Aladdin (film)

―Merchant

***Aladdin (1992)*** is a 1992 animated musical, comedy, fantasy, action, adventure film produced at Walt Disney Feature Animation. It's the 31st animated feature film in the Disney Animated Canon and the fourth entry of the Disney Renaissance. Inspired by the story of *Aladdin and the Magic Lamp* from *The Book of One Thousand and One Nights*, the film is centered on a young "street rat" in the kingdom of Agrabah who uses the power of a shape-shifting genie to win the heart of Princess Jasmine. Unbeknownst to them, Jafar, adviser to the Sultan, plots to use the genie to take over the kingdom.

Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, *Aladdin* was released at the peak stretch of the Disney renaissance era, beginning with *The Little Mermaid*. Released on November 25, 1992, it was the most successful film of 1992 with over $217 million in domestic revenues and $504 million worldwide. The success of the film led Disney to produce two direct-to-video sequels: *The Return of Jafar* (1994) and *Aladdin and the King of Thieves* (1996). Additionally, Disney would produce *Aladdin*, an animated television series which was set between the two sequels and a series of video games for different platforms in 1993. In 2014, a stage adaptation premiered on Broadway, which would go on to win a Tony Award. In 2019, Walt Disney Pictures released a live-action adaptation of the 1992 film.

## Synopsis

*"Aladdin is a lovable street urchin who meets Princess Jasmine, the beautiful daughter of the sultan of Agrabah. While visiting her exotic palace, Aladdin stumbles upon a magic oil lamp that unleashes a powerful, wisecracking, larger-than-life genie. As Aladdin and the genie start to become friends, they must soon embark on a dangerous mission to stop the evil sorcerer Jafar from overthrowing young Jasmine's kingdom."*

## Plot

The film begins with a street peddler guiding through the streets of a fictional Arabian kingdom, Agrabah, which is based on a medieval city near the Middle East, also known as the home of the *1001 Arabian Nights*, and there are some fictional databases there. The peddler tries to sell the viewers his items, but then pulls out a lamp claiming it once changed a young man's life.

The peddler then begins to tell the watchers a tale. The tale of *Aladdin*. The story begins on a dark night, where the Sultan's vizier, Jafar, and his talking parrot, Iago, meet a thief called Gazeem who hands half of a gold scarab beetle. Putting them together, the beetles fly off before causing a giant tiger head to emerge from the sand. It was the Cave of Wonders.

Jafar forces Gazeem to enter, and only grab the lamp. But when he was going near, the Tiger says only the "Diamond in the Rough" may enter. Gazeem still tries to enter, but the Tiger bites down on the thief, causing him to be trapped. It is seen Jafar realises he *needs* the Diamond in the Rough to become the new Sultan.

The next day, in Agrabah, a young street rat called Aladdin is struggling to steal a piece of bread, with Abu, his monkey. After outwitting the guards, the two settle in to their steal but are stopped when they see a couple of hungry kids. Abu and Aladdin give the kids their loaf of bread, but are sidetracked when a a prince goes through the streets and claims that Aladdin is a worthless treet rat. Aladdin and Abu then head of to their hovel with Aladdin promising that things will get better someday.

The Sultan, in the palace, is having a problem with finding a husband for the princess, Jasmine, as she would not want to marry. The Sultan talks to his daughter who claims he is tired of living her life being cooped up behind walls. The Sultan goes to consult with his adviser, Jafar. By mesmerizing him with his magical snake staff, Jafar convinces the Sultan that Jafar needs the Sultan's blue diamond ring to find Jasmine a husband. Jafar actually needs the ring to discover the identity of the "Diamond in the Rough."

Jasmine, who does not want to be married off, decides to run away disguised as a peasant girl. However, her act of giving an apple to a hungry little boy lands her in trouble with the street merchant until Aladdin intervenes and leads Jasmine away just in time before she can lose a hand as payment for the fruit.

Meanwhile, Jafar uses the Sultan's ring and consults the Sands of Time to discover that Aladdin is the one whom he is looking for.

Aladdin and Jasmine are now out his and Abu's house and she is surprised with Aladdin's kindness. But, suddenly, Aladdin is arrested by the palace guards. Jasmine then reveals to them that she is the princess, demanding Aladdin to be released. Razoul then claims that he is acting under Jafar, who outranks Jasmine. When Jasmine sees Jafar, he lied to her saying Aladdin had already died due to kidnapping the princess. As Jasmine runs away, she begins weeping as Rajah comforts her.

Actually, Aladdin was now imprisoned in the Royal Dungeon. Abu manages to free Aladdin from chains, but they are then met by a disguised Jafar, who shows Aladdin a hidden passageway out and take him to the Cave. At the entrance, Jafar informs him to bring back the lamp only, and he will be rewarded. Aladdin enters the Tiger, and as they venture deep, they meet Carpet that leads them to the lamp. Aladdin grabs the lamp but Abu violates the law and touches a large ruby, causing the cave to crumble. Using Carpet, Aladdin and Abu get to the cave entrance where Jafar pleads for the lamp. Aladdin does so, and Jafar shows the dagger, wanting to kill him. Abu then bites Jafar's arm and Aladdin and Abu tumble back inside the cave. Now, Carpet, Abu, and Aladdin are trapped as Jafar laughingly grabs the lamp to find out that Abu stole the lamp back.

In the palace, a sobbing Jasmine is comforted by her father and she informs him that Jafar has done something evil. The Sultan asks Jasmine to tell him what had happened. When Jafar comes back, the Sultan tells Jafar to consult him before having a person beheaded.

Deep inside the cave, Aladdin begins to look at the lamp, not finding anything special about it. Aladdin then gives it a rub to released a wisecracking blue genie. Who can grant him three wishes.

At first, Aladdin tricks Genie to get them out of the cave without wishing for it. Out of the cave, Aladdin gets to know Genie more. Aladdin gets to know Genie and asks him what he would wish for if he had the chance; Genie says he would wish for freedom (as he is a prisoner of the lamp), but that can only be granted if his master is benevolent enough to free him with a wish. Aladdin promises to set Genie free with his last wish.

Aladdin, who has fallen in love with Jasmine, is disappointed that he could not wish to make her fall in love with him. However, the law states that only a prince can marry a princess, so he wishes to become a prince. Therefore, as his first wish, Genie turns Aladdin into a fabulously rich prince, and Abu is transformed into a large purple elephant to become Aladdin's mount, while Genie then goes further to make Aladdin's entrance into the palace one that will impress all of Agrabah.

Meanwhile, Jafar, who is worried that Jasmine might have him beheaded as punishment for supposedly having Aladdin executed, comes up with the idea to convince the Sultan to let him become her husband with the help of Iago. He later tries to mesmerize the Sultan into granting this request with his staff. However, his plans are interrupted when a large and noisy royal procession enters the kingdom, proclaiming the arrival of "Prince Ali Ababwa" (aka Aladdin in his new persona). The procession is huge, with riches, exotic animals, hundreds of servants, and Aladdin himself. Aladdin's entourage bounds into the palace, impressing the Sultan. Jafar appears suspicious and cold toward the new suitor. Aladdin is taken to Jasmine, who is unimpressed and rebuffs Aladdin's charms, thinking him to be another arrogant prince like the previous ones. However, when Aladdin removes his turban to shoo away Rajah, Jasmine is reminded of the street rat she met in the marketplace.
Aladdin tries to gain Jasmine's interest again by telling her how rich and powerful he is, but she remains steadfastly ambivalent. Aladdin decides to leave Jasmine and steps off on his magic carpet. Jasmine chooses instead to ride with him. Afterwards, the carpet takes them to China, and Jasmine tricks Aladdin into admitting he's the street rat she met. Naturally wishing to impress her, Aladdin instead lies to her by convincing her that he really is a prince and had often pretended to be a commoner to escape the restrictions of palace life, much like what Jasmine did she relates to. Aladdin brings Jasmine back to the palace, and the two of them share their first kiss together.

Jafar is afraid that "Prince Abooboo", as he incorrectly calls him, may win Jasmine over, ruining his own scheme to marry her, but orders Aladdin out of the way. He orders Razoul and the guards to capture and kidnap Aladdin. The guards end up having Aladdin gagged with a white handkerchief over his mouth and tied up in metal manacles on his ankles and on his wrists behind his back (which is not a problem, as Razoul, the chief guard, is plagued with a lust for killing). He informs him that he has "worn out his welcome," and a guard clubs Aladdin unconscious, then drops Aladdin over a cliff into the sea. They have attached to his ankles a large metal ball-and-chain, so that a tied-up-and-gagged Aladdin is underwater and sinks faster. He hits the bottom, and his turban floats down. The lamp tumbles out, and he begins to struggle towards it (which is difficult as the ball-and-chain attached to his ankles pulls him back), but passes out from the lack of oxygen before he can reach it. Aladdin, tied up and gagged, slides down towards the lamp while underwater and rolls over, causing it to rub against his fingers. Genie appears (though apparently interrupted in the midst of taking a bath), and rescues Aladdin, using up his second wish. Genie unties and ungags Aladdin and takes him back from the sea and back to dry land. A soaking wet Aladdin thanks Genie for saving his life as his second wish.

Aladdin and Genie return to the palace, and Aladdin confronts Jafar over having him almost killed. Jafar uses his cobra staff to try and brainwash the Sultan into believing Aladdin is lying, but Aladdin, seeing what he is doing, grabs the staff and shatters it. He then shows the Sultan that Jafar has been controlling him and plotting against him. The Sultan calls for the guards to arrest Jafar, but Jafar manages to escape and, before doing so, witnesses the lamp in Aladdin's possession. The Sultan is convinced that his troubles are over as his daughter has finally chosen a suitor and dubs Aladdin as the heir to his throne. However, unbeknownst to the both, Aladdin, though casually happy, is suddenly struck with guilt, feeling unworthy of such a honor, as well as a future with Jasmine, because of the fact that he lied to her.

The next day, Aladdin expresses his frustration to the Genie and considers going back on his promise to free the latter out of fear of losing Jasmine if the truth is revealed and uncertainty of keeping up the facade on without Genie's help. Feeling betrayed, a heartbroken Genie goes back inside the lamp, but not before pointing out how much Aladdin has lied to get where he is. Chastened, especially after taking his anger at Genie out on Abu and Carpet, Aladdin decides to tell Jasmine the whole truth of the matter. Unfortunately, Aladdin leaves the lamp in his chamber, and Jafar summons Iago to steal it. With the lamp in hand, Jafar becomes Genie's next master, giving him three wishes. His first wish is to become sultan. When the former Sultan and Jasmine refuse to bow to him, he wishes to be the world's most powerful sorcerer. Now Jafar forces them to bow to him.

Jafar then uses his magic to expose Aladdin and then banish him with a makeshift rocket to "the ends of the earth", in one of the palace towers. "The ends of the earth" appear to be Antarctica, the mountains of Austria, the Arctic or possibly the Himalayas. Luckily, Abu and Carpet are banished with him, and Aladdin is able to fly back to Agrabah, intent on reclaiming the lamp, stopping Jafar and fixing the mistakes he'd made.

Meanwhile, Jafar, who is angry that Jasmine does not wish to become his queen, makes a wish for Genie to cause her to fall in love with him, so he can make her his queen. Genie tries to inform him that he could not grant that wish, but this only frustrates Jafar. Jasmine, who witnesses Aladdin sneaking into the palace, pretends that the wish has been granted, much to Genie's surprise, in order to distract Jafar. She even goes so far as to kiss him, causing Aladdin, Abu, the Genie, and even Iago to nearly vomit in disgust. At first, it seems to be working; Jafar, however, looks at Aladdin's reflection in Jasmine's crown (made from her shackles via a performance of sorcery) and, realizing he'd been tricked, confronts him before he can reach the lamp.

After trapping Jasmine in an hourglass, turning Abu into a wind-up monkey toy, and unraveling Carpet, all of whom had attempted to retrieve the lamp, Jafar eventually turns himself into a giant cobra and fights Aladdin. When Aladdin appears to be defeated, Jafar informs Aladdin he was a fool for thinking he could defeat "the most powerful being on earth." Aladdin informs Jafar he is not the most powerful being on earth and that honor belongs to Genie since he gave Jafar his power in the first place and can therefore take Jafar's power away.
Realizing what Aladdin is saying, Jafar decides to use his final wish to become the most powerful genie in the world. As Aladdin frees Jasmine from the hourglass and revives her, Jafar is at first convinced that his new powers will allow him to rule the universe, but he realizes too late that Aladdin tricked him since being a genie comes with a price. Jafar is suddenly shackled and is sucked into the new lamp created by his wish and is trapped (along with Iago, who tries to flee, but he's dragged by the villain). Not long after, Genie throws the lamp across Agrabah to the desert, left to be banished to the Cave of Wonders for 100,000 years.

Of course, since Aladdin is no longer a prince, he is not eligible to marry Jasmine. Genie, however, insists that Aladdin use his final wish to make himself a prince again, but nevertheless, he keeps his promise and uses his final wish for Genie's freedom. When all seems lost for Aladdin and Jasmine, the Sultan decides that, between his loyalty to Genie and his courage in defeating Jafar, Aladdin has proven his worth; the Sultan, therefore, changes the law so that his daughter shall marry whomever she deems worthy, meaning Aladdin and Jasmine can be married. Jasmine runs to Aladdin and chooses him. Genie flies away to see the world while Aladdin and Jasmine begin their new life together.
At night, while the fireworks begin exploding, Aladdin and Jasmine share another kiss and fly off with Carpet near the moon. As "The End" writes in the sky, the moon laughs and turns around to show that it was really Genie. Genie then pulls up the scene and says, "made you look," ending the film on a comical note.

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