Aladdin is a tough film for me to review because it was such an instrumental film for me growing up. It was likely one of the first films I ever watched, and among my favourite Disney films as I was growing up. So, sitting down to watch the film with a critical eye and needing to objectively talk about what works and doesn’t is difficult because I’ve just always seen it as the film that gave me so much joy as a child. Anyway, here’s my best attempt at reviewing Aladdin.
Aladdin (Scott Wienger) has spent his life stealing to survive in the dangerous city of Agrabah. He has been forced into a life of criminal activity because he is poor and an orphan, but he only steals what he needs, and lives by a strict moral code. When he is tricked into retrieving a magical lamp by the Royal Visir, Jafar (Jonathan Freeman), Aladdin gains the aid of an all-powerful Genie (Robin Williams) to help him get out of the streets and win the heart of Princess Jasmine (Linda Larkin). But will Aladdin forget who he really is along the way in his pursuit of wealth and love?
Aladdin (Scott Wienger) has spent his life stealing to survive in the dangerous city of Agrabah. He has been forced into a life of criminal activity because he is poor and an orphan, but he only steals what he needs, and lives by a strict moral code. When he is tricked into retrieving a magical lamp by the Royal Visir, Jafar (Jonathan Freeman), Aladdin gains the aid of an all-powerful Genie (Robin Williams) to help him get out of the streets and win the heart of Princess Jasmine (Linda Larkin). But will Aladdin forget who he really is along the way in his pursuit of wealth and love?
For me, Aladdin is one of the greatest animated films of all time. I adore the characters, the songs, the animation style, the humour, I just find everything about it is near perfect. Even watching it this time round, there were so few things I could find fault with, and the things I did take issue with are so small in the grand scheme of things that it feels like nit picking.
Starting off with the story and characters; the story opens by introducing us to Jafar, and really giving us a sense of how evil he is, meaning that once we’re introduced to Aladdin, we already know how high the stakes are. Jafar is one of the more menacing villains in Disney history, and Jonathan Freeman’s theatrically inspired performance is undeniably an inspiration for Jeremy Irons’ portrayal of Scar in The Lion King. Jasmine is also given a good amount of time on screen without Aladdin to develop her character and motivations. She’s given a surprising amount of agency in the story and is one of the earliest examples of Disney women fighting back against patriarchal systems. Whilst by the end of the story she is Aladdin’s wife and still doesn’t have any true power, the seeds for what would later be developed much further in films like Mulan are sown.
Robin Williams is without a doubt the star of the show as Genie, and the dispute between Disney and Williams that Aladdin sparked still lives in infamy to this day. But that whole issue aside, Williams famously ad-lib's most of his performance as Genie, playing it more like a stand-up-comedy routine than a voiceover performance. Genie is one of the best Disney characters ever created and it’s all because of Williams, he truly is the heart and soul of this film and every moment he is on screen is cinema gold.
Characters talk openly about their desires and views on the world which gives Agrabah so much life and depth to it; in contrast to places even as recent as Belle’s town in Beauty and the Beast, and Atlantica in The Little Mermaid. Even the pacing is excellent, where each interaction characters have with one another builds to a crescendo in the form of either an action sequence, musical number, or even a mix of the two in some cases.
Starting off with the story and characters; the story opens by introducing us to Jafar, and really giving us a sense of how evil he is, meaning that once we’re introduced to Aladdin, we already know how high the stakes are. Jafar is one of the more menacing villains in Disney history, and Jonathan Freeman’s theatrically inspired performance is undeniably an inspiration for Jeremy Irons’ portrayal of Scar in The Lion King. Jasmine is also given a good amount of time on screen without Aladdin to develop her character and motivations. She’s given a surprising amount of agency in the story and is one of the earliest examples of Disney women fighting back against patriarchal systems. Whilst by the end of the story she is Aladdin’s wife and still doesn’t have any true power, the seeds for what would later be developed much further in films like Mulan are sown.
Robin Williams is without a doubt the star of the show as Genie, and the dispute between Disney and Williams that Aladdin sparked still lives in infamy to this day. But that whole issue aside, Williams famously ad-lib's most of his performance as Genie, playing it more like a stand-up-comedy routine than a voiceover performance. Genie is one of the best Disney characters ever created and it’s all because of Williams, he truly is the heart and soul of this film and every moment he is on screen is cinema gold.
Characters talk openly about their desires and views on the world which gives Agrabah so much life and depth to it; in contrast to places even as recent as Belle’s town in Beauty and the Beast, and Atlantica in The Little Mermaid. Even the pacing is excellent, where each interaction characters have with one another builds to a crescendo in the form of either an action sequence, musical number, or even a mix of the two in some cases.
Speaking of the musical numbers, I feel a lot of what makes Aladdin so great is the incredible musical numbers, which I feel are collectively the best numbers in Disney Animated history (apart from Tarzan but they aren’t musical numbers, as much as it’s just an original soundtrack). Kicking things off with ‘Arabian Nights’ as we soar over the desert and through the streets of Agrabah. Add to this the incredible ‘One Jump Ahead’, ‘Friend Like Me’, and ‘Prince Ali’ which do an incredible job of conveying huge amounts of exposition in an inventive and entertaining way. But the real crown jewel is ‘A Whole New World’ which is by far my favourite Disney song of all time, a truly beautiful duet between Aladdin and Jasmine as they take flight on the magic carpet. I get goosebumps even thinking about it and may well even be one of my favourite songs of all-time.
The animation hasn’t changed all that drastically from Beauty and the Beast, but Aladdin does include some significantly more complex and lengthy 3D computer generated sequences. The opening of the Cave of Wonders sends shivers down my spine in the opening few minutes of the film, but is made even grander later on down the line when Aladdin & Abu are riding the magic carpet out of the collapsing cave structure. By modern standards the 3D animation does look dated which Beauty and the Beast managed to mask better by its limited use. But the implementation in Aladdin is at times seamless with the 2D animation, sometimes making you question whether what you’re watching is hand-drawn or computer generated.
The animation hasn’t changed all that drastically from Beauty and the Beast, but Aladdin does include some significantly more complex and lengthy 3D computer generated sequences. The opening of the Cave of Wonders sends shivers down my spine in the opening few minutes of the film, but is made even grander later on down the line when Aladdin & Abu are riding the magic carpet out of the collapsing cave structure. By modern standards the 3D animation does look dated which Beauty and the Beast managed to mask better by its limited use. But the implementation in Aladdin is at times seamless with the 2D animation, sometimes making you question whether what you’re watching is hand-drawn or computer generated.
So, what don’t I like? I felt obligated to find things I took issue with because I hold Aladdin in such high regard and really all I could come up with is that Jasmine isn’t given the true feminist power move she’d been gearing up for the whole film. This particular issue is actually addressed in the 2019 live-action remake of the film where Jasmine ultimately becomes Sultan; in the animation though, whilst she never bows down to the patriarchal rule and systemic sexism in place, she never manages to overthrow it. Looking at the time the film was made (and when it was set) this is understandable, but looking at the film with modern eyes does highlight how easily Jasmine just accepts her place under a man's rule because it’s the man she loves.
There are also some nit-picky problems I have with dialogue where it feels like things have been awkwardly worded, or left intentionally vague for no good reason. For example, when the Sultan explains to Jasmine that it is the law to be married, instead of saying ‘by X age’ he says “by your next birthday”. This isn’t the only instance, and it’s not a dealbreaker by any means, but it often leaves more questions than it answers.
Aladdin is a masterpiece of animated filmmaking. It is without a doubt one of Disney Animation’s strongest ever films, with a great cast of characters, heart-warming story with valuable moral lessons, incredible songs, and some great animation techniques on display. If people ever ask me what Disney film they should watch, one of my first responses is always Aladdin, and for good reason.
There are also some nit-picky problems I have with dialogue where it feels like things have been awkwardly worded, or left intentionally vague for no good reason. For example, when the Sultan explains to Jasmine that it is the law to be married, instead of saying ‘by X age’ he says “by your next birthday”. This isn’t the only instance, and it’s not a dealbreaker by any means, but it often leaves more questions than it answers.
Aladdin is a masterpiece of animated filmmaking. It is without a doubt one of Disney Animation’s strongest ever films, with a great cast of characters, heart-warming story with valuable moral lessons, incredible songs, and some great animation techniques on display. If people ever ask me what Disney film they should watch, one of my first responses is always Aladdin, and for good reason.