Aladdin (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
In this animated Disney adventure, 'Aladdin' (directed by Ron Clements & John Musker), our titular hero survives by using his wits & street savviness in the Arabian city of Agrabah. The townsfolk think Aladdin (voiced by Scott Weinger) is just street urchin riffraff ("If only they'd look closer, there's so much more to me", he tells his best friend, Abu the monkey). Princess Jasmine (voiced by Linda Larkin), the Sultan's daughter, also believes she can do better than the stifling traditionalist role that she's been assigned. Much like Ariel in The Little Mermaid, she longs to make her own choices in life, especially about whom she will marry one day. The two meet when Jasmine runs away from the palace. Aladdin rescues her in the hectic marketplace. And to say that he charms her is an understatement.
But their budding romance is halted when he is captured by the evil Jafar (voiced by Jonathan Freeman), who recognizes that Aladdin is the "diamond in the rough" needed to retrieve a magical lamp from a distant cave in the barren desert. Why the lamp? Because with it, Jafar can weave a spell so that he can marry Jasmine & become Sultan. Aladdin, however, ends up with the lamp himself, as well as the bonus inside ... an exuberant blue Genie (voiced by the great Robin Williams) who can grant him 3 wishes (for conjuring him out of the lamp). Desperate to be reunited with Jasmine, Aladdin asks to be made a prince. He makes a grand entrance into the Arabian city & eventually takes the Jasmine on a magical carpet ride {movie magic, people}. This all seems great, and yet, he's filled with self-doubt. Not realizing his true identity, would Jasmine love him without the Genie's mystical magic? Can he defeat the evil royal advisor Jafar? Adventure ensues.
I really enjoyed 'Aladdin'. And the film's strongest asset is Robin Williams as the voice of the otherworldly, motor-mouthed, shape-shifting Genie. Williams brings his over-the-top humor & larger-than-life vitality (including witty banter & crazed celebrity improvisations, i.e. Schwarzenegger, Elvis, Ed Sullivan) to a movie that might otherwise just be another prince/princess faerie tale. And because this movie is a musical (like most of the Disney animated films tend to be) it's expected that Williams gets to croon out a big production number. Here, it's when Genie tells Aladdin "Friend Like Me" -- and it's a GREAT one. Other Alan Menken-composed songs in 'Aladdin' include the lively "One Jump Ahead", as well as the Academy Award-winning "A Whole New World" -- it's just exceptional.
'Aladdin' also boasts some wonderful animation to compliment the story, voice-acting & songs. Jafar is a great villain creation (tall, dark, menacing, and his angular face was apparently modeled after Nancy Reagan; strange, but funny). The colors are vibrant (enhanced by dazzling computer-enhanced imagery). The action sequences are fun. And the film's centerpiece visual moment HAS to be when Aladdin takes Jasmine on an iconic flying carpet ride. Again, for me ... movie magic. Now, the character of Aladdin is a little bland, but perfectly pleasant. The character of Jasmine is damsel-in-distress, but spunky enough to forgive. Really, it's the side characters who entertain a bit more so (Genie, Abu, Jafar, the magic carpet (itself), & Iago the hench-parrot of Jafar, humorously voiced by Gilbert Gottfried).
'Aladdin' has many strengths and, another of its strengths is the endearing main message: Aladdin predictably wins Jasmine {hope I'm not spoiling anything, here} & the kingdom only when he stops pretending to be someone he's not and relies on his own self-worth and his natural power as a human being. Yes, the Genie's magic can go a long, long way. But it is Aladdin himself who can make his own magic. Now, do I love this movie as much as other Disney classics as Beauty & the Beast, The Little Mermaid & The Lion King? Notttt quite. For whatever reason, I just enjoy them more so. Still, with Disney's trademark talking animals, evil sorcery, flying carpets adventures & enchanting music ... 'Aladdin' is an absolute delight to experience.
But their budding romance is halted when he is captured by the evil Jafar (voiced by Jonathan Freeman), who recognizes that Aladdin is the "diamond in the rough" needed to retrieve a magical lamp from a distant cave in the barren desert. Why the lamp? Because with it, Jafar can weave a spell so that he can marry Jasmine & become Sultan. Aladdin, however, ends up with the lamp himself, as well as the bonus inside ... an exuberant blue Genie (voiced by the great Robin Williams) who can grant him 3 wishes (for conjuring him out of the lamp). Desperate to be reunited with Jasmine, Aladdin asks to be made a prince. He makes a grand entrance into the Arabian city & eventually takes the Jasmine on a magical carpet ride {movie magic, people}. This all seems great, and yet, he's filled with self-doubt. Not realizing his true identity, would Jasmine love him without the Genie's mystical magic? Can he defeat the evil royal advisor Jafar? Adventure ensues.
I really enjoyed 'Aladdin'. And the film's strongest asset is Robin Williams as the voice of the otherworldly, motor-mouthed, shape-shifting Genie. Williams brings his over-the-top humor & larger-than-life vitality (including witty banter & crazed celebrity improvisations, i.e. Schwarzenegger, Elvis, Ed Sullivan) to a movie that might otherwise just be another prince/princess faerie tale. And because this movie is a musical (like most of the Disney animated films tend to be) it's expected that Williams gets to croon out a big production number. Here, it's when Genie tells Aladdin "Friend Like Me" -- and it's a GREAT one. Other Alan Menken-composed songs in 'Aladdin' include the lively "One Jump Ahead", as well as the Academy Award-winning "A Whole New World" -- it's just exceptional.
'Aladdin' also boasts some wonderful animation to compliment the story, voice-acting & songs. Jafar is a great villain creation (tall, dark, menacing, and his angular face was apparently modeled after Nancy Reagan; strange, but funny). The colors are vibrant (enhanced by dazzling computer-enhanced imagery). The action sequences are fun. And the film's centerpiece visual moment HAS to be when Aladdin takes Jasmine on an iconic flying carpet ride. Again, for me ... movie magic. Now, the character of Aladdin is a little bland, but perfectly pleasant. The character of Jasmine is damsel-in-distress, but spunky enough to forgive. Really, it's the side characters who entertain a bit more so (Genie, Abu, Jafar, the magic carpet (itself), & Iago the hench-parrot of Jafar, humorously voiced by Gilbert Gottfried).
'Aladdin' has many strengths and, another of its strengths is the endearing main message: Aladdin predictably wins Jasmine {hope I'm not spoiling anything, here} & the kingdom only when he stops pretending to be someone he's not and relies on his own self-worth and his natural power as a human being. Yes, the Genie's magic can go a long, long way. But it is Aladdin himself who can make his own magic. Now, do I love this movie as much as other Disney classics as Beauty & the Beast, The Little Mermaid & The Lion King? Notttt quite. For whatever reason, I just enjoy them more so. Still, with Disney's trademark talking animals, evil sorcery, flying carpets adventures & enchanting music ... 'Aladdin' is an absolute delight to experience.