Drawn That Way
By Daniel Pellegrino
January 28, 2010
It's also important to note the rest of the voice cast. Fellow comedian Gilbert Gottfried plays Iago, a wisecracking parrot. In another world, Iago would have a spin-off film where he falls in love with a lady parrot, voiced by Fran Drescher. Only dogs would be able to understand the movie, as their voices are at a pitch not intended for human ears. Again, I digress. Gottfried gets through Aladdin without being too annoying; occasionally, he's even funny. Scott Weinger, who audiences might remember as the always-hungry Steve on Full House, plays Aladdin. That's right, his most recognizable character trait on Full House was that he was always hungry. That's about it. Cleveland native Jonathan Freeman provides the voice of the villain, Jafar. He does a fantastic job, making him the right mix of scary and believable. Finally, Linda Larkin provides the voice of Princess Jasmine with equal amounts kindness and sex appeal.
I recently discussed the music in The Princess and the Frog. Taking another listen to the Aladdin soundtrack, it is clear that the former doesn't measure up. Aladdin has amazing hooks, flawless voices and one of the most memorable ballads in the last few decades. "A Whole New World" still stands as one of the greatest Disney ballads. Ever.
The visuals in the film are fantastic. At the time, the cave of wonders scene was considered revolutionary in its use of computer graphics. It still looks good today, but not as impressive as you might remember. The colors are crisp, while the characters are well defined and distinguishable. The animation feels slightly more Warner Bros. than Disney, but I think that is because the film is more playful, with the Genie being more frenetic than a lot of other Disney characters.
Aladdin was recently released on DVD as part of Disney's Platinum collection. The DVD was given a fantastic treatment, but it sadly didn't sell as well as some of the other titles in the line. Disney announced that it wouldn't be part of the Platinum Edition BluRay releases. It is still likely to be released on BluRay at some point, but it won't be held in the same regard as films like Snow White and Beauty and the Beast. It's a shame because the film really resonates with many people in my generation. If you're in the mood for some adventure, humor, romance and heart, pull out your VHS or DVD copy of Aladdin and try and remember what it was like the first time you saw it. Enjoy the smile it brings to your face and allow yourself to hum the tunes for at least a couple hours after the credits roll- its part of the experience. Oh, and if any of you find any video of me in college singing "A Whole New World" after a couple cocktails with my friend Tina, please delete it or email me personally. Thank you.
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