I doubt very seriously I would need to tell you anything about Disney’s animated film, “Aladdin.” At least as far as the storyline goes that is. Chances are you’ve seen it in theatres or on video, but I can say with a certain degree if assuredness that you haven’t seen it on DVD. But, starting this week you will. On the off-chance that you do live under a rock, or you’ve imposed some of kind of silly ‘no Disney film’ rule in your household, I’ll try to explain the main part of the story. As it is based somewhat on “1001 Arabian Nights”, the film takes place centuries ago in a galaxy far, far away. Well, not a galaxy per se, but being that the legendary city of Agrabah is placed somewhere in and around the Arab nations, it can seem that way to some. It involves a girl named Jasmine, a princess to be precise, who is of marrying age. The problem is that she has to marry a prince, as opposed to someone she loves. (Unless she happens to fall in love with is prince, which would make everything okay!) Enter a young street urchin by the name of Aladdin.

He has a somewhat sordid past, and spends his days robbing from the rich to give to the poor… well, actually himself. The two meet and instantly dislike each other (yeah, right…). And as every Disney film needs a proper villain (or villainess); we have the chief advisor to the Sultan (Jasmine’s father), who’s sole aim is to find a fabled magic lamp that will grant him the power to rule all.

For the most part, “Aladdin” follows the formula that has made so many of Disney’s films as successful as they are. But there was one noticeable difference from what had come before. Where the humor in past films was pretty straightforward, “Aladdin” introduced some of the most rapid-fire images and in jokes that had ever been in an animated film up to that time. The storyline of the film almost took a back seat to the antics of just one of the characters. How could this happen you might ask? Simple. Just cast Robin Williams and you’re off and running.

Williams took the voiceover role of the Genie to heights that I think even the film’s creators didn’t see coming. Able to leap tall voices in a single bound, Williams stole every scene with his accents, impersonations, and I’m certain, one-liners that were shot straight from the cuff. The jokes came fast and furious, many of which were highly anachronistic, but even more surprising were the ones that took potshots at Disney itself. The animators, bless their hearts, found a way to keep up with his lightning fast delivery and created the first truly animated version of Robin Williams. (He had also voiced the bat in “Ferngully”, but that was just a character. The Genie WAS Williams.)

So great was his vocal performance, that people noticed immediately when the first sequel came out and where Williams was replaced by Dan Castellaneta. Castellenata is also a terrific voiceover artist (think Homer Simpson), but he was simply no match for Williams, and for the most part it flopped. When Disney decided to make a third “Aladdin” film, they wisely chose to bring him back to reprise the role he originated.

I still remember when “Aladdin” first hit theatres. I was there to see it and was completely drawn in, not just by Williams’s character, but by the music. Alan Menken teamed up with Tim Rice after the passing of Howard Ashman and wrote several great pieces for the film. It even won two Academy Awards, one for Best Music / Original Score and the other for Best Song (A Whole New World.) Oddly enough, my most striking memory of the film comes from the real world and not the film itself. There were scores of people that decided the film painted a negative stereotype of Arabs and decided to picket. These were obviously people in need of real jobs, but they were more than likely unemployable. More rose to the occasion when the first “Aladdin” dolls hit the market. The complaint this time was that the doll looked too ‘Caucasian.’ Ahh… the wonder of the human mind… when it is totally wasted.

Now that Disney is finally releasing “Aladdin” on DVD, it comes as no surprise that it is a 2-disc affair. Never one to be lazy in the special features area, there is literally hours of extra materials. The first disc allows for two separate commentaries, one from the filmmakers and the other by some of the animators. Both commentaries are interesting for adults, though they will probably bore the youngsters. You’ll also find a pop-up trivia track, which is a feature I’ve come to enjoy more and more on newer DVD releases. There are also a total of four deleted songs, all of which are performed against a backdrop of sketches as the scenes were never completed, as well as a couple of incomplete deleted scenes. Fans of “American Idol” (of which I am not) will probably enjoy seeing Clay Aiken perform one of the deleted songs, while fans of air-headedness in general will like hearing “A Whole New World” butchered… I mean ‘sung’… by Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. As for that last video, parent might be better off choosing the ‘Song Selection’ feature which acts as a sort of karaoke for the kiddos.

Disc two has several games and activities for the kids, but there is certainly enough to whet the appetite of adult Disney fans. The best, and longest, is “A Diamond in the Rough: The Making of Aladdin.” Hosted by Disney expert Leonard Maltin, the nearly two-hour documentary gives and astoundingly complete look at the process of making the film. This is followed up by a look at Alan Menken’s work as well as a review of some of the film’s art. There are a lot of other features sprinkled throughout the disc, but those are the highlights.

If Disney keeps releasing DVDs of this quality for their original films, I may never get the chance to tell you NOT to pick one up. (Ahem…let’s not count the sequels...)

Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker
Starring (the voices of): Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathon Freeman, Frank Welker, Gilbert Gottfried, Douglas Seale, Bruce Adler, Brad Kane (singing), Leah Salonga (singing)
Extras: Deleted Song - “Proud of Your Boy”, Clay Aiken performs “Proud of Your Boy”, “A Whole New World” Music Videos, “A Diamond in the Rough: The Making of Aladdin”, Deleted Scenes, Disney’s Virtual DVD Ride, Inside the Genie’s Lamp, 3 Wishes Game, Filmmaker’s Audio Commentary, Animator’s Audio Commentary, The Art of Aladdin, Alan Menken: Musical Renaissance Man, Disney Song Selection
Specifications: Widescreen (1.66:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Disney
Release Date: 10/5/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: G
Website

We'll give Aladdin: Special Edition an A.