My Movie Review on Aladdin (1992) · 4:23pm Jun 5th, 2019
Greetings, my loyal readers.
This is your jolly film and tv show reporter here with another review.
And today, I will be making my 40th film analysis on one of my personal favorite Disney films, Aladdin. The 1992 animated classic to be precise.
Here’s the summary of this beloved tale:
Aladdin (voiced by Scott Weinger) has been living in the Arabian city of Agrabah as a street rat for much of his life, with only his pet monkey Abu for company. But, his life suddenly changes forever when he meets the beautiful Princess Jasmine (played by Linda Larkin), and the two of them fall in love.
Having become aware of Aladdin’s interest in Jasmine, the conniving Jafar (played by Jonathan Freeman) offers Aladdin riches beyond his wildest dreams if he enters a magical cave called the “Cave of Wonders” (voiced by Frank Welker, who also provides the vocal effects for Abu the Monkey and Rajah the Tiger) to retrieve a magical lamp.
Not really believing it to be magic, though, Aladdin rubs the lamp himself, and it’s then and there that he meets…the Genie (played by Robin Williams). And with Genie as his servant, Aladdin cooks up one of the craziest ideas of his life in order to see Jasmine again:
Become a prince.
The biggest questions concerning that, however, are…how long can Aladdin keep anyone from finding out who he really is? And how long can he keep the magic lamp from falling into the wrong hands?
Before I get into what I think of this movie, I’d like to confess that I’ve never read the book the film was based on. But, I really don’t find it to be necessary either. I love this movie for what it is.
The animation, for instance, is superb! It has this storybook kind of feeling, but at the same time, it has a sense of realism, and it can make one feel as if they’re in the adventure themselves. One can even go so far as to say that, in the animation aspect, “Aladdin” is one of Disney’s most accomplished films.
In my opinion, the film’s best animated elements come from that of the magic carpet and the Genie.
Despite carpet not being a talker, animator Randy Cartwright was able to bring that character to life to where he had excellent personality and emotion, all of it being expressed by his movements and gestures. Cartwright did a great job at making the character visually funny too.
Eric Goldberg absolutely killed it with animating Genie, giving the character the most hilarious visual gags out of every other talkative character. But, I definitely won’t lie, Will Finn’s work animating Iago and the gags used with the character came in a pretty good second place.
As long as we’re on the subject of those characters, I might as well start talking about the people who played them.
Robin Williams was born for the role of the Genie! If anyone has ever wondered how well Disney, animation, and Williams go together, this film here will answer your question. They mix together marvelously! Williams and his character had all of the best moments, and quite frankly, they were made for each other. Additionally, Williams not only made the character hilarious, he even gave Genie excellent warmth and kindness. Anyone else would’ve likely flunked it.
Gilbert Gottfriend was likewise quite a scene-stealer with his portrayal of Iago. He not only fit the role perfectly, but he got so animated with his voice and into his character that he made Iago likable, as well as every moment with the character fun and worthwhile.
It’s not just Williams and Gottfried, as well as their characters, that were fantastic. The rest of the cast and characters were amazing too. As a matter of fact, one might say that the names of the performers would be synonymous to their characters.
For instance, Scott Weinger and Linda Larkin were fantastic as Aladdin and Princess Jasmine. The two performers were meant for their parts, and they projected dazzling personality, emotion, and wit into their characters. The chemistry and romance between their characters is very much even one of the very best parts of the film.
In response to the people that call Princess Jasmine uninteresting and unoriginal, even saying that she lacks depth…I really must disagree with you on this. She’s actually one of the very best of Disney’s princesses. Among other things, Jasmine is someone who desires freedom to make her own choices and destiny, to not have every aspect of her life be decided by someone or something else. She wants independence. She doesn’t want to seem like a damsel in distress that constantly relies on another person for help. She has great character development too, which particularly comes from how much she loves Aladdin and wants to be with him.
In reference to a comment from Naomi Scott where she says that the Jasmine in the live-action film desires adventure, I actually think that that’s what the animated version of the character also desires.
All in all, Jasmine is an awesome character, and she’s a perfect role model for girls. Relatable too.
Aladdin himself is likewise a character that’s worthy of being held in high regard. He’s someone that I find to be a great role model and relatable person to guys, because true to the term given by the Cave of Wonders…he’s a diamond in the rough.
Despite his appearance and status as an orphan and street rat, Aladdin is a man with a heart of gold and kindness. He thinks more for others than himself, an example coming from the part where, after he sees some poor kids who were starving to death, he gives the bread he stole to them rather than keep it for himself. He’s also someone who has dreams, which is for him and Abu to live a life better than where they are now. His biggest dreams are that people would see that he’s more than just a street rat, and that people would love him for who he is. His development throughout the movie, which comes from him learning that he should be himself instead of being someone he’s not, as well as to never stop thinking about others more than himself, was fantastic too.
And finally, I’d like to say that Jafar was a fantabulous antagonist. And, Jonathan Freeman did an astounding job portraying the character.
Freeman was able to give his character a portrayal and voice that can easily intimidate his foes, sending chills down one’s spine and being able to drill through one’s skull, meaning that no one could ever forget what Jafar sounds like. He likewise brilliantly projected the feel of a classic-villain, with a calm, dark sense of humor on the side.
Jafar himself is what I’d like to call a fabulous Disney villain, because he proves himself as a formidable force to be reckoned with. Even though he didn’t have a backstory in this movie, I never really thought of that as a thing to give him. To me, he represents those who become evil largely due to their greed. He isn’t content with what he currently has, and he’ll do anything to get what he desires, even at the cost of hurting others. That’s what I believe helps Jafar click so well as a villain.
The story (written by Ron Clements, John Musker, Ted Elliot, and Terry Rossio) and direction (directed by Clements and Musker) was extremely entertaining as well. Musker, Clements, Elliot, and Rossio’s ability to make something all over the place tie together beautifully proved to be something truly inspirational, and so did their abilities with character-driven plotting. Additionally, they gave the plot a classic sense of wit, intrigue, impact, and meaning. Their astonishing knack for character personalities and dialogue is also what I believe to be one of the best parts of the movie.
On the subject of the humor, I’m definitely going to say that it was overall hilarious. Like I already said, Genie, Iago, and Carpet had all of the funniest moments. But, the special thing about the gags, even outside of the characters I mentioned just now, is that they were all so well-worked and timed you can’t keep yourself from laughing.
The themes of this movie, which are about being “trapped” by a lifestyle or role you’re playing; how great having wishes can seem; as well as the dangers of being someone you’re not more than yourself, were nicely executed. And so were the morals involving them, which is that it’s not the outside of someone that counts, but the inside; and, you should always be yourself instead of pretending to be someone you’re not. Much of it is kind of like with myself, how I tend to be trapped by my autism, but yet…I find that it’s better to be who I am more than be someone that I’m not. Or for that matter, be like everyone else.
Finally, it all comes down to the music. The composing by Alan Menken is still as spritely as ever, just like his work in “Beauty and the Beast (1991)”. The songs and lyrics done by Tim Rice and the late Howard Ashman were straight-out extraordinary, each lyric having a great bounce with the rhythms created by Menken. The best songs, in my opinion, were that of “Friend Like Me” and “Prince Ali” (thanks in part to the awesome singing chops by Robin Williams) and “A Whole New World”.
In the end, “Aladdin (1992)” is one of Disney’s best films, thanks to its sensational characters and voice acting, outstanding music, and terrific story and animation. And today, I have become even more proud by the fact that this is the 40th film I’ve reviewed.
So, I rate Disney’s “Aladdin (1992)” a completely five out of five stars.
I certainly hope that the live-action Aladdin that Disney released this year will be excellent in its own right, because thanks to its positive word of mouth from my 1st eldest sister and her husband, I’ll be taking a look at it very soon.
Love this movie.
Completely agree with your review here. After I saw it the first time, I couldn't get enough of it. :)
It’s been years since I’ve seen this movie, but it’s definitely really good! Also, this review is really well-written! And I agree completely!
Can't speak for the voice actors (dubs and all), but the animation and music was and still is top notch on both fronts.
Jasmine being uninteresting? It's a movie, and one without major timeskips, so the romance will always be rushed no matter what, that's just an issue at concept level, as well as possibly one with the source material. In my mind, it's enough for Aladdin to fall for her when he doesn't know she's a princess. She almost gets her hand cut off for stealing an apple which she gives to a street child (the Sultan mentions Allah in the Dutch version, so we can assume it's some form of sharia law in place, at least), a nice contrast between the bread scene Aladdin had earlier, it's a clever way to do it.
Jasmine appreciates Aladdin knowing what he is without even knowing his name, he likes her while not knowing what she is and laments that they'll never be together because of what she is. In terms of actually acting, she does manage to distract Jafar by seducing him, even going so far as kissing him. She's obviously disgusted by the notion, but she still does it. She's also smart enough to go for the lamp, or at least quick enough on the uptake. So as far as female characters go? Quick enough wits when she's overpowered, and willing to make personal sacrifice to her dignity when lives are on the line. You can do substantially worse
One thing I think a lot of people instinctively know but couldn't put their finger on with regards to the live action movie, was the physical affection between Genie and Aladdin. Genie's got a huge chest and shoulders, proportionately, something the live action version does not. This version's Genie hugs Aladdin and holds him at critical points in the film, you get a very real sense of the difference in weight, force, and body type between the two as a result. It's a super-powered creature with near-limitless magic, and it still just hugs a guy when he needs it.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but that kind of friendly hug has become more rare. I think this film certainly more of that than any other that came after, at least for Disney. Asterix and Obelix have this at times, as well, but only in one of two of the films, and never in the early ones. Fatherly hugs in the Dragons franchise, too, maybe. Genie's design, even if you don't always see his lower body, lends itself to a comforting character. That's pretty clever, considering the lore behind him.
I watched this movie a lot as a kid. I was kinda freaked out by some parts, but overall, I loved it!
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I haven’t seen the 2019 film yet, but, I will pretty soon.
My sister's favorite Disney princess is Jasmine, and she got SO offended when someone who worked on the live-action movie said that all animated Jasmine did was sit around and wait for a guy. Mmm-hmm.
Fun fact:
Robin Williams was not given any real direction for how to perform the lines given (with exception for the singing parts), so he elected to improvise The Genie's mood and persona. When they started production, they had maybe two animators drawing for the character.
Disney had a choice:
1: Ask Robin to scale it back a bit.
2: Get some more artists to animate The Genie so that the on-screen visuals would match Robin's performance.
The Genie's visual effects ended up being one of the biggest projects/challenges since Disney elected to go with option 2. It made the movie more expensive to produce, but it certainly paid off.