Whilst associating the studio with the animation that Walt Disney built it on,the last time I saw this title was on video during childhood. Seeing it on Dan Murrell's Movie Club Disney line-up I got set to meet up with a friend like me.
View on the film:
Getting the role at 17 years old, Scott Weinger gives a terrific turn as Aladdin, capturing the plucky, underdog passion of Aladdin going in search of his own identity, whilst developing a loving, trusting bond of friendship with the Genie.
The only person to play the Disney baddie on film and on stage, Jonathan Freeman gives an excellent, venomous turn as Jafar, while Linda Larkin captures Jasmine's frustrations,over no one ever considering to ask what direction in life she would like to take, and the distinctive tones of Gilbert Gottfried, chew at the scenery as Jafar's only friend Iago.
Joining the project after seeing his stand-up routine being animated as the character, Robin Williams gives a blazing performance as the Genie. Making 16 hours worth of audio recordings, Williams juggles rapid-fire, mad-cap impressions and one-liners, with a sweet,gentle empathy, which comes out in Genie supporting Aladdin's efforts to find a new path in life.
Continuing to make the Disney Renaissance soar, co-writers/ co-directors Ron Clements & John Musker closely work with the animation team at Disney, (with legendary animator Glen Keane taking inspiration from MC Hammer for the character movement of Aladdin) to bring a richness to the character designs, with the fluid, beautiful hand-drawn animation capturing the wide-eyed excitement of Aladdin, and subtle colour coding, reflecting the burning red, fiery evil of Jafar.
Working with CGI, Musker and Clements expertly use it to give a depth of field to the Sultan's palace and Cave of Wonders, and to place the audience in the middle of the colourful Musical set-pieces with skillful panning shots following the Genie.
Having Little Monsters (1989) as their only filmed script, future The Mask of Zorro (my favourite film of all time,also reviewed) co-writers Ted Elliott (who suggested that Will Smith should voice Aladdin) and Terry Rossio later revealed in blog posts from 1998-2001 that whilst they worked on a adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel A Princess of Mars at (Disney owned) Hollywood Pictures they got a call to join Aladdin after Black Friday, where studio co-head Jeffrey Katzenberg dumped the script,and gave the team 8 days to fix it (with the release date already set in stone.)
The result of all these troubles, is a screenplay that moves at a mesmerizing breakneck pace, where celebrity impressions and playful quips,stand shoulder to shoulder with a sweeping Disney romance and a daring Adventure atmosphere.
Later saying in a blog post that " Our sensibilities matched up well with those of the people already on the film, particularly Ron Clements and John Musker, the directors. We were helping them fulfill their vision of the movie." Rossio and Elliott reveal their liking for memorable baddies, in the fantastic decisions they made over what should become of Jafar in the third act.
In the middle of all the Genie and Jafar antics, Clements, Musker, Elliott and Rossio work together to bring a clarity to the major theme of the film: People wanting to escape and find their own paths in life,from Jasmine pushing against forced marriage, Aladdin (whose flaws the writers display as he turns down Genie's request to be freed,as Aladdin fears losing his prince facade) wanting to escape from a life of street crime, and Genie wishing to be finally free from the lamp.
View on the film:
Getting the role at 17 years old, Scott Weinger gives a terrific turn as Aladdin, capturing the plucky, underdog passion of Aladdin going in search of his own identity, whilst developing a loving, trusting bond of friendship with the Genie.
The only person to play the Disney baddie on film and on stage, Jonathan Freeman gives an excellent, venomous turn as Jafar, while Linda Larkin captures Jasmine's frustrations,over no one ever considering to ask what direction in life she would like to take, and the distinctive tones of Gilbert Gottfried, chew at the scenery as Jafar's only friend Iago.
Joining the project after seeing his stand-up routine being animated as the character, Robin Williams gives a blazing performance as the Genie. Making 16 hours worth of audio recordings, Williams juggles rapid-fire, mad-cap impressions and one-liners, with a sweet,gentle empathy, which comes out in Genie supporting Aladdin's efforts to find a new path in life.
Continuing to make the Disney Renaissance soar, co-writers/ co-directors Ron Clements & John Musker closely work with the animation team at Disney, (with legendary animator Glen Keane taking inspiration from MC Hammer for the character movement of Aladdin) to bring a richness to the character designs, with the fluid, beautiful hand-drawn animation capturing the wide-eyed excitement of Aladdin, and subtle colour coding, reflecting the burning red, fiery evil of Jafar.
Working with CGI, Musker and Clements expertly use it to give a depth of field to the Sultan's palace and Cave of Wonders, and to place the audience in the middle of the colourful Musical set-pieces with skillful panning shots following the Genie.
Having Little Monsters (1989) as their only filmed script, future The Mask of Zorro (my favourite film of all time,also reviewed) co-writers Ted Elliott (who suggested that Will Smith should voice Aladdin) and Terry Rossio later revealed in blog posts from 1998-2001 that whilst they worked on a adaptation of the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel A Princess of Mars at (Disney owned) Hollywood Pictures they got a call to join Aladdin after Black Friday, where studio co-head Jeffrey Katzenberg dumped the script,and gave the team 8 days to fix it (with the release date already set in stone.)
The result of all these troubles, is a screenplay that moves at a mesmerizing breakneck pace, where celebrity impressions and playful quips,stand shoulder to shoulder with a sweeping Disney romance and a daring Adventure atmosphere.
Later saying in a blog post that " Our sensibilities matched up well with those of the people already on the film, particularly Ron Clements and John Musker, the directors. We were helping them fulfill their vision of the movie." Rossio and Elliott reveal their liking for memorable baddies, in the fantastic decisions they made over what should become of Jafar in the third act.
In the middle of all the Genie and Jafar antics, Clements, Musker, Elliott and Rossio work together to bring a clarity to the major theme of the film: People wanting to escape and find their own paths in life,from Jasmine pushing against forced marriage, Aladdin (whose flaws the writers display as he turns down Genie's request to be freed,as Aladdin fears losing his prince facade) wanting to escape from a life of street crime, and Genie wishing to be finally free from the lamp.