Aladdin ***** (1992, voices of Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman, Frank Welker, Douglas Seale) – Classic Movie Review 2218

Co-writers/producers/directors John Musker and Ron Clements’s double-Oscar-winning 1992 animation smash is one of Walt Disney’s finest – and funniest, thanks to Robin Williams. Though it’s in voice only, it’s one of the roles he’s remembered for always.

Williams improvised so much while recording the voices that there were almost 16 hours of material. He won a Special Award at the 1993 Golden Globes for his vocal work. There were Oscars and Golden Globes for Best Score and Song but, again, there were no Bafta awards.

In their story, the resourceful young street lad Aladdin (voice of Scott Weinger) his faithful monkey friend Abu (Frank Welker) have magical encounters with a wish-granting Genie (Williams) and an evil, power-crazed sultan’s adviser Jafar (Jonathan Freeman) in the mythical Arabian kingdom of Agrabah. Aladdin accidentally meets the Sultan (Douglas Seale)’s beautiful daughter Princess Jasmine (Linda Larkin) in the market place, and dreams of marrying her so, after a stint in jail, he uses the Genie’s magic power to pass himself off as a prince to marry her.

The Disney run of success continues with this magical, highly colourful version of the classic Arabian Nights fairytale, expertly mixing catchy music, adventure, romance and daft humour. The animation is exquisitely handled by Disney veterans Musker and Clements, the team behind The Little Mermaid (1989), who make full use of advances in computer technology.

The old story proves ideal material for a Disney animated feature, though this is surprisingly only the sixth fairy tale of the studio’s 31 cartoons so far. It’s a box of many delights, with the Genie proving a particular winner thanks to Williams’s astounding vocal pyrotechnics.

The score and five new songs are a major contribution to the show’s success. The winner of two Oscars for Best Original Score (Alan Menken) and Best Original Song ‘A Whole New World’ (Menken music, Tim Rice lyrics). Another fun song, ‘Friends Like Me’ (Menken music, Howard Ashman lyrics) , was also nominated. Ashman’s nomination was posthumous.

It became the first animated movie and the 14th film in all to gross more than $200million.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2218

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