DAC 31: Aladdin

Aladdin - 8.8/10

You know all of those really annoying clichés that are in every animated movie made in the last 15 years? Anachronisms, pop-culture references and celebrities used in place of genuine, professional voice actors? Well this is the film you have to blame for all of that. On the flip side, the results here were really good; it was pulled off like no other film besides Shrek has ever been able to. It makes sense in a way; the reason everyone wanted to copy that formula was because it worked so well here. Of course, the fact that it was Robin Williams may have also had something to do with it.

The music in this film is great, as if that's a surprise. And it's not just the songs (another couple of my top ten are in here). To be honest, one of my favorite parts about this movie is the score - that is, the music that's playing when nobody's singing anything. The exciting escape music in particular has always been a favorite of mine. The animation is also pretty good, though it's a step down from Beauty and the Beast (though to be fair, what isn't?).

We get some interesting character dynamics in this one, too. This is the first fairy tale/princess movie that has focused on the male protagonist rather than the female. And he's a good, likeable character too. A decent young man with a few character flaws that he improves upon throughout the film and ultimately overcomes. I love the villains too, and their relationship is interesting. They seem to honestly be friends, even though Jafar is clearly the senior partner. Iago is completely loyal to him and Jafar doesn't treat him as expendable help but rather actually enjoys conspiring with him. A rather unique take - especially for a Disney film. Also a new take for villain motive: megalomania. I suppose you could argue that fits Ursula as well, but she always seemed more the revenge type to me.

I'll be humming these songs for a while, but I won't mind in the slightest. Another gem from the Disney Renaissance team.