And you know what, it actually works very well. Against the odds that this would blow up in Disney’s face they managed to pull through a very good movie that succeeds on its visuals, heart, and of course one scene-stealing performance that would go down as one of Disney’s greatest.
Aladdin is a street thief in the kingdom of Agrabah (which an astonishing number of Americans believe is real), orphaned from an early age and forced to steal to survive. But he has a good heart and after a particularly Valjean style theft, he meets a young woman in the market and saves her, later discovering she was really Princess Jasmine who had escaped the palace and the pressure of arranged marriage. Aladdin is arrested himself only to be coerced into entering the Cave of Wonders as a “diamond in the rough” to retrieve a magic lamp. Through circumstances I won’t spoil, (“throw me the idol, I’ll throw you the whip”) he ends up trapped, but luckily has the lamp with him; a lamp which is home to a magic Genie capable of granting him any wish he wants, a power he intends to use to woo Jasmine . But the conniving grand vizier Jafar is after the lamp too as a means to gain limitless power.
One of the things I like most about Aladdin is that though it tries a number of new things in terms of character and humour, it’s still recognizable as a Disney film. There may be an eccentricity to how this world works and how it’s presented (this is from writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio after all), but it still somehow feels at home under the Disney banner. The plot itself is engaging, entertaining, if not the most interesting on its own. A large portion of the film concerns Aladdin masquerading as a foreign prince in order to gain Jasmine’s affection. But we know he’s going to be exposed sooner or later, we’ve seen this cliché before. This movie makes it more interesting for a couple reasons though, not least of which is how Jasmine is smart enough to catch on very quickly. And I really admire that about her character. Not only is she assertive, capable, and intolerant of others trying to take control of her life, but she’s very clever! Everyone underestimates her and it leads to some very satisfying moments. She’s one of the most modern Disney princesses and a terrific role model, being tough and independent while also humble and adventurous. And even kind of funny. I really liked the scene where she plays along with Aladdin’s ruse to rescue her; she actually outshines Aladdin a lot of the time. But Aladdin is a pretty decent protagonist. I think like Ariel he’s very much a modern teenage guy, or at least the kind of teenage guy many of us wanted to be: slick, charming, funny, but at times cocky and confused. Street-smart if not necessarily intelligent, he knows how to con people, which to a kid is pretty cool. He’s drawn very handsomely, being based in design on Tom Cruise, but he’s also quite relatable. Again like Ariel, we can identify with his mistakes, but there’s something I definitely think he has over her. One of the central themes of the movie is the importance of being yourself and it’s executed very well. Aladdin learns that it’s better to be himself rather than become something he’s not for love. Which is the exact opposite of how Ariel became something she wasn’t for love and the implication that this was right! Aladdin did right by a moral that The Little Mermaid couldn’t and I’m very glad of that. The theme of entrapment and the downsides of wish fulfilment are also prominent. Aladdin and Jasmine’s synchronous declaration of feeling trapped in their lifestyles while desiring the other’s is very on the nose. Aladdin does escape his and predictably sees the negative repercussions, learning from them. But neither of them seemingly have it as bad as the Genie, longing for freedom as he’s forced to grant wishes to whomever good or bad, owns the lamp.
Of course it’s impossible to talk about Disney’s Aladdin without addressing the late great Robin Williams’ scene-stealing performance as the Genie. This was very inspired casting, and unlike just about any Disney movie to precede it, it really affected the nature of the film. Williams’ Genie gave the story this edgy comedic style that really worked. Modern day references in a period-set Disney movie was not quite new, we’d seen it attempted in The Sword in the Stone. But The Sword in the Stone didn’t embrace it with the vigour that this movie did, nor did it get someone so entertaining to espouse it. In fact the only reason a lot of these references are there is because Williams improvised much of his dialogue in the recording booth. The result is a very energetic performance full of one-liners and impressions. Who’d have expected to see Groucho Marx, Peter Lorre, Ed Sullivan, Arsenio Hall, Jack Nicholson, Rodney Dangerfield, and Schwarzeneggar lampooned in a Disney movie? It really gave Aladdin it’s unusual and absurd tone, and we have Williams to thank for that. I never was a big fan of Robin Williams’ comedy but most of his bits here (aided by the animation of course) are really funny! In addition Williams is also able to bring credibility to the more dramatic moments. Movies like this in particular really make you realize how much of a treasure he was. As for the rest of the cast, though Linda Larkin provides the speaking voice of Jasmine, Lea Salonga sings for her. Scott Weinger is decent as Aladdin, and Douglas Seale’s kind naiveté perfectly fits the Sultan. There’s a peddler who appears to narrate the story also voiced by Williams, but in a lazy move, never appears after the first five minutes. Jonathan Freeman is good as Jafar but sadly Jafar’s not an interesting villain. It seems like Disney wanted him to be intimidating like Ursula but also funny like Gaston, and those two traits never really clicked right. You also have to wonder how he’s never become sultan before, given his hypnotic power over the current one. That being said, he has a couple great dry deliveries when questioning Prince Ali, which makes up for his series of puns that’ll have you groaning through the climax. The tolerability of his sidekick Iago (the only talking animal to inhabit this universe) really depends on where you stand on Gilbert Gottfried. If you like him, Iago’s fine, but some of us find him incredibly grating to listen to. It doesn’t help that a number of his lines feel written just to appeal to the youth demographic of the time. And as much as I love Frank Welker, his Abu voice is pretty annoying.
One thing’s for sure, Aladdin is a very good looking film. Though not Beauty and the Beast, it still has a lot of wonderful animation. The backgrounds though not diverse are nice to look at and the characters are animated exceedingly well. By now Disney can nail any expression, and you can get an idea of character feelings without them even speaking or moving that much. There is however quite a bit of movement in this film -it balances both comedic and dramatic animation terrifically; and whether it’s one or the other they add a lot to the music sequences. The songs in this movie as expected are really good, being again from Alan Menkin (as well as Tim Rice and Howard Ashman). I don’t know if I’d call any of them great, in fact the animation often overshadows the songs themselves. “A Whole New World” is a good song but what I love is the look of that whole sequence as Aladdin and Jasmine travel across the world. It’s engrossing, poetic animation, the motion of the carpet and the night sky really feeling magical. Likewise “Prince Ali” is pretty good but the pomp of that whole entrance ceremony is what’s really fun. Sure the Genie’s ability to conjure hundreds of people out of thin air brings up difficult existential questions, but it’s just so lively and energetic to watch. The other songs “One Jump Ahead” and “Friend Like Me” are okay too, but again both are made entertaining more by the fast-paced and creative visuals. The only dip in animation is the Cave of Wonders itself. I appreciate the creativity of this great lion’s head in the desert, but it’s rendered in CG that doesn’t hold up well. The other CG scenes mostly inside the Cave don’t look that great either, but they aren’t significant enough to really make a difference.
Aladdin’s definitely the most light-hearted of the early Disney Renaissance films but in this case that’s a really good thing. It became a more unique and popular entity because of that. Enough so that this was the movie Hercules would try to be (more on that later). Some would argue that Williams’ bringing in modern cultural references began a trend that’s led to more bad than good, and I’m not going to act like it’s a good thing so many animations now incorporate pop music, adult references, and celebrity culture, but I think someone would have happened upon that idea anyway. And besides there’s so much to like about Aladdin apart from that. Whether it’s for the good use of that kind of comedy, Robin Williams’ performance, Aladdin, Jasmine, or the great animation, this is an Arabian Night worth taking in again.
Next Week: The Lion King (1994)
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