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Aladdin
Aladdin is a Disney cartoon offering and so straight away you know that it will have a happy ending, some form of moral and quite a few musical numbers. The animation is slick, but the real genius of this film was the beginning of using celebrity voices for the characters, in this case Robin Williams as the Genie, and Gilbert Gottfried as Iago the parrot.
One of the reasons Aladdin works so well is that we all know the story, so there’s no reason to go into it here. The musical numbers are catchy, and would probably translate very well into a Broadway production if it hasn’t already been done, similar to what was done with Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. If you find yourself humming or even singing aloud after you’ve watched it, don’t worry, it’s completely normal and the feeling will soon pass. It’s a good thing those Disney composers don’t write commercial jingles.
Another great reason to watch Aladdin is that no concentration is required, at all. There are no subtle intrigues or complicated plots. Even if you aren’t smarter than a fifth grader, following this one should pose no problem. And even though the pretty lights are all drawn, it doesn’t stop them being any less pretty.
Dodginess
For a cartoon to score top marks on the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man Scale it really has to go above and beyond, something which Aladdin almost manages, but falls just short, only scoring 4. The casting people manage to get the dodgiest moment award when they realised that they couldn’t get by with either Robin Williams or Gilbert Gottfried, but had to have them both in the same film. It’s just as well that the voices can be shot in a sound studio in separate locations because if these two were ever in the same place at the same time during production, it would have been unlikely that the film would have been finished.
Rewatchability Rating
Aladdin is probably my favourite pre-Pixar Disney film. There are no tear-jerking moments like in The Lion King, there’s no historical/political undercurrent like Pocahontas, and the musical style is not Gospel like Hercules. All these negatives add up to one great big fat positive 5 on the rewatchability index.
Most Memorable Quote
Robin Williams always gets to deliver a number of quotes that are both funny and memorable, but Gilbert Gottfried got the most memorable quote in Aladdin, when he refers to Jafar, the grand Vizier, as “Oh Mighty Evil One!” That would make a fantastic job title, and if ever I start a company, that’s the title going on my business cards.
Final Thoughts
Aladdin is not quite as sophisticated as some of Disney’s later releases, but it does have one thing going for it, and that is Robin Williams being given free reign to go completely over the top, and the film is outstanding as a result. Give it a try, your kids will love it and if you just want some light hearted escapist fun, you will too.