The tale of Aladdin and the magic lamp was first accounted for around 944 AD, but it wasn’t until 1888 by Burton’s “Arabian Nights” it became known to the western world. It is the tale of Aladdin, the son of a poor tailor, who was deceived by an African magician to fetch a magic lamp and to be left for dead, who takes revenge and marriages the sultan’s daughter and in turn becomes the sultan himself. The first film version came in 1906 as “Aladdin ou la lampe merveilleuse” by Albert Capellani, and later became integrated parts on “The Thief of Bagdad”, both in Raoul Walsh’s 1924 version and in Michael Powell’s 1940 version, both by themselves stunning timeless classics.

Having turned Paramount around, Eisner and Katzenberg moved on to Disney in 1984, both in order to make it financially sound again, but also to make Disney regain the magic it had lost during the seventies. Katzenberg believed that the secret to success was a great story and under his control, Disney went from making forgettable films to re-establishing its second golden age, with films like “Who killed Roger Rabbit?”, “The Little Mermaid”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Aladdin” and “The Lion King”. Katzenberg was also responsible for taking on Pixar, before he was fired by Eisner and moved on to form DreamWorks with Spielberg and Geffen, where he continued to develop great animated stories like “Shrek” and “Shrek 2”. By any standard, “Aladdin” is still today the greatest achievement by Disney, surpassed only in box office by “The Lion King”, but in terms of animation, storytelling and music, it has no equal.

The story is a very basic adaptation of the original tale. Aladdin is a thief with a golden heart, who longs for a better life and dreams of living a life of luxury in the sultan’s palace. Here, princess Jasmin, has the same dream, except that she wants a life outside the palace. The two meet and fall in love, but are torn apart by the evil schemes of the grand vizier Jafar, who wants to both be the sultan and have Jasmin for himself. Luring Aladdin to get him a magic lamp and to leave him for dead, his plans are foiled and Aladdin by chance activates the lamp, releasing the Genie, who grants him three wishes. But Jafar does not intend to let a simple thief spoil his plans…

There are several reasons why “Aladdin” is such a great film.

First of all it has a simple story, where the motif of being true to yourself is pitted against greed and megalomania. A step up from traditional golden age Disney motifs of the inner child and coming of age, the motifs are more mature, yet innocent enough to find their way to the hearts of those with an inner child.

Second of all, the supporting cast were strengthened in character. The supporting cast have always had its stars and strength in character, just think Jiminy Cricket in “Pinocchio” or Thumper in “Bambi”, but in “Aladdin” the supporting cast almost have the strength of leading characters: Iago the parrot, the magic carpet and above all, Genie. All three are an animators dream come true, strongly inspired by the non-stop improvisations of Gotlieb and Williams.

A brief note here towards the characters of “Aladdin”, who very much so are inspired by Powell’s 1940 “Thief of Bagdad”. The monkey Apu is as energetic as Sabu, the sultan is a playful variation of Malleson’s sultan and Jafar seems like carved from Veidt’s Jafar. All done with much respect and admiration, this is what homage is all about.

Third and finally, the songs. To some extend, a Disney film is very much like a classic musical, where the plot stops to allow the characters to express the situation thru song, but thanks to the genius of Alan Menken (winner of 8 Oscars) the musical side is elevated to classical status by its modern Broadway approach. . A special note here to collaborator Howard Ashman, who wrote the lyrics for this, as well as for “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast”. A genial song writer, with a magical sense for variation and tempo, the musical side of these films would have been lesser without his playful skill. Sadly Ashman died of AIDS in 1991, thus “Aladdin” became his last film.

But “Aladdin” is not beyond criticism. A major critique has to go to the Genie, who is such a scene stealer, that he not only at times disrupt the story, but even allows one to approach the story as him as the lead and Aladdin and Jasmin as supporting cast. Where Iago has the darkest evil to play against, Genie has indecisive goodness. Yet it is doubtful if “Aladdin” would have worked so well without him.

Another critique is that “Aladdin” is the most violent of all Disney films. Especially the show down is too frightening for small children. Where all Golden Age Disney films were made for adults with an inner child, they always had an innocent approach to violence. “Aladdin” has not.

By many been compared to “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, in its energy and transcending entertainment, “Aladdin” is a true Disney classic and amongst the greatest Disney films ever made. It is an adventure film with a capital A and timeless with a capital T. It is a roller coaster ride full of memorable characters, great songs and a daring innovation in animated story telling. Aladdin may be a diamond in the rough, but "Aladdin" is a gem of the highest karat.

Henrik Sylow