Aladdin

This has got to be the all-time best, most magnificent Disney movie ever. I first encountered this masterpiece as an adult in my late twenties, maybe a couple of years after its initial release, and I was immediately smitten. This animated film is pure musical, visual, and comedic joy. The characters are a delightful blend of stereotype and familiar folktale. I’m sure today’s political climate would put the kibosh to this gem from the get-go. Not that its release in 1992 didn’t raise a few eyebrows. In fact, the opening song’s lyrics were changed right after its initial release because of complaints by Arab-American groups decrying racism. They successfully convinced Disney to change the lyrics in the opening song. Behold: the offending lyrics to “Arabian Nights”: “Oh, I come from a land From a faraway place Where the caravan camels roam. Where they cut off your ear If they don’t like your face It’s barbaric, but hey, it’s home.” The offending lines were changed to: “Where it’s flat and immense And the heat is intense” This brilliant number is belted out by a nomadic merchant astride a camel. When the song ends, the peddler is voiced by Robin Williams, providing our first whiff of the comedic genius who is just getting warmed up to voice Genie. From there we enter the familiar tale and are introduced to the evil perfection that is Jafar, and his evil sidekick, an obnoxious bird named Iago (Gilbert Gottfried). Could you die from such a surprise? To be sure, the Arab-American groups didn’t care for the violent stereotype. Frankly, I don’t get why they bothered to straighten out this whole ear cutting business at all, considering that by scene four our Protagonist (Aladdin) is threatened with the amputation of both hands for stealing a loaf of bread. So why all the furor over a little ear cutting? Did the Arab-Americans leave the theatre during the opening song and miss the (albeit implied and threatened) carnage to follow? Maybe it was just harder to convince Disney to remove the hand chopping and beheading bits. After all, we first meet Aladdin running from the authorities after he steals a loaf of bread (“Stop, thief! I’ll have your hands for a trophy, street rat!”). A delightful vaudevillian chase follows, and scimitar wielding goons chase Aladdin through the streets, attempting to behead him. It’s a damn good thing they don't take his head, because he uses it to avert another amputation in scene 10: As Princess Jasmine (in disguise, mind you) is walking past vendors and merchants through the streets of Agrabah, she encounters a hungry waif. She reaches for an apple and hands it to the child but is immediately confronted by a scary man in a fez who hisses, “you better be able to pay for that.” “pay?” our sheltered princess in disguise responds. “no one steals from my cart!” he says as he grabs her arm Princess Jasmine attempts to appease the peddler with an apology. Unfortunately, this only serves to confirm his suspicions and out comes the dreaded scimitar. He raises the weapon, holds her arm down then asks her if she “knows the penalty for stealing?” Well, we all know what that is by now, don’t we? Soon afterward, just as it looks like this monster is about to have her hand, Aladdin provides a distraction. He is later rewarded for his good deed by imprisonment. Jasmine inquires after our hero, and Jafar (in villainous perfection) takes great pleasure in telling Princess Jasmine “the boy’s sentence has already been carried out: Death,” Jafar elaborates, “by beheading”. Clearly, the Arab-American groups played a high-handed role, as it is obvious that no one in this animated film will be executed by ear cutting. In conclusion, political correctness aside, this film is an absolute blast to watch at any age. With its starry desert, flying carpets, opulent palaces and treasure caves, who could resist it? Add a hero, a princess, and a magic lamp filled with “phenomenal cosmic power in an itty-bitty living space” and you’ve got the makings for an unforgettable animated experience, and let's not forget the soundtrack: Aladdin won a Grammy for best musical album for children, so just try not singing the addictive songs. Good luck. Aladdin is undeniably one of Disney’s best animated films, not just for its epic entertainment, but as a reminder of all the romantic notions we once cherished about the Arab world. Enchanting entertainment, intoxicating imagery, a treasure from the past. 5 zillion stars.

Aladdin is one hour and thirty minutes and was released in theaters on November 25, 1992. The movie is about a diamond in the rough who is Aladdin who lives with his pet monkey Abu in the city of Agrabah. Aladdin and Abu steal so they can eat. One day while Aladdin and Abu are eating their breakfast they happen to spot a beautiful lady. Unknown to both of them it is the Princess Jasmine who is disguise as a commoner. Aladdin rescues Princess Jasmine when she is accused of stealing an apple from a merchant. Aladdin is caught and taken to the dungeon and there he meets Jafar in disguise as an old man. The old man takes Aladdin to the Cave of Wonders and tells Aladdin to get his lamp and he will reward him. Aladdin finds the lamp but Abu did nee heed the Cave of Wonders warning and touches a giant red diamond. The cave begins to collapse and the magic carpet rescues Aladdin and Abu and head towards the exit. Once they get to the exit Jafar tries to kill Aladdin, but Abu interferes and saves Aladdin and takes back the lamp from Jafar. Once Aladdin recovers from his fall, he rubs the lamp to read some writing on it and the Genie appears. This is where I end because I don’t want to give away the rest of the movie. Aladdin was Disney’s 31st animated movie and the forth movie in the Disney Renaissance era. Also this was the last movie that Alan Menken and Howard Ashman collaborated on. The movie won two Oscars for Best Music, Original Song and Best Music, Original Score. Also it won a total of five Grammy Awards, four in 1994: Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television, Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television, Song of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and one in 1995 - Best Musical Album for Children. Aladdin is a great movie and gets AAAAA+++++. DVD FEATURES Disc 1 Play Scene Selection Bonus Features I. Deleted Songs a. “Proud of Your Boy” Original Demo Recording b. “You Can Count On Me” c. Humiliate the Boy d. Why Me e. Play All II. Deleted Scenes a. Aladdin & Jasime’s First Meeting b. Aladdin in the Lap of Luxury III. Music & More a. Music Videos i. “Proud of Your Boy” Performed by Clay Aiken 1. 2.0 Dolby Digital Mix 2. 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix ii. “A Whole New World” 1. Performed by Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey 2. Performed by Regina Belle & Peabo Bryson Original Music Video (1992) b. Disney Song Selection i. Arabian Nights ii. “One Jump Ahead” iii. Friend Like Me iv. Prince Ali v. A Whole New World vi. Play All vii. Play Movie (With Lyrics On Screen) IV. Backstage Disney a. Filmmaker’s Audio Commentary b. Animator’s Audio Commentary c. Pop Up Fun Facts V. Register Your DVD Set Up I. Audio Options a. English 5.1 Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix b. English Dolby Digital Surround Sound c. French Dolby Digital Surround Sound d. Spanish Dolby Digital Surround Sound II. Captions a. English for the Hearing Impaired b. None Sneak Peeks I. Bambi: Special Edition II. Pooh’s Heffalump Movie III. Mulan II IV. Mulan V. Mary Poppins Disc Two Preview Disc 2 Games & Activities I. Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Adventures II. Inside the Genie’s Lamp a. Guided Tour b. Self Guided Tour III. 3 Wishes Game IV. The Genie World Tour Backstage Disney I. A Diamond In the Rough: The Making of Aladdin a. Your Wish is our Command: Watch the “Making Of” Show with your Choice of Additional Bonus Segments b. Play All c. “Making Of” Index II. Alan Menken: Musical Renaissance Man III. The Art of Aladdin a. Art Review with Filmmaker’s Commentary b. Still Frame Galleries i. Visual Development ii. Story Development iii. Background & Color Keys iv. Character Development 1. Aladdin 2. Jasmine 3. Genie 4. Jafar 5. Iago 6. Abu 7. Sultan 8. Rajah 9. The Lamp 10. Narrator 11. Carpet c. Miscellaneous Characters i. Guards & Thieves ii. Market Place d. Deleted Characters i. Aladdin’s Parents ii. Executioner e. Model Sheets IV. Publicity a. Original Theatrical Trailer b. Publicity Gallery i. Theatrical Posters ii. Unused Concepts iii. Theme Parks c. Original Trailer: Aladdin and the King of Thieves d. Original Trailer: The Return of Jafar V. Index VHS PREVIEWS I. The Lion King II. Pinocchio

Firstly: BE AWARE THAT THIS DVD WILL NOT PLAY ON A EUROPEAN DVD PLAYER UNLESS IT IS MULTI-REGION! Right, I just wanted to get that off my chest in case someone somewhere MISSED the fact that it says at the top of this page and on the original link AND on the description that it is an AMERICAN DVD. People just don't read properly... anyway. I am biased, I will start off by saying that - I love Disney - but it is no lie when I say that this is one of the best Disney movies quite probably ever. And the main reason it is so darn good is because of Robin Williams. He is hilarous as the big-hearted, blue, and quite clearly bonkers Genie - his spark and humour keep the film rattling along nicely. I read somewhere that he had everyone crying with laughter at his impersonations, of which there are too many to mention in the film (I spotted a brief impersonation of Jack Nicholson in there somewhere, I swear!), and that the editors had 16 hours worth of recordings to play around with, meaning they created the Genie after the recordings as opposed to before as is the usual way of things. Obviously, you get everything that you expect from a traditional Disney movie as well - a fiesty princess, a delightfully evil villain who will have the kids cowering behind a cushion, a bumblingly lovable father, and a gorgeous, smart, upright young man as the hero. As usual, there is the lovely eye for detail, ridiculously catchy songs ("Prince Ali" by Robin Williams is a definite highlight, as is, of course, "A Whole New World"), and a good story, even if it does bear little resemblance to the story from 1001 Nights. The extras with te DVD merely serve to add to the enjoyment - we get a womderful insight into the background of the story and how they came up with Genie and so on. The most interesting part is about Aladdin's mother (but I won't spoil it for you). There is also an extra song - not with proper animation, only pictureboards - which is great, shame it wasn't added into the movie! All in all, this is without a doubt one of my favourite Disney movies, and it deserves to be ranked alongside the likes of Cinderella and The Lion King as one of the greats (in my ever so 'umble opinion).

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A legendary movie for its time and beyond, Walt Disney rules! Robin Williams at his best!

Aladdin" continued Disney's hot streak of family friendly but witty animated classics that broke box office records. Unfortunately, the magic was to last for a couple more movies. No small part of the success of "Aladddin" can be attributed to the songwriting team of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Menken and Ashman (who also wrote the winning songs for "Beauty and The Beast" and "Little Shop of Horrors"). Also, the witty self assured direction, like that of "Beauty and The Beast", helped define a hip, new Disney that had something for everyone. So what's the difference between the "Special Editon" and the "Special Edition Gift Set". Plenty but as to whether it's worth the extra cost depends on how much of a fan you are of the film. The "Special Edition" comes only with the DVDs (the featurettes and documentaries are discussed below). The "Special Edition Gift Set" comes with all that plus six original illustrations on heavy stock of characters from the film. You also get a deluxe book that's housed in a slipcase. It's very nice, indeed. Now, if I were Disney I also would have included the soundtrack and also made this edition a numbered, limited edition. While it might grow in value until the next generation of disc players come out and this is re-released yet again for Blu-Ray discs, it would have been better for fans to do a limited numbered edition. Oh, and I forgot the film frame from the original movie. "Aladdin" looks great on DVD with sharp, clear images and bright, vivid colors. I didn't detect any analog or digital blemishes worth noting. The Disc looks even better than the laserdisc version issued nearly a decade ago and worlds better than the VHS with crisper, clearer sound and a much cleaner more vivid (and colorful)picture. The "Disney Enhanced" 5.1 soundtrack actually improves the dialogue and songs giving them better clarity and added presence. The extras are a mixed bag but most of them are well worth having. There's deleted scenes presented in rough pencil animation, deleted songs highlighted by the terrific "Proud of Your Boy". Clay Aiken sings a version of the song for a music video. We also get "A Whole New World" performed by the dipsy duo of Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson. The two hour "A Diamond in the Rough" is a fascinating glimpse behind-the-scenes of this marvelous movie. We also get to see scenes from the deleted storyline for the film. Pop-up trivia facts can also be programmed to play on the DVD player as well. The two audio commentary tracks feature the directors and producer of the film while the second has some very funny commentary from the various character animators involved in the film. "Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride" is the best of the extras included here. It's actually not a game per se but a magic carpet ride that's best experienced on as big a TV as possible with the lights out. It's as close to a thrill ride ever presented on home video. "Inside the Genie's Lamb" is a mildly interesting and entertaining glimpse into the Genie's habitat. We also get "Genie World Tour". This bit of whimsy is fun and Disney directors actually entertained the notion of putting it on during the end credits at one time. It's clever and a witty short. "3 Wishes Game" might keep little ones entertained once or twice although some little ones will need help operating the DVD remote to play the game. Parents stay close by so the kids don't throw the remote at the TV in frustration. You can also select your favorite "Aladdin" songs with onscreen lyrics to help you sing along (God save your neighbors if you're a bad singer). All in all a terrific package well worth picking up. "Aladdin" is a funny, charming and entertaining movie with the Disney team at their peak. The "Special Gift Edition" is truly for the hardcore Disney fan that collects everything Disney. The two disc "Special Edition" is more for the casual fan or those that love the movie but just don't collect Disney stuff. I had some reservations about the DVD release as I was afraid they might screw it up but they didn't. The only thing missing is a discussion about the original song lyrics that were changed for home video release due to concerns about their anti-Arab sentiments. Also, we don't get any new footage of Robin Williams but we do see some vintage stuff from his very funny recording sessions.

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