Robin Williams best voice over in the classic Disney Aladdin is a 1992 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Aladdin is the 31st animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, and was part of the Disney film era known as the Disney Renaissance. The film was directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, and is based on the Arab folktale of Aladdin and the magic lamp from One Thousand and One Nights. The voice cast features Scott Weinger, Jonathan Freeman, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Frank Welker, Gilbert Gottfried, and Douglas Seale. Lyricist Howard Ashman first pitched the idea, and the screenplay went through three drafts before Disney president Jeffrey Katzenberg agreed to its production. The animators based their designs on the work of caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, and computers were used for both colouring and creating some animated elements. The musical score was written by Alan Menken and features six songs with lyrics written by both Ashman and Tim Rice, who took over after Ashmans death. Aladdin was released on November 25, 1992 to positive reviews and was the most successful film of 1992, earning over $217 million in revenue in the United States, and over $504 million worldwide. The film also won many awards, most of them for its soundtrack. Aladdins success led to other material inspired by the film, including two direct-to-video sequels, The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves; an animated television series; toys, video games, spin-offs, and Disney merchandise. A Broadway adaptation debuted in 2014.The film opens with Jafar, Grand Vizier to the Sultan of the fictional sultanate of Agrabah, attempting to retrieve a magical oil lamp containing a genie from the Cave of Wonders. He enlists a petty thief to enter the cave and retrieve it, whose attempt fails. Jafar and his assistant, Iago (who is played by a parrot), learn that only a Diamond in the Rough can enter the cave. Meanwhile, Jasmine, the Sultans daughter, frustrated with her life in the palace, flees to Agrabahs marketplace. There she meets street rat Aladdin and his monkey pet, Abu, and the two begin to form a friendship. After Aladdin is arrested by orders of Jafar, Jasmine orders Jafar to have him released. Jafar lies to her that Aladdin was already executed, leaving Jasmine heartbroken. Jafar, disguised as an elder, releases Aladdin and Abu from the dungeon and leads them to the Cave of Wonders, promising a reward in return for retrieving the lamp. The cave allows them to enter but warns them to touch nothing but the lamp. Aladdin and Abu find a magic carpet. Aladdin obtains the lamp but Abus attempt to steal a gem backfires and causes the cave to collapse. The carpet flies them back to the entrance and Aladdin delivers the lamp to Jafar, who then tries to kill him. Abu then thwarts Jafar and steals back the lamp as he, the carpet, and Aladdin fall back into the cave just as it closes. In the collapsed cave, Aladdin rubs the lamp, unexpectedly unleashing Genie, who reveals he will grant Aladdin three wishes with the exception of murder, romance, revival of the dead or additional wishes. Aladdin tricks the genie into magically freeing himself, Abu, and the carpet from the cave without actually using a wish; thereafter, Genie states that Aladdin will not receive anymore magic help unless he explicitly states I wish. While contemplating his wishes, Genie admits he would wish for freedom, since he is a prisoner to his lamp. Aladdin promises to free Genie as his last wish. Aladdin decides to use his first wish to become a prince in order to be legally able to court Jasmine. Meanwhile, Jafar attempts to mind control the Sultan into arranging a marriage between himself and Jasmine in order to become Sultan himself. Before he is able to succeed, Aladdin appears and parades into the Sultans palace as Prince Ali of Ababwa. Sultan is impressed but Jasmine rejects Ali as a suitor. Despite the Genies suggestion that Aladdin to tell the princess who he really is, Aladdin keeps up his act as a suave prince and takes Jasmine around the world on the magic carpet. Jasmine suspects that Ali is actually the man she met in the marketplace; during the trip, she tricks Aladdin into admitting it and demands the truth from him. Aladdin fabricates a story that he sometimes dresses as a commoner to escape palace life. The couple kisses as Aladdin returns her home. Afterwards, Aladdin is kidnapped and thrown into the ocean by Jafar who makes a second attempt to arrange a marriage. Genie rescues Aladdin as his second wish; Aladdin returns to the palace and exposes Jafars plot. Jafar flees after noticing the lamp in Aladdins possession, realizing who Aladdin is. Aladdin has second thoughts about freeing Genie, believing that without him he is just Aladdin. Iago steals the lamp and brings it to Jafar. Jafar becomes Genies new master, using his first two wishes to usurp the Sultans throne and become the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Using his new powers, Jafar enslaves Jasmine and the Sultan, exposes Aladdin as a street rat, then exiles him and Abu to a frozen wasteland. Aladdin and Abu use the magic carpet to return to the palace, where Aladdin sneaks in to try and recapture the lamp. Jafar proposes using his third wish to make Jasmine his queen. Genie protests that he cannot grant that wish, but Jasmine decided to feign interest in Jafar, allowing Aladdin to try to grab the lamp. Aladdin gets caught and battles Jafar, who transforms himself into an enormous cobra and traps Aladdin. Jafar claims to be the most powerful being on Earth, to which Aladdin argues that Genie is more powerful. Faced with this realization, Jafar uses his final wish to become a genie himself. However, he then discovers that genies are not free entities as he is sucked into a lamp of his own, dragging Iago with him. The Genie sends Jafars lamp flying into the Cave of Wonders. Genie urges Aladdin that he should use his third wish to regain his princeship, warning Aladdin that he has never seen a woman like Jasmine, but Aladdin, realizing that he cannot keep pretending to be something he is not, decides to keep his promise and wish for Genies freedom. Seeing Jasmines love for Aladdin, the Sultan changes the law to allow her to marry whomever she deems worthy. The newly free Genie leaves to explore the world while Aladdin and Jasmine celebrate their engagement.Scott Weinger as Aladdin: A poor but kind-hearted Agrabah thief. Weinger sent in a homemade audition tape with his mother playing the Genie,[2] and after several call backs he found six months later that he had the part.[3] The characters singing voice was provided by Brad Kane, who also performed the characters speaking voice before Weinger was cast.[4] Aladdins supervising animator was by Glen Keane. Robin Williams as The Genie and the Merchant: A comedic genie, with nigh omnipotent power that can only be exercised when his master wishes it. Clements and Musker wrote the part of the Genie for Williams, and, when met with resistance, created a reel of Williams standup to animation of the Genie. When Williams watched the video, he laughed his ass off and agreed to do the project. The Genies supervising animator was Eric Goldberg. Jonathan Freeman as Jafar: The power-hungry Grand Vizier of Agrabah. Jafar was originally envisioned as an irritable character, but the directors decided that a calm villain would be scarier.Freeman was the first actor cast and spent one year and nine months recording his dialogue. He later readjusted his voice after Weinger and Larkin were cast as he felt Jafar had to be seen as a real threat to Aladdin and Jasmine.Jafars supervising animator was Andreas Deja, who tried to incorporate Freemans facial expressions and gesturing into the character.Jafars beggar and snake forms are animated by Kathy Zielinski. Linda Larkin as Princess Jasmine: The princess of Agrabah, who is tired of life in the royal palace. Larkin was chosen nine months after her audition, and had to adjust her pitch to reach the voice the filmmakers were looking for the character.Lea Salonga, who was performing Miss Saigon on Broadway at the time, supplies the characters singing voice.Jasmines supervising animator was Mark Henn. Frank Welker as Abu: Aladdins kleptomaniac pet monkey with a high-pitched voice. The animators filmed monkeys at the San Francisco Zoo to study their movements for Abus character.In the three years it took to record the film, Welker did not meet Weinger or Williams. Welker also voiced Jasmines tiger Rajah and the Cave of Wonders.Duncan Marjoribanks was the supervising animator for Abu, while Rajah was animated by Aaron Blaise. Gilbert Gottfried as Iago: Jafars sarcastic, foul-mouthed parrot assistant. Iagos supervising animator Will Finn tried to incorporate some aspects of Gottfrieds appearance into Iagos design, especially his semi-closed eyes and the always-appearing teeth. Douglas Seale as The Sultan: The pompous but kind ruler of Agrabah, who desperately tries to find a suitor for his daughter Jasmine. Some aspects of the character were inspired by the Wizard of Oz, to create a bumbling authority figure. The Sultans supervising animator was David Pruiksma. Jim Cummings as Razoul: The Captain of the Guard. He was named after layout supervisor Rasoul Azadani.He and the other guards were animated by Phil Young and Chris Wahl. Bruce Adler as the singing voice of the Merchant. The Magic Carpet is a sentient carpet who is able to fly. Animator Randy Cartwright described working on the Carpet as challenging, since it is only a rectangular shape, who expresses himself through pantomime – Its sort of like acting by origami.Cartwright kept folding a piece of cloth while animating to see how to position the Carpet.After the character animation was done, the carpets surface design was applied digitally. Charlie Adler as Gazeem: A thief that Jafar sends into the Cave of Wonders at the beginning of the film but is trapped inside for being unworthy. Gaeem was animated by T. Daniel Hofstedt. Hal Smith has a small, uncredited role for doing the sounds of Jafars horse, as he did Philippe in Beauty and the Beast.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 18:54:45 +0000
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