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Aladdin (1992 movie)

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Aladdin
Image
Directed by
Screenplay by
Story by
Based on"Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" from One Thousand and One Nights[a]
Produced by
  • John Musker
  • Ron Clements
Starring
Edited byH. Lee Peterson
Music by
Production
company
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures
Release date
  • November 11, 1992 (1992-11-11)[4]
Running time
90 minutes[5]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million[6]
Box office$504.1 million[6]

Aladdin is a 1992 American animated musical fantasy movie based on the Middle Eastern folk tale "Aladdin" from "One Thousand and One Nights" which was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The movie was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. Starring Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman, Frank Welker, Gilbert Gottfried, and Douglas Seale, the movie centers on an Arabian street urchin named Aladdin who discovers a magic lamp containing a genie, with whose help he disguses himself as a wealthy prince and attempts to impress the Sultan of Agrabah and win the heart of his free-spirited daughter, Princess Jasmine, while the Sultan's evil vizier, Jafar, plans to acquire the magic lamp.

Lyricist Howard Ashman pitched the movie's conception to Disney president Jeffrey Katzenberg and the screenplay went through three drafts before Katzenberg agreed to its production. The animators based their designs on the work of caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, and computers were used to both finish the hand-drawn artwork and create some additional animated elements. Composed by Alan Menken, the film's musical score features six songs with lyrics written by both Ashman and Tim Rice (who took over following Ashman's death in 1991).

Aladdin was released by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution on November 11, 1992, to critical and commercial success: critics praised the animation and Williams' performance as the genie, and it became the highest-grossing movie of the year, with an earning of over $504 million in worldwide box-office revenue. On release, the film became the first animated feature to reach the half-billion-dollar mark, and was the fifth highest-grossing movie at the time of its release and the highest-grossing animated feature of all time until it was surpassed by The Lion King (1994).

Aladdin garnered two Academy Awards, as well as other accolades for its soundtrack, which had the first number from a Disney feature to earn a Grammy Award for Song of the Year, for the theme song "A Whole New World", which was performed by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle and reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. The film's home VHS release set a sales record, grossing approximately $500 million in the United States. Aladdin's success led to various derived works and other material inspired by the film, including two direct-to-video sequels, The Return of Jafar (1994) and Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996); an animated television series (1994–1995); and in 2011 a stage musical adaptation. A live-action movie adaptation directed by Guy Ritchie was released in 2019.

Plot

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Jafar, a sorcerer and the royal vizier of the fictional Middle Eastern city of Agrabah, seeks a magic lamp hidden within the Cave of Wonders in which he learns that only "the diamond in the rough" can retrieve the lamp. Meanwhile, Princess Jasmine is unsatisfied with her sheltered life in the palace, so she disguises herself to temporarily escape and encounters a young kind-hearted street urchin named Aladdin, who steals bread daily alongside his pet monkey Abu. Aladdin rescues Jasmine from altercation in the marketplace and the two develop a bond, but Jafar, understanding Aladdin to be the "diamond in the rough", has the palace guards capture and imprison Aladdin, who learns Jasmine's identity. Jasmine demands Jafar to release Aladdin, but Jafar lies that Aladdin has already been beheaded.

He disguises himself 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 only touch the lamp. Aladdin finds the lamp and a flying magic 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 but throws the pair into the cave after Abu bites his hand. While trapped underground, Abu reveals to Aladdin that he stole the lamp back. Aladdin rubs the lamp, from which the Genie emerges to grant Aladdin three wishes. Although Aladdin tricks the Genie into freeing them from the cave without using a wish, he learns that he desires to be released from servitude and 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 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. When Jasmine deduces Aladdin as the boy whom she had met in the marketplace, he lies that he sometimes dresses as a commoner to escape palace life. Aladdin brings Jasmine home, but Jafar's guards ambush 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 discovers Aladdin's identity and escapes from the guards.

With everything seemingly resolved, the Genie requests his freedom, but Aladdin, worried that he needs the Genie's facade to stay with Jasmine, declines. The heartbroken Genie retreats into his lamp, which is later stolen by Iago and brought to Jafar, who is now the Genie's master. Jafar uses his first two wishes to become a sultan, then a powerful sorcerer, and sends Aladdin to a frozen wasteland. However, Aladdin escapes with the magic carpet 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 so that he can legally marry Jasmine, but Aladdin decides to keep his promise instead, 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.

Cast and characters

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  • Scott Weinger as Aladdin, an impoverished but kindhearted Arabah thief and street urchin who falls 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 was Glen Keane.
  • Robin Williams as the Genie, a hyperactive jinn who has the power to grant three wishes to whoever possesses his magic lamp and serves as the movie's comic relief. Clements and Musker had written the role of the Genie for Robin Williams, but when met with resistance, created a reel of Williams's stand-up animation of the Genie. The directors asked Eric 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 in Aladdin marked the beginning of a transition in animation to use celebrity voice actors rather than specifically trained voice actors.[10]
    • Williams also provides the voice of 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]
  • Linda Larkin as Princess Jasmine, the Sultan's beautiful daughter who is bored with life in the royal palace and also 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 was Mark Henn.
  • Jonathan Freeman as Jafar, an nefarious, deceptive, and power-hungry sorcerer and the grand vizier of Agrabah who, frustrated by the Sultan's way of ruling, devises an 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 was Andreas Deja, while Jafar's beggar and snake forms were animated by Kathy Zielinski.[17]
  • Frank Welker as Abu, Aladdin's kleptomaniac pet monkey with a falsetto 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.
  • Gilbert Gottfried as Iago, Jafar's sardonic and hot-tempered red lory sidekick. Will Finn was the supervising animator for Iago.
  • Douglas Seale as the 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 was David Pruiksma.
  • Jim Cummings as Razoul, the Captain of the Guards. Phil Young and Chris Wahl animated him and the other guards.
  • Charlie Adler as Gazeem, a thief whom Jafar sends into the Cave of Wonders at the beginning of the movie. Gazeem was animated by T. Daniel Hofstedt.
  • Corey Burton as Prince Achmed, an arrogant prince whom Jasmine rejects as a suitor.

Additional voices are provided by Charlie Adler, Jennifer Darling, Vera Lockwood, Jack Angel, Debi Derryberry, Sherry Lynn, Corey Burton, Bruce Gooch, Mickie McGowan, Philip Clarke, Jerry Houser, Patrick Pinney, Jim Cummings and Phil Proctor.

Production

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Script and development

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In 1988, lyricist Howard Ashman had already pitched the idea of an animated musical adaptation of Aladdin. Ashman had written a 40-page movie 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] He composed several songs with his partner, Alan Menken, and added original characters to the story, such as Aladdin's friends, Babkak, Omar and Kassim.[19]: 216 [20]

However, Michael Eisner didn't 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 for Beauty and the Beast.[22] Linda Woolverton, who had also worked on Beauty and the Beast, used their treatment and developed a draft with elements inspired by The 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]

Directors Ron Clements and John Musker joined in the production, picking Aladdin from three projects offered; the other two were an adaptation of Swan Lake and King of the Jungle, which eventually became The 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 a story reel to studio chief Jeffrey 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 the 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 be able to marry anyone she deems worthy.[29]

Screenwriting duo Ted Elliott and Terry 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 young Harrison Ford";[20][31] the parrot, Iago, originally conceived as an uptight British archetype, was reworked to a comic role after the moviemakers saw Gilbert Gottfried in Beverly Hills Cop II, who was cast for the role.[32] By October 1991, Katzenberg was satisfied with the new version of Aladdin.[18] As with Woolverton's screenplay, several characters and plot elements were based on The Thief of Bagdad,[33][34] although the location of the movie was changed from Baghdad to the fictional Arabian city of Agrabah due to the Gulf 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 in The Advocate, Katzenberg asked Thomas Schumacher, an openly gay, producer, if any of the gay references in the movie offended him, such as a scene in which the Genie becomes an "effeminate clothier", 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 swishy fashion designers exist? They do! What are we running from? Show me ten hairdressers; I'll show you eight gay men."[37]

References

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  1. ↑ Razzaque, Arafat A. (September 14, 2017). "Who "wrote" Aladdin? The Forgotten Syrian Storyteller". Ajam Media Collective. Archived from the original on May 25, 2019.
  2. ↑ Horta, Paulo Lemos (2018). Aladdin: A New Translation. Liveright Publishing. pp. 8–10. ISBN 9781631495175. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  3. ↑ Nun, Katalin; Stewart, Dr Jon (2014). Volume 16, Tome I: Kierkegaard's Literary Figures and Motifs: Agamemnon to Guadalquivir. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 31.
  4. ↑ "Aladdin (1992)". The Numbers. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Aladdin". Disney. Retrieved May 2, 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Aladdin (1992)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
  7. ↑ Abbott, Jim (January 5, 1993). "As Genie, mom helped grant son's wish for 'Aladdin' role". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Archived from the original on June 2, 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  8. ↑ Caporaso, Jenna; Trucks, Leigh; Pompa, Andrew (February 27, 1994). "Aladdin's Voice Speaks". The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  9. ↑ Hischak, Thomas S. (2011). Disney Voice Actors: A Biographical Dictionary. McFarland. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-7864-6271-1. Archived from the original on July 29, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  10. ↑ Meslow, Scott (October 28, 2011). "How Celebrities Took Over Cartoon Voice Acting". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on May 6, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
  11. ↑ Buchanan, Rose T. (October 17, 2015). "Peddler at beginning of Aladdin is the Genie, directors finally confirm". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  12. ↑ Romano, Nick (October 17, 2015). "'Aladdin': Genie, peddler theory confirmed by directors". EW.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2024. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  13. ↑ Lutz, Jaime (October 18, 2015). "Fan Theory About Aladdin's Genie Confirmed True by the Movie's Directors". Glamour. Archived from the original on January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
  14. 1 2 Cite error: The named reference popup was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
  15. ↑ "Disney Legends: Lea Salonga". Disney.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
  16. ↑ Hill, Jim (June 13, 2011). "Jonathan Freeman returns as Jafar in new stage musical version of Disney's 'Aladdin'". Jim Hill Media. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
  17. 1 2 Cite error: The named reference comm1 was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
  18. 1 2 Rhodes, Joe (November 8, 1992). "What Would Walt Say?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 12, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  19. 1 2 Koenig, David (1997). "Aladdin". Mouse Under Glass: Secrets of Disney Animation & Theme Parks. Irvine, California: Bonadventure Press. pp. 216–226. ISBN 978-0-964-06051-7.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Corliss, Richard; Cole, Patrick E.; Smilgis, Martha (November 9, 1992). "Aladdin's Magic". Time. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved March 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.
  21. ↑ Stewart, James B. (2005). DisneyWar. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 106. ISBN 0-684-80993-1.
  22. ↑ Hunter, Stephen (November 25, 1992). "Ashman's words were music to his ears". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  23. ↑ "John Musker Question Countdown – Number 9". February 21, 2012. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  24. ↑ Ziebarth, Christian (April 23, 2005). "Aladdin: Crew Reunion". Animated Views. Archived from the original on November 19, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  25. ↑ "Show 009 – Ron and John, Part Three". The Animation Podcast (Podcast). November 1, 2005. Archived from the original on March 9, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  26. ↑ "Lyricist's life ended on poignant note". Los Angeles Daily News. The Baltimore Sun. November 22, 1991. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  27. ↑ John Musker, Ron Clements, Eric Goldberg, Amy Pell, Ed Gombert, Terry Rossio, Ted Elliot (2004). Reflections On Black Friday (DVD). Walt Disney Home Entertainment.
  28. ↑ Steyn, Mark (October 17, 1997). "Retread country". The Spectator. Archived from the original on April 9, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  29. ↑ Cite error: The named reference making was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
  30. ↑ Daly, Steve (December 4, 1992). "Unsung Aladdin songs". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Aladdin DVD review". DVDizzy.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2007.
  32. ↑ John Musker, Ron Clements (2004). Aladdin: Platinum Edition (DVD). Walt Disney Home Entertainment.
  33. ↑ "Fantasy: The Thief of Bagdad". Foster On Film. Archived from the original on March 2, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  34. ↑ Bernstein, Matthew; Studlar, Gaylyn (1997). Visions of the East. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-1-86064-305-7. Archived from the original on January 11, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  35. ↑ Johnson, Zach (October 15, 2015). "Disney Myths Debunked by Ron Clements and John Musker, Directors of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Hercules". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 16, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  36. ↑ Jiménez, Eneko R. (May 18, 2024). "The director who shook up Disney and Hollywood animation with a mermaid, a genie from a lamp and a Polynesian princess". El País. Archived from the original on December 1, 2024.
  37. ↑ Provenzano, Tom (June 28, 1994). "The Lion in Summer". The Advocate. p. 71 – via Google Books.
Notes
  1. ↑ "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" was authored by Hanna Diyab;[1][2] it was added to the One Thousand and One Nights by Antoine Galland, appearing in his French translation Les mille et une nuits.[3]
  2. ↑ The 2019 reissue was produced under its current name, Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Other websites

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