Aladdin (Disney Character)

: “Some day, Abu, things are gonna change. We'll be rich, live in a palace, and never have any problems at all.”―Aladdin on his dreams[src]
Aladdin is the titular protagonist of Disney's 1992 animated feature film of the same name. A former street rat from the city of Agrabah, Aladdin spent much of his youth scraping for food and ducking guards with his monkey sidekick Abu. Though sanguine, Aladdin's poor upbringing left him with severe insecurity, making him feel worthless and undeserving of love, specifically that of Princess Jasmine. He nevertheless sustained a heroically selfless deposition, which in turn made him entitled to a magic lamp concealing a wish-granting genie. Aladdin is based on the eponymous character of the Aladdin folk tales featured in the Middle Eastern One Thousand and One Nights stories.
== Background ==
Aladdin was born to Cassim and Zena, citizens of the kingdom of Agrabah. Due to their struggling background, Cassim left Agrabah shortly after Aladdin was born in hopes of finding a better way to provide for his family. Due to this, Aladdin never met or knew his father, believing he was dead and was given a dagger as his only memento. A few years later, Aladdin's mother passed away, leaving him an orphan and forcing him to fend for himself. By the time Cassim returned, he couldn't find his family, believing them to be dead, resulting in him leaving Agrabah out of despair, where he'd eventually become a leader of the infamous Forty Thieves, though this would remain unknown to Aladdin for an extended number of years. Due to being orphaned so early, Aladdin never received a formal education, nor had a positive role model to guide him through life. With no form of income, he was forced to learn to survive on the streets of Agrabah. Lacking other means, he steals only to survive, but his good heart often moves him to donate his stolen goods to those who are as poor, if not poorer than him, making him a Robin Hood-like figure.
When Aladdin was seven, he had his first encounter with Razoul, the new captain of the Sultan's guard, after stealing an apple from a fruit stand. Initially, the boy managed to outmaneuver the guards, but was eventually apprehended and sentenced to detention within the palace dungeon; however, he managed to escape by picking the locks to his chains. While in his mid-teen years, he stole a vest, a pair of pants, and a fez from a clothesline, which would form his signature outfit. At the age of ten, Aladdin was best friends with a fellow street rat and thief, Amal, but unlike Aladdin, he stole money and valuables for his own selfish greed, which Aladdin was strongly against. Aladdin was present when Amal disappeared, unaware that he was taken and became an El Khatib, serving one of his future adversaries, Mirage. When he was sixteen, Aladdin fell in with a group of circus performers and con artists: Aziz, Fatima, Minos, and their pet monkey, Abu. Aladdin and Abu would form a brotherly relationship throughout this endeavor, and would eventually leave the circus, but remain together as both partners and best friends.
=== Development ===
In the earliest stages of the story, Aladdin was portrayed as a much younger character—a boy, as opposed to a young man. The idea was brought upon by animator Glen Keane, who believed Aladdin, the lead of an underdog story should have a more meager, vulnerable appearance to match his role in the film's narrative. In addition, he claimed that typical Disney films have a sort of class system with their characters, such as the cartoonish sidekicks, the dramatic villains, the beautiful heroines, and the boring "Prince Charming"-type heroes that "nobody ever wanted to animate". Though directors Ron Clements and John Musker enjoyed the idea, executive producer, Jeffrey Katzenberg did not, feeling the romantic relationship between a meek Aladdin and the beautiful Princess Jasmine would come off as unrealistic, as Jasmine wouldn't find herself physically attracted to that portrayal of Aladdin. Katzenberg saw the early versions of Aladdin to be along the lines of Michael J. Fox, but should instead be along the lines of Tom Cruise, in terms of appearance.
Glen Keane rectified the issue, making Aladdin a tad more muscular, with broader shoulders, and more defined features. However, to keep in touch with the original concept, Keane, Musker, and Clements worked to retain a sense of youth and innocence to Aladdin through his facial design and character portrayal, prominent during the film's more comedic scenes.
An integral part of Aladdin's story during the early stages of the film was the role of his mother. Initially, Aladdin was not an orphan, but instead, a young boy living alongside his single mother in the lowest part of Agrabah. Throughout the story, Aladdin's quest to find something greater than himself, and prove his worth, was driven by a desire to make his mother proud, famously vocalized through the deleted song "Proud of Your Boy", written by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. When the film underwent a rewrite, from start to finish, writers and consultants, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio suggested the mother and concept surrounding her to be scrapped from the film, to which the filmmakers agreed, having discussed the deletion beforehand.
=== Personality ===
: “...a young man who, like this lamp, was more than what he seemed: a diamond in the rough.”
: ―Peddler
Despite his upbringing, at the start of the film, Aladdin was a generally optimistic, fun-loving, and charming character. Though he was forced to steal for survival, he showed joy in escaping the brutish guards, alongside his sidekick Abu, and showed an attempt to find enjoyment in the struggles of his day-to-day life. Nevertheless, though he did not mind stealing from the marketplace denizens, albeit forcibly so, Aladdin was, in no way, a selfish character. Not only were the thefts for survival, as mentioned before, but Aladdin was also never above sacrificing his food for the less fortunate of Agrabah, such as starving children. This is an example of Aladdin's selflessness, which was showcased several times throughout the film, specifically for the sake of Jasmine, and most notably, during the finale, Genie. This trait was also carried over to the further stories of the franchise, such as The Return to Jafar, where the street rat is shown to commonly rob lairs of thieves and donate the stolen jewels and riches to Agrabah's less fortunate citizens.
While harboring a modest amount of physical prowess, Aladdin's true strength lies within his intelligence and wit. He utilizes these aspects to best his enemies, and such practices have proven effective in various situations throughout the franchise. He is a quick-thinker, with the ability to formulate a scheme (usually varying in scale, making him rather versatile) that ends in his favor. Aladdin also takes advantage of his societal stereotype to further his schemes, as most wouldn't expect a meager street urchin to have the intellect to outwit others.
Although generally cheery and fun-loving in nature, Aladdin was also shown to be insecure throughout the original film's events. Being a street rat, Aladdin normally faced discrimination in the city of Agrabah and was seen as a worthless member of society. This cruelty eventually led Aladdin to believe such claims; he saw himself as unworthy of Princess Jasmine's affections, believing she deserved someone of higher class and, by extension, someone who can provide for her. These insecurities would prompt Aladdin to perform negative acts such as compulsively lying, going back on promises, and hiding his true self under the guise of "Prince Ali".
Once the climax of the original film arrives, however, Aladdin is stripped of his aid (including magic and the help of his allies), forcing him to act independently to save the city. He does so by putting his wit to use and successfully ends the battle victorious. Following these events, Aladdin became more accepting of his status, refusing to continue living a lie, and embracing who he is as a person.
As seen throughout episodes of the television series, however, Aladdin's insecurities haven't diminished completely. Although more accepting of his status as a "street rat", Aladdin remained somewhat self-conscious when given important tasks to complete, as seen in the episode "Mudder's Day", where the Sultan was confident enough to place Aladdin in charge of an expedition, though the latter would continuously doubt his own leadership out of anxiousness. In "My Fair Aladdin", Aladdin made an attempt to reform his image to better conform with Jasmine's dinner guests, consisting of haughty, high-classed royalty. This would only result in his downfall as the most important person in his life, Jasmine, was unamused by Aladdin's attempts in concealing his true nature. In spite of this, Aladdin's allies, and more specifically Jasmine, would continuously provide support and a catalyst that would aid Aladdin in regaining his confidence. One other noteworthy time, was in "The Return of Malcho", where Aladdin felt insecure when he was placed in charge of Agrabah while the sultan, Jasmine, and most of the group were on vacation and the responsibility of keeping the kingdom safe while having to put up with Iago and Razoul's advice on how the Sultan would handle things. This was put to the test when Iago's old enemy Malcho arrived, and Aladdin had to keep Iago protected in the palace to avoid putting the citizens in danger. Eventually, the stress of dealing with Razoul and Iago's bad advice and bickering were able to snap Aladdin out of his self-doubt, allowing him to take proper leadership and devise a plan that allowed them to successfully trap Malcho.
=== Physical appearance ===
Animated and designed by Glen Keane, Aladdin is a traditionally handsome, slender, slightly muscular young man with broad shoulders, black, messy hair, thick matching eyebrows, and brown eyes.
As a street rat, his clothing is, unsurprisingly, rather limited. He is barefoot, donning a purple, sleeveless vest, red fez, and baggy, cream pants with a single patch covering a hole within them.
As Prince Ali, however, Aladdin's attire is lavish to coincide with his princely facade. The colors resemble the primary colors of Jasmine's father, the Sultan, consisting mostly of cream, gold, white, and purple. The outfit's appearance, itself, also resembles the Sultan's, consisting of a large turban (with what appears to resemble neck shade coming down on opposite sides) complete with a ruby gem and bluish, deep purple feather, cream undergarments, and a matching top, with a cape flowing down, just below his calves. The outfit is finished with golden brown shoes with swirled tips. His turban also conceals Genie's lamp beneath his head. In Return of Jafar, he wears this outfit before encountering Iago and being attacked by Abis Mal and his group.
At the end of the first film, Aladdin wears a purple openly short Arabian coat with a white shoulder armor on both sides of his short coat with gold trim, at the back of his short coat, it resembles a long purple cape, cream pants with a red and brown sash around his waist and the golden-brown shoes from his disguised Prince Ali outfit. He also wears a different kind of fez, colored purple and gold striped.
In Aladdin and the King of Thieves, Aladdin now wears a different outfit as opposed to the previous two films.
In its initial appearance before their wedding was interrupted by his father Cassim and at the end of the film where he marries Jasmine and went to their honeymoon by riding a magic carpet, Aladdin wears an outfit similar to his disguised form as Prince Ali as he wears a very long cream openly Arabian royal jacket with a large sailor collar, underneath is a yellow sleeveless tunic with brown trim and a white long-sleeved undershirt, cream pants, and brown shoes with swirled tips. His turban has a different design with brown linings and the feather is yellow with a purple gem in the center. Before wearing this outfit, Aladdin was seen wearing his former primary outfit in the two films but updated; his purple vest now have gold linings in the seams, his red fez also have gold linings, the color of his pants changed from cream to white and no longer have a single patch on the right and now wearing brown curled boots as opposed to barefoot.
Later when he confronts his father Cassim and being tested by him to face Sa'Luk, Aladdin wears black undergarments with a matching sleeveless top with a red obi around his waist and a medium blue long-sleeved shirt. He also adorned with a blue cloak that can cover his head and face and a gold emblem on the left side. This outfit is also his father's primary outfit.
His main outfit throughout the movie and his crossover appearance in Hercules: The Series, Aladdin wears a purple sleeveless garb with gold trim, a white long sleeve undershirt with dark brown folded sleeves, light blue pants with a red sash and dark brown shoes with swirled tips. When he meets his father Cassim for the first time, his main outfit is covered with a cream cloak and a gray turban on his head.
He later rips the right long sleeve into the shorter sleeve from his main outfit to cover the Hand of Midas.
=== Abilities ===
* Expert Tactician: Aladdin has demonstrated amazing cleverness, as he has feats of being able to outsmart enemies multiple times. During the first film, he is proven to be capable of evading capture from the guards despite being greatly outnumbered and overpowered.
* Excellent Speed: Aladdin is very fast, having spent years outrunning the officers of Agrabah during his theft of food.
* Excellent Agility: Aladdin is very agile, showing similar acrobatics and grace to his monkey Abu.
* Excellent Reflexes: Aladdin possesses good reflexes, able to dodge the repeated strikes from Jafar in his massive snake form.
* Skilled Swordsman: Aladdin has demonstrated some swordsmanship abilities, despite it not being known whether he had any training. His primary weapon in the video games and the films is the scimitar which was the main weapon of Razoul's royal guards. Aladdin demonstrates using a weapon when he fought Jafar in his king cobra form and later in the third film where he was tested by his father.
* Skilled Hand-To-Hand Combatant: While normally prevailing through wit or teaming with his allies, Aladdin is a capable fighter. Against Sa'Luk, the most skilled fighter of the Forty Thieves and physically much stronger than him, Aladdin proved able to fend off the foe's assault rather effectively while landed his own number of blows and even narrowly defeated him.
* Animal Communication: Aladdin is an animal whisperer, as he was able to understand Abu, his pet monkey when to a normal person, he simply speaks gibberish.
* Expert Thief: Aladdin became a skilled thief, gaining a lot of experience since the age of 7.
* Excellent Strength: Though not his most noteworthy trait, Aladdin does have a certain degree of strength as he was strong enough to dig Carpet out from being stuck under a broken palace tower in a snowy wasteland in the original movie. With a two-fisted hit, he was also able to knock out Sa'Luk, who was at least twice his size.
== Biography ==
=== Before The Franchise ===
. . .
=== Aladdin ===
In the deserts outside Agrabah, Jafar—the Sultan's royal vizier—seeks access to the mysterious Cave of Wonders to accomplish a nefarious scheme. He sends a shady thief to carry out this bidding, but the cave's guardian warns them that only the "diamond and the rough" may enter the cave. Jafar sends his lackey within, nevertheless, and the thief is buried alive for his attempts. With no other choice, Jafar is forced to utilize his resources to uncover the individual capable of entering the cave: Aladdin. When Aladdin first appears, he has stolen a loaf of bread but after outwitting and escaping the royal guards with the help from Abu, the two generously hand their earned food to two young orphans. Later, Aladdin spots other citizens watching a snooty prince heading for the castle as a suitor for the beautiful Princess Jasmine and defends the orphans as they are nearly whipped for running in front of his horse. Aladdin is kicked into the mud and insulted by the prince, whom he insults back as well, but the prince blows it off, still thinking Aladdin as nothing more than a mere street rat. Discouraged, Aladdin and Abu head for home as night falls. All the same, Aladdin keeps the faith that he will someday be rich and live in a palace. The next morning Aladdin and Abu are having breakfast when he spots a beautiful girl whom he is instantly smitten with. The girl has just given an apple to a young boy and the peddler spots this and threatens to chop her arm off if she refuses to pay. Aladdin rescues the girl claiming that she is his sister and "a little crazy". She plays along and the two escape right on time. As Aladdin leads the girl to his home, they both start to display feelings for each other. Once they reach Aladdin's home, he and the girl become more comfortable with each over, even revealing their true desires in life. When Aladdin tries asking the girl where she is from, she reveals that she ran away because her father is forcing her to get married, surprising Aladdin. He then tries to cheer her up, which works so well that the two nearly kiss. Unfortunately, the guards burst in to arrest Aladdin; he and the girl attempt to escape, but Aladdin runs into the lead guard, Captain Razoul, who captures him. The girl reveals herself to be Princess Jasmine and demands Aladdin's freedom. Razoul apologizes and explains he is doing his job under the orders of Jafar, not Jasmine's father, the Sultan of Agrabah, so Jasmine will have to speak to him to gain Aladdin's release, before taking Aladdin away while Jasmine returns to the palace to furiously confront Jafar on the matter. In the dungeon, Aladdin laments how foolish he feels for revealing so much about himself to a princess. Abu arrives and frees Aladdin of his chains, though he also berates Aladdin for letting his guard down for Jasmine, but, Aladdin doesn't care since the law says that she has to be married to a prince and that "she deserves a prince." Suddenly, the two meet an old beggar (who is actually Jafar in disguise) that informs Aladdin of the Cave of Wonders, claiming they will be greatly rewarded for retrieving the legendary magic lamp for him. Though hesitant, Aladdin agrees, hoping the riches will impress Jasmine. At the cave's entrance, Aladdin and Abu are warned by the guardian not to touch anything but the lamp. Inside the cave, the two meet a magic flying carpet who leads them to the lamp. Just as Aladdin retrieves the lamp, Abu, overcome with greed, seizes one of the forbidden treasures, causing the cave to shake violently and burst into flames since Abu had violated the guardian's warning, infuriating it. Aladdin and Abu hop on the Magic Carpet and try to make their escape, but Carpet is pinned by a falling boulder, leaving Aladdin to dangle from a ledge in front of the exit. He tries to escape but needs help from the beggar, who demands the lamp first. After handing the lamp to him, the beggar nearly kills Aladdin, only to be stopped when Abu bites him, causing him to drop Aladdin. The cave then dissolves, trapping Abu, Aladdin, and Carpet inside. Inside, Abu reveals he has stolen the lamp back. Aladdin rubs the lamp and unleashes an all-powerful, chaotic Genie, who introduces himself as a friend unlike any other. Genie tells Aladdin that he can grant three wishes, with the exceptions of killing, making love, wishing for more wishes, and bringing back the dead. Aladdin tricks the Genie into having them escape the cave without using up one of his three wishes. They rest at an oasis and Aladdin takes the time to think of what to wish for. He asks the Genie what he wishes for, to which the Genie tells Aladdin his dreams of freedom. Aladdin promises to use his third wish to free the Genie. For his first wish, he wishes to become a prince to win the heart of Jasmine, whom he has met earlier. As part of the wish, the Genie creates an entourage of servants, swordsmen, dancers, etc. and transforms Abu into an elephant. All the while, Aladdin was about to change from a once poor street rat into a cultured, sophisticated man about town. After a flashy parade in the streets of Agrabah approaching the palace while riding Abu, Aladdin meets the Sultan and Jafar. During a discussion of winning her heart, Jasmine overhears their plot and instantly berates the three for treating her like a prize to be won. That night, a crestfallen Aladdin contemplates on how to earn Jasmine's love, ignoring Genie's advice, to tell the truth, out of insecurity. Aladdin flies up to the balcony as Ali and calls to Jasmine. She initially refuses to see Ali but finds him familiar upon closer inspection. Ali debunks the suspicion and tries to change the subject by complimenting the princess, only to find himself insulting her instead. Realizing he's been treating Jasmine as a prize, Aladdin apologizes and takes his leave on Carpet, though the appearance of the sentient rug captures Jasmine's attention and curiosity. Ali introduces Jasmine to his companion and humbly offers her a ride as a chance to get out of the palace and see the world. Starting to see past his facade and realizing he may be the boy she met in the marketplace, Jasmine accepts, and the two embark on a magic carpet ride around the world. They eventually stop to rest and watch fireworks in China, and during which, Jasmine exposes Aladdin as the boy from the market, having noticed the same mannerisms between Aladdin and Prince Ali. Aladdin desperately lies by claiming that he sometimes dresses as a commoner to escape the pressures of palace life, though he truly is a prince. Relating to the notion, Jasmine forgives Ali and their night continues. After Aladdin escorts Jasmine back to the palace, they share their first kiss, proclaiming their love. An exuberant Aladdin celebrates as he and Carpet return to the palace gardens, where he is ambushed and kidnapped by Jafar and the guards. He is shackled to a ball and chain by the legs and thrown from a cliff into the sea, where he is left to drown. As he passes out, Aladdin's hand rubs the lamp, releasing the Genie, who uses Aladdin's second wish to free him from his binds and carry him to the surface. Touched by Genie's act, the two warmly embrace before returning to the palace to reveal Jafar's evil ways to Jasmine and the Sultan. The latter doesn't seem to believe Aladdin's accusations, but the street rat notices peculiar lighting from Jafar's snake staff and destroys it. As it turns out, Jafar had been using the staff to control the Sultan, confirming his treachery and having him warranted for arrest, though he escapes. As Aladdin and Jasmine comfort one another, the Sultan realizes the two have fallen in love, with Jasmine confirming that she has chosen Ali as her suitor. The Sultan declares that the two will be wed at once, and appoints Ali as the heir to his throne. Though initially excited, Aladdin quickly finds himself struck with extreme guilt, feeling unworthy of such an honor, as well as Jasmine's love, due to his lies. The next day, Aladdin is notably downhearted. The Genie happily appears from the lamp and congratulates Aladdin on winning the heart of the princess, expecting Aladdin to wish for his freedom. Aladdin explains that the Sultan wishes to dub him as the heir to the throne, though he feels unworthy of such an honor due to the fact that he's been living a lie. He also expresses ill confidence in being able to maintain the facade without Genie's assistance, ultimately confessing that he won't be able to wish the latter free. Genie, feeling betrayed, retires to his lamp in a huff. Aladdin angrily berates Genie's lack of support, but soon comes to his senses and realizes how selfish he's been acting after unintentionally taking his anger at Genie out on Abu and Carpet, who had been watching the argument. After a moment of thought, he decides to tell Jasmine the truth but is lured away from Genie's lamp by Iago, imitating Jasmine's voice. During his absence, Iago steals the lamp. Aladdin manages to find Jasmine near the main gate and tries to reveal the truth, but is interrupted and thrown in front of a crowd of joyous subjects who have gathered to celebrate his engagement to Jasmine. Just then, Agrabah comes under attack due to Jafar becoming the Genie's new master. When the Genie uproots the palace, Aladdin signals to the Carpet so that he can fly over to the Genie to try to stop him, but to no avail, as Genie apologizes to Aladdin, saying he serves a new master now. When Jafar confronts Jasmine, Aladdin rushes to her defense, but Jafar exposes Aladdin's true identity as a street rat, undoing Genie's spell and turning Aladdin's prince disguise back into his street clothes. Aladdin is then separated from Jasmine by Jafar, who traps him and Abu (who has been transformed back into a monkey by Jafar) into a tower that is sent flying to the ends of the earth, with Genie watching them depart before looking away with remorse and guilt. Aladdin and Abu end up near an arctic wasteland and are almost killed, but with the help of Carpet (who followed them as they were cast away), they return to Agrabah to stop Jafar. Aladdin infiltrates the palace, where he is reunited with Genie. Though Genie warns Aladdin that he is unable to help, Aladdin closes in on the lamp nevertheless. Jasmine, meanwhile, seduces and distracts Jafar to buy Aladdin time, though the evil sorcerer catches onto the scheme soon enough when he spots Aladdin via the reflection in Jasmine's crown. Jasmine is imprisoned in an hourglass that is rapidly filling with sand, while Abu and Carpet are also rendered immobile during the fight. Aladdin struggles to grab hold of the lamp, but it is ultimately retrieved by Jafar, who transforms into a giant cobra to battle him. As Jafar lunges to kill, Aladdin tries to save Jasmine, but is eventually trapped within Jafar's coils. As Jafar mocks Aladdin's lack of power without the Genie, an idea comes to mind; Aladdin declares that Jafar isn't as powerful as he wants to believe, as it is Genie who is truly the most powerful being in the universe, as he gave Jafar his power in the first place, and can take it away as well. Mad for more power upon hearing this, Jafar uses his final wish to become a genie himself, though Aladdin soon reveals that he had tricked him, as the sorcerer is now forced to spend all eternity within a lamp prison with "itty bitty living space". With Jafar trapped, Aladdin hands the lamp over to Genie, who flings it to the Cave of Wonders for a minimum of 10,000 years of imprisonment. Aladdin apologizes to Jasmine for lying about being a prince, though she quickly forgives him out of understanding. Aladdin then prepares to bid farewell, even though Jasmine declares that she loves him. The Genie, now willing to sacrifice his freedom, offers to make Aladdin a prince again; Aladdin instead declares that he must stop pretending to be something other than himself and wishes for the Genie's freedom, much to the latter's shock. Genie warmly thanks Aladdin for his compassion, stating that the latter will always be a prince in his eyes due to his selfless heart. The Sultan, having also witnessed Aladdin's bravery, agrees with Genie and subsequently decrees that Jasmine may marry whomever she deems worthy. The overjoyed princess ecstatically chooses Aladdin, and their engagement is set. With their fates tied, Aladdin, with Jasmine in tow, waves goodbye to Genie as he takes advantage of his newfound freedom by journeying to see the world. Aladdin and Jasmine are last seen during a celebration honoring their engagement, singing a reprise of "A Whole New World" as they ride off into the night upon the Magic Carpet with the Genie in the moon gleefully watching over them.
=== The Return of Jafar ===
After saving Agrabah from Jafar and being hailed as a hero, Aladdin is now engaged to Jasmine and spends most of his time taking back jewels and riches from sinister thieves and giving them to the unfortunate inhabitants of Agrabah, despite Abu's objections. One is a gift for Jasmine, and their love is stronger than ever. During a stroll in the city, Aladdin and Abu encounter Iago, Jafar's parrot, who tortured the Sultan during Jafar's reign. He lies to Aladdin, claiming he was mesmerized by Jafar's snake staff. Aladdin ignores these claims and chases Iago right before he was attacked by Abis Mal, the thief, for his earlier theft of Abis Mal's loot. Iago accidentally saves Aladdin by dropping barrels on the villains. Aladdin now feels like he owes Iago for saving his life, so as a reward, Aladdin must try to convince the Sultan to pardon Iago and his stay with them.
That night, Genie returns, and Aladdin is given the opportunity to become the Royal Vizier, Jafar's old position. Aladdin tries to explain Iago's situation, but instead, Iago fumbles in being pursued by Rajah, having the Sultan and Jasmine believe Aladdin was hiding a villain from them, possibly as a sign of switching sides. Sultan commands Aladdin to watch over the parrot, and Jasmine becomes furious as she was hoping Aladdin wouldn't lie to her again. Iago uses reverse psychology on Jasmine to remind her why she fell in love with Aladdin in the first place, reuniting the two. Meanwhile, Jafar has been freed from his lamp, courtesy of Abis Mal, and forces a reluctant Iago to use his newfound friendship with Aladdin to his advantage as part of his revenge against the street rat. After Iago persuades the Sultan and Aladdin to go for a flight with him, Jafar kidnaps the Sultan and leaves Aladdin unconscious. When he wakes up, he trudges all the way back to Agrabah. When he returns, Aladdin finds himself under arrest for the murder of the Sultan. Jafar, in the disguise of Jasmine, had tricked Razoul and the other guards into believing Aladdin murdered him, resulting in his imprisonment and death sentence, much to his surprise. While all this is happening, Jasmine, Genie, Abu, and Magic Carpet have all been captured and imprisoned. The next day as Aladdin is led to the place of beheading, he sees Jasmine again, thinking that she has changed her mind. But to his horror, he sees it is really Jafar mocking him one last time. He tries to tell the guards what is going on but is gagged with a head covering. However, in the nick of time, a guilt-ridden Iago frees Genie, saving Aladdin from being beheaded and releasing the others. Though furious with Iago's apparent betrayal, Jasmine explains how he rescued them, and Aladdin is grateful. Knowing that Jafar has been behind all these misfortunes, Aladdin decides that they have to stop him once and for all. Genie mentions that Jafar's main weakness is his lamp; if the lamp was destroyed, Jafar would be destroyed with it. Iago fearing for his own life decides not to participate, and Aladdin kindly lets him go. The group then battles Jafar, trying to get his lamp, but to no avail. Jafar then traps Aladdin in a pit of lava and gloats on how he will get rid of him for good. When it seems that he is succeeding, Iago unexpectedly comes to the rescue. Though Jafar fatally wounds the parrot, Iago manages to kick his lamp into the lava, which results in Jafar violently imploding into a cloud of dust, destroying him for good. Agrabah is saved once more, and Iago is welcomed by Aladdin and his friends into their family. Aladdin turns down the Sultan's offer of becoming his Royal Vizier, saying that he wants to go off to see the world. Jasmine takes his hand and agrees to go with him, much to the disappointment of Iago, who had hoped to be given a special position in the palace.
=== Aladdin: The Series ===
An animated series was created for The Disney Afternoon which aired from 1994 to 1995, based on the original 1992 feature. The series picked up where The Return of Jafar left off, with Aladdin still living on the streets of Agrabah, engaged to Jasmine. Aladdin spends most of his days battling monsters, searching for treasure, and keeping the city safe. Now that the greedy Iago is a friend, Aladdin is often persuaded to go hunt for treasure by the parrot. Along with Abis Mal, Aladdin meets new enemies, most notably evil sorcerer Mozenrath, diabolical Egyptian Cat Witch Mirage, and mad Grecian scientist Mechanicles. He serves as a laid back, loyal hero although he can sometimes be coincided into believing he is the best at being a hero and can get the group out of any situation (although this is all true). Sometimes he can be self-absorbed. A perfect example of this is in the episode "Getting the Bugs Out" where there was trouble several times and instead of battling himself, Genie and Carpet did all the work and Aladdin took all the credit. At one point in the series, Aladdin rescues a local street-rat named Sadira. Unfortunately, Sadira falls in love with Aladdin upon being rescued by him. This leads Sadira to concoct a few villainous schemes in an attempt to break apart Aladdin and Jasmine and gain Aladdin's love. After her schemes fail, however, Sadira ultimately reforms, joining Aladdin and friends' team. Another episode showcases a similar incident where a conniving mermaid named Saleen falls in love with Aladdin and attempts to imprison Jasmine undersea or making Aladdin her slave. Unlike Sadira however, Saleen does not reform. Some of Aladdin's past is revealed throughout the series. It is revealed that he met Abu when the monkey was working for a corrupt group of circus performers. It is also learned that Aladdin had a childhood friend named Amal who mysteriously vanished. Years after his disappearance, Aladdin learns that Amal was kidnapped and turned into a ferocious beast via the dark magic of Mirage. Aladdin rescues his friend, and Amal decides to leave Agrabah to make something of himself. Aladdin appears in every episode of the series except for "Rain of Terror" (albeit mentioned only).
=== Aladdin and the King of Thieves ===
Aladdin and Jasmine are finally getting married. Everyone is flocking to Agrabah to be part of the "wedding of the century" but while Jasmine, Genie, and Agrabah's inhabitants are all excited, Aladdin is downhearted. Genie, Abu, and Iago find him at his former hideaway in the streets where he takes out a dagger that belonged to his father whom he believes has died long ago. Aladdin explains to Genie that he never had a father to prepare him for a family and feels that after all that has happened, he still isn't prepared. Genie gives Aladdin confidence and they head to the ceremony. The ceremony proceeds flawlessly at first, but just at the finale, a band of thieves antagonizes a herd of elephants to stampede the palace. Jasmine, Genie, Carpet, and Iago battle the intruders, and Aladdin grapples with their leader. Aladdin learns he is fighting the legendary King of Thieves, and they are trying to steal one particular gift given to Aladdin and Jasmine. The villains retreated after Genie gets the upper hand and the gift is still in Aladdin's possessions. The gift is a scepter that unleashes a magical Oracle. The Oracle has seen "all that has been and all that will be" and knows the answer to any question that could be asked and reveals that Aladdin's father, Cassim, is alive. Upon hearing this, Aladdin falls into uncertainty before finally deciding to know why his father abandoned him as a child. After being told where his father is by the Oracle, he, Carpet, Abu, and Iago ride off to the lair of the Forty Thieves to meet his father. Once inside, he is shocked to learn that his father is the King of Thieves before being captured and forced to face execution. The only way to save himself and his friends was to battle one of the thieves. Aladdin battles Sa'Luk and is nearly killed, but he kicks Sa'Luk off a cliff into the ocean and Sa'Luk is pronounced dead. Aladdin is praised and becomes a member of the gang, but Aladdin cares nothing about this and instead presses on in his pursuit to know the story of his father. He learns that Cassim left to find a means to provide a better life for Aladdin and his mother after which, Aladdin decides to bring his father into the palace and introduces him to Genie and the others. Overnight Iago convinces Cassim to rob the royal treasury and is arrested when discovered. Aladdin is just as furious as the Sultan and Cassim and Iago are sent to prison for life. That same night Aladdin breaks his father and Iago free and although Cassim implores him to flee the city with him, Aladdin instead returns to Agrabah to face the consequences. The Sultan understands why Aladdin did what he did and forgives him but Aladdin is still ashamed of his father's ways. Back at the lair, Sa'Luk is revealed to be alive and taken control of the thieves during Cassim's absence. Iago and Cassim are captured but Iago breaks free to warn Aladdin. At first, Aladdin doesn't care about Cassim's fate, but Genie suggests to him that just because his father made bad decisions, doesn't mean Aladdin needs to as well. After Jasmine backs up Genie's words, Aladdin decides not to be as stubborn as his father and decides to go to his rescue. Aladdin and company follow the Forty Thieves out across the ocean in their quest for the Hand of Midas. With the help of the Oracle, now in possession of the thieves, they discover the Vanishing Isle where the treasure lies. Jasmine and the others battle the brigands, while Aladdin reunites with his father, and they both hurry inside to look for the treasure. As they arrive in an enormous cavern where the treasure is, the giant turtle on which the island rests starts to dive and they climb to higher ground. Aladdin leaps out to the floating platform and retrieves the Hand of Midas, but just as he tosses it to Cassim, Sa'luk appears and threatens to kill Aladdin if Cassim does not give him the Hand of Midas. Cassim tosses it to Sa'luk, but not knowing about its powers, Sa'luk is turned to gold by the hand. Aladdin and Cassim escape to the roof where Cassim states his regret that the Hand of Midas nearly cost him his son, his real treasure. Cassim chucks the hand out to sea, where it lands on the thieves' boat, causing it to sink. With everyone accounted for, Aladdin and company return to the palace for the wedding. Aladdin and Jasmine finally marry, bid Cassim and his new travel sidekick Iago farewell, and leave for their honeymoon.
=== Hercules: The Series ===
Aladdin appears in the crossover episode "Hercules and the Arabian Night". In the episode, Jafar is revived by Hades and the villains' plot to use each other's abilities to eliminate their enemies. Hades sends his lackeys: Pain and Panic, to battle Aladdin. During a carpet ride, Pain and Panic arrive and morph into beasts to battle Aladdin and anger his wife Jasmine. Confused by the unknown creatures, Aladdin tricks them into rubbing Genie's lamp, having Genie punch the villains out of the Arabian parallel world and back to the Underworld. Later on, Abu goes missing, and Hercules is said to be the kidnapper. After leaving Greece parallel to the Arabian town, Hercules himself arrives in Agrabah to battle Aladdin. After a rampage through the city, Hercules blames Aladdin for the kidnapping of his friend Icarus. Aladdin denies the claim, and the heroes begin to rethink their anger towards one another. Hercules believes it was Jafar who is behind the scheme, but Aladdin thinks not since he and Jasmine still believe Jafar is dead. However, Hercules and his trainer Phil explain that Jafar attacked them earlier that day. The heroes then realize that Jafar had to have teamed up with Hades and the two travel to the Underworld to save their friends. In the Underworld, Jafar attacks Aladdin, who reveals to be Hercules in disguise, while Aladdin was disguised as Hercules. This gives Aladdin a chance to grab Jafar's staff and passes it to Herc, who destroys it, thus killing Jafar once more. Once the villains were defeated, Aladdin and Hercules bid farewell, and Aladdin assures Hercules that he will become a great hero someday.
=== Other appearances ===
In the 101 Dalmatians: The Series episode "Home is Where the Bark Is", Aladdin's silhouette can be seen as one of the passengers of a subway train the Dalmatians ride on.
Aladdin and Jasmine appeared in a promotional trailer (or "Inter-Stitch-al") for the film Lilo & Stitch. In it, they are interrupted in the middle of the "A Whole New World" sequence by the protagonist Stitch. Stitch flirts with Jasmine, and she drives off with him in his spaceship, leaving Aladdin sitting alone on the carpet, yelling at Stitch to "get his own movie".
In The Lion King 1½, silhouettes of Aladdin and Jasmine make cameo appearances riding Carpet alongside Genie over to one of the theater's seats at the finale of the movie, joining Timon, Pumbaa, and a wide cast of other Disney character cameos. This was a non-speaking role.
An emoticon version of Aladdin appeared in the Aladdin entry of the As Told by Emoji short series.
== Live-action appearances ==
=== Aladdin (2019) ===
Aladdin keeps his role as the titular protagonist in the live-action adaptation of his movie, portrayed by Mena Masoud. Many traits of his characters are kept, adding a deep knowledge of treasures and luxury goods, which help him identify a disguised Jasmine as a person coming from the palace. Aladdin also wears a shirt under his trademark gilet, and when he's transformed into a prince, he's not "Ali Ababwa", but "Ali from Ababwa", changing his false surname into the name of his imaginary kingdom. Aladdin first appears walking around the street markets of Agrabah along with his pet monkey Abu where he usually gets into trouble with merchants and guards because of Agrabah's rule about thieves. He and Dalia manage to escape the guards before the two get arrested. Outsmarting the guards, Aladdin takes Dalia to his home and shows her a view of Agrabah in which the two hear the arrival of Prince Anders from Skånland to Agrabah. When Aladdin encounters a guard rudely asking him to make way for the prince, Aladdin upsets him to which the guard threatens him that he will have a poor life as a street person. Back at home, Aladdin feels upset about the situation he had with the guard furious at him. The next day, Aladdin's monkey Abu outsmarts a palace guard to get into the Palace of Agrabah in order to marry Princess Jasmine, who refuses to marry Prince Anders after having a conversation with Dalia to which Iago spies on Abu, outsmarting the guard to which he found out that Abu is linked to the "Diamond in the Rough" as Jafar's parrot sees him getting into the palace. Inside the palace, Aladdin disguises himself as a servant to avoid getting caught by the guards and talks with Jasmine and Dalia for a while until his servant hat falls off. The guards then catch him as they found out that Aladdin is the Diamond in the Rough that Jafar is looking for. Aladdin is then taken to the desert, where Jafar can make him rich by finding a magical lamp in the Cave of Wonders to make him rich. The Cave warns him that only one person can enter while Jafar tells him to avoid touching any treasure inside except for the lamp. Inside, Aladdin and Abu walk across the Cave, where they encounter a magic carpet that follows the duo along the way. Aladdin then finds the lamp Jafar is looking for while Abu discovers a ruby he found along the way. As Abu touches the ruby, the Cave begins to rumble as Aladdin notices him doing the thing he should not do. Aladdin and Abu plan to escape the Cave that is collapsing with the help of Carpet, bringing the two to where Jafar is at. Aladdin refuses to give the lamp at first but follows what Jafar tells him. Giving the lamp, Jafar almost causes Aladdin to fall to his demise, but Abu tackles him, causing Jafar to lose the lamp as the Cave collapses. Stuck in the Cave, Aladdin then devises a plan to figure out how to get out, in which Carpet points to the lamp he is holding, telling Aladdin to rub the lamp. Rubbing the lamp, it spawns a Genie who talks to him and explains that Aladdin never had a friend like him, so Aladdin mingles and makes friends with him during the musical number "Friend Like Me". After the song, the Genie gives out rules when Aladdin only has three wishes when asking the Genie to do something by granting wishes. Aladdin wishes to get out of the Cave in which Genie accepts his request. The Genie gets Aladdin, Abu, and Carpet out of the Cave, using up his first wish. Meanwhile, in the desert, Aladdin converses with Genie in which Aladdin explains that he wants him to become a prince to get Jasmine's attention. The Genie successfully transforms Aladdin into a prince, using up his second wish and leaving Aladdin to have one more wish left. Since Aladdin (dressed as "Prince Ali") is too big to ride on Abu, Genie transforms him into an elephant in order to get to Agrabah. Meanwhile, at Agrabah, the citizens on the streets watch Aladdin arriving at the streets where he is cheered on by a large crowd as Aladdin attempts to get Jasmine's attention. At the Palace, Aladdin arrives there to get Jasmine's attention, but she feels unimpressed about his arrival, including various gifts and jewels seen during the musical number "Prince Ali". Aladdin then finally bonds with Jasmine by riding on Carpet, which takes the couple to show the world around them during the musical number "A Whole New World" to which Carpet shows them around various parts near Agrabah instead of other locations outside Agrabah in the animated film. After the song, Jasmine finds out that "Prince Ali" is actually Aladdin, the street person in the market and back at the palace; Jafar also discovers his true identity. Upon discovering his true identity, Jafar begs Aladdin to know if he has the lamp, but Aladdin denies it by telling him he has no lamp. Aladdin is then sent to drown in the ocean when Jafar punishes him for not giving him the lamp. Underwater, Genie notices Aladdin telling him to escape, but Aladdin cannot talk because he is underwater, so he does the wish for him in order to escape from a watery demise. Back at the palace, Aladdin notices Jafar hypnotizing the Sultan to change his orders to a negative influence to which Aladdin smashes the cobra staff while the Sultan tells the guards to arrest him. Upon remembering people calling him "Prince Ali" to which he explains to himself that Aladdin is not from Ababwa, he had a conversation with the Genie to which he tells him that he always has to tell the truth about if he is really Prince Ali or not. Upon telling this, it upsets the Genie after Aladdin finds out that the second wish Aladdin did was wrong to everyone in Agrabah as he feels upset that he should stop pretending to be a prince from Ababwa to attract Jasmine. When Jafar gets freed from prison and receives the Genie as his new master, his first wish is to become the ruler of Agrabah; soon as Jafar becomes the ruler of Agrabah, Aladdin, Abu, and Carpet sneak up into Jafar's devious plans. Jafar sends the inhabitants in Agrabah to the dungeon and then sends Aladdin to a frozen wasteland after realizing that "Prince Ali" is actually Aladdin. Afterward, Aladdin is banished to the frigid area while the rest of the inhabitants in the palace are sent to the dungeon. Aladdin finds Abu in the frozen wasteland while he rides on Carpet to escape from a frigid fate. Aladdin, Abu, and Carpet arrive at the palace, where Aladdin notices Jasmine refusing to marry Jafar as Jasmine escapes with the lamp. Jafar then transforms Iago into the size of a roc to get the lamp to retrieve it to him, but the Sultan stops Jafar from doing this task, causing him to lose his turban and his staff (also shrinking Iago back to his normal form). Soon as Jafar gets his staff back, Aladdin and everyone in Agrabah notices Jafar creating a powerful storm to destroy Agrabah, with Aladdin and Jasmine noticing his rage as the two arrive back to the palace. Aladdin and Jasmine arrive back at the palace, where Jafar grants his final wish to become a powerful genie. The Genie does this wish as Jafar is transformed into a genie; as soon as Jafar prepares to destroy the world, he is unable to because of the gauntlets chaining him, to which Aladdin explains he didn't stop him from doing so. Soon as Jafar and Iago are sucked back into the lamp, the Genie banishes them to the Cave of Wonders while Aladdin apologizes to Jasmine for lying to her and everyone in Agrabah. The Genie then arrives and is reunited with Aladdin, where he explains to him that he must marry a princess he loves to which Aladdin chose Princess Jasmine to be his wife. Aladdin uses his final wish to set the Genie free; later, Aladdin finally marries Jasmine in front of a large crowd as Jasmine finally found a prince to marry. Aladdin and everyone in the palace are later seen dancing to the reprise of "Friend Like Me" during the credits.
== Relationships ==
The 2D-Animated Wiki has an article focusing on the relationships of Aladdin (character).
== Gallery ==
The 2D-Animated Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Aladdin (character).
== Trivia ==
* "Aladdin" translates as "devout of the faith" in Arabic.
* Whenever Aladdin tells a lie, the feather on his turban falls and covers his face.
* Aladdin's voice actor was Scott Weinger from the hit TV show Full House. In the two-part story "The House Meets the Mouse", the Tanner family goes to Disney World. While there, DJ (Candace Cameron Bure) begins to see Steve's face on other guys, portraying Disney characters. The first and most notable among them was Aladdin.
* Glen Keane was inspired by the rapper MC Hammer when it came to designing Aladdin's signature outfit.
* The younger-looking model for Aladdin's design can still be seen in the film, during "Friend Like Me", which was animated earlier in the film's development.
* The scene where Aladdin donates his food to the poor children was added to show that Aladdin was a good person in spite of his thefts, as they feared the lighthearted tone of "One Jump Ahead" could have otherwise delivered the message that stealing could be fun.
** Lyricist Tim Rice further emphasized that Aladdin's thefts were purely for survival rather than fun in "One Jump Ahead", with the lyrics "Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat".
* Before Brad Kane took the role of Aladdin's singing voice, Scott Weinger auditioned for the singing part as well but was ultimately rejected.
* In the live-action remake, Avan Jogia, Riz Ahmed, and Dev Patel were considered for the titular role before Canadian actor Mena Massoud was cast.
* In earlier drafts, Aladdin had three human friends named Babkak, Omar, and Kassim. Though they were cut from the animated film, they later appeared in the stage version.
* Aladdin was originally going to appear in the second season of the ABC drama series Once Upon a Time, though he would not make an appearance until Season 6.
* As a tribute to John Musker and Ron Clements, Aladdin's apple trick was done by Maui in Moana during the song “You're Welcome”.
* In the episode "Elemental, My Dear Jasmine", Aladdin claims that he had "tons" of girlfriends before meeting Jasmine, although it is unknown if he was actually being serious.
* In the episode "Two to Tangle", it's revealed that Aladdin has unexplored magic powers hidden within his soul. This may possibly be a link to him being "The Diamond In The Rough".
* In truth, Aladdin verbally made only two wishes: becoming a prince and Genie's freedom, since he was unconscious when Genie saved him from drowning; however, due to their "no more extra" agreement before, three wishes are still counted.
* Aladdin has two heirlooms - a song that can be played from an Oud as discussed in the live-action remake, and a dagger belongs to his father as foreshadowed in Aladdin and the King of Thieves.
== External links ==
* Aladdin on Wikipedia
* Aladdin (character) on Hero Wiki