LyricistHoward Ashman pitched the idea to Disney Studios president,Jeffrey Katzenberg, and the screenplay went through three drafts before Katzenberg would agree to its production. The animators based their designs on the work of caricaturistAl Hirschfeld, and computers were used for bothfinishing the artwork and creating some animated elements. Composed byAlan Menken, the musical score features six songs with lyrics written by both Ashman andTim Rice (who took over following Ashman's death).
Aladdin was released on November 11, 1992, to critical and commercial success: critics praised the animation and Williams's performance as the Genie, and it became thehighest-grossing film of the year, with an earning of over $504 million in worldwide box-office revenue. On release, it became the first animated feature to reach the half-billion-dollar mark, and was thefifth highest-grossing film at the time of its release and thehighest-grossing animated film of all time until it was surpassed byThe Lion King (1994).
Jafar, a sorcerer and the royalvizier of the fictionalMiddle Eastern city of Agrabah, seeks a magic lamp hidden within the Cave of Wonders that only "the diamond in the rough" can retrieve, who turns out to be a young kind-heartedstreet urchin namedAladdin, daily taking food alongside his pet monkey, Abu. Meanwhile,Princess Jasmine is unsatisfied with her sheltered life in the palace, so she escapes and encounters Aladdin. As a bond between Aladdin and Jasmine develops, Jafar has the palace guards capture and imprison Aladdin, who learns Jasmine's identity. Jasmine demands that Jafar release Aladdin, but he lies that Aladdin has already been beheaded.
Jafar, disguised as an elderly beggar, frees Aladdin and Abu and orders them to retrieve the lamp from the cave. The cave's guardian grants Aladdin entry, but warns him to touch only the lamp. Aladdin finds both the lamp and a flyingmagic carpet inside, but Abu grabs a large jewel and triggers a cave-in. They flee to the entrance and give the lamp to Jafar, who attempts to kill Aladdin and throws the pair into the cave. While trapped underground, Abu reveals to Aladdin that he stole the lamp back. Aladdin rubs the lamp, from which theGenie emerges. The Genie grants Aladdin three wishes, although Aladdin tricks him into freeing them from the cave without using a wish. Upon learning the Genie's desire to be released from servitude, Aladdin promises to use his last wish to free him. To woo Jasmine, Aladdin uses his first wish to become a prince.
At the suggestion of his parrot sidekick,Iago, Jafar plans to marry Jasmine and then kill both her and her father, the Sultan. Meanwhile, Aladdin arrives in Agrabah as Prince Ali, but Jasmine is uninterested in his advances. That night, Aladdin takes Jasmine on a romantic ride on the carpet. After she deduces that Aladdin is the boy she had met earlier, he lies that he sometimes dresses as a commoner to escape palace life. Aladdin brings Jasmine home, but Jafar's guards ambush him and throw him into the sea, where the Genie uses Aladdin's second wish to rescue him. Returning to the palace, Aladdin reveals Jafar's plot to Jasmine and the Sultan, but Jafar realizes Aladdin's identity and escapes from the guards.
With everything seemingly resolved, the Genie requests his freedom; Aladdin declines, worried that he needs the Genie's facade to stay with Jasmine. The heart-broken Genie retreats into his lamp, which is later stolen by Iago and brought to Jafar. Now the Genie's master, Jafar uses his first two wishes to become sultan, then a powerful sorcerer, and sends Aladdin to a frozen wasteland. Using the magic carpet, Aladdin escapes and returns to Agrabah, where he fights Jafar for the lamp. Aladdin taunts Jafar for being less powerful than the Genie, tricking him into using his last wish to become a genie himself. This causes Jafar to become trapped in his new lamp, taking Iago with him. The Genie throws Jafar's lamp into the Cave of Wonders.
The Genie encourages Aladdin to use his third wish to regain his royal title and legally marry Jasmine. Aladdin instead decides to keep his promise, wishing the Genie free. The Sultan allows Jasmine to marry whomever she chooses, and she gladly chooses Aladdin. The Genie bids the group a fond farewell and leaves to explore the world, while Aladdin and Jasmine start their new life together.
Scott Weinger asAladdin, an impoverished but kind-hearted Agrabah thief and street urchin who is in love with Princess Jasmine. For his audition, Weinger sent a homemade audition tape as Aladdin, with his mother playing the Genie,[7] and after several callbacks, found out six months later that he had been cast as the title character.[8] Aladdin's supervising animator wasGlen Keane.
Robin Williams as theGenie, a hyperactivejinn who has the power to grant three wishes to whoever possesses his magic lamp. He serves as the film'scomic relief. Clements and Musker had written the role of the Genie for Robin Williams, but when met with resistance, created a reel of Williams'sstand-up animation of the Genie. The directors askedEric Goldberg, the Genie's supervising animator, to animate the character over one of Williams's old stand-up comedy routines to pitch the idea to the actor. The resulting test, in which Williams's stand-up about schizophrenia was translated to the Genie growing another head to argue with himself, made Williams "laugh his ass off", and convinced him to sign for the role. Williams's appearance inAladdin marked the beginning of a transition in animation to use celebrity voice actors rather than specifically trained voice actors.[10]
Williams also voices a peddler who appears at the beginning of the film, whom the directors intended to be the same Genie in disguise narrating the story.[11][12][13] The peddler's singing voice was provided byBruce Adler.
Linda Larkin asJasmine, the beautiful princess of Agrabah and the daughter of the Sultan who is bored with life in the royal palace and falls in love with Aladdin. Larkin was chosen for the role of Jasmine nine months after her audition, and had to adjust and lower her high-pitched voice to reach the voice that the filmmakers were looking for in the character.[14] Jasmine's supervising animator wasMark Henn.
Jonathan Freeman asJafar, a nefarious, deceptive, power-hungrysorcerer and thegrand vizier of Agrabah who, frustrated with the Sultan's ways of ruling, devises a dastardly plot to overthrow him as the ruler of Agrabah by acquiring the Genie's lamp. Freeman was the first actor cast, and spent 21 months recording his dialogue. He eventually readjusted his voice after Weinger and Larkin were cast, as he felt that "Jafar had to be seen as a real threat to Aladdin and Jasmine",[16] as he was originally envisioned as an irritable character, but the directors decided that a calm villain would be scarier.[14] Jafar's supervising animator wasAndreas Deja, while Jafar's beggar and snake forms were animated byKathy Zielinski.[17]
Frank Welker asAbu, Aladdin'skleptomaniac pet monkey with afalsetto voice. Welker also voices Jasmine's tiger, Rajah, and the Cave of Wonders.[17] Duncan Marjoribanks was the supervising animator for Abu,Aaron Blaise was the supervising animator for Rajah, and Goldberg was the supervising animator for the Cave of Wonders.
Douglas Seale asthe Sultan, the naïve but friendly ruler of Agrabah who is eager to find a capable husband for his daughter Jasmine. The Sultan's supervising animator wasDavid Pruiksma.
Jim Cummings asRazoul: the Captain of the Guards. Phil Young and Chris Wahl animated him and the other guards.
Charlie Adler asGazeem: a thief who Jafar sends into the Cave of Wonders at the beginning of the film, but is trapped inside for being unworthy and was animated by T. Daniel Hofstedt.
In 1988, lyricistHoward Ashman hadpitched the idea of an animated musical adaptation ofAladdin. Ashman had written a 40-pagefilm treatment, remaining faithful to the plot and characters of the original story but envisioned as a campy 1930s-style musical with a popular 1930s-style Genie.[18] With partner,Alan Menken, Ashman composed several songs and added original characters to the story, such as Aladdin's friends, Babkak, Omar and Kassim.[19]: 216 [20]
However,Michael Eisner did not think that a story set in the Middle East would be commercially appealing,[21] and their project was removed from active development. Ashman and Menken were soon recruited to compose songs forBeauty and the Beast.[22]Linda Woolverton, who had also worked onBeauty and the Beast, used their treatment and developed a draft with inspired elements fromThe Thief of Bagdad, such as a villain named Jaf'far, an aged sidekick retired human thief named Abu, and a human handmaiden for the princess.[23][24]
DirectorsRon Clements andJohn Musker joined the production, pickingAladdin from three projects offered; the other two were an adaptation ofSwan Lake andKing of the Jungle, which eventually becameThe Lion King.[25] Before Ashman's death in March 1991, he and Menken composed "Arabian Nights", "Friend Like Me", "Prince Ali" and Ashman's last song, "Humiliate the Boy".[26]
Musker and Clements wrote a draft of the screenplay, and delivered astory reel to studio chiefJeffrey Katzenberg in April 1991.[20] Katzenberg thought that the script "didn't engage", and on a day known by the staff as "Black Friday", he demanded that the entire story be rewritten without rescheduling the film's November 25, 1992, release date.[27] Katzenberg requested for Clements and Musker to not be heavily dependent on Ashman's vision,[19]: 217 and the removal of Aladdin's mother, remarking: "Eighty-six the mother. The mom's a zero."[28]
Katzenberg also influenced changing the plot element about Jasmine's marriage, which originally had her to be married by age sixteen as required by law, to remove the age—the Sultan says only, "your next birthday"—and make it more specific that her suitor needed to be a prince, which would also set up the ending in which the Sultan, inspired by Aladdin's altruism, changes the law to make it legal for Jasmine to able to marry anyone she deems worthy.[29]
Screenwriting duoTed Elliott andTerry Rossio were brought in to rework the story,[20] and the changes they made included the removal of Aladdin's mother, the strengthening of the character of Princess Jasmine, and the deletion of several of Ashman and Menken's songs.[30] Aladdin's personality was rewritten to be "a little rougher, like a youngHarrison Ford";[20][31] the parrot, Iago, originally conceived as an uptight British archetype, was reworked to a comic role after the filmmakers sawGilbert Gottfried inBeverly Hills Cop II, who was cast for the role.[32] By October 1991, Katzenberg was satisfied with the new version ofAladdin.[18] As with Woolverton's screenplay, several characters and plot elements were based onThe Thief of Bagdad,[33][34] although the location of the film was changed fromBaghdad to the fictional Arabian city of Agrabah due to theGulf War.[35] Because the war prevented them from travelling to Baghdad for research, most of their research took place at the Saudi Arabian expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center.[36]
According to a 1994 article inThe Advocate, Katzenberg askedThomas Schumacher, an openlygay producer, if any of the gay references in the film offended him, such as a scene in which the Genie becomes an "effeminateclothier", and another in which he tells Aladdin: "I really like you too, kid, but that doesn't mean I want to pick out curtains with you." Schumacher responded that such references were in "good fun", remarking: "I know we all argue amongst ourselves, but why try to deny the fact that swishyfashion designers exist? They do! What are we running from? Show me ten hairdressers; I'll show you eight gay men."[37]
Style guide depicting the main characters. The animators designed each character based on a different geometrical shape.[38]
The design for most characters is based on the work of caricaturistAl Hirschfeld,[39] which production designer,Richard Vander Wende, also considered appropriate to the theme, due to similarities to the flowing and swooping lines found inArabic calligraphy.[29] Jafar's design was not based on Hirschfeld's work, because Jafar's supervising animator,Andreas Deja, wanted the character to be contrasting.[40] Each character was animated alone, with the animators consulting with each other to make scenes with interrelating characters.
Because Aladdin's animator,Glen Keane, was working in the California branch ofWalt Disney Feature Animation, and Jasmine's animator,Mark Henn, was in Florida atDisney-MGM Studios, they had to frequently phone, fax or send designs and discs to each other.[29] The animators filmed monkeys at theSan Francisco Zoo to study their movements for Abu's character.[14] Iago's supervising animator,Will Finn, tried to incorporate some aspects of Gottfried's appearance into the parrot's design, especially his semi-closed eyes and the always-appearing teeth.[14] Some aspects of the Sultan were inspired by theWizard of Oz, to create a bumbling authority figure.[14]
Andreas Deja, Jafar's supervising animator, tried to incorporate Jonathan Freeman's facial expressions and gesturing into the character.[39] AnimatorRandy Cartwright described working on the Magic Carpet as challenging, since it is only a rectangular shape that expresses itself throughpantomime—"It's sort of like acting byorigami".[29] Cartwright kept folding a piece of cloth while animating to see how to position the Carpet.[29] After thecharacter animation was done, the carpet's surface design was applied digitally.[39]
"In early screenings, we played with him being a little bit younger, and he had a mother in the story. [...] In design he became more athletic-looking, more filled out, more of a young leading man, more of a teen-hunk version than before."
Designed by a team led by supervising animator,Glen Keane, Aladdin was initially going to be as young as thirteen, and was originally made to resemble actorMichael J. Fox. During production, it was decided that the design was too boyish and lacked appeal, so the character was made "seventeen to eighteen", and redesigned to add elements derived from actorTom Cruise andCalvin Klein models.[41][42]
For the scenery design, various architectural elements seen in 19th-century orientalist paintings and photographs of theArab world were used for guidance.[43] Other inspirations for design wereDisney's animated films from the1940s and '50s and the 1940 filmThe Thief of Bagdad.[29] The coloring was done with the computerizedCAPS process, and the color motifs were chosen according to the personality—the protagonists use light colors, such as blue, the antagonists darker ones, such as red and black, and Agrabah and its palace use the neutral color, yellow.[14][39]Computer animation was used for several elements of the film, such as the tiger entrance of the Cave of Wonders and the scene in which Aladdin tries to escape the collapsing cave.[39] Some of the software that was used wasPixar'sRenderMan.[44]
Musker and Clements created the Genie with Robin Williams in mind; although Katzenberg suggested actors such asJohn Candy,Steve Martin andEddie Murphy, Williams was approached and eventually accepted the role. Williams came for voice recording sessions during breaks while filming two films he was making at the time,Hook andToys. Unusual for an animated film, much of Williams's dialogue wasad-libbed. For some scenes, Williams was given topics and dialogue suggestions, but allowed to improvise his lines.[39][45] It is estimated that Williams improvised 52 characters.[46]Eric Goldberg, the supervising animator for the Genie, reviewed Williams' recorded dialogue and selected the best lines to animate.[39]
The producers added manyin-jokes and references to Disney's previous works in the film, such as a "cameo appearance" from directors, Clements and Musker, and drawing some characters based on Disney workers.[17]Beast,Sebastian andPinocchio make brief appearances,[14] and the wardrobe of the Genie at the end of the film—aGoofy hat, a Hawaiian shirt, and sandals—are a reference to ashort film that Robin Williams did for the Disney-MGM Studios tour in the late 1980s.[17]
Initially, Robin Williams voiced the Genie under the condition that his voice not be used for excessive marketing or merchandising.
In gratitude for his success withTouchstone Pictures'sGood Morning, Vietnam, Robin Williams voiced the Genie forSAG scale pay ($75,000) instead of his usual asking fee of $8 million, on the condition that neither his name nor image be used for marketing, and that his character take no more than 25% of space on advertising artwork, since Williams's film,Toys, was scheduled for release one month followingAladdin's debut. For financial reasons, the studio reneged 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. TheDisney Hyperion book,Aladdin: The Making of an Animated Film, lists both of Williams's characters, "the Peddler" and "the Genie", ahead of main characters, but was forced to refer to him as only "the actor signed to play the Genie".[42][47][48][49]
Disney, while not using Williams's name in commercials as per the contract, used his voice for the Genie in the commercials and used the Genie character to sell toys and fast food tie-ins, without having to pay Williams additional money. Williams unhappily quipped at the time, "You realize when you work for Disney why the mouse has only four fingers--because he can't pick up a check." Williams explained toNew York magazine that his previousMork & Mindy merchandising was different because "the image is theirs. But the voice, that's me; I gave them myself. When it happened, I said, 'You know I don't do that.' And they [Disney] apologized; they said it was done by other people."[50]
Disney attempted to assuage Williams by sending him aPablo Picasso painting worth more than $1 million, but this move failed to repair the damaged relationship, as the painting was a self-portrait of Picasso asVincent van Gogh, and apparently really "clashed" with the Williams's wilder home decor.[51] Williams refused to sign for the 1994 direct-to-video sequelThe Return of Jafar, and he was replaced byDan Castellaneta as the Genie's voice actor. WhenJeffrey Katzenberg was replaced byJoe Roth as chairman at Walt Disney Studios, Roth organized a public apology to Williams.[52] In turn, Williams would reprise the role in the second sequel,Aladdin and the King of Thieves, in 1996.[53]
Aladdin was the third—afterThe Little Mermaid andBeauty and the Beast—and final Disney film that Alan Menken and Howard Ashman had collaborated on, withTim Rice as lyricist after Ashman had died in March 1991.[54] Although fourteen songs were written forAladdin, only seven are featured in the film, three by Ashman and four by Rice.[55] Menken, Ashman and Rice were praised for creating asoundtrack that is "consistently good, rivaling the best of Disney's other animated musicals from the '90s".[56]
"The original story was sort of a winning the lottery kind of thing ... Like having anything you could wish for would be the greatest thing in the world and having it taken away from you is bad, but having it back is great. We didn't really want that to be the message of the movie."
The filmmakers thought that the moral message of the original tale was inappropriate, and decided to "put a spin on it" by making thefulfillment of wishes seem like a great solution, but eventually becoming a problem.[29] Another major theme was avoiding an attempt to be what the person is not—both Aladdin and Jasmine get into trouble pretending to be different people,[14] and Prince Ali's persona fails to impress Jasmine, who falls for Aladdin only when she finds out who he truly is.[61] Themes of imprisonment—a fate that befalls most of the film's characters—are also presented. Aladdin and Jasmine are limited by their lifestyles, while the Genie is attached to his lamp, and Jafar to the Sultan, being represented visually by the prison-like walls and bars of the Agrabah palace and the scene involving caged birds, which Jasmine eventually frees.[14] Jasmine is also depicted as a different type ofDisney Princess, being rebellious against the royal life and the social structure.[62]
A large promotion campaign precededAladdin's debut in theaters, with the film's trailer attached to most DisneyVHS releases (includingOne Hundred and One Dalmatians in April 1992 andBeauty and the Beast in October that year), and numerous tie-ins and licensees being released.[63]Aladdin was released on November 11, 1992, in two theaters (theEl Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles and the City Cinemas 1, 2 and 3rd Avenue in New York City), and grossed $196,664 in its first 5 days.[64][65] The film expanded to 1,131 theaters on November 25, 1992, grossing $19.2 million for the weekend, finishing second at the U.S. box office, behindHome Alone 2: Lost in New York.[66] It took eight weeks for the film to surpassBeauty and the Beast as the most successful animated Disney film at the domestic box office (surpassed byThe Lion King in 1994).[67]
For its eighth week of release,Aladdin collected $15.6 million and reached the number one spot at the box office, beatingA Few Good Men.[68] By February 1993, it surpassedBatman Returns to become the highest-grossing 1992 film domestically.[69] In the United States, the film held the top spot five times weekly and breaks the record for the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve, with $32.2 million during its 22-week run.[70]Aladdin was the most successful film of 1992, grossing $217 million in the United States, and over $504 million worldwide.[6] It was the biggest gross for an animated film untilThe Lion King two years later, and was the first full-length animated film to gross $200 million in the United States and Canada. Additionally, it was the first film to cross that mark sinceTerminator 2: Judgment Day.[71]
Outside of the United States and Canada, the film grossed $200 million in 1993,[72] and $250 million by January 1994.[73] In Europe,Aladdin defeatedJurassic Park to become the continent's box-office leader for the week of November 26, 1993.[74] It set an opening weekend record inSouth Africa.[75] By 2002, the film grossed $287 million overseas and $504 million worldwide.[76] It sold an estimated 52.4million tickets in the United States and Canada.[77] When adjusted for inflation (in 2022 dollars), its domestic gross totaled $491.4million.[78]
The film was first released inVHS on September 29, 1993, as part of theWalt Disney Classics line, although it was not officially advertised until October 1.[79] In its first three days of availability,Aladdin sold 10.8 million copies,[80] setting the fastest sales record[81] and grossing about$265,000,000 (equivalent to $577,000,000 in 2024) in the United States.[82] In less than three weeks, the VHS release ofAladdin sold more than 16million units and grossed over$400,000,000 (equivalent to $870,000,000 in 2024) in the United States.[83] On release of theSega Genesis video game adaptation in November,Aladdin sold approximately 30 million home video units,[80] earning more than$500,000,000 (equivalent to $1,090,000,000 in 2024) in the United States.[84] It was thebest-selling home video release until a record broken byThe Lion King.[85] This VHS edition enteredmoratorium on April 30, 1994.[86] ATHX-certified widescreenLaserDisc was issued on September 21, 1994,[87][88] and a Spanish-dubbed VHS for the American market was released on April 14, 1995.[89] In Japan, 2.2million home video units were sold by 1995.[90][91]
On October 5, 2004,Aladdin was re-released onto VHS and for the first time released onDVD, as part of Disney's Platinum Edition line.[92] The DVD release featured the movie and a second disc with bonus features. Accompanied by a $19 million marketing campaign,[93] the DVD sold about 3 million units in its first month.[94] The film's soundtrack was available in its originalDolby 5.1 track or in a new Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix.[57] The DVD went into moratorium in January 2008 with its sequels.[95]
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the film on a Diamond EditionBlu-ray on October 13, 2015. The film was released onDigital HD on September 29, 2015.[96][97][98] In its first week of release on home media in the United States, the film topped the Blu-ray sales chart and debuted at number 2 at theNielsenVideoScan First Alert chart, which tracks overall disc sales behind the disaster film,San Andreas.[99] The film's Blu-ray release sold 1.81million units and grossed $39 million, as of 2017[update].[100]
Upon release,Aladdin received positive reviews from film critics.[102][103] Thereview aggregator website,Rotten Tomatoes, reports that 96% of 130 critics give the film a positive review, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The site's consensus reads: "A highly entertaining entry in Disney's renaissance era,Aladdin is beautifully drawn, with near-classic songs and a cast of scene-stealing characters."[104] OnMetacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 86 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[105] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film a rare "A+" grade, on a scale of A+ to F.[106]
Most critics praised Robin Williams's performance as the Genie,[104] withJanet Maslin ofThe New York Times declaring that children "needn't know precisely what Mr. Williams is evoking to understand how funny he is".[107] Brian Lowry ofVariety praised the cast of characters, describing the expressive magic carpet as "its most remarkable accomplishment", and considered that "Aladdin overcomes most story flaws thanks to sheer technical virtuosity".[108]
Peter Travers ofRolling Stone stated that the film's comedic aspect made it accessible to both children and adults,[109] a vision shared withDesson Howe ofThe Washington Post, who also said that "kids are still going to be entranced by the magic and adventure".[110]Warner Bros. Cartoons directorChuck Jones called the film "the funniest feature ever made",[20] andJames Berardinelli gave the film three and a half stars out of four, praising the "crisp visuals and wonderful song-and-dance numbers".[111]
Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times awarded the film 3 stars out of 4, and commented that Williams and animation "were born for one another." However, he considered the music to be inferior toThe Little Mermaid andBeauty and the Beast, and claimed that Aladdin and Jasmine were "pale and routine". He criticized what he saw as the film's use of ethnic stereotypes, writing, "Most of the Arab characters have exaggerated facial characteristics—hooked noses, glowering brows, thick lips—but Aladdin and the princess look like white American teenagers."[112] Olly Richards ofEmpire Magazine awarded the film 5 stars out of 5, and said "The movie that brought a hip new sensibility to animated features and which still stands up in the age of Pixar and DreamWorks thanks largely to a blistering improv turn from Robin Williams."[113]
The film did not go without criticism. In a scathing review, Ed Gonzalez ofSlant Magazine described the film as racist, ridiculous, and a "narcissistic circus act" from Robin Williams.[114]
One of the verses of the opening song "Arabian Nights", in which the speaker uses the lyric "where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face" to describe his homeland, was altered to "where it's flat and immense and the heat is intense" following complaints from theAmerican-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). The revision first appeared on the 1993 video release.[130][131] The original lyric was intact on the initialCD soundtrack release, but the rereleases use the edited lyric. TheBroadway adaptation also uses the edited line.[132] The subsequent line, however, "It's barbaric, but hey, it's home", was left intact.[130]
The film has also been subject to criticism for its use ofOrientalist stereotypes that depict Arab societies as exotic and foreign.[133] TheADC has pointed out that the characters in the movie that the viewer is supposed to identify and sympathize with are generally presented with morewhite features, while the villains are presented with moreArab features.[133] Other people have pointed out that the movie is quite inaccurate in its depictions of Arab societies. The main palace is inspired byMughal architecture, but many of the clothes areTurkish in origin, and the outside environment is closer to that of theArabian Desert.[134]
Entertainment Weekly rankedAladdin in a list of the most controversial films in history due to this incident.[135] The number has been described in reviews as "simultaneously glamorizing and barbarizing the Arab world".[136] The ADC also complained about the portrayal of the lead characters, Aladdin and Jasmine. They accused the filmmakers ofanglicizeing their features and giving them Anglo-American accents, in contrast to the other characters, which have "foreign accents, grotesque facial features, and appear villainous or greedy".[131] In October 2020, in response to the criticism and in acknowledgment of racial stereotypes in the wake of theGeorge Floyd protests, Disney added a disclaimer to many of their features, includingAladdin, onDisney+, acknowledging the content as racist.[137]
Another scene in which Aladdin is threatened by the tiger Rajah on the palace balcony was controversial as well. In the scene, some viewers reported hearing Aladdin quietly utter the phrase, "Good teenagers, take off your clothes",[138] which they considered asubliminal reference topromiscuity. However, according to the commentary track on the 2004DVD, while Musker and Clements did admit that Scott Weingerad-libbed during the scene, they claimed that "we did not record that, we would not record that", and said that the line was, "Good tiger, take off and go…", and that the word, "tiger", is overlapped by Rajah's snarl.[139] After the word "tiger", a second voice can be heard that can be assumed to have been accidentally grafted into the soundtrack.[140] Later editions of the movie edit the line to avoid further speculation.
Animation enthusiasts have noticed similarities betweenAladdin andRichard Williams's unfinished film,The Thief and the Cobbler (also known asThe Princess and the Cobbler underAllied Filmmakers andArabian Knight underMiramax Films). These similarities include a similar plot, similar characters, scenes, and background designs, and the antagonist Zig-Zag's resemblance to character design and mannerisms to the Genie and Jafar.[141][142] AlthoughAladdin was released first,The Thief and the Cobbler initially began production in the 1960s, and was mired in difficulties, including financial problems, copyright issues, story revisions and late production times caused by separate studios trying to finish the film after Richard Williams was fired from the project for lack of finished work.[143] The late release, coupled with Miramax purchasing and re-editing the film, has sometimes resulted inThe Thief and the Cobbler being labeled a rip-off ofAladdin.[142]
Alongside its role in theDisney Renaissance,Aladdin is often credited as the catalyst in the rise ofcasting film stars as voice actors inHollywood-animated films with the success of Robin Williams's Genie performance.[144][145][146][147] Entertainment writer Scott Meslow wrote that, compared with the character of Aladdin, "Williams's Genie is the character audiences responded to, and — more importantly to Disney — its most marketable character by far", which he concluded led to the "celebrification" of later animated films, such asShark Tale andPuss in Boots.[146]
Before the theatrical release ofAladdin, Disney commissionedTad Stones andAlan Zaslove to producean animated series ofAladdin, following the recently developed one ofThe Little Mermaid.[148] Stones liked the character of Iago and wanted him in the cast, so he came up with an idea for a followup story that would free him from Jafar to join Aladdin.[149] Stones suggested turning it into a wholesale direct-to-video sequel, as opposed to an hourlong television special, andThe Return of Jafar was released in June 1994.[150] The film saw the debut of a new character,Abis Mal, voiced byJason Alexander, and all of the original cast returned, except for Robin Williams, replaced by Dan Castellaneta, and Douglas Seale, replaced byVal Bettin.[151][152]
The plot focuses mainly on Jafar seeking revenge on Aladdin. However, this time, with Iago on Aladdin's side, Abis Mal becomes Jafar's new henchman.[153] Aside from a preview onThe Disney Channel in early 1994,[154] theAladdin TV series followed in September on the syndicatedThe Disney Afternoon block. The episodes focused on Aladdin's adventures after the events of the second film.[155] In 1996, the final sequel toAladdin,Aladdin and the King of Thieves was released on video. The story concludes as Aladdin and Jasmine are about to be married and Aladdin discovers that his father is still alive, but is the king of all thieves in Agrabah.[153][149]
On July 15, 2015, the studio announced the development of a live-action comedy adventure prequel calledGenies. The film was being written byMark Swift and Damian Shannon, whileTripp Vinson was on board to produce via his Vinson Films banner. It was intended to serve as a lead to the live-actionAladdin film.[173] On November 8, Disney revealed that it had originally planned to use Robin Williams's unused lines from the 1991–92 recording sessions for the film, but that his will prohibited the studio from using his likeness for 25 years after his death in 2014.[174]
In October 2016, it was reported that Disney was developing alive-action adaptation ofAladdin, withGuy Ritchie signed to direct the film.John August wrote the script, which retains the musical elements of the original film, whileDan Lin is attached as producer.[175] Lin revealed that they were looking for a diverse cast.[176] In April 2017,Will Smith entered talks to play the Genie.[177]Alan Menken said that filming was slated to begin in August 2017.[178]
Production had originally been scheduled to begin in July, but was delayed due to Disney having trouble finding the right people to play Aladdin and Jasmine. British actressNaomi Scott and Indian actressTara Sutaria were being considered to play Jasmine. For the role of Aladdin, British actorsRiz Ahmed andDev Patel were initially considered, but it was decided that a newcomer should be cast in the role.[179] In July 2017, it was announced that Egyptian-Canadian actorMena Massoud had been cast as Aladdin, Scott as Jasmine, and Smith as the Genie.[180][181] At the 2017D23 Expo, Menken announced that he would be cowriting new songs for the film withAcademy Award winnersPasek and Paul,[182] whileVanessa Taylor would rewrite the script.[183]
^Nun, Katalin; Stewart, Dr Jon (2014).Volume 16, Tome I: Kierkegaard's Literary Figures and Motifs: Agamemnon to Guadalquivir. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 31.
^abcdeCorliss, Richard; Cole, Patrick E.; Smilgis, Martha (November 9, 1992)."Aladdin's Magic".Time.Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. RetrievedMarch 16, 2007.Chuck Jones' verdict is judicious:Aladdin is "the funniest feature ever made." It's a movie for adults – if they can keep up with its careering pace – and, yes, you can take the kids. It juggles a '90s impudence with the old Disney swank and heart.
^John Musker, Ron Clements, Eric Goldberg, Amy Pell, Ed Gombert, Terry Rossio, Ted Elliot (2004).Reflections On Black Friday (DVD). Walt Disney Home Entertainment.
^abThomas, Bob (1997). "Chapter 9: A New Tradition".Disney's Art of Animation: From Mickey Mouse to Hercules. Disney Editions. pp. 133–135.ISBN978-0-786-86241-2.
^Alan Menken: Musical Renaissance Man (DVD).Aladdin Platinum Edition, Disc 2: Walt Disney Home Entertainment. 2004.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^Daly, Steve (December 4, 1992)."Unsettled score".Entertainment Weekly.Archived from the original on August 6, 2011. RetrievedJune 12, 2009.
^Daly, Steve; Ascher-Walsh, Rebecca (March 12, 1993)."Arabian Sheikdown".Entertainment Weekly.Archived from the original on December 18, 2009. RetrievedAugust 30, 2009.
^ab"Movie-game links continue to get stronger".Screen Digest. Screen Digest Limited: 272. 1993.Major video game players Nintendo and Sega are both pushing hard to cash in on game spin-offs from Disney blockbuster animated featureAladdin. In US, Sega (...) shipped 800,000 units of Virgin-developedAladdin for Genesis/Mega Drive in same week as some 30m sell-through video units hit the street (10.8m selling through in three days).
^"Arabian Might".Entertainment Weekly. October 15, 1993. Archived fromthe original on April 25, 2009. RetrievedMay 25, 2009.
^Ascher-Walsh, Rebecca; Daly, Steve (March 12, 1993)."Marketing 'Aladdin'".Entertainment Weekly. RetrievedJanuary 22, 2025.critical acclaim and word of mouth have played important parts in the film's success.
^Ron Clements and John Musker, "Filmmaker's Commentary".Aladdin: Platinum Edition DVD, Disc 1, Bonus Features, Backstage Disney, Walt Disney Home Entertainment.
^Bevilacqua, Joe (April 1, 1999)."Celebrity Voice Actors: The New Sound of Animation".Animation World Network. AWN, Inc.Archived from the original on December 7, 2020. RetrievedNovember 28, 2020.One of the current trends in the American animation industry is to cast major movie stars to voice animated characters. From Robin Williams inAladdin...
^abMeslow, Scott (October 28, 2011)."How Celebrities Took Over Cartoon Voice Acting".The Atlantic. The Atlantic Monthly Group LLC.Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. RetrievedNovember 28, 2020.As it turns out, the rise of the celebrity voice actor can be traced to a single film: Disney's 1992 breakout animated hitAladdin.
^Jefferson, Graham (August 24, 1994). "Disney's engaging plans for an alluring `Aladdin'".USA Today. p. 03D.ProQuest306678810.
^M. Nichols, Peter (May 20, 1994). "Home Video: Disney looks to 'The Return of Jafar' to grant three wishes: profits, profits, profits. And other studios wish upon Disney's star".The New York Times. p. D18.ProQuest109325285.
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