Aladdin DVD > Reviews > Aladdin

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Good
How does it compare to similar films?	Outstanding

Advantages:	Disney magic !
Disadvantages:	None, as long as you're a kid at heart !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Aladdin, following in the footsteps of many of the great Disney movies, has now been digitally cleaned up and released on a Special Edition DVD full of extras. Just like the Lion King and Beauty and The Beast editions before it, this Disney classic has obviously had a lot of time and effort put into it to bring it to today's audience. For those that were kids when it was first released, this will be a welcome trip down memory lane and words to the songs can be remembered with suprising ease (especially if you put the subtitles on...). For those who missed out the first time round or those just looking for something to entertain the kids for an hour or so, I can think of few better ways to do it than sitting in front of this film. I mean think about it, Robin Williams as a big blue Genie? What more could you want?!!

PLOT:

Aladdin is a street rat, befriended only by his constant companion Abu, a very cute little monkey. Together they roam the streets searching for food they can steal to survive and constantly evading the palace guards. At night, they sleep in a rundown room not really fit for anyone but with a wonderful view of the city of Agrabah and the enormous palace that dominates the skyline. Aladdin feels trapped in this existence. He knows that he could be so much more than a common thief but has no way to advance himself.
Aladdin is not the only one who feels trapped. Jasmine is a Princess, the only daughter of the Sultan, and as such has spent her entire life inside the castle walls. Her constant companion is Raja, a suprisingly well-tempered tiger who chases away the multitude of princely suitors that come to claim Jasmine as their bride. By law, she must be married off before her fast approaching birthday. Knowing this, the Sultan is becoming increasingly desperate and relying more and more on his main advisor, the sorcerer Jafar.
Jafar has only his own interests at heart, however, and is determined to become more and more powerful. To achieve this, he tracks down the whereabouts of a hidden cave in the desert full of riches. But he is not interested in the piles of gold and precious jewels. He wants the lamp within which lies all the power he could ever dream of. But Jafa himself can not enter this place as he is not "true of heart" and using his magic, finds that the only one that can make it in to steal the lamp for him is Aladdin. As such, he orders the Palace Guards to hunt him down.
In the meantime, Princess Jasmine has decided to leave the palace, climbing the incredibly high walls and roaming through the market in disguise. Soon, she ends up in an arguement with a stall holder as she has no money but luckily, Aladdin helps her out and they make their escape. They instantly fall for one and other but the guards soon arrive, dragging Aladdin off to the cells despite Jasmine's protests and the revelation that she is the Princess. When Jasmine returns to the palace to beg her father to free him, Jafar tells her that it is too late and that Aladdin has been beheaded. (A little strong for a Disney film, I know!).
Aladdin, being the hero of course, is not dead but just chained up in a dungeon where he is freed by trusty little Abu. It is here that he meets an old man who shows him a way to escape as long as he agrees to help him by stealing the lamp from the cave. Aladdin agrees, thinking that all the riches he could gain could help him win over Jasmine and her father.
When Aladdin enters this cave, however, he is suprised when the old man only wants the lamp. While making his way through the piles of gold, he encounters a magic carpet (oh, the convienience!) who leads them to the old rusty lamp. However, Abu sees an enormous ruby and takes it for himself, causing the entire cave system to start to collapse and burst into flame. The magic carpet tries to get them to safety but the cave seals shut ahead of them.
On the outside, the old man sheds his disguise to reveal that he is, suprise suprise, the evil Jafar. Realising that he has lost the lamp, he returns to the palace and proceeds to make up a new law, saying that if a suitor can not be found for the princess then she must marry the most senior advisor. The Sultan becomes wary of this but Jafar simply hypnotises him until he believes it.
Meanwhile, Aladdin has of course rubbed the lamp to reveal the fun-loving, seriously hyperactive Genie who frees them from the cave. Sat in an oasis, the Genie helps Aladdin to find a way to woo Jasmine by making him a Prince. In no time, he arrives in the Palace and, after a few misunderstandings and death threats, they are ready to announce their engagement to the city. However, Aladdin is nervous as he wants to tell Jasmine that he is really a street rat, not a lofty Prince. Not to worry though, Jafar recaptures the lamp and claims the Genie as his own, revealing Aladdin's true identity and becoming the Sultan himself.
With time running out, can Aladdin save the day and does Jasmine still love him after the revelation of his true identity? It's a Disney film so what do you think?!

THE DVD

DISC ONE:

The original version of the film
Deleted Songs
Deleted Scenes
Backstage at Disney

The deleted songs include one called "Proud of Your Boy" which was removed after the writers decided to make Aladdin an orphan. Although I think the story is better without it, it's interesting to see the process that helped them make this decision, despite the emotional resonance it held with the film makers.

DISC TWO:

Disney's Virtual DVD Ride
Inside The Genie's Lamp Guided Tour
Inside The Genie's Lamp Self Guided Tour
The Genie World Tour
3 Wishes Game (One for the kids)
Alan Menken - Musical Renaissance Man
A Diamond In The Rough
Your Wish Is Our Command Mode
Play All
Making Of Index
Art Review
Art Galleries
Publicity

The piece on Alan Menken is certainly interesting and contains some emotional responses from the film makers as Menken died while they made Aladdin. Certainly a real shame as he was obviously a huge creative talent at Disney.
Aspect ratio: Widescreen 1.66:1

SUMMARY:

As I previously mentioned, this is a great film for the kids and those that were kids when it was first released. Some aspects of the film haven't aged particularly well but it still retains that essential Disney magic, making this film a good watch though not quite achieving the Lion King's calibre. The extras are a well put together bunch, very similar in late-out and content to previous Disney special editions, with games that would especially interest the younger viewers. Overall, I'd say this DVD is well timed for the Christmas market and certainly a good watch, but you may want to wait for the January sales when it's bound to go down in price.

Thanks for reading!