The Disney Sequel Marathon: “Aladdin and the King of Thieves” (1996)
By: Dr. Thomas J. West Iii
Tags: Disney, Film, Animation, Movies, Culture

The Disney Sequel Marathon: “Aladdin and the King of Thieves” (1996)

The third entry in the “Aladdin” trilogy comes close to capturing the magic of the original 1992 film.

Having recently watched The Return of Jafar, I figured I’d keep with the momentum and watch the third and final entry in the Aladdin trilogy, Aladdin and the King of Thieves.

At long last, Aladdin and Jasmine are going to be married, and all of Agrabah has turned out for the celebration. However, the nuptials are interrupted by the group known as the Forty Thieves, whose king wants to obtain a staff containing a powerful oracle. As it turns out, the King of Thieves is none other than Cassim, Aladdin’s long-lost father, who plans to use the Oracle to obtain the Hand of Midas, a powerful talisman that can transform anything it touches to gold. Aladdin thus finds himself torn, between the life he’s trying to build with Jasmine and the bond he always wanted with his father.

While Return of Jafar leaned into the slapstick of Saturday morning cartoons, King of Thieves takes a more measured approach to the material, which is evident in everything from the animation to the songs. Though it doesn’t come anywhere near the exquisite detail of its theatrical predecessor, the animation still captures more depth than we saw in The Return of Jafar. Aladdin in particular conveys more complex emotions than he did in the previous film, and Scott Weinger, as always, imbues his character with both charm, vulnerability, and even a little sex appeal (our last sight of him, as he takes Jasmine roughly in his arms and raises his eyebrows at her, still makes me weak in the knees). And, of course, Cassim is a delightful character, a Disney DILF if there ever was one, complete with the deep, rich vocal tones of the one and only John Rhys-Davies. The villain of the piece is not quite as compelling as Jafar, though Sa’luk has his appeal, particularly since Jerry Orbach imbues him with a gravelly, scenery-chewing menace, though it should be noted that he seems to lack any real motivation other than just being evil.

Of course, the most notable thing about the vocal cast of the film is the return of Robin Williams as the voice of Genie. It has to be said that he’s a breath of fresh air, and it’s largely thanks to him that this film ends up being as charming as it is. There’s an infectiously manic quality to Williams’ voice performance, and you can almost feel the animators and writers bending the film to accommodate his signature style. Genie’s spastic antics are a bit broader than in the original film, and it’s clear that Williams had even more leeway than he did earlier. However, it’s impossible not to fall under his spell, and I challenge anyone not to laugh at his impression of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in their Road To films.

The songs are, as a whole, a significant improvement over those in The Return of Jafar, particularly the poignant “Out of Thin Air.” There’s quite a bit of chemistry between Brad Kane and Liz Callaway (the singing voices for Aladdin and Jasmine), and the song powerfully conveys Aladdin’s longing for a sense if identity that he’s been denied, living as he has without either parent since he was a child. “Welcome to the Forty Thieves,” the song that accompanies Aladdin’s induction into the brotherhood of ne’er-do-wells has its ludic charms, though it doesn’t come close to anything produced in the original film, while Sa’luk’s “Are You in or Out?” relies a bit too much on cutesy rhymes for my taste.

However, there’s no doubt that the emotional heart of the film is Aladdin’s struggle to square his past and his future, for while he desperately wants to marry Jasmine and begin his life with her, he can’t deny the pull of blood and of forming a bond with the father he’s never known. Even in the original film we got the sense that Aladdin, for all of his charm and daredevil ways, had a core of sadness within him, and the brilliance of Weinger’s voice performance is that he allows us to see this aspect of his character in more depth and nuance. I was particularly struck by Aladdin’s anguished statement that his mother and he only wanted Cassim, not the wealth that he thought was necessary to be a good provider for his family. Much as he loves his father, however, Aladdin chooses to follow his own path after setting him free from the dungeon, refusing to run away from the consequences of his actions.

In terms of narrative and story, the film moves along at a brisk pace, and it doesn’t outstay its welcome. For the most part, the story hits all of the right beats, with a quest narrative that ends right where it should, with Cassim giving up the Hand of Midas in favor of pursuing a relationship with his son. Unfortunately, this mean’s that Sa’luk’s death is given rather short shrift, since he turns into a solid gold statue after grabbing the Hand in midair. However, there’s also something fitting about this demise, given that he’s been so willing to betray his compatriots simply out of a base sort of malice.

All in all, I quite enjoyed this film. I think that it benefits from the fact that it’s still early on in the Disney sequel cycle to avoid the feeling of staleness that started to afflict these films rather early on (starting, I think, with The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea). What’s more, it provides a rather nice conclusion to the animated Aladdin franchise, even if it does lead one to wonder where, exactly, it fits in the mythology established in the TV series (though I did notice the presence of Prince Uncouthma in the wedding guests). Of all of the Disney sequels, it, along with The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, comes closest to the original film in terms of its emotional resonance and complexity.

Next up, I’ll review the aforementioned The Lion King II. Stay tuned!