Aladdin: Disney's Latest Charm

Aladdin

directed by John Musker and Ron Clements

music by Howard Ashman, Allan Menken and Tim Rice

at Loew's Fresh Pond Cinema

In their newest animated feature, Aladdin, Disney retells the classic tale of Aladdin and his magic lamp, creating a colorful and imaginative web of romance and illusion. Featuring the vocal talents of Robin Williams and Gilbert Gottfried, Aladdin is sure to be a memorable film that will appeal to the sentimentalist in all of us.

The film employs the songwriting abilities of the late Howard Ashman, Alan Menken and Tim Rice, whose melodious gifts give the story comedic ambiance. Ashman and Menken were the musical team behind past animated hits The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, for which they won two Oscars, two Golden Globes and two Grammys. Tony Award winning lyricist Tim Rice collaborates with Alan Menken on three of the songs.

The songs have an entirely different flavor than those of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. "One Jump Ahead," by Menken and Rice, evokes the frenzy of the chase as Aladdin eludes the palace guard through the streets of the mythical kingdom of Agrabah. "A Whole New World," also by the creative team of Menken and Rice and performed by Brad Kane and Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon), propels us on an exciting magic carpet ride with Aladdin and Princess Jasmine.

The new film uses the cutting edge technology of Computer Generated Imagery (which was responsible for the three-dimensional ballroom in Beauty and the Beast) to create the incredible tiger's head exterior of the Cave of Wonders, the interior tunnels of the cave and Aladdin's first magic carpet ride, reminiscent of the cave sequence in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Aladdin's animation is the sum of knowledge accumulated from past efforts like Sleeping Beauty--for example, Jafar's transformation into a overpowering serpent in Aladdin far surpasses the visual impact of the witch's metamorphosis into a towering dragon in Beauty.

The film's fantastic animation lives up to the standards Disney studios has set for itself in its past few animated movies. Aladdin lends itself well to the romantic tale of the hometown boy who makes good. Aladdin falls in love with the feisty and beautiful Princess Jasmine and uses the three wishes the Genie (Robin Williams) grants him to remake himself into the man he thinks Jasmine wants. In this feature, however, as in other Disney offerings, what's in the heart is what really counts.

Aladdin might not be of noble birth, but he has a noble spirit and a good heart. For example, he feeds two small beggar children his only portion of stolen bread and later protects these same tots from the cruel whip of one of the Princess Jasmine's "noble" suitors.

Aladdin learns the hard way that others can appreciate the "real" him. He is sultan-material on the inside if not on the outside. Like the Beast, he must get beyond the lowly image he projects and show them what he's made of. This is exactly what he does when he comes head to head with the evil vizier Jafar, who seeks to usurp the throne of Agrabah from Princess Jasmine's father. By being himself and showing his inherent goodness, Aladdin defeats the evil vizier and wins Princess Jasmine's heart.

This is basically what his mentor, the Genie, tells him all along. The Genie assumes the role of so many other Disney characters--caretaker of the protagonist. Robin Williams plays the role with his characteristic verve. Animation is the first medium to capture the frenetic quality of Williams' genius. The animator follows his transformations from character to character, voice to voice with grace and style. Apparently only animation seems capable of keeping up with Robin Williams' vitality.

Gilbert Gottfried also turns in a fine performance as Jafar's parrot sidekick Iago. The bird is Gottfried's animated avian counterpart. Gottfried defines the bird's loud and obnoxious personality in the likeness of his own.

Aladdin meets the Disney quota for exhilirating moments and plenty of visual and aural appeal. We are quickly caught up in the familiar tapestry of the story and find ourselves sympathizing with Aladdin and Princess Jasmine. While animation and musical numbers are superb, Robin Williams' Genie steals the show. Aladdin's story is familiar to all young and old: the uncertainty of first love and the importance of being one's self.