reunited with Belle, but Gaston, still jealous and enraged, stabs Beast in his side. Belle holds onto Beast and pulls him to safety; Gaston falls to his death. As the Beast lays dying, Belle finally realises her love for him, saying the words out loud just as the last petal falls. All looks lost for Beast and the servants, but suddenly, magic seems to fall from the sky, and the Beast is transformed back into his prince form. The curse is broken and the two stay together forever, living happily ever after. Aww.

CHARACTERS & CAST

The characters in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast are particularly likeable and memorable. Belle, along with Ariel, is one of the first modern princesses that Disney created, making her proactive in her story, instead of just waiting for something to happen to her as some of the earlier Disney fairy tales had done. Unlike Ariel, Belle is looking for adventure, not love, which makes her even more progressive, however, just like Ariel, Belle doesn’t feel like she fits in in her community; Belle prefers to read and dream, instead of just marrying and becoming a wife. Mark Henn and James Baxter were the main animators who worked on Belle, making sure she had heart and soul, and not focusing on making her the most beautiful character ever. I like Belle because she doesn’t follow the crowd; she was inspiring to me for not just doing what everyone else was doing, and not caring what people think.

Belle is voiced by actress Paige O’Hara, who started out her career on Broadway, playing the role of Ellie in Show Boat in 1983 and Ado Annie in Oklahoma! in 1986. After the success of Beauty and the Beast, O’Hara returned to the stage to portray Fantine in Les Misérables in 1995. Since 1991, she has returned to voice Belle for Disney. It makes such a difference to the movie by having a Broadway actress, instead of a “big name” like movies tend to do these days, in the voice cast. You really feel that this film is like a Broadway show, with the people involved knowing exactly how they should convey that atmosphere. 

Beast was animated by Glen Keane, who successfully made him articulate without needing any words, as he managed to show signs of love and feelings of guilt and emotion purely through his eyes. Keane used inspiration from many animals he’d seen at London Zoo, while production was based there, and made Beast a combination of multiple animals, including wolf, bear, buffalo, and lion. The Beast, although having to seem menacing and terrifying at the start, goes through the most development in the story, gradually becoming kinder and less angry. It’s a clear journey that we see throughout the film, and he had to be the complete opposite to Gaston. Beast is voiced by actor Robby Benson, who began his career as a “teen idol” in movies such as the sports films One on One (1977) and Ice Castles (1978). I have only seen him as Sabrina’s father in Series 1 of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996-97). I was so surprised to find he was the voice of the Beast; he’s so soft-spoken in real-life! Like O’Hara, Benson has also returned to Disney to voice Beast.

Andreas Deja worked on Gaston, and he said it took a while to find his look, as Gaston needed to look like a prince, but have this evil quality within him. Gaston is a good villain; he’s not particularly scary or menacing, but he becomes the way he does purely through jealousy at having lost Belle to the Beast. At the same time, he’s also completely clueless that he’s even the villain of this piece, because how could someone as handsome as him possibly be the bad guy? As much as I like him as a character, he definitely deserved to die for stabbing the poor Beast in the side. Gaston is voiced by another theatrical star, Richard White. White appeared as a performer in regional performances of musicals like Show Boat and Carousel in 1985, and Oklahoma! in 1992. On Broadway, in 2013, he appeared as Sir Danvers Carew in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. White has also returned to Disney to voice Gaston. I think White’s singing voice is particularly impressive in this movie, and I’m glad that, again, Disney avoided hiring a famous actor, because it makes Beauty and the Beast seem much more like a Broadway production.

The magical objects were the most fun to animate, as the animators got to figure out how each character would walk and talk without human limbs, as well as matching their personality, and job title, to the type of object they are. For example, Cogsworth, voiced by David Ogden Stiers, is the Head Butler, so naturally, he’d be a nervous, anxious clock, always wanting things done precisely and correctly. David Ogden Stiers had a long history with Disney, having voiced not only Cogsworth, but Governor Ratcliffe and Wiggins in Pocahontas (1995); the Archdeacon in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996); and Dr. Jumba Jookiba in Lilo & Stitch (2002) amongst others. He also starred as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III in the series M*A*S*H from 1977 to 1983. He died in 2018. I like Cogsworth, and I think him and Lumière are a great duo together, bouncing off each other constantly with their differing, often conflicting, personalities.

Speaking of Lumière, he is maître d’ of the castle, so he’s quite personable and eager to please the guests, even if that means going against the Beast’s orders. He gets a great song to show off his talents with “Be Our Guest”, and is entirely at odds with Cogsworth over both the song and giving the dinner to Belle, as the Beast has forbidden it. Jerry Orbach voices Lumière, perhaps best known amongst younger audiences as being Baby’s father in Dirty Dancing (1987) but he was also well-known for being a Broadway and stage actor before starring in movies, having appeared as Billy Flynn in Chicago from 1975 to 1977 and as Julian Marsh in 42^nd Street from 1980 to 1985. I don’t think any other iteration of Lumière has ever, or will ever, come close to Orbach’s brilliant accent. Orbach returned to voice the character up until his death in 2004.

Then there’s Chip and Mrs. Potts, the mother-son duo, who are a cup and teapot, respectively, as Mrs. Potts is the cook and housekeeper. She’s the motherly, kind figure of the movie, making sure Belle gives Beast a chance and that Beast controls his temper. She is voiced by Angela Lansbury, who brings typical British vibes to her role. Well, she is a teapot after all! Lansbury has appeared on both stage and screen, winning numerous Tony awards for her roles in musicals and plays, such as Gypsy (1975), Sweeney Tood (1979), and Blithe Spirit (2009). On screen, she is well-known for her performance as Jessica Fletcher in the long-running crime drama series Murder, She Wrote (1984-96). Lansbury later voiced the character of the Dowager Empress in 20^th Century Fox’s Anastasia (1997), but returned to Disney to introduce a segment in Fantasia 2000 (1999) and made a cameo in Mary Poppins Returns (2018). Lansbury sadly passed away in October 2022.  

A final note on the voice cast, not for any particular reason, is that Tony Jay voiced the character Monsieur D’Arque, the warden of the Asylum. Jay would go on to voice Judge Claude Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996).

PRODUCTION

The idea for a Disney version of Beauty and the Beast actually goes back to Walt Disney’s era. Beauty and the Beast had been attempted by Disney animation in both the 1930s and the 1950s, however, they hadn’t managed to do much with it, as it was a challenging story to adapt, so it never went any further – until it was found again in the 1980s, during a time when Roy E. Disney, Walt’s nephew, wanted animation to be reinvented and revitalised with fairy tales like The Little Mermaid. They kept going back to Beauty and the Beast to fit this new direction, even though it was daunting for this team of animators who thought: if Walt’s team couldn’t do it justice, then how could they?[1]

Disney’s version of Beauty and the Beast is very different to the source material, La Belle et la Bête, a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in 1756. This story follows a merchant and his daughters, the youngest and most beautiful being called “Beauty”. The merchant, struggling with debts from his cargo ships, becomes lost on his return from a voyage and seeks shelter in a castle. When trying to get a rose for Beauty as a present, the Beast threatens to kill him for stealing from his garden. The Beast allows him to take the rose if he returns with one of his daughters to take his place at the castle. Beauty agrees to do this, and the Beast caters for her every whim for months, giving her good food, fine clothing, and other luxuries. Every evening, he’d ask her to marry him, only for her to refuse. She dreams of falling in love with a handsome prince, and even when a fairy appears to tell her “not to be deceived by appearances”, she doesn’t change her mind. After months of this, Beauty asks to return home to see her family. The Beast allows this, providing she returns in two months. Beauty does not, only to have visions of the Beast dying alone in the castle, so she returns to him to find the visions were true. At this point, Beauty realises she does love him, and agrees to marry him that night. The next day, she finds the Beast has transformed into the prince of her dreams. Disney were very right when they said they had to make the story more interesting and exciting because it is mostly just about someone going to dinner and being asked to marry each time! We also find that the prince was turned into a beast in this version of the story because he refused the advances of an evil fairy…Um, ok…

Disney’s original version of the story, in the 1980s, was to be quite true to the original source, set in 18^th Century France, quite dark, and a non-musical. This was being worked on with Don Hahn as producer, and Richard Purdum as director in London. The first twenty minutes of the film was shown to Jeffrey Katzenberg and Peter Schneider, the heads of Disney animation at the time, who told them to scrap it and start again. Don Hahn relayed this back to the team, with the news that they were to go to France for a research trip to soften the blow! The production was moved back to Burbank from London, and the leadership was changed up, with Purdum leaving the project and Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise coming on as directors, after their latest work on the pre-show of the now-defunct Epcot attraction, Cranium Command. Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, off the back of their musical success on The Little Mermaid (1989) were also persuaded to join the team to take over the music. It was good to be given a fresh start, however, one year of the three-year production deadline had already been taken up with the first attempt, so they only had two years to complete it. Katzenberg brought in these release schedules, which hadn’t really existed before, as motivation.

A scriptwriter, Linda Woolverton, was brought in by Katzenberg with the animators being told just to animate Woolverton’s script. The animators had never worked that way before; Walt Disney had always gone off storyboards, not scripts, so it took a while for the two sides to mesh, with Woolverton becoming annoyed at her scenes being constantly changed from one day to the next, and the animators not informing her of changes. In the end, Woolverton knew she had to work more closely with the animators, and from then on, the process was much more harmonious[2].

In terms of the actual animation, Beauty and the Beast was technically ahead of its time as it was only the second Disney film to use the Computer Animation Production System (CAPS). It had first been used for Rescuers Down Under (1990), however, the investment in this technology had not proved itself with that movie. CAPS was designed by Pixar and allowed digital inking of hand-drawn cells and automation of a depth effect without the need for a multi-plane camera. The ballroom scene is the most obvious example of this technology use in Beauty and the Beast. The success of the scene gave Disney the motivation to continue to try out this new animation technology in their later films[3].

The look of the movie is beautiful. The prologue starts with charming animation of a forest before telling us the Beast’s backstory through colourful stained glass. I think this gives the scene more of a story-telling quality, and more historical feel, to show that this event happened away from Belle and her village, and a few years previous. The backgrounds are impressionistic, resembling paintings, which I like, whether they are dawn, dusk, night, or day scenes. The use of colour was important too, with the ballroom scene using a lot of gold and blue to create the right emotion for the romance of the scene. Belle is also dressed generally in blue for the very specific reason of making her stand-out against the townspeople in her opening scenes, to show that she doesn’t fit in. “Be Our Guest” was an opportunity to show more colour and fun, even though it is set within quite a cold, dark castle[4]. It’s in complete contrast to the scene that follows of Belle within the West Wing, with its blackness, and torn and broken furnishings. The final scene of Belle and the prince – who I thought was called Adam, but apparently not officially – is also lovely, with the two dancing in the ballroom with many people watching, though I did think it looked very familiar. It is actually the exact same sequence that ends Sleeping Beauty (1959) with Princess Aurora and Prince Philip dancing together. This was apparently done to save time as the film was nearing the end of its production deadline.

MUSIC

Ashman and Menken proved to be a vital component of the film-making process here. Ashman was key to the idea that Beast could be a kind of “anti-hero” with flaws, and that as he goes through the most development in the movie, it has to be his story[5]. The duo was able to comment on the story and characters being created, as well as write terrific music, because they understood how the music had to be, and brought their love for both animation and Broadway musicals into it. The music ties the whole story together in Beauty and the Beast. The songs are catchy, and very Broadway-esque.

“Belle” was the first song to be written and not only does it encapsulate some background to the story, but it introduces both Gaston and Belle to the audience, as well as their wants and dreams. It is an ensemble number, with solo moments for Paige O’Hara and Richard White as Belle and Gaston. Belle’s particular hopes and dreams are expressed by herself through the reprise of “Belle” just a few minutes later. Ashman and Menken were originally concerned that Disney would not be happy with the length of “Belle”, especially as an opening number, as it is around six minutes long. I really like it, and I feel it gets the viewer involved in the story right away.

On the opposite side, we have the song “Gaston”, another ensemble piece with solo moments for Gaston, which, although about the villain of the piece, is not the villain’s song, in my opinion. “Gaston” is really just a love letter to him from all of his sycophantic hangers-on. I do like “Gaston”, mostly for its ridiculous lyrics – “and every last inch of me is covered with hair” being one of them. Menken apparently laughed-out-loud at some of these lyrics when he first heard them. “Gaston” also shows that the villain doesn’t have a clue he’s evil, because he looks like a prince. This was a first for Disney. “Gaston”, like “Belle”, was also reprised just a few minutes later by the song’s title character, with his own “want” song; the reprise details Gaston’s devious plan to have Maurice imprisoned at the asylum so that Belle will have to marry Gaston to ensure Maurice’s release.

The actual villain’s song in my opinion is “The Mob Song”, where Gaston rallies all the villagers to go and attack the Beast. To the villagers, this seems to be a song of strength and bravery, but in reality, Gaston just wants to have the Beast killed so that the object of Belle’s affection can be eradicated; it’s all about jealousy, and also works as an ego boost for Gaston, as it proves that people will do whatever he tells them to without question. Well, everyone, except Belle and Maurice. I do like it a lot; it’s one of the better Disney villain songs, because it’s so dark and dramatic. There is even a reference to Shakespeare buried in the lyrics, a line from Macbeth: “Screw your courage to the sticking place”.

Now to the love songs. The most well-known and celebrated song is “Beauty and the Beast”, though I don’t like it all that much, probably because it’s been overused by Disney in so many shows and productions! I like the ballroom scene that goes along with it though, as well as the scene just after when Beast and Belle are talking on the balcony, because the scene is so romantic and elegant, with the night’s sky full of stars. Plus, no real-life version of Belle’s gold dress has ever come close to looking as lovely as the animated one. “Beauty and the Beast” is sung by Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts. It was recorded in New York, and on the way there, Lansbury’s plane had been forced to make an emergency landing for a bomb threat, but she arrived later that day for the recording after some delay! Lansbury recorded the whole song in one take, which she was pleased with, as she had not expected the first take to have been accepted[6]. But before this, we have another love song, “Something There”, which isn’t openly romantic, but talks of Belle and Beast’s developing feelings for each other. This is the best of the two love songs for me, because it clearly expresses the awkwardness and uncertainty of the early stages of a relationship. It’s also funny to see the two at this point having snowball fights and slurping on porridge together!

The final song to mention is the fun “song-and-dance” number “Be Our Guest”. As well as enjoying all the images of different dishes, I like how Lumière transforms into a proper showman, with everyone else, apart from Cogsworth, being there to back him up. Again, Disney do use this song a lot in their shows, but I still enjoy it, particularly when it builds to the big finale at the end. It feels like a whole Broadway show in just a few minutes.

But as well as the songs, Beauty and the Beast has a particular good score. “Transformation” is my favourite instrumental within the score, and one of my favourite Disney instrumentals in general, as well as the scene that accompanies it. When we think the Beast is dead, the music seems so hopeless, but then, all of a sudden, something magical happens and the Beast is lifted into the air and transformed into a prince. And then there’s the necessary happy ending back in the ballroom with everyone back to their human forms just to top it off. The prologue is great too, wonderfully narrated by David Ogden Stiers. It sounds so mysterious and almost haunting. Menken based the prologue on a riff of sorts on “The Carnival of the Animals” by Saint-Saëns[7].

The soundtrack was well-received and won numerous accolades, including Best Original Song for “Beauty and the Beast” and Best Original Score at the 64th Academy Awards; “Be Our Guest” and “Belle” were also nominated in the Best Original Song category. The score and “Beauty and the Beast” also won at the Golden Globes. The soundtrack received eight Grammy nominations, and won five awards, including Best Album for Children, Best Instrumental Composition, and Best Song Written for Motion Picture.

RECEPTION

The marketing was a big help to Beauty and the Beast being such a big success. A press event was help in New York to show some clips and play some songs from the movie. It was such a high for the Disney team working on the movie, however, after the event, some of the team rushed to see Howard Ashman in the hospital. He had been ill during the whole production of Beauty and the Beast, and would unfortunately die from complications related to HIV in March 1991, never having seen the full finished movie. He was wearing a Beauty and the Beast sweatshirt in the hospital and said he’d always known the movie was going to be a success[8]. The movie was dedicated to him.

To cement Beauty and the Beast’s future, an unfinished version of the film was screened at the New York Film Festival on 29^th September 1991. This was an incredibly risky move, not only because the film was only about 70% finished, and included some coloured footage, some black-and-white scenes, unfinished drawings, and storyboard sketches, but also because this was a prestigious showcase of movies, with a highbrow film enthusiast crowd to match, who would not have expected to see a “children’s cartoon” within the programme. The directors of the festival got a lot of flak for agreeing to do this, but it was to be the big test for Disney to see if the resurgence that had started with The Little Mermaid in 1989, and had slumped with The Rescuers Down Under in 1990, could really stick. Surprisingly, the response was overwhelming, and showing the inner workings of animation was a good move for this film-literate audience. The audience applauded multiple times, like they were watching a Broadway performance, and even gave the film a full ten-minute standing ovation at the end. This was such an iconic event to happen in the New York Film Festival’s history[9].

As well as grossing almost $430 million worldwide, Beauty and the Beast was met with critical acclaim, receiving some of the best praise for a Disney animated film since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). The film was awarded multiple awards, including the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature, where Glen Keane also received an award for his animation, and the Golden Globe for Best Picture, the first full-length animated film to win this accolade. It was even nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, which made Beauty and the Beast the first animated feature film to be nominated in the category – only Up (2009) and Toy Story 3 (2010) have equalled that since. It showed that Disney films were no longer considered just children’s cartoons, but could be enjoyed by adults without kids in tow. Unfortunately, Beauty and the Beast lost the Best Picture Oscar to The Silence of the Lambs (1991), a very different sort of film.

LEGACY

Beauty and the Beast has become a huge part of Disney history, and created its own legacy. This includes three direct-to-video sequels: Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997), Beauty and the Beast: Belle’s Magical World (1998), and Belle’s Tales of Friendship (1999), all of which take place within the timeline of the original film. The best of all of these is The Enchanted Christmas which I make sure I watch every year. I love the songs “Stories” and “As Long As There’s Christmas”. Many of the voice actors, including Robby Benson, Paige O’Hara, Jerry Orbach and David Ogden Stiers returned to voice their characters; Angela Lansbury only returned for The Enchanted Christmas. There was also a live-action television series called Sing Me a Story with Belle, which ran from September 1995 to March 1997. Disney animated shorts were inserted into each episode.

Then, there was the live-action, heavily CGI-reliant, remake of Beauty and the Beast in 2017, which starred Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens, and Harry Potter’s Emma Watson, as Beast and Belle respectively. I didn’t like this much at all, and didn’t like some of the casting. I also did not like the CGI look of the Beast, but it did very well at the box-office.

Beauty and the Beast celebrated its 30^th anniversary in 2021, and a special was aired on ABC in December 2022 called Beauty and the Beast: A 30^th Celebration. The show itself was a bit confused, with a mixture of storyboard images and scenes from the animated movie, as well as some scenes with a real-life cast. A particular highlight for me was Josh Groban singing “Evermore”, which, yes, was a song written for the live-action film, but I don’t even remember it in there, and Martin Short singing “Be Our Guest” as Lumière. As well as these two, the special starred H.E.R. as Belle and Shania Twain as Mrs. Potts. In 2018, a live concert celebration of the film took place at the Hollywood Bowl, with some of the cast including Zooey Deschanel as Belle, Rebel Wilson as LeFou, Taye Diggs as Gaston, and Kelsey Grammer as Lumière.

Beauty and the Beast has also been re-released multiple times, including being re-released in theatres in 2002 with a song cut from the original film, “Human Again”, where the enchanted objects sing about how they can’t wait to be human again; I’m not a fan of this song. The movie was also re-mastered in 3D in 2012, with another theatrical release.

Beauty and the Beast was adapted to a Broadway musical in 1994, with its premiere taking place at the El Capitan Theater. The musical included six new original songs, as well as the favourites from the original film; “Human Again” was revised and put in the Broadway show. The Beast in particular was given more struggle and sensitivity with his own songs, including “If I Can’t Love Her”. Susan Egan, who would later go onto voice Megara in Disney’s Hercules (1997), played the original Belle. Beauty and the Beast ran on Broadway from 1994 until 2007, but has also toured and been revived in many other countries, like the UK, where I had the pleasure of seeing it twice as two separate productions, Spain, Australia, Japan, and Canada, as well as many others[10].

Then, there are the number of references to Beauty and the Beast in the Disney theme parks. At Disneyland, there are two quick-service restaurants named for Beauty and the Beast. The first is Red Rose Taverne which resides in Fantasyland. This food location features murals of the characters from the film on the walls, as well as some props from the live-action movie, and the area has a vaguely French feel. The food is mostly just standard theme park fare, nothing very special, other than it sells “the grey stuff”. The other is a snack cart called Maurice’s Treats, named after Belle’s father, which sells pretzels and pastries.

Surprisingly, that it is for the Beauty and the Beast-themed areas of Disneyland. However, at Disneyland Paris, as part of Le Pays des Contes de Fées attraction, their version of the Storybook Land Canal Boats, you do go past miniature recreations of Belle’s village and Beast’s castle, something that is missing from Disneyland’s version. There is also a fine dining restaurant at Disneyland Paris named after Lumière, La Table de Lumière, which is at the Disneyland Hotel. The interior is inspired by The Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles but also includes some touches that reference Beauty and the Beast. This is also a character dining experience, where you can see royal couples including Belle and her Prince, who may or may not be called Adam, it’s never been confirmed. Regardless, it is rare to see him as a human and not as the Beast.

At Shanghai Disneyland, at the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel, Lumière gets another restaurant, this time it is a character dining buffet named Lumière’s Kitchen. There is also Be Our Guest Boutique, a shop in Fantasyland which seems to sell mostly clothing and accessories. At Hong Kong Disneyland, there is only a Beauty and the Beast section within their Fairy Tale Forest walkthrough attraction, which shows the Beast’s castle in amongst some perfectly manicured gardens, with a couple of moving displays.

Tokyo Disneyland has the only Beauty and the Beast-themed dark ride, housed within the Beast’s castle in Fantasyland, which opened in September 2020. Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast is a trackless dark ride, which takes guests through the story of the movie as they sit within huge teacups. It features some very impressive animatronics, with the dancing Belle and Prince at the end of the ride and the transformation scene being particular highlights. It does look like an incredible ride. Around this attraction, there is also a whole area themed to Belle’s village from the film and includes La Taverne de Gaston, a quick-service restaurant, and shops, with one even being themed to Belle’s favourite bookshop.

But the Disney theme park with the most references to Beauty and the Beast is Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, with Disney’s Animal Kingdom being the only one of the four parks to not have anything themed to the film or its characters. So, at Magic Kingdom, as part of the New Fantasyland expansion which took over the area that used to be Mickey’s Toontown Fair, a whole Beauty and the Beast area opened in December 2012. This area includes the shop Bonjour! Village Gifts and Gaston’s Tavern, a quick-service location which sells the iconic warm cinnamon roll, with a fountain of himself outside, much like at Tokyo Disneyland. More excitingly, the restaurant Be Our Guest allows guests “inside” Beast’s castle to dine on a quick-service breakfast or lunch, or a table-service dinner. The Beast even makes an appearance, parading into each of the three dining areas to welcome guests to his castle. These three dining areas are themed to different areas of the castle, with the main area being The Grand Ballroom, then The West Wing on one side, which houses the Enchanted Rose, and finally The Rose Gallery, which has artwork of Belle and Beast on the walls and a dancing figure of the two in the middle of the room. It is a great restaurant that everyone who visits Disney World should eat in at least once.

Also at Magic Kingdom, within Belle and Maurice’s cottage, you can take part in your own retelling of Belle and Beast’s love story in Enchanted Tales with Belle. As guests arrive in the cottage, they are soon taken into Beast’s castle via a magical mirror; it’s an impressive effect. Then they meet the Enchanted Wardrobe, who assigns certain guests different roles in the story. Then inside the library, Lumière directs everyone to reenact the tale with Belle appearing at the end to meet everyone. This experience is definitely more for children, but again, even adults should see it at least once, even if only for the magic mirror effect.

At Epcot, Belle has a dedicated meet-and-greet location at the France pavilion in World Showcase. During the holiday season, you may even see her in her dress from Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997). You can also sing-along to a slight retelling of the Beauty and the Beast story within the cinema at the France pavilion. This used to house Impressions de France throughout the day, however, Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along now runs here for the majority of the day.

At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, since 22^nd November 1991, the general release date of Beauty and the Beast in the US, there has been a live Broadway-style show called Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage. Since 1994, it has been housed within The Theater of the Stars down the Sunset Boulevard area of the park. The show has changed slightly throughout the years, especially with the reopening of the show in 2021 after its closure from the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the show continues to be popular with guests. There was a version of this show at Disneyland and Disneyland Paris, running from April 1992 to April 1995 at Disneyland, and from 1993 to 1996 in Paris.

Finally, at Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Resort hotel, you can further be immersed in Beauty and the Beast theming at The Enchanted Rose Lounge, as you enjoy vaguely French-themed snacks and drink fancy signature cocktails.

During Mickey’s PhilarMagic, a 3D show showcasing some of Disney’s biggest hits as Donald tries to return Mickey’s sorcerer’s hat, the song “Be Our Guest” is played. Mickey’s PhilarMagic exists at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Disney California Adventure. At the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique locations, one of which exists in some form at each of the six Disney theme parks, children can choose to be made up to look like Belle, amongst other princesses.

In terms of character meet-and-greets, apart from the ones already mentioned, Belle, Beast, and Gaston have been seen at Special Events and randomly in the parks. Belle is most easy to find, as she is one of the Disney Princesses, so has been spotted at each park, but Beast may also appear with her on occasion. For Gaston, him and Belle have been known to be seen together at times, at Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland, for example, and Gaston also meets guests by his tavern at Magic Kingdom. He is also likely to be part of the Disney Villains line-up at Halloween events. Human Prince “Adam” seems to only have ever been seen at Disneyland Paris. 

Clips and music from the movie are frequently used as part of Disney Parks’ fireworks and nighttime shows such as Disneyland Paris’ Disney Tales of Magic, and Momentous at Hong Kong Disneyland. You will also likely see Beast and Belle appear during parades, such as the Festival of Fantasy parade and the Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away nighttime parade at Walt Disney World, and the Paint the Night parade at Disneyland.

On the Disney Cruise Line, there are a few restaurants inspired by Beauty and the Beast, like the adult-exclusive restaurants Enchanté and Palo Steakhouse, the second of which is supposedly inspired by the character of Cogsworth, on the Disney Wish, Disney Destiny, and Disney Treasure; and Lumière’s on the Disney Magic. Royal Court restaurant on the Disney Fantasy is generally inspired by Disney Princess films, of which Beauty and the Beast is just one. For entertainment, a live musical stage show of Beauty and the Beast can be seen on board the Disney Treasure and the Disney Dream. Performances from the movie can also been seen in some of the other stage shows including Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic, on the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, and Disney’s Believe on the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream.

Merchandise for Beauty and the Beast has always been easy to find at the Disney Parks, due to the movie’s popularity, as well as the fact Belle is an official Disney Princess.  

FINAL THOUGHTS

Beauty and the Beast touched a generation and cemented itself within movie history as not just a “good” Disney film, a “good” animated film, but as a genuinely brilliant movie for everyone to enjoy. Not too many Disney Animated Classics can claim to be a part of that history. I believe those that can include The Lion King (1994), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), The Little Mermaid (1989) and Frozen (2013).

Along with these films, Beauty and the Beast is an incredibly special film to many, for the huge impact it had on its audience and the legacy it has built.

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REFERENCES

[1] Credit: Disney, Tale As Old As Time: The Making of Beauty and the Beast (2002).

[2] Credit: Disney, Beyond Beauty: The Untold Stories Behind the Making of Beauty and the Beast (2010).

[3] Credit: Stephanie Shuster, ‘Disney History: Beauty and the Beast’, WDW Magazine (online), 10^th March 2017.

[4] Credit: Katie Strobel, ‘Beauty and the Beast at 30: From Production to Classic’, D23 (online), 22^nd November 2021.

[5] Credit: Disney, Tale As Old As Time: The Making of Beauty and the Beast (2002).

[6] Credit: Skyler Caruso, ‘Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About ‘Beauty and the Beast’ In Honor of the 30^th Anniversary’, People (online), 22^nd November 2021.

[7] Credit: Disney, Menken & Friends: 25 Years of Musical Inspiration (2016).

[8] Credit: Don Hahn, Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009).

[9] Credit: Bilge Ebiri, ‘The Story of the 1991 Beauty and the Beast Screening That Changed Everything’, Vulture (online), 14^th November 2019.

[10] Credit: Stephanie Shuster, ‘Disney History: Beauty and the Beast’, WDW Magazine (online), 10^th March 2017.

1. BACKGROUND
2. PLOT
3. CHARACTERS & CAST
4. PRODUCTION
5. MUSIC
6. RECEPTION
7. LEGACY
8. FINAL THOUGHTS
9. REFERENCES

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 followed in the footsteps of 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 Bert 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 15^th 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 20^th 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 two 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. 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. 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.

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. Songs from Aladdin are performed 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, “Friend Like Me” from the film is performed by Genie 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 exists 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 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 a few years ago. Jafar was 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. 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.

For nighttime shows, Aladdin and Jasmine appear with the song “A Whole New World” during Disneyland’s nighttime show Fantasmic! and clips and music from the film are shown on the water projections. In Walt Disney World’s version at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Aladdin performs “One Jump Ahead”. Jafar is also one of the villains in this show, appearing on the water projections. Clips and music from the movie are also included as part of various fireworks shows, like Wondrous Journeys at Disneyland, and Reach for the Stars at Tokyo Disneyland. In terms of parades, there is an Aladdin section in Tokyo Disneyland’s nighttime parade, Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade: Dreamlights, and Genie, Aladdin, and Jasmine appear during Disneyland Paris’ Disney Stars on Parade.

On the Disney Cruise Line, there is a live musical stage show based on Aladdin called Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular, available on the Disney Wish and the Disney Fantasy. Performances from the movie can also been seen in some of the other stage shows including Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic, on the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, and Disney’s Believe on the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream. There are also some vaguely Aladdin-themed guestrooms on the Disney Treasure ship.

Owing to the popularity of Aladdin and its characters, merchandise has always been easy to find at the Disney Parks, due to the movie’s popularity, as well as the fact Jasmine is an official Disney Princess.

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.   

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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), 23^rd May 2019.

[3] Credit: Caryn Robbins, ‘From Fable to Stage to Film – A Magic Carpet Ride Through the History of ALADDIN’, BroadwayWorld.com, 26^th 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, 16^th 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), 14^th July 2017.

[8] Credit: Josh Spiegel, ‘1992’s ‘Aladdin’ Barely Got Made – And It Only Proved How Unstoppable Disney Animation Had Become’, SlashFilm.com, 16^th July 2019.

[9] Credit: Aja Romano, ‘The fraught cultural politics of Disney’s new Aladdin remake’, Vox.com, 28^th May 2019.

[10] Credit: Jim Korkis, The Vault of Walt 10: Final Edition (2021), ‘Robin Williams at Disney’, pp. 83-99.