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I’ve always been a huge fan of
animated Disney movies (anyone who’s ever looked inside the cabinet under my TV knows
that), but Aladdin is my favorite. Obviously, it’s not just my favorite, since my
VHS copy was permanently borrowed several years ago—so, needless to say, I was
ecstatic when it was recently released on DVD.
Aladdin is the story
of a common street rat who dreams of a better life—and the princess, who dreams of a life
outside the palace, where she can make her own decisions. Angered by the pressure on her
to marry a prince by her next birthday, Princess Jasmine runs away from the castle and
heads for the marketplace, where she meets (and quickly falls for) Aladdin. Their time
is cut short, however, when Aladdin is arrested and taken to the palace prison, under the
orders of the royal vizier, Jafar, who wants to use Aladdin in his evil plot to take over
the kingdom. But in the process, Aladdin finds a mysterious lamp with an eccentric genie
who promised to give Aladdin everything he wants…
Robin Williams steals
the show as the genie, but there’s more to this movie than just the genie. There’s a
cast of spectacular characters—including Abu, the money, and Jafar’s parrot/side-kick,
Iago (voiced by Gilbert Gottfried). There’s romance and (lots of) humor. And, of
course, there’s music. Together, they add up to make a fantastic movie that’s great for
the whole family (though the younger ones may find parts a bit scary). The kids will
love the cool animation and the fun songs, and the adults will love those little
references that only they’ll understand (and they’ll find themselves singing along with
the songs, too). It’s one of those movies that you can watch over and over and still
catch something new each time.
The new two-disc DVD version of the movie
includes all kinds of extras—like song remakes by Clay Aiken and Jessica Simpson and Nick
Lachey, deleted scenes and songs, commentaries, and more. Even if you don’t have kids of
your own, pick up a copy of this movie while it’s available—because you don’t need to
have kids to watch it…or to love it.
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