SummaryWhen a street urchin vies for the love of a beautiful princess, he uses a genie's magic power to make himself off as a prince in order to marry her.
SummaryWhen a street urchin vies for the love of a beautiful princess, he uses a genie's magic power to make himself off as a prince in order to marry her.
Beautiful, romantic and frantically funny. In its brief, often frenetic 85-minute running time it manages to be a riot of entertainment, embracing the best of old-fashioned merriment as well as savvy, up-to-the-minute contemporary humor, thanks in large part to an extraordinary performance by Robin Williams. [25 Nov 1992, p.E1]
I have fond childhood memories of the movie as me and friends watched it in cinema back then. It is one of my favorite Disney movies and also one of the best movies for the Aladdin story. It is based on the famous “One Thousand and One Nights” where Scheherazade has to tell her husband Shahryar stories to avoid her demise (He is not evil but life has harmed him seriously). It is a mixture of stories from many genres and full of great tales and themes anyone recognizes. Aladdin is one of he most famous figures from this despite being not in the original (Added later). There are countless movies, stories and series about him as his tale is a timeless classic. The movie starts with a merchant who wants to sell an old lamp and tells the story of it. The rest I think I don't need to say as the themes are familiar. Anybody is familiar with the story and elements somehow. It is a great retelling with charming characters, great humor and so immersive you feel along with the characters. In this regard it is an amazing work and many see this as classic. It is the best Disney movie of the era. The animations were excellent and the style is unique and won the audience over. They capture the Arabian or Oriental setting really well and the facial animations deliver the full extent of the characters feelings. The other part are the voice actors which enhance this to a 11/10 ;-). Nearly everyone praises Robin Williams for his role as Genie and rightfully so. He alone is worth watching the movie. But it ends not there as Jonathan Freeman as Jafar, Scott Weinger as Aladdin, Linda Larkin as Jasmine and Gilbert Gottfried as Iago give also a praiseworthy performance. There is no weak performance in the movie and I see this clearly as I want to praise more characters. Like I said the humor works well, it is immersive and the characters feel like real people. This is a / the hallmark of great movies. I have also to talk about the fantastic soundtrack. It is one of the best Disney soundtracks, quite memorable and won Academy Awards. Overall this is a timeless classic I recommend for everyone. It shows the strengths of Disney movies of that time. Bonus knowledge: There is the fan theory that this movie is actually set in the far future after society collapsed in a catastrophic event because the Genie is familiar with our culture and had slept for a long time.
Despite being made in 1992, Aladdin still remains one of the greatest animated movies in history: the story and characters capture your attention quickly, and the bright visuals and OST make you want to rewatch it more than once. Masterpiece hands down.
The movie that brought a hip new sensibility to animated features and which still stands up in the age of Pixar and DreamWorks thanks largely to a blistering improv turn from Robin Williams.
Aladdin is a treat for adults, as much as it is for children, because the big blue Genie of the lamp is none other than Robin Williams. [25 Nov 1992, p.7B]
The animation seeks to dazzle, but with a self-consciousness that's relatively new to the Disney studio. The results are fun and fast moving, but far from sublime.
Aladdin is ultimately less offensive than patently ridiculous, mostly because its ethnic white noise is really just an excuse for Robin Williams—as a postmodern blabbermouthed genie who grants Aladdin three wishes—to put on the most elaborate, narcissistic circus act in the history of cinema.
Jafar, the Royal Vizier of the fictional city of Agrabah, placed near the Jordan River, and his parrot Iago seek a lamp hidden within the Cave of Wonders. They are told that only one person is worthy to enter: "the diamond in the rough", whom Jafar later identifies as Aladdin, an Agrabah street urchin. Princess Jasmine of Agrabah, upset that the law requires her to marry a prince instead of one she loves, escapes the palace and meets Aladdin and his pet monkey, Abu. The palace guards capture Aladdin on Jafar's orders. Jasmine confronts Jafar to demand Aladdin's release, but he lies and says that Aladdin has been executed.
Disguised as an old man, Jafar frees Aladdin and Abu and brings them to the cave, ordering them to retrieve the lamp. After being told to touch nothing but the lamp, Aladdin finds a magic carpet inside and obtains the lamp. Forgetting the cave's rule, Abu grabs a jewel. Aladdin, Abu, and the carpet rush to escape the cave as it collapses. Aladdin gives the lamp to Jafar, who throws both Aladdin and Abu back into the cave, though not before Abu steals the lamp back. Trapped, Aladdin rubs the lamp and meets the Genie who lives inside it. The Genie grants Aladdin three wishes. Aladdin tricks the Genie into freeing them all from the cave without using a wish. He uses his first wish to assume the identity of a prince to woo Jasmine, and promises to use his third wish to free the Genie from servitude.
At Iago's suggestion, Jafar plots to become Sultan by marrying Jasmine. Aladdin, as "Prince Ali Ababwa", arrives in Agrabah with a large host, but Jasmine becomes angry when he discusses her fate with her father the Sultan and Jafar without her. As a means of apologizing, Aladdin takes Jasmine on a ride on the magic carpet. When she deduces his true identity, he convinces her that he only dresses as a peasant to escape the stresses of royal life. After Aladdin brings Jasmine home, the palace guards capture Aladdin on Jafar's behest and throw him into the sea. The Genie appears and saves him at the cost of his second wish. Aladdin returns to the palace and exposes Jafar's evil plot. Jafar flees after spotting the lamp and thus discovering Aladdin's true identity.
Fearing that he will lose Jasmine if the truth is revealed, Aladdin breaks his promise and refuses to free the Genie. Iago steals the lamp, and Jafar becomes the Genie's new master. He uses his first two wishes to become Sultan and the world's most powerful sorcerer. He then exposes Aladdin's identity and exiles him, Abu, and the carpet to a frozen wasteland. They escape and return to the palace. Jasmine tries to help Aladdin steal the lamp back, but Jafar notices and overpowers the heroes with his magic. Aladdin taunts Jafar for being less powerful than the Genie, tricking Jafar into using his last wish to become an all-powerful genie himself. Now bound to his new lamp, Jafar ends up trapped inside it, taking Iago with him.
With Agrabah returned to normal, the Genie banishes Jafar's lamp and advises Aladdin use his third wish to regain his royal title so the law will allow him to stay with Jasmine. Aladdin decides instead to keep his promise and frees the Genie. Realizing Aladdin and Jasmine's love, the Sultan changes the law to allow Jasmine to marry whom she chooses. The Genie leaves to explore the world, while Aladdin and Jasmine start their new life together.
I think user Bitbat incorrectly reviewed this version instead of the 2019 remake— because this is perhaps the Greatest Animated Film of All Time.
7.0 is NOT what this movie deserves, it is perfection incarnate. RIP Robin Williams you were gone far too soon.