Iago An Parrot

> I love the way your foul little mind works!
>
> Jafar to Iago, Aladdin (film)

**Iago** is the secondary antagonist of ***Disney***'s ***1992*** animated feature film, ***Aladdin***. He is a sarcastic, loud-mouthed, and short-tempered parrot that served as ***Jafar***'s sidekick during the latter's attempt to rule ***Agrabah***. Iago's primary obsessions are riches and power, which—coupled with his disdain for the Sultan's crackers—motivated his villainous deeds.

## Loves And Hates

### Likes

Treasure, fruit, luxury, thievery, cheating, casinos, freedom

## Naming Info Details

### Alias

The Parrot
Pretty Polly
The Bird
Giblet
Little Turkey
Bob the Jolly Parrot

## Physical Appearance Description

### Powers With Abilities / Skills And Talents \ InBorns Plus InNates

Flight
Voice mimicry

## Known Media Appearances

### Somehow Entirely Voiced by

***Gilbert Gottfried*** (***1992***-***2022***)
Alan Tudyk (2019 film)
***Jonathan Freeman*** (when imitating ***Jafar***)
***Linda Larkin*** (when imitating Jasmine)

## Known Art-Media-Appearances Characteristics

Iago's role expanded significantly over the course of the saga, the most notable example being the ***1994*** direct-to-video sequel, ***The Return of Jafar***, in which he reformed and joined Aladdin and Jasmine as a supporting character.

## Background

Iago's past is mostly shrouded in mystery. However, it has been hinted at a few times. In "***Fowl Weather***", he mentions that he once lived in the rainforest, but did not enjoy its unpredictable weather, prompting him to move to the desert. In ***The Return of Jafar***, Jafar mentioned that he purchased Iago in the bazaar at some point in his life. In ***Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams***, Iago claims he was born to be a peacock "but got switched as an egg."

He is part of a royal menagerie in the Arabian city ***Agrabah*** and is named after the villain Iago in the play *Othello* by ***William Shakespeare***, as evidenced by a mention in the TV series, revealing that he has a twin brother called Othello.

### Voice

Directors John Musker and ***Ron Clements*** came about casting comedian ***Gilbert Gottfried*** after watching his stint in the film *Beverly Hills Cop II*. Animator ***Will Finn*** was a self-proclaimed Gilbert Gottfried fan and asked to supervise animation on the character, which the directors allowed. Finn's redesign of Iago took inspiration from Gottfried; some notable features like Gottfried's squinty eyes and toothy grin were incorporated into Iago's character. The filmmakers also saw the casting of Gottfried as a way to prepare the audience for the manic comedy that would later be provided by ***Robin Williams***' Genie, who wouldn't appear until thirty minutes into the film, whereas Iago was one of the first characters to appear.

### Personality

> Conscience? Never had one. Never!
>
> Iago, The Return of Jafar

Iago is amongst the most complex characters to originate from a Disney animated feature film. When first introduced as the loyal follower of Jafar, he appears to be just as evil and cruel as his superior—being uncaring, murderous, deceitful, and cunning. However, Iago is the more aggressive of the two, as well as the more vocal and easily-frustrated. He has a difficult time keeping his opinions to himself and has a habit of shouting and ranting on about his annoyances when things don't go as planned.

Like Jafar, Iago craves power; the thought of having control over the city (and more specifically, the Sultan), is what seemingly drives his motivations throughout the original film. Iago cared nothing for those he would have to eliminate to obtain power, and openly expressed his desire to have both Jasmine and the Sultan killed once he and Jafar were in control of the kingdom, sadistically cackling at the very idea.

Despite being the second-in-command of Jafar's nefarious schemes, it was Iago's diligence that allowed the duo to succeed as far as they did, as it was he who proposed that Jafar marry Jasmine to assume the throne and he who eventually stole the Genie's lamp from Aladdin—using his own unique abilities and wit to do so with relative ease.

He also seems to hate crackers (which isn't what you would normally expect for a parrot), which the Sultan—apparently being completely unaware of Iago's distaste for them—often fed him directly to the mouth, which also acted as the main reason why he aided Jafar in his treacherous ambitions against the Sultan in the first film. Upon Jafar becoming both the Sultan and the most powerful sorcerer on the planet, one of Iago's first actions was exacting revenge against the Sultan by constantly force-feeding him the same crackers he was fed, with the Sultan unable to fight back due to being hung up like a marionette. It's implied in *Return Of Jafar* that his hatred of crackers stemmed from a particularly bad experience at a bazaar where he, ironically, did indeed squawk "Polly want a cracker!".

Despite his highly antagonistic nature in the original film, *The Return of Jafar* shows a different side to Iago—one capable of growth and reformation. The film implies that Iago's harsh attitude was partially the result of a lack of respect and appreciation over the course of his lifetime. Even as Jafar's partner, Iago faced abuse and neglect, which would eventually lead to the downfall of their relationship. As an opportunist, Iago cunningly used Aladdin's caring nature to weasel his way back into the palace, though it was the latter's genuine compassion that first sparked a change in Iago's character. He was shocked (and touched) by the prospect of anyone treating him with care and compassion. Throughout the course of the film, Aladdin and Jasmine became increasingly accepting towards Iago, even going as far as to welcome him back into the palace despite his attacks against them previously. This would result in Iago feeling guilt and reciprocated care for the couple, and their allies, prompting him to betray Jafar and risk his life for his new companions, despite coming dangerously close to death in the process.

Following *Return of Jafar*, Iago has come to understand what must be done to truly earn respect and love: giving it to others. From that moment on, he would remain a loyal ally to Aladdin and Jasmine. He's still very greedy though, but it's shown that he can be truly selfless as deep down, he appreciates his friendship with Aladdin, Abu, Carpet, Genie, and Jasmine and shows that he will help them when the situation truly calls for his assistance. He generally tries to avoid danger, however, and often urges the others to do the same. In the episode "***The Secret of Dagger Rock***", Iago and Abu were told by Jasmine to keep away from a potentially dangerous mission, which Iago accepts. However, they both spend the entire time worrying for Aladdin and Jasmine, to the point where Iago willingly sets out with Abu to rescue them.

Nevertheless, Iago's villainous nature from the original film doesn't fade completely. He is still every bit aggressive, loud-mouthed, rude, and narcissistic, but in a more comedic light than anything; he is no longer willing to result to extreme measures such as murder to achieve his goals. Iago would instead become a mischievous schemer, retaining his flaw of constantly plotting by concocting various get-rich-quick schemes to cheat the citizens of Agrabah for their valuables. This ties into his unhealthy obsession with wealth. In ***Aladdin and the King of Thieves***, he was even willing to steal one of the ***treasures*** given to Aladdin and Jasmine as a wedding gift, as it had the power to lead to a supposed "ultimate treasure". Now with a sense of moral, however, Iago ultimately sacrifices his greed for the greater good (such as the safety of others) in most, if not all occasions.

During the Series, he truly cares for others when one of his friends are in trouble, gets tearful when someone was thought to be dead, and gets cheerful when a friend or ally survived like when he cheerfully high fives with Abu after Genie and Eden survived the explosion of the Philosopher's Stone in ***The Book of Khartoum***.

### Abilities

* **Genius-Level Intellect:** Iago is fairly intelligent, having come up with the plan to have Jasmine marry Jafar and then kill her and the sultan. He also devises plans to help himself and his friends out of jams in the series, and also comes up with various scams to earn easy money (which usually backfire on him).
	+ **Knowledge of Magic:** Due to his years with Jafar; Iago has the vast knowledge of magic and mystical lore, rivalling that of even Genie. This helped Aladdin and his friends various times as he knew the location of the Orb of Machina an objects that can cure genies, something Genie didn't know or the evil Sorcerer Destane and his kingdom the Land of the Black Sand.
	+ **Multilingual:** Unlike most animals, Iago is perfectly capable of human speech (though it remains to be known whether he was taught this or a magic spell was used).
	+ **Voice Mimicry:** Iago is capable of mimicking voices as demonstrated in the first film, where he perfectly mimics both Jasmine and Jafar. He utilizes this ability several times throughout the series as well, either to be sarcastic and mock people behind their back or during a sticky situation.
* **Flight:** Like most birds, Iago is capable of flight.
* **Claws:** Like most birds, Iago uses his claws to pick up and carry stuff along the way.
* **Feathers:** Iago can use his feathers like prehensile fingers.

## Appearances

### *Aladdin*

 File:Aladdin-disneyscreencaps.com-4893.jpg
In the first film, Iago has a supporting role as ***Jafar***'s sidekick, under the guise of Jafar's mindless pet parrot. He is first seen during his and Jafar's confidential visit to the desert, in the middle of the night, where they are met by a thief, ***Gazeem***. After forcefully handing over a stolen piece of a ***Golden Scarab***, courtesy of Iago, Jafar is able to create one full, magical scarab, which reveals the location of the ***Cave of Wonders***. Gazeem is ordered to enter in order to steal a magic lamp (as Jafar wishes to use the Genie to take control of Agrabah), but is killed in the process, as a result of ignoring the warning of being unworthy to enter. A frustrated Iago voices his anger, believing their mission to retrieve the lamp will forever be an impossible task to complete. Jafar, however, remains level-headed and assures Iago that the lamp will be in their possession once they find the "Diamond in the Rough" of which the cave's tiger head guardian spoke.

After returning to Agrabah, Jafar and Iago visit the Sultan, needing his diamond ring to uncover the individual worthy to enter the cave. Here, Iago shows his disdain for the Sultan; specifically due to the ruler constantly shoving "moldy, disgusting crackers" down his throat. Jafar reassures Iago that they will no longer have to abide by the Sultan's reign in good time, with Iago gleefully plotting to exact revenge once that time has arrived. Using the Sultan's ring, they discover that a boy named Aladdin is the one worthy enough to enter the cave. Iago briefly serves as the hump in the back to Jafar's old man disguise, which is used to coerce Aladdin into retrieving the lamp. He isn't too comfortable with this arrangement, however, as it means he'll have to sweat throughout the ruse. Fortunately for Iago, his presence is presumably not required any further once Aladdin enters the Cave of Wonders.

 File:Aladdin-disneyscreencaps.com-8222.jpg
Back at the palace, Jafar is scolded by the Sultan for the supposed execution of Aladdin while Jasmine vows to dispose of Jafar once she becomes queen. Once the Sultan and princess were out of the throne room, Iago performs a mocking impression of Jasmine's last words before complaining about stooping to the whims of the royal family for the rest of their lives. Jafar reminds Iago that Jasmine would first have to marry a "chump husband" before she could exile them, or, worse, have them beheaded. This disgusts and alarms them both. At this, however, Iago suddenly concocts a new plan involving a rise to power; he advises Jafar to marry Jasmine in order to legally become the sultan. Once in power, Iago continues, saying they'll kill Jasmine and her father by throwing them off a cliff and keep the kingdom for themselves. Jafar happily agrees and begins to put their plot into action, but it is interrupted by a new coming prince: Ali Ababwa. Jafar and Iago had the guards capture and take away the prince. It was after Ali returned and exposed their plot (where Iago eventually exposed his intelligence) that they secretly discover that Ali is Aladdin, and holds ownership over the lamp (the Genie used 2 wishes to make Aladdin a prince and save him from death). Iago is sent to retrieve it, doing so by cunningly disguising his voice as Jasmine to lure Aladdin away from the lamp.

 File:Aladdin-disneyscreencaps.com-9631.jpg
With the lamp in his possession, Jafar takes over the kingdom, bestowing Iago with his own turban, to signify his leadership, as well as his own lounge area near the throne, with a throw pillow and plenty of fruit for his pleasure. After scarfing crackers down the dethroned Sultan's throat, Iago wallows in luxury before noticing Aladdin trying to steal back the lamp. Abu, Aladdin's monkey, tackles Iago to prevent him from alarming Jafar, which leads to a tussle. As a battle ensues between Jafar and Aladdin, Iago watches sadistically, rooting for Jafar to eliminate the threat, until Aladdin tricks Jafar into using his last wish to become an all-powerful genie. Unfortunately for Jafar, this means an eternity of slavery and imprisonment, though his greed and lust for power initially made him oblivious to this. As Jafar is quickly sucked into his lamp, Iago frantically tries to flee, only to be grabbed by his boss and dragged into the lamp as well. Trapped and annoyed in its very small chamber, Iago berates Jafar on his foolish decision, and the two villains argue just as they are sent to the Cave of Wonders by the Genie to endure 10,000 years of imprisonment.

### *The Return of Jafar*

 File:Thereturnofjafar803.jpg
Iago returns in this film, but as one of the main characters. After spending some time in the Cave of Wonders, Iago makes his way to the surface, getting him and the trapped Jafar out. He is freed from Jafar's lamp and his master demands that he frees him too, but he becomes frustrated with Jafar's insults and being treated like a slave. After Iago claims (with a huge degree of accuracy) that he does most of the work and comes up with the schemes, Jafar retaliates by saying that without him, Iago would still be in a cage in the bazaar, squawking "Polly want a cracker!". With that taunting remark, the angry Iago dumps Jafar, still trapped in the lamp, into a well. He returns to Agrabah, claiming that he needs nobody's help and that he'll be running the town within a week. However, during his musical number, he ends up getting on the bad side of several merchants.

After discovering Aladdin now lives in the palace, Iago decides to use Aladdin's good nature to return to the palace, but Aladdin is not taken in by his act. But as Aladdin and Abu chase after Iago, all three bump into ***Abis Mal*** and his gang, and a brawl ensues, ending with Aladdin and Abu cornered by the thieves. In a turn of events, Iago (unintentionally) saves Aladdin from Abis Mal and his thugs, by causing them to crash into a chicken cart, destroying the eggs. The upset egg merchant calls for the guards and Razoul and his guards recognize Abis Mal and his thieves and the guards chase the thieves into the distance. In gratitude, Aladdin brings him into the palace, but locks him in a cage to give himself time to explain everything to the Sultan and Jasmine and convince him that Iago has turned over a new feather. Abu unintentionally lets Iago escape (he intended to open the cage to scare Iago for Rajah being nearby as a joke, but it backfired), resulting in Iago being chased by Rajah into the dining room, ruining an important dinner and blowing his cover. Aladdin protects Iago from the Sultan and his guards at the expense of losing the Sultan's favor and Jasmine's trust.

Genie talks Iago into persuading Jasmine to forgive Aladdin with the song "***Forget About Love***", in which he uses reverse-psychology to tell Jasmine that she's absolutely right about wanting to be alone, and that love is over-rated, while reminding her of how wonderful love really feels, and she realizes how much she still loves Aladdin despite their argument.

 File:Return-jafar-disneyscreencaps.com-4252.jpg
Soon enough, Iago is enjoying the Royal Treatment, planning his future, believing that Aladdin will become the Grand Vizier. He also believes that when Aladdin becomes the new Sultan, Iago will become the Grand Vizier himself, though he proclaims he won't botch his position up like Jafar did, and that he won't have to be shadowed by his ex-boss ever again. However, he is horrified when lights suddenly go out and Jafar (set free by Abis Mal) appears out of the darkness. Iago believes he's in real trouble and tries to make an excuse. However, Jafar still believing Iago is on his side isn't mad. He subtly threatens Iago, who is intelligent enough to know he will suffer if he disobeys again, into luring Aladdin and the Sultan into a trap. Iago talks with Aladdin and Jasmine and finds it surprisingly easy to persuade Aladdin into taking the Sultan on a carpet ride without Genie. Jasmine apologizes to Iago for doubting him. Then Iago has a sudden flash of conscience to warn Aladdin and Jasmine of what danger they are in, but Jafar's evilly omniscient eyes suddenly appear on the curtain above Al and Jas, and fearful for his safety, Iago refrains from warning them. As soon as Aladdin and Jasmine leave, Jafar appears from nowhere and sadistically praises the ashamed parrot for following through on his evil plan.

Iago's guilt over how he has treated the trusting Aladdin increases visibly to a degree where he appears sickened by his own actions, especially during the Sultan's kidnapping after Aladdin angrily reprimands him, thinking he was in on the kidnapping. He frees the captured Genie to save Aladdin from being beheaded when he's framed for murdering the Sultan through Jafar's schemes, in the process also freeing Jasmine, the Sultan, Carpet, and Abu. Jasmine showing full trust for the bird, proving he didn't betray anyone, explained what he did, much to Aladdin's surprise and impressing him. Now that his debts are repaid, Iago leaves them to fight Jafar alone, somewhat surprised that they don't hold him to any further obligations. But in the struggle against Jafar, when all hope seems lost, Iago returns unexpectedly. He grabs the lamp and attempts to hand it to Aladdin, but is hit by an energy bolt by Jafar and horribly injured. Aladdin and the others believe that all is truly lost, but with his last ounce of strength, Iago kicks Jafar's lamp into the boiling lava, destroying Jafar. Aladdin saves the helpless Iago from falling into the lava himself, but his injuries are so severe that for a moment everybody believes him dead. However this is not so, as since Genies lack the power to kill, Iago coughs "You'd be surprised what you can live through." The fully redeemed parrot officially turns from bad to good and is welcomed into the Palace, although he ends up upset when Aladdin decided to turn down the position of Grand Vizier.

### *Aladdin: The Series*

 File:Mm008.jpg
In the series, Iago provides a sarcastic, realistic, or cowardly perspective on events and is only really willing to face danger if a great reward is promised. However, Iago does often provide assistance for the group, being it's second most well versed in magic whenever Genie is unable to provide knowledge on certain magicians or artifacts. Examples include when Iago explained to the group about who exactly is Mirage after meeting her for the first time or the Orb of Machana, the only known antidote to cure Genie of his cold when his magic became out of control.

He is sometimes forced to battle his conscience (which was revealed, in one episode, to be a manifested replica of Iago himself, with higher moral standards which the bird despised so much, prompting Iago to go through great lengths in abolishing his conscience-self, perhaps explaining his unscrupulous ways; and due to moral standards, the conscience-self was none too happy), acting nobler than might be expected. A particular example of this was when ***Sadira*** used her sand magic to alter history so that she was the princess and Jasmine the street-rat; the animals of Agrabah were the only ones who remembered how history should be, and while Iago could easily have adjusted to this new world, he instead risked his life and security to lead Abu and Rajah in finding Jasmine and restoring the world to normal.

Iago's common schemes involve trying to sell anything with any value (real or not), trying to steal things, and trying to treasure-hunt (Although he abandoned his greedy ways on one occasion after sustaining a bump to the head, he eventually returned to normal after his new charitable ways got him into almost as much trouble, concluding that at least greed was profitable). He can usually convince Abu to be his literal partner in crime, but Abu is rather less deceitful than Iago, due to his close friendship with Aladdin, and also more likely to run from danger. Despite their occasional fights, Iago and Abu are shown to have developed a close friendship with each other and also became best friends, showing on multiple times they worry for each other and are relieved when the other is alright.

During the series, he has a crush on the rain bird and protector of the rain forest, ***Thundra*** and eventually becomes her boyfriend.

Iago appears in almost every episode of the series except for two: "***Some Enchanted Genie***" and "***Beast or Famine***".

### ***Aladdin and the King of Thieves***

 File:Kingofthieves055.jpg
In the final movie, Iago is tasked with collecting Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding gifts from the arriving guests and is shown to be more interested in the extravagant gifts than the actual wedding ceremony itself. During the raid of the Forty Thieves, he tries to defend the gifts from the King of Thieves (for personal gain, of course), but is stuffed in a perfume bottle. He's freed and Aladdin and Jasmine learn the King of Thieves was most interested in a beautiful scepter. Thinking out loud, Iago asks why out of all the marvelous gifts this was the only thing that the King of Thieves really wanted. But his question is answered by the Oracle from the Scepter who explains the King of Thieves seeks her in order to find the Ultimate Treasure, which piques Iago's interest. He tries to discover where the Ultimate Treasure is from the Oracle, but she is bound by one rule: "One question, one answer", and informs him that he already asked his question, regarding the scepter's worth. Iago objects to this, rightly saying that he had not been directly asking *her* that question, but asking the others instead. Alas, Genie must inform him that his question nonetheless counted.

Iago accompanies Aladdin, Abu, and Carpet to find the Forty Thieves to find Aladdin's father. They sneak into the Forty Thieves' hideout and are discovered, and their law demands they die, but Aladdin's father, Cassim, who is, in fact, the King of Thieves, gives Aladdin a chance to save their lives by defeating ***Sa'Luk***, one of the strongest members of the Thieves, in single combat, which he does. They learn from Cassim his past and his dreams and goals. That he desperately seeks the ultimate Treasure, the Hand of Midas, which can turn anything it touches into solid gold and has proof in the form of a ship of gold. This causes Iago to take an instant interest in Cassim. When Cassim agrees to come to Agrabah, Iago helps him to get the scepter, but Razoul, the Captain of the Palace Guard, and the guards catch them in the act, and the Sultan has no choice but to punish them with life imprisonment, much to Iago's shock and terror.

Soon after, Aladdin breaks them out and is forced to join them in their escape, but refuses to leave Jasmine behind. Iago tries to convince Aladdin to come, not wanting him to get locked up, but Aladdin is prepared to face the consequences. Aladdin tells Iago to go with Cassim, much to his surprise. Iago wishes Aladdin luck and joins Cassim.

 File:Aladdin3-disneyscreencaps.com-9202.jpg
They return to the lair, only to be betrayed by the Forty Thieves under the command of Sa'Luk, who survived his fight with Aladdin. With the scepter in their possession, they sail off to find the Hand of Midas, but Iago escapes and returns to Agrabah to warn them. They go to Cassim's rescue, and during the whole thing, Aladdin and Cassim finally settle their differences aside and truly become father and son. Returning to Agrabah, Cassim attends his son's wedding to his new daughter-in-law in the shadows since he is still a wanted criminal and prepares to leave to make a fresh start and a new life. Although he will miss his friends and the Sultan has pardoned him from the life imprisonment, Iago decides to accompany Cassim, and with a wave of farewell to the newly married, Aladdin and Jasmine, Iago and Cassim ride off into the night for new adventures that await them.

### ***Hercules: The Series***

In the episode "Hercules and the Arabian Night" which is set sometime after the third film, Iago did not appear in the episode, since he was still touring around the world with Cassim. However, he was mentioned by Jafar, who was still furious about how Iago betrayed him in the second film.

The conversation is as follows:

***Hades*:** Jaffy, let me show you how you're missing the villain boat here. Okay? First of all, you're the man. You know what I'm saying, a big bad dude, see, you got to use ***a minion or two***.
**Jafar:** I had a minion. A TREACHEROUS PARROT!
(Although Iago is not mentioned by name, Jafar's term "treacherous parrot" obviously refers to him.)

### ***Aladdin (2019)***

 File:Iago in 2019 remake.png
In the live-action remake, Iago is created through CGI and is modeled after a real-life scarlet macaw; he is still capable of talking, albeit in a more squawking-like parrot voice. However, he does it less than in the animated version and only in short sentences mostly composed by single words. He also retains his intelligence and loyalty towards ***Jafar***, even serving as his spy. Unlike in the animated film, Iago is voiced by ***Alan Tudyk*** instead of ***Gilbert Gottfried***, making it the first time Gottfried does not voice the character.

Iago is first seen during the musical number "Arabian Nights" where Jasmine's pet tiger Rajah sees him in the palace as he flies to the desert where the Cave of Wonders is located. Iago is then seen alongside Jafar where he tells the guards to look for the "Diamond in the Rough" so that he could make Aladdin rich. He then appears in the marketplace where he sees Abu foiling one of the guards outside the palace where he tells his master that Abu is linked to Aladdin and later when Jafar takes him to the Cave of Wonders. He also appears during the musical number "Prince Ali" alongside Jafar where in this scene, he does not dance to the music unlike in the animated version. Later when Jafar is sent to the dungeon under the orders of the Sultan, Iago brings in the keys to release his master.

During the climax of the film, Jafar tells the Genie that his first wish is to be the ruler of Agrabah to which Iago is present assisting his master during the battle. Later after Jasmine escapes the forced marriage between her and Jafar, instead of Jafar changing into a giant cobra to fight Aladdin, the evil sorcerer transforms the parrot into a giant, monstrous roc and sends him flying after the magic lamp when Jasmine took it and rode away on ***Magic Carpet*** with Aladdin and Abu. They successfully escape from Iago as he reverts back to his normal form, thanks to the Sultan knocking Jafar's staff off his hand, but Jafar summons a storm that blows the lamp out of the heroes' grasp and back to Iago's before returning it to his master. Like in the animated film during the part where Jafar turns into a powerful genie, Iago attempts to escape before he gets sucked into the lamp along with Jafar before Genie sends the lamp back far into the ***Cave of Wonders***.

## Trivia

* Iago was, at one point, to be voiced by ***Danny DeVito***, but he was unavailable. DeVito would later be the voice of ***Phil*** in *Hercules*, also directed by ***John Musker*** and ***Ron Clements***.
* According to actor ***Jonathan Freeman*** (Jafar), the original idea was that Iago would sound like Jafar, meaning that Jonathan would have to play the two characters.
* Jafar mentions that he bought Iago from the bazaar; it's never made fully clear whether Iago was capable of coherent speech before being purchased or whether magical experiments made him so.
* Iago is the first villain in Disney history to lastingly reform in a production other than his debut film. Among the few other characters to have this distinction are ***Anastasia Tremaine*** from ***Cinderella*** and ***Gantu*** from *Lilo & Stitch*.
* Before his reformation, in his debut in the first film, Iago first shows his first hint of goodness, dancing to the tune of **Prince Ali** *before Jafar glares at him.*
* Iago claimed in *Return of Jafar* that he had a wife and three unhatched eggs. However, as this was meant to be a desperate plea to get Abu to unlock the cage, it's unknown if Iago was being honest about it or not. It's likely he was lying, as he later gets a love interest in the TV show.
* While in service to Jafar, Iago proved to be one of the more competent henchmen: he successfully retrieved the lamp for Jafar after easily tricking Aladdin by mimicking Jasmine's voice, he came up with a number of excellent schemes for Jafar to seize power, and despite his comedic demeanor, he did not display (at least in the first film) any signs of genuine stupidity, despite getting injured from time to time, and he can also be rather sadistic, as he suggested murdering the Sultan and Jasmine in the event that Jafar would manage to marry her, namely "drop [them] off a cliff."
* Gilbert Gottfried's role as Iago was highlighted in the ***2015*** documentary *Life, Animated*, which centered on the real story of Owen Suskind, a man with autism. After four years of not being able to communicate with his family, Owen's father took an Iago puppet and approached Owen while doing an impression of Gilbert. Owen recognized the Iago puppet as an "old friend" (as *Aladdin* was amongst his favorite Disney movies, and Iago was amongst his favorite Disney characters) and responded. This would allow Owen and his family to build on Owen's communication skills.
* Iago's dislike of crackers is actually accurate, as most parrots (especially macaws like himself) prefer to eat fruit, nuts and seeds.

## External links

* Template:Interwiki
* Template:KH

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*Media*
**Television:** *Aladdin: The Series* • "Hercules and the Arabian Night" • *Great Minds Think 4 Themselves]]* • *A Poem Is...*
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*Characters*
**Sequels:** Abis Mal • Abis Mal's Thugs • Cassim • Sa'Luk • Forty Thieves • The Oracle
**Deleted Characters:** Zena • Genie of the Ring • Jasmine's Mother • Babkak, Omar, and Kassim
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*Locations*
*Objects*
*Songs*
**The Return of Jafar:** I'm Looking Out for Me • Nothing in the World (Quite Like a Friend) • Forget About Love • You're Only Second Rate
**King of Thieves:** Party in Agrabah • Out of Thin Air • Welcome to the Forty Thieves • Father and Son • Are You In or Out?
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*See Also*

> I love the way your foul little mind works!
>
> Jafar to Iago, Aladdin (film)

**Iago** is the secondary antagonist of ***Disney***'s ***1992*** animated feature film, ***Aladdin***. He is a sarcastic, loud-mouthed, and short-tempered parrot that served as ***Jafar***'s sidekick during the latter's attempt to rule ***Agrabah***. Iago's primary obsessions are riches and power, which—coupled with his disdain for the ***Sultan's*** crackers—motivated his villainous deeds.

## Loves And Hates

### Likes

Treasure, fruit, luxury, thievery, cheating, casinos, freedom

## Naming Info Details

### Alias

The Parrot
Pretty Polly
The Bird
Giblet
Little Turkey
Bob the Jolly Parrot

## Physical Appearance Description

### Powers

Flight
Voice mimicry

## Known Media Appearances

### Somehow Entirely Voiced by

***Gilbert Gottfried*** (***1992***-***2022***)
***Alan Tudyk*** (2019 film)
***Jonathan Freeman*** (when imitating ***Jafar***)
***Linda Larkin*** (when imitating ***Jasmine***)

## Known Art-Media-Appearances Characteristics

File:Profile - Iago An Parrot.PNG
Iago's role expanded significantly over the course of the saga, the most notable example being the ***1994*** direct-to-video sequel, ***The Return of Jafar***, in which he reformed and joined Aladdin and Jasmine as a supporting character.

## Background

Iago's past is mostly shrouded in mystery. However, it has been hinted at a few times. In "***Fowl Weather***", he mentions that he once lived in the rainforest, but did not enjoy its unpredictable weather, prompting him to move to the desert. In ***The Return of Jafar***, Jafar mentioned that he purchased Iago in the bazaar at some point in his life. In ***Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams***, Iago claims he was born to be a peacock "but got switched as an egg."

He is part of a royal menagerie in the Arabian city ***Agrabah*** and is named after the villain Iago in the play *Othello* by ***William Shakespeare***, as evidenced by a mention in the TV series, revealing that he has a twin brother called Othello.

### Development

***Howard Ashman***'s original treatment for *Aladdin* included an evil sorcerer known as "the Wazir", with a villainous parrot sidekick named **Sinbad**. The character was written as a prim and proper, British-accented bird with a devious personality. Though the character was dropped from ***Linda Woolverton***'s screenplay, he was revived when ***John Musker*** and ***Ron Clements*** were brought on to helm the project. It was eventually decided that the parrot would be portrayed in a more traditional manner, with John Musker referring to the old, "Polly want a cracker!" line synonymous with the animal. He was also renamed, now being known as "Iago".

Screenwriter ***Terry Rossio*** shared a concept behind Iago on his website Wordplay, in that ***Jafar*** took all his emotions and transferred them into his parrot, leaving him free of distractions and thus more able to conjure magic. Rossio also mentioned, since Iago is too small for so many emotions to be bottled up inside, "you end up with a feathered Gilbert Gottfried."

### Voice

Directors John Musker and ***Ron Clements*** came about casting comedian ***Gilbert Gottfried*** after watching his stint in the film *Beverly Hills Cop II*. Animator ***Will Finn*** was a self-proclaimed Gilbert Gottfried fan and asked to supervise animation on the character, which the directors allowed. Finn's redesign of Iago took inspiration from Gottfried; some notable features like Gottfried's squinty eyes and toothy grin were incorporated into Iago's character. The filmmakers also saw the casting of Gottfried as a way to prepare the audience for the manic comedy that would later be provided by ***Robin Williams***' Genie, who wouldn't appear until thirty minutes into the film, whereas Iago was one of the first characters to appear.

### Personality

> Conscience? Never had one. Never!
>
> Iago, The Return of Jafar

Iago is amongst the most complex characters to originate from a Disney animated feature film. When first introduced as the loyal follower of Jafar, he appears to be just as evil and cruel as his superior—being uncaring, murderous, deceitful, and cunning. However, Iago is the more aggressive of the two, as well as the more vocal and easily-frustrated. He has a difficult time keeping his opinions to himself and has a habit of shouting and ranting on about his annoyances when things don't go as planned.

Like Jafar, Iago craves power; the thought of having control over the city (and more specifically, the Sultan), is what seemingly drives his motivations throughout the original film. Iago cared nothing for those he would have to eliminate to obtain power, and openly expressed his desire to have both Jasmine and the Sultan killed once he and Jafar were in control of the kingdom, sadistically cackling at the very idea.

Despite being the second-in-command of Jafar's nefarious schemes, it was Iago's diligence that allowed the duo to succeed as far as they did, as it was he who proposed that Jafar marry Jasmine to assume the throne and he who eventually stole the Genie's lamp from Aladdin—using his own unique abilities and wit to do so with relative ease.

He also seems to hate crackers (which isn't what you would normally expect for a parrot), which the Sultan—apparently being completely unaware of Iago's distaste for them—often fed him directly to the mouth, which also acted as the main reason why he aided Jafar in his treacherous ambitions against the Sultan in the first film. Upon Jafar becoming both the Sultan and the most powerful sorcerer on the planet, one of Iago's first actions was exacting revenge against the Sultan by constantly force-feeding him the same crackers he was fed, with the Sultan unable to fight back due to being hung up like a marionette. It's implied in *Return Of Jafar* that his hatred of crackers stemmed from a particularly bad experience at a bazaar where he, ironically, did indeed squawk "Polly want a cracker!".

Despite his highly antagonistic nature in the original film, *The Return of Jafar* shows a different side to Iago—one capable of growth and reformation. The film implies that Iago's harsh attitude was partially the result of a lack of respect and appreciation over the course of his lifetime. Even as Jafar's partner, Iago faced abuse and neglect, which would eventually lead to the downfall of their relationship. As an opportunist, Iago cunningly used Aladdin's caring nature to weasel his way back into the palace, though it was the latter's genuine compassion that first sparked a change in Iago's character. He was shocked (and touched) by the prospect of anyone treating him with care and compassion. Throughout the course of the film, Aladdin and Jasmine became increasingly accepting towards Iago, even going as far as to welcome him back into the palace despite his attacks against them previously. This would result in Iago feeling guilt and reciprocated care for the couple, and their allies, prompting him to betray Jafar and risk his life for his new companions, despite coming dangerously close to death in the process.

Following *Return of Jafar*, Iago has come to understand what must be done to truly earn respect and love: giving it to others. From that moment on, he would remain a loyal ally to Aladdin and Jasmine. He's still very greedy though, but it's shown that he can be truly selfless as deep down, he appreciates his friendship with Aladdin, Abu, Carpet, Genie, and Jasmine and shows that he will help them when the situation truly calls for his assistance. He generally tries to avoid danger, however, and often urges the others to do the same. In the episode "***The Secret of Dagger Rock***", Iago and Abu were told by Jasmine to keep away from a potentially dangerous mission, which Iago accepts. However, they both spend the entire time worrying for Aladdin and Jasmine, to the point where Iago willingly sets out with Abu to rescue them.

Nevertheless, Iago's villainous nature from the original film doesn't fade completely. He is still every bit aggressive, loud-mouthed, rude, and narcissistic, but in a more comedic light than anything; he is no longer willing to result to extreme measures such as murder to achieve his goals. Iago would instead become a mischievous schemer, retaining his flaw of constantly plotting by concocting various get-rich-quick schemes to cheat the citizens of Agrabah for their valuables. This ties into his unhealthy obsession with wealth. In ***Aladdin and the King of Thieves***, he was even willing to steal one of the ***treasures*** given to Aladdin and Jasmine as a wedding gift, as it had the power to lead to a supposed "ultimate treasure". Now with a sense of moral, however, Iago ultimately sacrifices his greed for the greater good (such as the safety of others) in most, if not all occasions.

During the Series, he truly cares for others when one of his friends are in trouble, gets tearful when someone was thought to be dead, and gets cheerful when a friend or ally survived like when he cheerfully high fives with Abu after Genie and Eden survived the explosion of the Philosopher's Stone in ***The Book of Khartoum***.

### Abilities

* **Genius-Level Intellect:** Iago is fairly intelligent, having come up with the plan to have Jasmine marry Jafar and then kill her and the sultan. He also devises plans to help himself and his friends out of jams in the series, and also comes up with various scams to earn easy money (which usually backfire on him).
	+ **Knowledge of Magic:** Due to his years with Jafar; Iago has the vast knowledge of magic and mystical lore, rivalling that of even Genie. This helped Aladdin and his friends various times as he knew the location of the Orb of Machina an objects that can cure genies, something Genie didn't know or the evil Sorcerer Destane and his kingdom the Land of the Black Sand.
	+ **Multilingual:** Unlike most animals, Iago is perfectly capable of human speech (though it remains to be known whether he was taught this or a magic spell was used).
	+ **Voice Mimicry:** Iago is capable of mimicking voices as demonstrated in the first film, where he perfectly mimics both Jasmine and Jafar. He utilizes this ability several times throughout the series as well, either to be sarcastic and mock people behind their back or during a sticky situation.
* **Flight:** Like most birds, Iago is capable of flight.
* **Claws:** Like most birds, Iago uses his claws to pick up and carry stuff along the way.
* **Feathers:** Iago can use his feathers like prehensile fingers.

## Appearances

### ***Aladdin***

 File:Aladdin-disneyscreencaps.com-4893.jpg  In the first film, Iago has a supporting role as ***Jafar***'s sidekick, under the guise of Jafar's mindless pet parrot. He is first seen during his and Jafar's confidential visit to the desert, in the middle of the night, where they are met by a thief, ***Gazeem***. After forcefully handing over a stolen piece of a ***Golden Scarab***, courtesy of Iago, Jafar is able to create one full, magical scarab, which reveals the location of the ***Cave of Wonders***. Gazeem is ordered to enter in order to steal a magic lamp (as Jafar wishes to use the Genie to take control of Agrabah), but is killed in the process, as a result of ignoring the warning of being unworthy to enter. A frustrated Iago voices his anger, believing their mission to retrieve the lamp will forever be an impossible task to complete. Jafar, however, remains level-headed and assures Iago that the lamp will be in their possession once they find the "Diamond in the Rough" of which the cave's tiger head guardian spoke.
After returning to Agrabah, Jafar and Iago visit the Sultan, needing his diamond ring to uncover the individual worthy to enter the cave. Here, Iago shows his disdain for the Sultan; specifically due to the ruler constantly shoving "moldy, disgusting crackers" down his throat. Jafar reassures Iago that they will no longer have to abide by the Sultan's reign in good time, with Iago gleefully plotting to exact revenge once that time has arrived. Using the Sultan's ring, they discover that a boy named Aladdin is the one worthy enough to enter the cave. Iago briefly serves as the hump in the back to Jafar's old man disguise, which is used to coerce Aladdin into retrieving the lamp. He isn't too comfortable with this arrangement, however, as it means he'll have to sweat throughout the ruse. Fortunately for Iago, his presence is presumably not required any further once Aladdin enters the Cave of Wonders.

 File:Aladdin-disneyscreencaps.com-8222.jpg  Back at the palace, Jafar is scolded by the Sultan for the supposed execution of Aladdin while Jasmine vows to dispose of Jafar once she becomes queen. Once the Sultan and princess were out of the throne room, Iago performs a mocking impression of Jasmine's last words before complaining about stooping to the whims of the royal family for the rest of their lives. Jafar reminds Iago that Jasmine would first have to marry a "chump husband" before she could exile them, or, worse, have them beheaded. This disgusts and alarms them both. At this, however, Iago suddenly concocts a new plan involving a rise to power; he advises Jafar to marry Jasmine in order to legally become the sultan. Once in power, Iago continues, saying they'll kill Jasmine and her father by throwing them off a cliff and keep the kingdom for themselves. Jafar happily agrees and begins to put their plot into action, but it is interrupted by a new coming prince: Ali Ababwa. Jafar and Iago had the guards capture and take away the prince. It was after Ali returned and exposed their plot (where Iago eventually exposed his intelligence) that they secretly discover that Ali is Aladdin, and holds ownership over the lamp (the Genie used 2 wishes to make Aladdin a prince and save him from death). Iago is sent to retrieve it, doing so by cunningly disguising his voice as Jasmine to lure Aladdin away from the lamp.

 File:Aladdin-disneyscreencaps.com-9631.jpg  With the lamp in his possession, Jafar takes over the kingdom, bestowing Iago with his own turban, to signify his leadership, as well as his own lounge area near the throne, with a throw pillow and plenty of fruit for his pleasure. After scarfing crackers down the dethroned Sultan's throat, Iago wallows in luxury before noticing Aladdin trying to steal back the lamp. Abu, Aladdin's monkey, tackles Iago to prevent him from alarming Jafar, which leads to a tussle. As a battle ensues between Jafar and Aladdin, Iago watches sadistically, rooting for Jafar to eliminate the threat, until Aladdin tricks Jafar into using his last wish to become an all-powerful genie. Unfortunately for Jafar, this means an eternity of slavery and imprisonment, though his greed and lust for power initially made him oblivious to this. As Jafar is quickly sucked into his lamp, Iago frantically tries to flee, only to be grabbed by his boss and dragged into the lamp as well. Trapped and annoyed in its very small chamber, Iago berates Jafar on his foolish decision, and the two villains argue just as they are sent to the Cave of Wonders by the Genie to endure 10,000 years of imprisonment.

### ***The Return of Jafar***

 File:Thereturnofjafar803.jpg  Iago returns in this film, but as one of the main characters. After spending some time in the Cave of Wonders, Iago makes his way to the surface, getting him and the trapped Jafar out. He is freed from Jafar's lamp and his master demands that he frees him too, but he becomes frustrated with Jafar's insults and being treated like a slave. After Iago claims (with a huge degree of accuracy) that he does most of the work and comes up with the schemes, Jafar retaliates by saying that without him, Iago would still be in a cage in the bazaar, squawking "Polly want a cracker!". With that taunting remark, the angry Iago dumps Jafar, still trapped in the lamp, into a well. He returns to Agrabah, claiming that he needs nobody's help and that he'll be running the town within a week. However, during his musical number, he ends up getting on the bad side of several merchants.
After discovering Aladdin now lives in the palace, Iago decides to use Aladdin's good nature to return to the palace, but Aladdin is not taken in by his act. But as Aladdin and Abu chase after Iago, all three bump into ***Abis Mal*** and his gang, and a brawl ensues, ending with Aladdin and Abu cornered by the thieves. In a turn of events, Iago (unintentionally) saves Aladdin from Abis Mal and his thugs, by causing them to crash into a chicken cart, destroying the eggs. The upset egg merchant calls for the guards and Razoul and his guards recognize Abis Mal and his thieves and the guards chase the thieves into the distance. In gratitude, Aladdin brings him into the palace, but locks him in a cage to give himself time to explain everything to the Sultan and Jasmine and convince him that Iago has turned over a new feather. Abu unintentionally lets Iago escape (he intended to open the cage to scare Iago for Rajah being nearby as a joke, but it backfired), resulting in Iago being chased by Rajah into the dining room, ruining an important dinner and blowing his cover. Aladdin protects Iago from the Sultan and his guards at the expense of losing the Sultan's favor and Jasmine's trust.
Genie talks Iago into persuading Jasmine to forgive Aladdin with the song "***Forget About Love***", in which he uses reverse-psychology to tell Jasmine that she's absolutely right about wanting to be alone, and that love is over-rated, while reminding her of how wonderful love really feels, and she realizes how much she still loves Aladdin despite their argument.

 File:Return-jafar-disneyscreencaps.com-4252.jpg  Soon enough, Iago is enjoying the Royal Treatment, planning his future, believing that Aladdin will become the Grand Vizier. He also believes that when Aladdin becomes the new Sultan, Iago will become the Grand Vizier himself, though he proclaims he won't botch his position up like Jafar did, and that he won't have to be shadowed by his ex-boss ever again. However, he is horrified when lights suddenly go out and Jafar (set free by Abis Mal) appears out of the darkness. Iago believes he's in real trouble and tries to make an excuse. However, Jafar still believing Iago is on his side isn't mad. He subtly threatens Iago, who is intelligent enough to know he will suffer if he disobeys again, into luring Aladdin and the Sultan into a trap. Iago talks with Aladdin and Jasmine and finds it surprisingly easy to persuade Aladdin into taking the Sultan on a carpet ride without Genie. Jasmine apologizes to Iago for doubting him. Then Iago has a sudden flash of conscience to warn Aladdin and Jasmine of what danger they are in, but Jafar's evilly omniscient eyes suddenly appear on the curtain above Al and Jas, and fearful for his safety, Iago refrains from warning them. As soon as Aladdin and Jasmine leave, Jafar appears from nowhere and sadistically praises the ashamed parrot for following through on his evil plan.
Iago's guilt over how he has treated the trusting Aladdin increases visibly to a degree where he appears sickened by his own actions, especially during the Sultan's kidnapping after Aladdin angrily reprimands him, thinking he was in on the kidnapping. He frees the captured Genie to save Aladdin from being beheaded when he's framed for murdering the Sultan through Jafar's schemes, in the process also freeing Jasmine, the Sultan, Carpet, and Abu. Jasmine showing full trust for the bird, proving he didn't betray anyone, explained what he did, much to Aladdin's surprise and impressing him. Now that his debts are repaid, Iago leaves them to fight Jafar alone, somewhat surprised that they don't hold him to any further obligations. But in the struggle against Jafar, when all hope seems lost, Iago returns unexpectedly. He grabs the lamp and attempts to hand it to Aladdin, but is hit by an energy bolt by Jafar and horribly injured. Aladdin and the others believe that all is truly lost, but with his last ounce of strength, Iago kicks Jafar's lamp into the boiling lava, destroying Jafar. Aladdin saves the helpless Iago from falling into the lava himself, but his injuries are so severe that for a moment everybody believes him dead. However this is not so, as since Genies lack the power to kill, Iago coughs "You'd be surprised what you can live through." The fully redeemed parrot officially turns from bad to good and is welcomed into the Palace, although he ends up upset when Aladdin decided to turn down the position of Grand Vizier.

### *Aladdin and the King of Thieves*

 File:Kingofthieves055.jpg  In the final movie, Iago is tasked with collecting Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding gifts from the arriving guests and is shown to be more interested in the extravagant gifts than the actual wedding ceremony itself. During the raid of the Forty Thieves, he tries to defend the gifts from the King of Thieves (for personal gain, of course), but is stuffed in a perfume bottle. He's freed and Aladdin and Jasmine learn the King of Thieves was most interested in a beautiful scepter. Thinking out loud, Iago asks why out of all the marvelous gifts this was the only thing that the King of Thieves really wanted. But his question is answered by the Oracle from the Scepter who explains the King of Thieves seeks her in order to find the Ultimate Treasure, which piques Iago's interest. He tries to discover where the Ultimate Treasure is from the Oracle, but she is bound by one rule: "One question, one answer", and informs him that he already asked his question, regarding the scepter's worth. Iago objects to this, rightly saying that he had not been directly asking *her* that question, but asking the others instead. Alas, Genie must inform him that his question nonetheless counted.
Iago accompanies Aladdin, Abu, and Carpet to find the Forty Thieves to find Aladdin's father. They sneak into the Forty Thieves' hideout and are discovered, and their law demands they die, but Aladdin's father, Cassim, who is, in fact, the King of Thieves, gives Aladdin a chance to save their lives by defeating ***Sa'Luk***, one of the strongest members of the Thieves, in single combat, which he does. They learn from Cassim his past and his dreams and goals. That he desperately seeks the ultimate Treasure, the Hand of Midas, which can turn anything it touches into solid gold and has proof in the form of a ship of gold. This causes Iago to take an instant interest in Cassim. When Cassim agrees to come to Agrabah, Iago helps him to get the scepter, but Razoul, the Captain of the Palace Guard, and the guards catch them in the act, and the Sultan has no choice but to punish them with life imprisonment, much to Iago's shock and terror.
Soon after, Aladdin breaks them out and is forced to join them in their escape, but refuses to leave Jasmine behind. Iago tries to convince Aladdin to come, not wanting him to get locked up, but Aladdin is prepared to face the consequences. Aladdin tells Iago to go with Cassim, much to his surprise. Iago wishes Aladdin luck and joins Cassim.

 File:Aladdin3-disneyscreencaps.com-9202.jpg  They return to the lair, only to be betrayed by the Forty Thieves under the command of Sa'Luk, who survived his fight with Aladdin. With the scepter in their possession, they sail off to find the Hand of Midas, but Iago escapes and returns to Agrabah to warn them. They go to Cassim's rescue, and during the whole thing, Aladdin and Cassim finally settle their differences aside and truly become father and son. Returning to Agrabah, Cassim attends his son's wedding to his new daughter-in-law in the shadows since he is still a wanted criminal and prepares to leave to make a fresh start and a new life. Although he will miss his friends and the Sultan has pardoned him from the life imprisonment, Iago decides to accompany Cassim, and with a wave of farewell to the newly married, Aladdin and Jasmine, Iago and Cassim ride off into the night for new adventures that await them.

### *Hercules: The Series*

In the episode "Hercules and the Arabian Night" which is set sometime after the third film, Iago did not appear in the episode, since he was still touring around the world with Cassim. However, he was mentioned by Jafar, who was still furious about how Iago betrayed him in the second film.

## Live-action appearances

### ***Aladdin* (2019)**

 File:Iago in 2019 remake.png  In the live-action remake, Iago is created through CGI and is modeled after a real-life scarlet macaw; he is still capable of talking, albeit in a more squawking-like parrot voice. However, he does it less than in the animated version and only in short sentences mostly composed by single words. He also retains his intelligence and loyalty towards ***Jafar***, even serving as his spy. Unlike in the animated film, Iago is voiced by ***Alan Tudyk*** instead of ***Gilbert Gottfried***, making it the first time Gottfried does not voice the character.
Iago is first seen during the musical number "Arabian Nights" where Jasmine's pet tiger Rajah sees him in the palace as he flies to the desert where the Cave of Wonders is located. Iago is then seen alongside Jafar where he tells the guards to look for the "Diamond in the Rough" so that he could make Aladdin rich. He then appears in the marketplace where he sees Abu foiling one of the guards outside the palace where he tells his master that Abu is linked to Aladdin and later when Jafar takes him to the Cave of Wonders. He also appears during the musical number "Prince Ali" alongside Jafar where in this scene, he does not dance to the music unlike in the animated version. Later when Jafar is sent to the dungeon under the orders of the Sultan, Iago brings in the keys to release his master.
During the climax of the film, Jafar tells the Genie that his first wish is to be the ruler of Agrabah to which Iago is present assisting his master during the battle. Later after Jasmine escapes the forced marriage between her and Jafar, instead of Jafar changing into a giant cobra to fight Aladdin, the evil sorcerer transforms the parrot into a giant, monstrous roc and sends him flying after the magic lamp when Jasmine took it and rode away on Magic Carpet with Aladdin and Abu. They successfully escape from Iago as he reverts back to his normal form, thanks to the Sultan knocking Jafar's staff off his hand, but Jafar summons a storm that blows the lamp out of the heroes' grasp and back to Iago's before returning it to his master. Like in the animated film during the part where Jafar turns into a powerful genie, Iago attempts to escape before he gets sucked into the lamp along with Jafar before Genie sends the lamp back far into the ***Cave of Wonders***.

## Trivia

* Iago was, at one point, to be voiced by ***Danny DeVito***, but he was unavailable. DeVito would later be the voice of ***Phil*** in ***Hercules***, also directed by ***John Musker*** and ***Ron Clements***.
* According to actor ***Jonathan Freeman*** (Jafar), the original idea was that Iago would sound like Jafar, meaning that Jonathan would have to play the two characters.
* Jafar mentions that he bought Iago from the bazaar; it's never made fully clear whether Iago was capable of coherent speech before being purchased or whether magical experiments made him so.
* Iago is the first villain in Disney history to lastingly reform in a production other than his debut film. Among the few other characters to have this distinction are ***Anastasia Tremaine*** from ***Cinderella*** and ***Gantu*** from ***Lilo & Stitch***.
* Before his reformation, in his debut in the first film, Iago first shows his first hint of goodness, dancing to the tune of ***Prince Ali*** before Jafar glares at him.
* Iago claimed in *Return of Jafar* that he had a wife and three unhatched eggs. However, as this was meant to be a desperate plea to get Abu to unlock the cage, it's unknown if Iago was being honest about it or not. It's likely he was lying, as he later gets a love interest in the TV show.
* In the episode "***When Chaos Comes Calling***", Iago's head turns into that of his voice actor, the late ***Gilbert Gottfried***.
	+ In the same episode, Iago mentions that he's claustrophobic.
* While in service to Jafar, Iago proved to be one of the more competent henchmen: he successfully retrieved the lamp for Jafar after easily tricking Aladdin by mimicking Jasmine's voice, he came up with a number of excellent schemes for Jafar to seize power, and despite his comedic demeanor, he did not display (at least in the first film) any signs of genuine stupidity, despite getting injured from time to time, and he can also be rather sadistic, as he suggested murdering the Sultan and Jasmine in the event that Jafar would manage to marry her, namely "drop [them] off a cliff."
* In the episode "***Do the Rat Thing***", when Iago was a lizard, his appearance resembled ***Frank***, the frilled lizard from ***The Rescuers Down Under***.
* In the episode "***Moonlight Madness***", Iago was said to have a cousin named Jeff.
* Gilbert Gottfried's role as Iago was highlighted in the ***2015*** documentary *Life, Animated*, which centered on the real story of Owen Suskind, a man with autism. After four years of not being able to communicate with his family, Owen's father took an Iago puppet and approached Owen while doing an impression of Gilbert. Owen recognized the Iago puppet as an "old friend" (as *Aladdin* was amongst his favorite Disney movies, and Iago was amongst his favorite Disney characters) and responded. This would allow Owen and his family to build on Owen's communication skills.
* Iago's dislike of crackers is actually accurate, as most parrots (especially macaws like himself) prefer to eat fruit, nuts and seeds.

## External links

 Template:Underline
*Media*
**Television:** *Aladdin: The Series* • "Hercules and the Arabian Night" • *Great Minds Think 4 Themselves]]* • *A Poem Is...*
 Template:Underline
*Characters*
**Sequels:** Abis Mal • Abis Mal's Thugs • Cassim • Sa'Luk • Forty Thieves • The Oracle
**Deleted Characters:** Zena • Genie of the Ring • Jasmine's Mother • Babkak, Omar, and Kassim
 Template:Underline
*Locations*
*Objects*
*Songs*
**The Return of Jafar:** I'm Looking Out for Me • Nothing in the World (Quite Like a Friend) • Forget About Love • You're Only Second Rate
**King of Thieves:** Party in Agrabah • Out of Thin Air • Welcome to the Forty Thieves • Father and Son • Are You In or Out?
 Template:Underline
*See Also*

1. ↑ *Aladdin*, Platinum Edition DVD: Pop-Up Fun Facts
2. ↑ John Musker Question Countdown - Number 9.
3. ↑ http://www.wordplayer.com/columns/wp53.The.Rules.html