There are many Disney films that have become a ‘classic’ over the years. What makes them a classic depends on how beloved the film became and how beloved it was received when the film debuted. While any film can become a hit-classic, not all films do. Only a certain kind of film is worthy to hold such a title. Depending on when you grew up, chances are you are more prone to a specific classic over others. It is the one film you saw over and repeatedly and still love it dearly to this day.
Some people’s classics are The Little Mermaid, some it’s The Lion King, and even others it’s Peter Pan. Still, yet, there are some who hold a special place in their hearts for Aladdin. Aladdin came out on November 25, 1992, making the films 27 years old in 2019. With it being a classic that is beloved by so many, Disney decided to bring the film back to the big screen for a live-action remake adaptation. So, to honor this film’s rich legacy and to celebrate the new live-action film, here are some fun facts you may or may not know about Aladdin!
Believe it or not, Robin Williams was persuaded to play the role of Genie in Aladdin. Ron Clements and John Musker who were the directors of Aladdin wanted someone that had a legacy in a comedic background to play the iconic role of Genie. At the time, they came up with Robin Williams, however, they were unsure of as if he would accept the gig. So, they told Eric Goldberg who was the lead animator of the film to find some old comedy routines done by Robin and animate Genie saying those lines of his routine.
He did just that and when it was done he brought in Robin to see what his reaction would be. Thankfully, after seeing the clips, Robin saw the potential of what this character could become so he signed the paperwork and became Genie. Had he not of signed the papers or had not seen those clips, who knows, the Aladdin we know, and love could be very different!
While working on the film, Disney specifically created the film to have Robin Williams play the role of Genie, at least that is what they were hoping for. In the back of their minds, there were very unsure if Robin would even accept the role to play Genie. As such, they came up with a list of potential candidates they would contact if plan A failed. These candidates included: John Candy; Steve Martin; Martin Short; Eddie Murphy; John Goodman and even Albert Brooks. In Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin, Will Smith will be playing the role of this iconic character. Thankfully, Robin did indeed get the part and made history. Now, we’ll just have to see if Will can live up to the expectations set by Robin when Aladdin comes out May 24, 2019.
In trying to come up with how Aladdin would look in the animated film, Disney needed some inspiration. Their first choice was to model him after Michael J. Fox. Upon designing some rough sketches, they found that Aladdinwas too cute. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but in the end, it was not how they pictured Aladdin. With that said, they needed to find someone else who could be used to model Aladdin, and luckily, they came up with Tom Cruise. From there, that is how Aladdin became the Aladdin we know and love. They took some of Tom’s looks and personality and translated it into the animated character. Now, when it comes to the new live-action remake of Aladdin, new actor Mena Massoud must take the reins of becoming Aladdin. Will he pull it off or will he flop? We’ll have to find out when Aladdin comes out.
If you listen throughout the movie very closely, you may not even hear any difference in the voice of Jasmine as she speaks compared to when she sings. The reason you cannot hear any difference is Disney specifically made it that way to fool you. When hiring Linda Larkin as the voice over for Princess Jasmine, they asked her if she could sing. She said she could sing, but not to the quality of a princess. With that in mind, Disney hired a second person to do the signing of Jasmine. Her name was Lea Salonga and if you listen carefully, their voices are almost identical. This movie also happened to be the first Disney film that did not require all actors/actresses to have a singing voice.
When Disneywas looking at making a sequel to Aladdin, they wanted to bring back Robin Williams to voice the iconic role of Genie. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, Robin declined the role. At first, some people had thought it was because Robin was given less money than what he deserved from the film, but later, we found it that was not the case. Robin’s real reason for declining was due to the fact Disney violated their contractual agreement with Robin.
Upon signing up for the role, Robin agreed to play the role of the movie and movie only. He did not want his voice to be used on any form of ad, media, or anything else outside of the movie. Somehow, somewhere, someone did not get that memo and used his voice for an advertisement. Robin found out and thus that is the reason he did not come back as Genie in the sequel. Instead, Disney hired Dan Castellaneta who voiced Homer Simpson in the Simpsons. Dan voiced Genie in Aladdin: Return of Jafar but Robin came back to voice Genie in Aladdin: The King of Thieves.
If you love Aladdin as much as we do and specifically lovePrincessJasmine, make sure to check out our monthly Disney tee! This month’s tee features Princess Jasmine in all her glory! You can proudly wear your support for the film to the Disney parks or even wear it to celebrate the release of the new film coming out this month! And if you happen to not like our monthly tee or want a different option, make sure to look at our full inventory of shirts atPerfShirts.com! At PerfShirts, we take Disney characters, Disney themes, mottos, and more and turn them into wonderful clothing you will love! We even custom design clothing if you do not find one you like on our site! Buy the latest Disney clothing today!
Comments will be approved before showing up.