Perfect illustration

Rating: 5/10 (8 August 2006)

Many of you have probably read that one of the problems with Disney's animated films after about 1965 or so is the too-great reliance on well-known actors doing the voice work. "Aladdin" clearly illustrates the problem. Instead of using the script and skillful animation of facial expressions and other movements to give the characters personality, the current generation of Disney animators relies on identifiable actors to supply the personality for the characters in the process of the voice over. Thus, the Genie, voiced by Robin Williams, overwhelms and dominates the film as Williams tends to do in any film he's a part of. The Genie becomes a fast-talking hip comedian. Great, though it seems more than a little out of place in the context of the general story of Aladdin and his lamp. A similar observation can be made about the parrot, Iago, voiced by Gilbert Gottfried. Of course this is a children's film, but it seems to me that the presence of Williams and Gottfried dumbs this story down rather significantly, turning a story intended to be about the mysteries of the Middle East into a western pop culture fest geared toward short attention spans. I guess Disney studios has a rather low opinion of kids these days, or maybe a low opinion of what they need to inject into films to entertain the parents taking their kids to see these movies.