ALADDIN (Walt Disney Productions)
Rating: 5 out of 6 Certification: G Genre: Animation/family Cast (voice talents): Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman. Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker
ALADDIN is a very spectacular and thrilling adventure in the Arabian nights. The young and handsome thief Aladdin meets with the Sultan's run-away daughter, and falls in love with her. At the same time, the Sultan's evil vizir, Jafar, and his amusing side-kick, Iago, are in search of a magic lamp containing a Genie who can grant the owner's every wish. But only one person may enter the cave where the lamp is hidden, and fetch it, and Jafar discoveres that it's the one and only, Aladdin. Aladdin is tricked into helping Jafar, and finds the magic lamp. But when Jafar betrays him, Aladdin disappears with the lamp. Then Aladdin releases the Genie and is granted his most desired wish: to be a prince, so that he can marry the Sultan's daughter, whom he loves. Everything goes according to plan, but Aladdin is beginning to understand that he cannot pretend to be someone that he is not. Jafar realizes that the prince is the boy whom he hired to get the lamp, and soon everything is set for a masterfully depicted struggle between good and evil.
ALADDIN's best aspects are the stunning animation, background scenes, voice talents and music. (Are there more aspects to talk of?) Although one of the first scenes, where a thief is mercylessly destroyed by a certain cave, is a little too dramatic for small children, the rest of the movie runs at a generally low violence level. There is evil, but it's far more cartoonish and "harmless" than in THE LION KING or THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. Where Scar and Judge Frollo were sincerely cruel, Jafar is more of a comedian attempting to look bad (although he gets tougher in the end). Iago is a very fun character, and his position as Jafar's talking parrot is extremely enjoyable. His imitations of others are hard to avoid laughing of. The Genie (Robin Williams' voice is perfect for him) has a lot of impressive imitations of real people and brilliant fast-talk all the way. He certainly steals the show.
All in all, Disney has managed to create a spectactular and very humorous animated feature that is one of the most light-hearted of them all. Romance, enchantment, magic, a little violence, some pretty innocent cruelty, and a good deal of humor mixed together makes ALADDIN a wonderful movie for everyone.
Reviewed by Stian M. Landgaard, March 27th, 1998
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