Aladdin (Disney character)

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Aladdin
Aladdin character
Aladdin Disney pose.png
Aladdin as depicted in the 1992 animated film
First appearance Aladdin (1992)
Last appearance Once Upon a Studio (2023)
Created by
Based on Aladdin
Voiced by
Portrayed by
In-universe information
AliasPrince Ali Ababwa (alter ego)
Nickname
  • Al (by Genie)
  • Street Rat (by Jafar, among other enemies)
FamilyCassim (father)
Spouse Jasmine (wife)
ChildrenAziz (son; in Descendants )
Relatives The Sultan (father-in-law)
Nationality Agrabah

Aladdin is a fictional character in Disney's animated film Aladdin based on "Aladdin", a folk tale of Middle Eastern origin. He is voiced by Scott Weinger, while his singing voice is provided by Brad Kane. He also stars in the two direct-to-video sequels The Return of Jafar (1994) and Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996), as well as the animated television series based on the film and the crossover Hercules and the Arabian Night . Mena Massoud played a live-action version of the character in a live action adaptation of the 1992 film.

Contents

When Aladdin is initially introduced, he is an 18-year-old man. He never received a formal education and has only learned by living on the streets of the city of Agrabah. He has to steal food in the local market in order to survive. [1] When Aladdin was only an infant, his father, Cassim, left him and his mother to find a better life for his family.

Development

One of the first issues that the animators faced during the production of Aladdin was the depiction of Aladdin himself. [2] Director and producer John Musker explains: "In early screenings, we played with him being a little bit younger, and he had a mother in the story. [...] In design, he became more athletic-looking, more filled out, more of a young leading man, more of a teen-hunk version than before." He was initially going to be as young as 13, but that eventually changed to 18. [2]

Supervising animator Glen Keane was inspired by various teen idols and movie actors in designing Aladdin's physique. [2] The main inspiration for his appearance was originally Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future , but later changed to Tom Cruise. [3] Keane based the movement of Aladdin's loose pants on rapper MC Hammer. [4] Some have said this conception of the character makes him too contemporary, given the film's setting. [1]

Characteristics

Aladdin was drawn with large eyes, like those of other Disney heroes, to indicate innocence. The lineaments of his body are more free-flowing and more rounded than is usual for Disney heroes. [5] He looks like a modern 18-year-old, [1] except for his wardrobe. In the film, they often describe him as a street rat.

Aladdin is portrayed as quick-witted, and ultimately a caring person. Like most Disney male protagonists, he is a heroic young man who seeks to win the affection of many other characters, which demonstrates his insecurity. He is not above lying and stealing, though never with malicious intentions, but to survive. The biggest difference from the norm is that, unlike most youthful Disney heroes, he is a doer rather than a passive character. [5]

As a street urchin, he wears a red fez hat, a purple vest, a baggy cream dhoti (with a patch covering a hole) and goes barefoot; he retains this appearance even in the animated series after his engagement to Jasmine. [6] [7]

His "Prince Ali" outfit is a white and gold ensemble with a flowing cape, and a large headpiece topped with a feather and a jewel.

Appearances

Aladdin

In the first film, street rat Aladdin meets a girl in the marketplace. He falls deeply in love with her at first sight, but he gets into trouble when their meeting is interrupted by guards who arrest him. She reveals that she is actually Princess Jasmine. Despite Jasmine's efforts to demand the guards to release Aladdin immediately, they tell her that she must first deal with Jafar in order to free him.

In prison, Aladdin meets an old man (who is Jafar in disguise) who mentions a cave filled with treasure and that he needs Aladdin to enter it. The old man reveals a secret exit, and Aladdin escapes with him and follows him into the desert. He enters the Cave of Wonders, where he meets a sentient magic carpet and is commanded to only get a magic lamp. He gets it, But when his pet Abu picks up a giant gem, the cave begins to collapse. Aladdin, Abu, and the carpet are left in the cave. Abu delivers the lamp to Aladdin, and when he rubs it, a giant blue Genie appears, telling Aladdin he will fulfill three wishes. After leaving the collapsed cave with the Genie's help, he decides to become a prince in order to win Jasmine's heart.

The Return of Jafar

In the first direct-to-video sequel, The Return of Jafar (1994), Jasmine begins to question her love for Aladdin, wondering if he is a duplicitous liar after he saves Iago, Jafar's former pet parrot who had tortured her father. Meanwhile, Jafar is freed from his lamp by a bumbling bandit named Abis Mal, and immediately plots his retribution against Aladdin.

Aladdin (TV series)

An animated series was created for The Disney Afternoon and CBS and aired from 1994 to 1995, based on the original 1992 feature. The series picked up where The Return of Jafar left off, with Aladdin being engaged to Jasmine while still living on the streets of Agrabah, and having many adventures with his friends both in and outside of Agrabah.

In the Aladdin television episode "The Lost Ones", it is shown that he had a childhood friend named Amal. The two-part episode "Seems Like Old Crimes" shows that when Aladdin was sixteen, he fell in with a group of circus performers where he met his pet monkey Abu.

Aladdin and the King of Thieves

In the second direct-to-video/DVD movie and third film in the series, Aladdin and the King of Thieves , Aladdin discovers that his long-lost father, Cassim, is still alive, and sets out to find him. Cassim had left the family shortly after his son's birth. Aladdin's mother died when he was just a child. At the climax of the film, Jasmine and Aladdin are finally wed, and Aladdin reconciles with his father.

Aladdin (2019 film)

In the live-action movie adaptation of the first Aladdin movie of the same name, Aladdin is portrayed by Mena Massoud. The plot follows the story of human form Genie, as he tells a story to his two children about a street urchin named Aladdin, who falls in love with Princess Jasmine, befriends a wish-granting Genie, and battles the conspiring Jafar.

Video games

Aladdin appears in various video games, including the game versions of the film.

Aladdin has also appeared in the acclaimed Kingdom Hearts series of games. In all his appearances in the series, he is a playable character or can be added to player's party. He wields a scimitar as his primary weapon and can utilize Abu to solve puzzles when he is an active party member. In the first game, Princess Jasmine is kidnapped by Jafar and Maleficent. Aladdin teams up with Sora to save her. In Kingdom Hearts II , Aladdin is found experiencing deep depression due to his loneliness after Genie went to see the other worlds. When Genie comes back all is well again.

Aladdin appears in the Nintendo 3DS game Disney Magical World . Agrabah is one of the four movie worlds accessible to the player, and several characters from the movie appear in the game. The player may also collect a number of Aladdin-themed items and clothing pieces.

Aladdin is a playable character in Disney Infinity 2.0 . [8]

The world-building video game Disney Magic Kingdoms includes Aladdin as a playable character to unlock for a limited time. [9]

An alternate version of Aladdin appears as a playable character in the video game Disney Mirrorverse . [10]

He is an unlockable racer in Disney Speedstorm .

In other media

Aladdin was formerly a member of the Disney Adventurers franchise targeted at young boys sold by the Disney Store from 1999–2004, which sold various merchandise, mostly including toys.

He appears in Hercules and the Arabian Night , set after the end of King of Thieves as Jasmine refers to herself as married. He is featured as a guest in the series House of Mouse , and its films Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse and Mickey's House of Villains .

Aladdin also appears at the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts as a meetable character. He is a frequently-seen character, and often accompanied by Jasmine, and occasionally Genie. Though he goes barefoot in the film, he wears moccasins in his street rat clothes. Aladdin and his fellow characters are mostly found in Adventureland. [11] Aladdin, Jasmine, Carpet, Abu and Genie make cameo appearances in the Hong Kong Disneyland version of It's a Small World.

In the Broadway musical adaptation, Aladdin is played by actor Adam Jacobs. [12]

Aladdin has a cameo appearance in the short film Once Upon a Studio , where after Maui warns about the meeting of characters from Walt Disney Animation Studios, upon hearing him he goes down the railing of the stairs together with Abu, and when trying to land he ends up slipping on the trolls in the form of rocks. Later, he appears along with the rest of the characters in the group photo. [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Aladdin</i> (1992 Disney film) American animated musical fantasy film

Aladdin is a 1992 American animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the Arabic folktale, "Aladdin", from One Thousand and One Nights. The film was produced and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements from a screenplay they cowrote with the writing team, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. Featuring the voices of Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman, Frank Welker, Gilbert Gottfried and Douglas Seale, the film follows the titular Aladdin, an Arabian street urchin who finds a magic lamp containing a genie. With the genie's help, Aladdin disguises as a wealthy prince and tries to impress the Sultan of Agrabah to win the heart of his free-spirited daughter, Princess Jasmine, as the Sultan's evil vizier, Jafar, plots to steal the magic lamp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aladdin</span> Middle-Eastern folk tale

Aladdin is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with The Book of One Thousand and One Nights, despite not being part of the original text; it was added by the Frenchman Antoine Galland, based on a folk tale that he heard from the Syrian Maronite storyteller Hanna Diyab.

Jafar (<i>Aladdin</i>) Disney character

Jafar is a fictional character in Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Aladdin (1992). He is voiced by Jonathan Freeman, who also portrayed the character in the Broadway musical adaptation. Jafar also appears in the 1994 sequel to Aladdin, but he is not in the 1996 third film or the television series, although he does return in the latter's crossover Hercules and the Arabian Night.

<i>The Return of Jafar</i> 1994 film

The Return of Jafar is a 1994 American direct-to-video animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Television. It is the first sequel to Disney's 1992 animated feature film, Aladdin, and serves as the pilot to the Aladdin animated television series.

<i>Aladdin and the King of Thieves</i> 1996 animated film

Aladdin and the King of Thieves is a 1996 American direct-to-video animated musical fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It is the second sequel to Disney's 1992 animated feature film Aladdin, and it serves as the final chapter and installment of the Arabian Nights–inspired Disney franchise beginning with the first film, and continuing with its first direct-to-video sequel The Return of Jafar and the animated television series.

<i>Aladdin</i> (animated TV series) Animated television series made by Walt Disney Television

Aladdin: The Series is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that aired from February 6, 1994, to November 25, 1995, concluding exactly three years to the day from the release of the original Disney's 1992 animated feature film of the same name on which it was based. Despite the animated television series premiering four months before the first sequel, the direct-to-video film The Return of Jafar, it takes place afterward. The second and final animated sequel was the 1996 direct-to-video film, Aladdin and the King of Thieves.

Jasmine (<i>Aladdin</i>) Fictional character from the 1992 Disney film Aladdin

Jasmine is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Aladdin (1992). Voiced by Linda Larkin – with a singing voice provided by Lea Salonga – Jasmine is the spirited daughter of the Sultan, who has grown weary of her life of palace confinement. Despite an age-old law stipulating that the princess must marry a prince in time for her upcoming birthday, Jasmine is instead determined to marry someone she loves for who he is as opposed to what he owns. Created by screenwriters and directors Ron Clements and John Musker with co-screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, Jasmine is based on Badroulbadour, a princess who appears in the One Thousand and One Nights folktale "Aladdin and the Magical Lamp."

Iago (<i>Aladdin</i>) Fictional character in Disneys Aladdin franchise

Iago is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Aladdin (1992), the direct-to-video sequels The Return of Jafar (1994), Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996), and the television series. An anthropomorphic red-plumed talking parrot, he was voiced by Gilbert Gottfried in all animated appearances until his death in 2022. He was subsequently voiced by Alan Tudyk in the live-action adaptation of Aladdin, by Barrett Leddy in the 2023 Disney+ special Lego Disney Princess: The Castle Quest, and by Piotr Michael in the 2023 crossover short Once Upon a Studio.

<i>Disneys Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular</i> Stage show at Disney California Adventure

Disney's Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular is a 45-minute Broadway-style musical theatre show based on Disney's 1992 animated feature film Aladdin with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice.

<i>Aladdin Jr.</i> 2005 musical

Aladdin Jr. is a one-act, eleven-scene theatre musical adapted from the 1992 Walt Disney Animation Studios film Aladdin which is an adaptation of the folk tale Aladdin. The production runs between 60 and 80 minutes and includes five female parts, six male parts, and a chorus.

<i>Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams</i> 2007 American film

Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams is a 2007 American direct-to-video animated musical film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Disneytoon Studios. It was the first and only film released for a planned Disney Princess Enchanted Tales series of direct-to-video films, each featuring new stories about the Disney Princesses. It was released on September 4, 2007 by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment.

"Prince Ali" and its reprise are two musical numbers from the 1992 Disney animated film Aladdin. The first part was performed by Robin Williams in his role as the Genie and the reprise is performed by Jonathan Freeman in his role as Jafar. The song performed by Williams was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 50th Golden Globe Awards in 1993.

<i>Disneys Aladdin in Nasiras Revenge</i> 2000 video game

Disney's Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge is a platform game based on the Aladdin franchise which was developed for the PlayStation and PC by Argonaut Games and distributed by Disney Interactive in 2000. In the game, Aladdin, Abu and Jasmine fight against Jafar's sister Nasira who wants to bring him back to life. Nasira's Revenge received generally average reviews.

Le Passage Enchanté d'Aladdin is a walkthrough attraction that opened in 1993 inside the Adventureland Bazaar building in Disneyland Paris' Adventureland area. The attraction features a series of showcase windows which recreate scenes from the Disney movie Aladdin.

<i>Aladdin</i> (2011 musical) Broadway musical

Aladdin is a stage musical based on Disney's 1992 animated feature film of the same name with a book by Chad Beguelin, music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman, Tim Rice and Beguelin. It resurrects three songs written by Menken and Ashman for the film but not used, and adds four songs written by Menken and Beguelin.

<i>Aladdin</i> (franchise) Disney media franchise

Aladdin is a Disney media franchise comprising a film series and additional media. It began with the 1992 American animated feature of the same name, which was based on the tale of the same name, and was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. The success of the film led to two direct-to-video sequels, a television series, a Broadway musical, a live-action remake, various rides and themed areas in Disney's theme parks, several video games, and merchandise, among other related works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genie (Disney)</span> Character from Disneys Aladdin

The Genie is a fictional character who appearing in Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Aladdin (1992), later appearing in other media of the Aladdin franchise as one of its main characters, as well as several other Disney media. He was voiced by Robin Williams in the first film. Following a contract dispute between Williams and Disney, Dan Castellaneta voiced the Genie throughout the direct-to-video feature The Return of Jafar, as well as the television series, before Williams reprised the role for the final installment, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, as well as for the character's own mini-series, Great Minds Think for Themselves.

<i>Aladdin</i> (2019 film) 2019 Disneys live-action film

Aladdin is a 2019 American musical fantasy film directed by Guy Ritchie from a screenplay he co-wrote with John August. Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Rideback, it is a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1992 animated film Aladdin, itself based on "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp", a French addition to the Middle Eastern folktale collection One Thousand and One Nights. The film stars Will Smith, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott with Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, and Billy Magnussen in supporting roles. The plot follows Aladdin, a street urchin, as he falls in love with Princess Jasmine, befriends a wish-granting genie, and battles the wicked sorcerer Jafar.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Finch, Christopher: "Chapter 11: A Second Flowering", pages 309–320. The Art of Walt Disney, 2004
  2. 1 2 3 Thomas, Bob: "Chapter 9: A New Tradition", pages 133–135. Disney's Art of Animation: From Mickey Mouse to Hercules, 1997
  3. ↑ Diamond in the Rough: The Making of Aladdin (Documentary). Aladdin Platinum Edition (Disc 2): Buena Vista Home Video. 2004.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. ↑ "Pop Up Fun Facts", Aladdin Platinum Edition Disc 1
  5. 1 2 "Aladdin Character History". Disney Archives. Archived from the original on March 30, 2010.
  6. ↑ 37 of the biggest differences between the live-action 'Aladdin' and the animated movie, Insider.com
  7. ↑ 10 Style Observations Only Aladdin Fans Understand, Disney.com
  8. ↑ "Aladdin And Princess Jasmine Are Coming To Disney Infinity". Kotaku . August 7, 2014.
  9. ↑ Disney Magic Kingdoms (Gameloft) (August 15, 2017). "Update 13: Aladdin | Livestream Pt. 1". YouTube.
  10. ↑ "Aladdin - Disney Mirrorverse". Kabam. June 2021.
  11. ↑ "Meet Aladdin". disneyworld.co.uk. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Adam Jacobs and Courtney Reed Will Co-Star in Disney's Aladdin; Complete Cast Announced". playbill.com. Playbill. September 16, 2013. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  13. ↑ Reif, Alex (October 16, 2023). "Disney's "Once Upon a Studio" – List of Characters in Order of Appearance". Laughing Place.
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