Aladdin and the King of Thieves

North American VHS cover

***Aladdin and the King of Thieves*** (also known as ***Aladdin 3: Aladdin and the King of Thieves***) is a 1996 American direct-to-video animated musical fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It is the second sequel to the 1992 film *Aladdin*. It serves as the final chapter of the *Arabian Nights*-inspired Disney franchise beginning with the first film and continuing with its first direct-to-video sequel, *The Return of Jafar* and the animated series of the same name.

The film is inspired by *Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves* from *One Thousand and One Nights*, replacing Ali Baba with Aladdin. For the first time since the original *Aladdin*, the film has an entirely new soundtrack instead of the rearranged music from the original movie for *The Return of Jafar* and the series.

Though the film serves as the series finale of the television series, the characters also appear in a 1999 crossover episode of the animated series *Hercules**,* titled "Hercules and the Arabian Night," and the 2007 direct-to-video title called *Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams*.

## Plot

Aladdin and Princess Jasmine prepare for their marriage. Aladdin recovers a dagger, his only memento of his lost father. The latter had abandoned his family when Aladdin was a small child. During the ceremony, they and the assembled guests find themselves the targets of a raid by the infamous Forty Thieves, led by Cassim, who is after a particular piece of treasure: a staff which is the receptacle of a powerful oracle. Aladdin, Abu, Jasmine and the Genie discover the Oracle, who has the power to answer a single question about absolutely anything to any individual. When Iago accidentally asks her why the thieves want the staff so badly, she says they were looking for the "ultimate treasure." Learning of the Oracle's power, Aladdin becomes curious about his past. She hints that those questions can be answered by his father, who is still alive, much to Aladdin's shock. After some encouragement from Jasmine, Aladdin asks the oracle about his father; the prophet reveals that his father is with the Forty Thieves, "trapped within their world."

Aladdin, along with Abu, Iago and Carpet, tracks them down and stows away into their hideout, Mount Sesame, where he discovers, to his shock, that his father is Cassim himself. Though Aladdin shares a brief, heartfelt reunion with Cassim, Cassim's subordinate Sa'luk tries to punish Aladdin for entering the hideout. However, Cassim slyly suggests that Aladdin instead face "the Challenge"—an initiation ritual where he must defeat another one of the Forty Thieves and take his place. Sa'luk fights Aladdin, but the latter barely manages to prevail by throwing his opponent off a cliff into the sea. They welcome him into the band, and Cassim reveals to Aladdin why he had left his wife and son: To find the Hand of Midas, a powerful artifact that can transform anything it touches into gold. Cassim believed that, with the Hand, he could return to his family and give them the life they deserved instead of one living out in the streets, and had instigated the raid so he could capture the oracle's staff and question the seer as to the precise whereabouts of the artifact. Aladdin convinces Cassim to return with him to Agrabah to live an honest life. Initially reluctant, Cassim eventually agrees when Iago inadvertently reveals that Aladdin's wedding may be his final chance to get the Oracle.

For a while, Cassim is happy to spend quality time with his son. Cassim meets with Genie, Jasmine and the Sultan, and they immediately take a liking to him. Cassim decides to carry on his original scheme with Iago as his new henchman. Meanwhile, Sa'luk makes his way to Agrabah, reveals himself to Razoul and sells out his fellow thieves by telling Razoul the password to their hideout in exchange for immunity from prosecution. After thirty-one of the thieves are captured, Sa'luk tells Razoul that Aladdin is one of the forty, and his father Cassim is the King himself. While attempting to steal the Oracle from the palace treasure chamber, Cassim and Iago are captured by the royal guards, and Razoul reveals to the Sultan that Cassim is the King of Thieves. The Sultan has Razoul detain Cassim and Iago in the dungeon for life. Aladdin frees Cassim but is discovered by Razoul. Despite being a criminal, Aladdin returns to the palace to take responsibility for his actions. The Sultan prepares to punish Aladdin, but Genie and Jasmine come to his defence, stating that all he wanted was to give his father a second chance. The Sultan accepts his apology, much to Razoul's dismay.

With the oracle in Hand, Cassim and Iago return to Mount Sesame, only to be captured by Sa'luk and the remaining seven thieves. Cassim is forced to use the stolen oracle to find the Hand of Midas' location and then lead his men there. The Oracle directs them to The Vanishing Isle, a grand marble fortress built on the back of a gigantic undersea turtle that periodically dives to the bottom of the ocean, where the Hand is hidden. Iago escapes and goes off to lead Aladdin and Jasmine, Abu and Carpet to his imprisoned father. Aladdin manages to free and reconcile with his father. Working together, they retrieve the Hand just as the turtle is beginning to submerge when Sa'luk attacks them. While trying to flee from the flood, Sa'luk takes Aladdin hostage, demanding that Cassim surrender the Hand. Cassim throws the Hand of Midas to Sa'luk. Sa'luk grabs the Hand—but by the gold Hand itself instead of the bronze handle—and turns into a gold statue, while Cassim and Aladdin flee. Realizing that his obsession with the Hand can cause destruction and his son is his ultimate treasure, Cassim throws the Hand into the ship with the remaining thieves aboard, turning it into gold and sinking it.

Aladdin and Jasmine finally get married, with Cassim attending the shadows, as he is still wanted for his crimes. Also among the guests are several cameos from characters from the TV series. Iago decides to join Cassim as a travelling companion, and they both go off once again to see the world.

## Voice cast

* Scott Weinger as Aladdin
	+ Brad Kane as Aladdin (singing voice)
* Robin Williams as Genie
* John Rhys-Davies as Cassim
	+ Merwin Foard as Cassim (singing voice)
* Linda Larkin as Princess Jasmine
	+ Liz Callaway as Princess Jasmine (singing voice)
* Gilbert Gottfried as Iago
* Jerry Orbach as Sa'luk
* Frank Welker as Abu
* Val Bettin as Sultan
* Jim Cummings as Razoul
* C. C. H. Pounder as The Oracle

## Production

Following the success of *The Return of Jafar* and the television series, Disney announced in January 1995 that a third film was in production. Later in June, Disney scheduled the movie for a home video release in 1996. In September 1995, Disney confirmed that Robin Williams would reprise as the Genie's voice actor reportedly for $1 million. He received an apology from Joe Roth for Disney breaching an agreement not to use his voice merchandise products inspired by *Aladdin*. With Williams on board, Disney scrapped all recordings and animation footage of Dan Castellaneta as the Genie, and they rewrote all of the Genie's scenes with Williams' comic style.

### Songs

* "There's a Party Here in Agrabah"
* "Out of Thin Air"
* "Welcome to the Forty Thieves"
* "Father and Son"
* "Are You In or Out?"
* "Arabian Nights Reprise"

### Adaptation

Two comic adaptations of the movie were on sale September 1996.

* The first was in *Marvel Comics Disney Comic Hits* #13.
* The second was in *Disney Adventures* Volume 6 #12.

## Release

Upon its release, the film was accompanied by a marketing campaign at more than $70 million with commercial tie-ins with McDonald's and General Mills.

### Home media

Main article: Aladdin and the King of Thieves/Home media
At the time of its release, *King of Thieves* was reportedly outselling *The Return of Jafar,* but Disney declined to disclose actual sales figures for the release. In January 1997, *The Wall Street Journal* reported that it sold over 10 million units and generated at least $130 million in revenue. In total, the film sold 10.3 million units in the United States.

On January 18, 2005, Disney re-released the film as a special edition DVD and VHS, the same day as the previous film, *The Return of Jafar*, with the DVD version receiving the digitally restored picture, remastered sound, two additional games, and a behind-the-scenes bonus feature. However, Disney matted the film into a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen ratio (an aspect ratio Disney has rarely used for television animation at the time). The DVD went back into the Disney Vault and the other two films in the series in January 2008. *Aladdin and the King of Thieves*, along with *The Return of Jafar*, was released on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Combo Pack on January 5, 2016, as a Disney Movie Club exclusive in North America (with both films matted into a 1.78:1 widescreen ratio this time).

## Reception

Based on 12 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 33% approval rating from critics, with an average score of 4.84/10. Caryn James of *The New York Times* praised the sequel as "far better than *The Return of Jafar*," but acknowledged that "the video has some other weak spots, but these hardly matter when *Aladdin and the King of Thieves* is so brimming with comic invention and adventure." Scott Blakey of the *Chicago Tribune* wrote that the story grew tedious after an hour and recommended *The Fool and the Flying Ship* instead.

## Awards and nominations

 Mark Watters, Carl Johnson
 *Aladdin and the King of Thieves* | World Animation Celebration Award for Best Direct to Home Video Production