Film Snark

Something to note, as an additional factor to counteract some of the grossness: this film stars an Arab princess with agency who makes choices and thinks for herself, and that representation is important. There's at least a little range in skin tones and body types representing Arabs (though of course, Black folks are conspicuously absent 🙄) Okay this is literally one of my favorite movies of all time, and I feel like growing up with Robin Williams means I can't see this movie as anything but priceless.

I have a mildly related anecdote: the first time we had my nieces over for a sleepover, I asked, "Do you want to watch a movie? Like maybe Aladdin?" and E (the older one) said, "I don't really like that movie. The lion cave scares me." And K (who couldn't have been older than 4), gives E, her big sister, the WORLD'S BIGGEST SIDE-EYE and says, "It's just a CAT". 😃 One of my favorite life memories.

Jafar and Iago are such a great bad guy duo. The combination of Robin Williams and Gilbert Gottfried in the same film is just...........perfect. Add to that the dark humor of Jonathan Freeman (Jafar), Abu and the Rug, even the Sultan, this is such a funny movie, which I think makes the heartwarming parts even more heartwarming.

I feel like I could write an 8000 page essay on why Iago is hilarious as hell. 8000 pages have already been written about why Robin Williams is so iconic as the genie, but I can't leave this article without at least talking about why of all of Robin Williams' exceptional roles, this one is so high on the list. The genie doesn't show up until 35 minutes into the film, but the entire film feels like it's infected with his frenetic and good-hearted nature, even before he's a major part of the film. Every time I watch this movie, I think to myself: I wish Robin Williams felt as good about himself as we felt about him.

I know all the words to every song in this movie. I know so many lines of dialogue, including ones spoken by extras ("Another Suitor For The Princess" guy anyone? Anyone?). The music in this is so wonderful; every song is appropriate for the moment, the lyrics are thoughtful and rich (though let's be honest, "Prince Ali (Reprise)" sung by Jafar has NOTHING on Poor Unfortunate Souls).

The animation in this film is so well done. You can tell there are still some inconsistencies in quality (though not as bad as the Little Mermaid), but the computer animation of the carpet and the escape from the cave still hold up, and still look like they blend perfectly into the manual animation. When we first meet Aladdin during "One Jump Ahead", the animation is hectic and panicky and it's so appropriately paced. When we make our way to the Sultan's palace, there's a lot of beautiful scenery, Arabic lattice, and of course Rahjah who is the PRETTIEST KITTY. The animation breaks down a little at the end when they're fighting Jafar and he wishes himself into being a genie; it seems weak and not in the same style as the rest of the film. It's just weird.

This is such a silly small thing to pay attention to, but when Aladdin is coming into town as Prince Ali, and they show the marching guys with bells and swords, I don't think they used the same models for all of them, so they all look different. Even for a few seconds, that just feels more rich than some of the repeated animation from earlier films.

Here's a charming bit of sound design: every time the Sultan walks around he jingles, like he's got bells in his shoes. ❤ Darling. Also when Genie holds his hands up like a camera and says, "Aladdin, you've just won the heart of the princess, what are you going to do next?!" (the super bowl thing where someone responds, "I'm going to Disneyworld"), a tiny little riff plays that's part of "When You Wish Upon A Star" and it just made my heart happy.

Pro Tip: If you haven't watched the special features of Aladdin that show outtakes with Robin Williams, among other things, you're missing out. Watch it.