Arabian Nights

Rating: Null/10 (24 April 2014)

Aladdin is one character I've grown up watching & enjoying when its TV show used to air and it was one of my favourite cartoon series. But only later did I find out that it was the feature film from Disney that started it all. So, there's no doubt that I approached the film with high expectations & yet it managed to deliver on such excellence note that it was a straight shot into my favourite animation films & is one of the finest features to come out from the Disney Renaissance Era.
Set in a fictional sultanate of Agrabah, the film tells the story of Aladdin; a street urchin making his living by stealing foods with his pet monkey named Abu. One day, he accidentally bumps into Princess Jasmine who's disguised as a local civilian, the two fall in love but Jasmine can only marry a prince according to the law. Aladdin soon finds himself arrested & involved in Jafar's (Sultan's attorney) evil plan to retrieve an ancient mysterious oil lamp but the plan goes for a toss when Aladdin unravels the secret about the lamp earlier.
The entire sultanate of Agrabah is beautifully drawn & it looks gorgeous on screen. Every character is wonderfully fleshed out from Aladdin, Jasmine, Abu, Genie, Jafar n others & each one has a vital role to play here but my favourite amongst all was Iago; Jafar's sarcastic, foul- mouthed pet parrot, who was an absolute show-stealer. The beautiful Arabian-themed music & truly enchanting songs also make a strong contribution to the story plus the opening song that commences the film couldn't have done so on a more imposing note.
More than 2 decades have passed since Aladdin first came out but it still hasn't aged a day. It remains as fresh as it did the first time I watched it & is as impressive a story as it is nostalgic for me. On an overall scale, Aladdin is one of the finest animation films from Disney that scores high on all filmmaking aspects & is full of interesting, intriguing characters whom you just can't hate. Although I feel that almost everyone has seen it but in case you haven't, then do yourself a favour & go check it out.