Aladdin | |
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File:Aladdinposter.jpg | |
Directed by | John Musker Ron Clements |
Written by | John Musker Ron Clements Ted Elliott Terry Rossio |
Produced by | John Musker Ron Clements |
Starring | Scott Weinger Robin Williams Linda Larkin Jonathan Freeman Frank Welker Gilbert Gottfried Douglas Seale Jim Cummings Russi Taylor |
Music by | Alan Menken |
Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
Release dates | November 11, 1992 |
Running time | 90 minutes |
Language | English |
Budget | $28,000,000 |
- For the Golden Films film, see Aladdin (Golden Films film)
Aladdin is a 1992 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, and released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 25, 1992. The thirty-first animated feature in the Disney animated features canon, it relates a version of the story of Aladdin and the magic lamp from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights. As is usual with Disney film adaptations, many aspects of the traditional story were changed for the movie. It was released at the peak stretch of the Disney renaissance era beginning with The Little Mermaid. It was the most successful film of 1992, with over $217 million in domestic revenues and over $504 million worldwide.
It was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, both of whom had just finished writing and directing The Little Mermaid. The musical score was created by Alan Menken, and the lyrics were written by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. Alan Menken received the 1992 Academy Award for Original Music Score of Aladdin. The main soundtrack song "A Whole New World" (sung during the closing credits by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle) won a Grammy Award as well as the Academy Award for Best Song for Menken and Rice in 1992.
Voice actors included Robin Williams as the Genie. Although this was not the first time in which a major actor provided voice-over work for an animated film, it was the first major American animated feature film in which particular attention was paid to a celebrity cast member, such as a major movie star, in the film as part of its promotion. This has led to a subsequent increased attention to the casts of later productions, such as Toy Story and Shrek, as a major element of animated film marketing.
Aladdin was followed by two direct-to-video sequels: The Return of Jafar (1994) and Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996), and an animated television series, Aladdin, set between the two sequels.
Synopsis
The film begins with a merchant in the mystical city of Agrabah, telling the story of a magical lamp and how it changed a young man's life ("Arabian Nights"). The story begins on a dark night, where Jafar, the grand vizier to the Sultan, and a follower of his, Kazim the thief, attempt to access the Cave of Wonders, a magical trove where a magical lamp containing a genie is hidden. He and his talking parrot, Iago, learn that the only one who can enter the Cave of Wonders is the metaphorical "Diamond in the Rough," after the cave collapses on Kazim when he walks in.
Meanwhile, the street urchin Aladdin is fleeing guards with his pet monkey, Abu, after stealing a loaf of bread ("One Jump Ahead"). He eventually gives the bread to two homeless children before being knocked to the ground by Prince Achmed, who is on his way to attempt to marry Princess Jasmine. Jasmine, the teenage daughter of the Sultan, must be married before her upcoming eighteenth birthday, but she rejects every prince she meets, wanting to be married for true love. Achmed is one of those rejected by Jasmine, and to add injury to insult, he is bitten in the rear by Jasmine's pet tiger, Rajah. (One of the morning scenes involves Rajah with part of Achmed's boxers in his mouth.) Later that day, Jasmine, frustrated with "having her life lived for her," climbs over the palace walls, and in the morning sees the marketplace for the first time, where she meets Aladdin and Abu. Meanwhile, Jafar has tricked the Sultan into giving him his ring, which allows Jafar to see who the "diamond in the rough" is, and it is in fact Aladdin. Jafar sends a group of guards out to capture Aladdin, and they do, while Jasmine is still with him. Later, Jasmine tells Jafar to release him, but Jafar lies to her that he was executed, when he is in fact in a dungeon.
A disguised Jafar leads Aladdin and Abu to the Cave of Wonders. Aladdin and Abu enter and encounter a magic carpet before Aladdin finds the lamp. Abu attempts to steal a ruby and the cave collapses with them inside. When Aladdin awakens, he rubs the lamp and unleashes the magical, humorous genie, who reveals that he will now grant Aladdin three wishes ("Friend Like Me"). As they leave the cave, the sultan scolds Jafar while Jasmine plans to fire him once she is ruler of Agrabah. After they leave the room, Iago suggests that Jafar become Jasmine's husband in order to gain power.
The genie grants Aladdin his first wish: making him a prince so that he can marry Jasmine. They parade to the sultan's home, much to Jafar's dismay ("Prince Ali"). As Prince Ali, dressed in a white silk robe with a turban and a cape on, Aladdin turns Jasmine off with his arrogant behavior, but he later takes her on a magic carpet ride through the sky, showing her his true feelings ("A Whole New World") and she soon realizes that he is the same boy she met in the streets. Aladdin returns her home with a kiss for Jasmine before Jafar sends the guards to have Aladdin bound and gagged and thrown into the bottom of the sea. Aladdin ends up in the sea, and the genie makes Aladdin's second wish for him by saving him from drowning.
Meanwhile, a hypnotized sultan orders Jasmine to marry Jafar, but Aladdin arrives and reveals Jafar's plot. Jafar escapes, but discovers that Aladdin now has the lamp. Meanwhile, the genie hopes for Aladdin to set him free with his third wish, but Aladdin refuses, fearing that he may need the third wish for something else. Iago then steals the lamp and brings it to Jafar, who becomes the genie's new master and uses his first wish to become sultan. Jafar then wishes to become "the most powerful sorcerer in the world" and, using his new-found powers, the now all-powerful wizard sends Aladdin to the ends of the earth in one of the palace towers ("Prince Ali Reprise").
Aladdin uses the magic carpet to return to Agrabah, where Jafar is keeping the Sultan, the Genie, and Jasmine as slaves. Aladdin fights Jafar, but Jafar transforms himself into a giant snake and begins to strangle Aladdin. When Jafar boasts that he is "the most powerful being on Earth," Aladdin reminds the former vizier that he still isn't as powerful as the genie since it was the genie who gave Jafar his powers in the first place. This immediately prompts the power-hungry sorcerer to use his third and final wish to become a genie himself. However, after his wish is granted, Jafar tries to gain control of the whole universe with his new powers, but discovers that, as a genie, he has no free will and he is sucked into a new lamp, pulling Iago along with him.
In the aftermath, Aladdin and Jasmine attempt to be married but are unable to now that Aladdin isn't a prince. Instead of wishing to be a prince, Aladdin wishes for the genie's freedom, much to the genie's happiness. Inspired, the Sultan changes the law so that Jasmine can marry anyone she chooses and she, of course, chooses Aladdin. The genie leaves to explore the universe while Aladdin and Jasmine begin a new life together.
Voice cast
Character | Image | Voice actor |
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Aladdin/Prince Ali Ababwa | Scott Weinger Brad Kane (singing) | |
The Genie | File:Robinwilliams aladdin.JPG | Robin Williams |
Jafar | File:Johnthanfreeman aladdin.JPG | Jonathan Freeman |
Princess Jasmine | File:Lindalarkin aladdin.JPG | Linda Larkin Lea Salonga (singing) |
Abu | File:Frankwelker aladdin.JPG | Frank Welker |
Iago | File:Gilbertgottfried aladdin.JPG | Gilbert Gottfried |
The Sultan | File:Douglasseale aladdin.JPG | Douglas Seale |
Razoul | File:Jimcummins aladdin.JPG | Jim Cummings |
Rajah | File:Russitaylor aladdin.JPG | Frank Welker |
The Merchant | Robin Williams Bruce Adler (singing) |
Crew
Crew Position | |
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Produced and Directed by | John Musker Ron Clements |
Written by | John Musker Ron Clements Ted Elliott Terry Rossio |
Co-Producer | Donald W. Ernst Amy Pell |
Songs by | Howard Ashman & Alan Menken and Alan Menken & Tim Rice |
Original Score by | Alan Menken |
Art Director | Bill Perkins |
Production Designer | R.S. Vander Wende |
Film Editor | H. Lee Peterson |
Artistic Supervisors | Ed Gombert (Story supervisor) Rasoul Azadani (Layout supervisor) Kathy Altieri (Background supervisor) Vera Lanpher (Clean-up supervisor) Don Paul (Effects supervisor) Steve Goldberg (Computer Graphics supervisor) |
Artistic Coordinator | Dan Hansen |
Supervising Animator | Glen Keane (Aladdin) Eric Goldberg (Genie) Mark Henn (Jasmine) Andreas Deja (Jafar) Duncan Marjorbanks (Abu) Randy Cartwright (Magic Carpet) Will Finn (Iago) David Pruiksma (Sultan) Aaron Blaise (Rajah) Kathy Zielinski (Jafas as Beggar/Snake) T. Daniel Hofstedt (Gazeem/Achmed) Chris Wahl/Phil Young (Guards) |
Production Manager | Alice Dewey |
Academy Awards
Issues with dialogue, appearances and lyrics
One of the verses of the opening song "Arabian Nights" was altered following protests from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). The lyrics were changed in July 1993 from "'Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face/It's barbaric, but, hey, it's home," in the original release to "Where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense/It's barbaric, but, hey, it's home." The change first appeared on the 1993 video release. The original lyric was intact on the initial CD soundtrack release, but the re-release uses the edited lyric. Entertainment Weekly ranked Aladdin in a list of the most controversial films in history, due to this incident.
Similarities to The Thief and the Cobbler
Animation enthusiasts have noticed similarities between Aladdin and Richard Williams' unfinished film The Thief and the Cobbler (also known as Arabian Knight under Miramax and The Princess and the Cobbler under Majestic Films International). These similarities include a similar plot, similar characters and background designs, and the antagonist Zig-Zag's resemblance in character design and mannerisms to Genie and Jafar.[1][2] Though Aladdin was released prior to The Thief and the Cobbler, it has been noted that The Thief and the Cobbler was started much earlier in the 1960s, but its production was mired in difficulties including financial problems, copyright issues when it was about Mulla Nasruddin in the 1970s, and late production times caused by separate studios trying to finish the film after Richard Williams was fired from the project.[3] This late release, coupled with Disney's purchase and re-editing of the film through Miramax, has sometimes resulted in it being ironically labeled a "copy" of Aladdin.[2]
Robin Williams and the Disney studio
In gratitude for his success with the Disney/Touchstone film Good Morning, Vietnam, Robin Williams voiced the Genie for SAG scale pay ($75,000), on condition that his name or image not be used for marketing, and his (supporting) character not take more than 25% of space on advertising artwork, since his live action film Toys was scheduled for release one month after Aladdin's debut. The studio failed on both counts, especially in poster art by having the Genie in 25% of the image, but having other major and supporting characters portrayed considerably smaller. Disney's Hyperion book, "Aladdin: The Making Of An Animated Film", listed both of Williams' characters "The Peddler" and "The Genie" ahead of main characters, but was forced to refer to him only as "the actor signed to play the Genie".
Williams and Disney had a bitter falling out, and as a result Dan Castallaneta voiced the Genie in The Return of Jafar, the Aladdin animated television series, and had recorded his voice for Aladdin and the King of Thieves. When Jeffrey Katzenberg was fired from Disney and replaced by former 20th Century-Fox production head Joe Roth (whose last act for Fox was greenlighting Williams' film Mrs. Doubtfire), Roth arranged for a public apology to Williams by Disney. Williams agreed to perform in Hollywood Pictures' Jack, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and even agreed to voice the Genie again for the King Of Thieves sequel (for considerably more than scale), replacing all of Castallanetta's dialogue.
When Williams' re-teamed with Doubtfire director Chris Columbus for 1999's Bicentennial Man, Disney asked that the budget be cut by approximately $20 million, and when the film was released on Christmas Day, it failed at the box office. Williams blamed Disney's marketing and the loss of content the film had suffered due to the budget cuts. As a result, Williams is again on bad terms with Disney, and the DVD release for Aladdin has no involvement whatsoever from Williams in any of its retrospective footage, although some of his original recording sessions can be seen.
Trivia
- There are several references to the company's previous productions:
- The Genie's head briefly turns into that of Pinocchio.
- The Genie pulls Sebastian (from The Little Mermaid) out of a recipe book (and the first few notes of Under the Sea are played).
- Beast, from Beauty and the Beast, can be seen among the stack of the Sultan's toy figurines.
- The Genie dons a Goofy hat before leaving on his vacation.
- The Genie's appearance during the "phenomenal cosmic power" scene and Jafar's appearance as a genie are similar to that of the genie in the Walt Disney educational work Our Friend the Atom.
- During the song "A Whole New World" when Jasmine sings the line "Unbelievable sights, indescribable feeling" a stork is shown, surprised by Aladdin and Jasmine flying on the Magic Carpet, the stork resembles the one who delivers Dumbo to his mother, in the movie Dumbo.
- When Rajah is changing back to his normal self, his head turns into Mickey Mouse's head for a split second.
- Robin Williams, the voice of the Genie, also voiced the Merchant. The Merchant was originally supposed to return at the end singing a reprise of the opening song "Arabian Nights", revealing that he himself was at one time the Genie but had transformed into a human. This was changed during production and the Merchant only reappeared at the end of Aladdin and the King of Thieves, singing the "Arabian Nights" reprise that had already been recorded for the original movie.
- The prince bitten by Rajah at the start of the film is addressed by the Sultan as Prince Achmed, possibly a reference to the 1926 animated film The Adventures of Prince Achmed[citation needed]
- The design of the Genie resembles that of a character shown in a 1959 Disney Short "Eyes in Outer Space" which can be found in the Walt Disney Treasures: Tomorrowland DVD set. [1][citation needed]
- The animated character of Aladdin was originally designed based on actor Michael J. Fox but during production it was decided that he wasn't "appealing enough" and they decided to draw to instead resemble actor Tom Cruise. This is mentioned several times on the Platinum Edition DVD.
- Frank Welker, in addition of voicing Abu, he also voiced the Tiger God and Rajah and is also mentioned on the Platinum Edition DVD.
- During the scene where the Genie lifts the palace into the air, the villagers flee in terror and one of them emits the Wilhelm scream