THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Animated films, especially from Walt Disney Pictures, are the kind of films meant for children but eventually find their way to impress adults. One of the best examples is going to be 1992’s Aladdin.
PLOT
Based on the Arabic folktale ‘One Thousand and One Nights’, this animated film takes place in a fictional city known as ‘Agrabah’ and follows our titular street urchin, or in this case street rat (Scott Weinger), who dreams of escaping poverty. He does encounter the city’s Princess Jasmine (Linda Larkin) who was trying to run away from home, refusing to marry a prince because she wants it to be out of love. Their time together is cut short when he is captured by guards under the orders of the Royal Visier Jafar (Jonathan Freeman). Unbeknownst to the princess, Jafar uses Aladdin to retrieve a lamp from the ancient Cave of Wonders. There, he and his monkey Abu discover a magic carpet along the way. The lamp is found but Abu touches forbidden treasure, causing the cave to collapse. Jafar attempts to kill him and leave him behind but Abu snatches the lamp from him before falling back in. Later, Al touches the lamp and summons a Genie, who claims to offer only three wishes to those who summon him. He tricks the genie to help them escape the cave without making making an actual wish. But after they escape, he makes his first official wish to be a prince, also promising to free the Genie from servitude with the third wish. Under the name of Prince Ali, he meets Jafar and Jasmine’s father the Sultan (Douglas Seale), hoping to marry the princess. Distraught that she’s treated like a prize, Ali apologizes to her with the act of a magic carpet ride. She does figure out who he is but he keeps his cover saying he dresses as a peasant to escape the stresses of royal life. When returning her home, he’s captured by Jafar who tosses him to the ocean to drown. He uses his second wish by summoning the Genie to save him. When returning to the castle, Ali reveals Jafar’s actions to the Sultan. The Visier flees when spotting the lamp, deducing that Ali is Aladdin. Aladdin now doesn’t want to free Genie because he doesn’t want Jasmine to know the truth. When leaving the room, Jafar’s parrot Iago takes the lamp and gives it to his master. Jafar instantly uses two wishes, to be the Sultan of Agrabah and a powerful sorcerer. With his abilities, he reveals to the princess that Ali is Aladdin and sends him to a snowy area. With the help of the carpet, Aladdin and Abu head back to Agrabah to save Jasmine and her father. When in conflict with his foe, he tricks him to make his final wish to become a Genie, in order to trap him in a lamp. The plan works and Jafar takes Iago with him before being trapped. When everything goes back to normal, Aladdin keeps his promise and makes his final wish to free the Genie. The Sultan then decides to change the law, allowing Jasmine to decide to marry whoever she wants. While the Genie goes to explore the world, the film ends with Aladdin and Jasmine marrying each other and having their happily ever after.
THOUGHTS
To think I would be tired of this after years of watching, it amazes me to tell you this isn’t the case because I love this movie deeply. What makes me enjoy this movie like I did as a child is that it becomes timeless because you enjoy it for what it is. The animation, the music, the lore and the array of characters feel so perfect that it’s hard to hate it. This movie has clearly become a franchise if it’s own as it would later get an animated series, direct-to-video sequels, a Broadway production and a remake. Because this is an animated movie, songs the songs are so joyful to listen and the sequences where these songs play are so breathtaking to see. If you’re not singing along, you’re likely not enjoying it. Aladdin becomes a likable character because he becomes relatable as someone who wants to escape poverty. He is quick witted but always caring to others. Seeing him share bread to homeless children proves that he really is someone to trust. Hearing the reprise of 'One Jump Ahead' is very heartwarming because it helps us understand how big of a heart he has. Jasmine is likable because she’s not exactly the kind of film Princess to go through whatever known tropes, other than being a damsel. She stood out to me because she’s selfless, free spirited, compassionate and adventurous. Those are aspects of her that she arguably does better than other Disney princesses. She’s more interesting because of how she’s actually uncomfortable with her life and wants more to life than being a princess. And she was bold to distract Jafar through seduction. I dare you to find another animated movie or any movie where the damsel kisses the villain because a scene like that feels rare. The reason why she and Aladdin fall for each other because they both see the good in one another. 'A Whole New World' is the best song of the whole film because you start to feel the spiritual connection they have. When you a need a villain for a film, it has to be someone to dislike from the beginning and Jafar is just that. He is selfish, maniacal and will do anything to get what he wants. When rewatching, he is the kind of the villain that you’d love to hate because it is pretty badass that he can turn into a snake. I also gotta give credit where it’s due for Frank Welker because he is unrecognizable with three roles he plays: The monkey Abu, the tiger Rajah and the intimidating Cave of Wonders. That is insane range for providing the voice of many. For Gilbert Gottfried’s over the top personality, it suits Iago perfectly because he makes him sound as arrogant as he should. And with that attitude, you can guarantee that he'll be a pain in the ass for Jafar for centuries now that they're stuck together. Last but definitely not least, Robin Williams as the Genie is the highlight of this movie, making the movie more iconic. He steals every scene his character appears due to providing all the energy he’s known for along with clever improv. Also, he expresses the main theme of this movie to be yourself because in reality, you don’t have pretend to be someone else to impress others. Other than that, this character is living positivity because he will make you smile the whole time and you’ll appreciate him for it, which is why this character and Williams are meant to be one. I always love hearing the song 'Friend Like Me' because it explains how he is going to change Al's life for the better. Even after all the praise, I have to admit that there are a few flaws in a timeless story like this. First off, if Jafar has a staff to summon hypnotism as he constantly does to the Sultan, why doesn’t he trick him to handing the throne to him? If he did that, he’d have an extra wish. He even could’ve done it to Aladdin and he wouldn’t have to fight for the lamp. He also could’ve used it on Jasmine herself to marry her. I’m not trying to root for the villains, but he could’ve made smarter decisions. Jasmine shows her heart when randomly handing an apple to a hungry kid but why the hell does she walk away? Sure she wants to cover safe but she should’ve tossed come gold and she’d be fine. Ignore this and you’ll still be in love with this movie when it’s over. To come to a close, Ron Clements and John Musker succeeded in making Aladdin one of the best of its genre due to its heartwarming theme and will continue to be a timeless, entertaining film for years to come. If you love this genre, don’t waste time and see this one now.
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