Take a Magic Carpet Ride
As I sat down to watch Aladdin for the first time in what must be ten years, I am reminded of why I loved this film so much when I was younger. Mr. Robin Williams. Despite all of the high-flying adventure, fabulous visuals and some awesome songs, I honestly enjoyed the humor in this movie more than any other feature. I can't think of any other Disney film that packs so many laughs into a short time frame. Granted, this film does not have as strong characters as say The Lion King or The Beauty and the Beast, but it does give us a great adventure/comedy in the form of a classic tale: Aladdin and his magic lamp.
The movie follows Aladdin, a young man living in the slums of Agrabah, along with his faithful monkey Abu. Sure, he has to steal to eat, but he'll happy to give up that hard-earned loaf of bread to small children. The mighty palace of the Sultan, a child-like old man, who's prime objective at the moment is marrying off his daughter, Jasmine, who turns down every suitor sent her way. The Sultan is advised by the nefarious Jafar, who desires a secret lamp said to contain a genie capable of granting him three wishes. Princess Jasmine escapes from the palace, and ends up with Aladdin, who is then captured by Guards. It turns out that Jafar set him up, because he is the only man able to enter the Cave of Wonders, where the magic lamp awaits. And so, Aladdin and Abu go down into the Cave, but through an exciting action scene, they end up with the lamp. This in turn, introduces the funniest character to any Disney movie- The Genie.
Believe me, you've been waiting for this guy the whole movie. The animation must go a hundred miles an hour with every scene he's in. The one-liners never stop coming, and neither do the thunderous magic spells, crazy accents and hilarious transformations. In the course of the movie he imitates Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jack Nicholson, Johnny Carson and other modern-day celebrities. Most of other Disney films have never done such a thing, trying to keep their stories timeless, but here it is done with such brilliance and hilarity that will always be remembered. Robin Williams has created a timeless character here.
The animation is bright and vibrant from what you would expect of a Disney film, but it is probably the last movie to have that distinct "old" feel to it. The Lion King had a few scenes like this, but most were highly polished. But while Aladdin isn't as highly polished, it does have some great animation, particularly the scene in which the Cave of Wonders is revealed, and the race to escape it. Any scene with the Genie is pretty amazing too. As with most Disney movies, the villains are drawn with a very clear look to them, and this movie is no exception. Jafar is tall, dark and brooding, and of course all the henchmen are broad shouldered with deep, gravelly voices. This movie knows how to put a show on.
Aladdin may not be in the greatest Disney movies of all time lists, but it's one of my favorites, and nothing is going to change that. This is a movie that spawned two sequels and a cartoon series, as well of tons of movies trying to imitate it. It's hard to combine action, comedy and romance, into a cartoon no less, but this film has just about everything. The songs are excellent as well, including "Arabian Nights", "One Jump Ahead", "Friend Like Me", "Prince Ali" and "A Whole New World". If you find yourself unable to laugh while watching this movie, you might want to see a doctor because you may have a severe depression. And so I leave you:
"Jafar. Jafar. He's our man, if he can't do it, GREAT!!"