Reviews for Aladdin

Animation is a wonderful tool, although many critics accuse it of being "juvinille." To me, that is a huge mistake. Some of the greatest movies of all times are animated, and Aladdin is a prime example. It rests in my heart as the greatest movie of all time, and this is why...

The movie opens with the beautifully orchestrated "Arabian Nights," as we see a man traveling by camel through the deserts' many sand dunes. It may seem to you as though there is no way to make sand dunes beautiful and majestic, but Disney magic prevails. The dunes are, amazingly, not simply mounds of sand, but rather beautiful mountains and patterns formed by the wind. By the way I'm rambling on about animated sand dunes, it should be apparant how great this movie is and how much I love it. The man turns out to be a peddler, who goes on to give us his hillarious sales pitch. He then reveals a lamp and begins the tale of Aladdin.

The Characters:
    Aladdin: Voiced by Scott Winger, Aladdin is a (very cute!!!) "street rat" that falls in love with the beautiful Princess Jasmine (Thaaaaaaaaaaat's Mee!!!:)). Unfortunatly, only a prince can marry the princess, it's the law. Luckily for him, he finds a magical Genie who can help him. Aladdin is a hero worth crushing on. He's strong as "ten regular men," got a winning smile, he's hot...wow...
    Jasmine: The beautiful and headstrong Princess is voiced wonderfully by Linda Larkin. Jasmine resents the law saying she must marry a prince because she wants to be free to make her own choice. Jasmine is the best Disney gal to date, and the most wonderful heroine ever. According to Aladdin, "...she's smart, and, and fun, and...Beautiful! She's got this hair that just, and these EYES, *wow*, and her smile(?), Ahhh!!!" This girl doesn't need a gut to complete her, which is what's so cool!
    Jafar: Jonathan Freedman provided the voice for this evil villan, and quite well, too. Jafar is the royal advisor to the dim-witted Sultan, and he's BAD!!! Jafar is eaisily the most evil of all Disney villans- there's not a good bone in his body! Jafar will stop at nothing to acheive power, and he makes SEVERAL attempted murders. Watch out, he's BAD.
    Genie: "Geniiieeee of thaaaa laaaaaaamp!!!" Thie genie was expertly voiced by Robin Williams, and he REALLY brought the movie to laugh-out-loud status. although the Genie is VERY neat, I don't think he was the "crowning glory" of the film as some claim he is. True, the story would not have worked without him, but I don't find him to be as interesting a character as Jasmine or Aladdin. Don't get me wrong, I love the Genie, he's so funny. I jut don't think he's the star of the show.
    Iago: Gilbert Godfreid played the wise-cracking parrot belonging to Jafar. Iago is also a very comic character, although a couple times he has trouble holding his tounge ("How in the, um, er, ah RAACK!!!). He's an expert impressionist, and can mimic the Prinecss remarkably well. He's definatly a fav.
    The Sultan: I'm not sure who did his voice, but they should have done the second movie, too! The dim-witted Sultan loves his toys, and thinks he has "an excellent judge of character"("Oh yeah, excellent judge, oh sure NOT!!!!). The Sultan is just like a big kid most of the time, and he's just so cute!! He's like a teddy bear!!!
   Abu: I don't know who did his, ummm...er...screach(he doen't really talk), but it sure was funny! Abu is Aladdin's pet monkey, and he's got a BIG attitude, and love of money. Abu is numero uno in my Sidekick Hall of Fame.

Now, on to the songs!! The number that introduces us to Aladdin, "One Jump Ahead," is sung by Brad Kane who artfully pulls off this bouncy, rythmic, and playful tune. The reprise to this song is very short (a mere six lines), but it is one of the best in this movie, second only to "A Whole New World." "A.W.N.W." is sung by Aladdin and Jasmine (a.k.a. Brad Kane and Lea Salonga) as they travel around the world on a magic carpet. It is the most beautiful of any Disney ballad, and worthy of the Acadamy Award it won. "Prince Ali" and "Friend Like Me" are show-stoppers, and both are sung mainly (if not entirly) by Robin Williams. The final song, "Prince Ali(Reprise)" is performed by Jonathan Freedman as Jafar, and is fantastic. (Note: On the soundtrack, the vocal inflection is slightly different than that on the movie. Just a fun fact!) All in all, the music is astounding, much better than any other movie of its kind.

Aladdin is a motion picture masterpiece, something ot be treasured forever. I love this movie with all my heart, and it is always #1. This flick is for anyone who ever had a deam come true, or just wants to have a good time.