July 1, 2008
One of Disney’s most successful animated films, Aladdin featured the voices of Scott Weinger, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman and Robin Williams as the Genie. It is one of the most successful films of 1992, earning $504,050,219 worldwide.
Aladdin is an adaptation of the folk story of Aladdin and the magic lamp, which appears in One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Arab stories. However, writers John Musker, Ron Clements, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio changed some aspects of the story—the setting, for instance, is the fictional town of Agrabah, as opposed to the original Islamic version of China. Elements of the 1940 film The Thief of Bagdad was also integrated, notably Aladdin’s pet monkey Abu, who is patterned after Abu the thief in the said movie.
The film revolves around Aladdin (Weinger), a street urchin who chances upon a magic lamp after an altercation with the Sultan’s (Douglas Seale) Grand Vizier, Jafar (Freeman). After rubbing his hands against the lamp, he encounters the Genie (Williams), who grants him three wishes. Aladdin has previously met Princess Jasmine (Larkin), the daughter of the sultan who has to get wed before his birthday, but is frustrated with the way she is being (over)protected; he wishes to become a prince, and is granted such. Aladdin then uncovers Jafar’s plot to marry Jasmine, before killing off both her and the sultan.
Some critics described Aladdin as inferior to other recent Disney animations such as The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. However, critics were generally positive about the film, especially to Robin William’s work as the Genie. The attention paid to Williams could be attributed to the fact that Aladdin is the first major American animated film to make a celebrity voice cast member as an important part of its promotion.
Aladdin has won many awards, most notably two Oscars: Best Original Score, for Alan Menken; and Best Original Song, for Alan Menken and Tim Rice’s “A Whole New World.” It also won an Annie Award for Best Animated Feature, and two Golden Globes for the musical score and theme song. Robin Williams was also awarded a Special Award by the Golden Globes for his work in the film.