Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies.
Make sure to leave a comment if you like this site! And if there's something you think could be improved, please let me know. But in a constructive way, please. And just a note; I'm not a Native English writer, so my incorrect grammar may be notable.
And finally; If you haven't seen the films, beware of spoilers! And the funny lines aren't meant to be nothing than funny. So I hope you won't find them offensive. If so, I apologize
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| It shouldn`t be a title to yearn for. But hey, we had to give it a title :) |
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| I know that I stand out for having not a quite white outfit. But hey, since I`m in the Middle, I can be the odd man out :) |
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| We wanted to prove how non- Jungle people can swing :) |
The second one was a closure to the Aladdin
universe. By having our lovebirds getting wed and having Aladdin
reuniting with his own family. A final movie that (somewhat) revolves
around the wedding between Aladdin and Jasmine could be seen as
redundant. Due to how the first movie could've been interpreted to end with a wedding. However, both Jafar and the Aladdin
series pretty much confirmed that there was
never a wedding between our leads in the first place (as did the
directors on the Audio Commentary for Aladdin). So it's natural to have a movie that actually fulfills it. |
| These flowers are for Phil from Hercules. For dessert :) |
The Components That Elevates Aladdin and The King of Thieves From The Return of Jafar
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| It`s a Ray of Light that`s not from Madonna ;) |
Aladdin and The King of Thieves is interesting to examinate. Out of all the Aladdin features, it's defintively the most mature and subdued. While it definitively has come dashes of comedy here and there, Thieves
has surprisingly much depth and substance for a Disney Cheapquel. And
frankly, that`s a reason what makes this movie thick and admirable.
While this entry won't be a direct poll between the two Aladdin sequels, it's clear that they've both delineated in both tone and content. And yeah, there are many who considers Thieves to be an improvement over Jafar. |
| We`re trying to run away from the light from above :) Please don`t ask why :) |
Jafar
was less substantial and frankly had a thinner plot. Still of course
the notion of having it's titular villain coming back seemed like a
logical setup. While I enjoyed Jafar as a kid, it clearly has it's cheapquel problems that makes it pale to it's predecessor. While Jafar is bouncy and upbeat, it still deals with more darkness than it`s original predecessor. Thieves, however, manages to be both: To be dark, but coming with a more solid and compelling plot. The Relationship Between Aladdin and His Father
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| Don`t be fooled, I`m sweating underneath this cloak. I was forced to wear it :) |
The heart of
Aladdin & The King of Thieves is the relationship
between Aladdin and his dad, Cassim (who was his name of his deleted buddy of the first film). It would've been easy to scream fanfiction, but at least it's a good setup (if you could also get to the bare bones, we could also scrutinize why this movie wasn't about his mother. But let's swap this discussion under the rug, shall we?). The wedding gave the filmmakers an opportunity to dig into Aladdin`s family. The conflict revolves around his dad, Cassim (John Rhys-Davies), who is a surprisingly complex and conflicted character.
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| I know you wanna fly away, so I`m glad you`re staying this long for the sake of the picture :) |
between Aladdin and his dad, Cassim (who was his name of his deleted buddy of the first film). It would've been easy to scream fanfiction, but at least it's a good setup (if you could also get to the bare bones, we could also scrutinize why this movie wasn't about his mother. But let's swap this discussion under the rug, shall we?). The wedding gave the filmmakers an opportunity to dig into Aladdin`s family. The conflict revolves around his dad, Cassim (John Rhys-Davies), who is a surprisingly complex and conflicted character.
Cassim may start out as a scoundrel. But is torn between his lust for his treasure and
his love for his son (in many ways, Cassim has the similar issue of
Silver from Treasure Planet. Which makes them easily comparable for that lone reason).  |
| I know you don`t blend in, Monzenrath, but at least you could try :) |
Since Theves is a father and son- story from the
Renaissance era, it would've been tempting to compare it to another
certain story about a father and a song who also bears the King in it's
title. But yeah, that comparison is after all a shallow one. But at least it`s nice
that Thieves does bookend the saga with giving Aladdin his long-lost dad. Originally the storyline involved Mozenrath from the series, revealing that he
and Aladdin were brothers. However, everyone thought they should steer away from the show. And they couldn't get in touch with Mozenrath's voice actor, the late Jonathan Brandis. The Return of Robin Williams as The Genie & Other Celebrity Voice Actors on Aladdin and The King of Thieves
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| Yes, I know my dress smells like grass, but it ain`t grass :) |
Of course the biggest issue around Aladdin and the King of Thieves is the return of Robin Williams. After absenting from Jafar due to the famous feud,
he came back again. Despite the promise that his voice wouldn`t be used to merchandise products, his return was given some overt promotion, both
on the VHS cover and the marketing. Disney put his salary near $1 million, as he didn`t do it for scale. Williams makes the Genie the
center of this piece in the same way as the original. And makes his pop culture references, poking at Disney properties more overtly than
ever before (even those who followed the first Aladdin, like The Lion King and even Pocahontas). Williams was shocked with just how many of his impressions made it into the film. Believing that half of them wouldn`t see the light of day. The crew threw ideas at him. Of course there were times when he went tasteless, which the studio didn`t approve. 
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| Even a Rocky-impersonation can be Avatar-like. I mean blue :) |
Williams recorded his voice session over the summer of 1995. Dan
Castellaneta voiced the Genie in both Jafar and the Aladdin series. And originally Castellaneta had recorded his dialogue for Thieves. So they had to throw all the footage out. But instead of being dismayed, the crew were excited. The studio put up more money, and the animators were given more time. The genie's scenes were rewritten to fit Williams' comic style. Then he made his own input by improvisations. Producer-director Tad Stones said Williams' imagination "turned Thieves into a whole other thing". The entire climax became bigger.
Castellaneta voiced the Genie in both Jafar and the Aladdin series. And originally Castellaneta had recorded his dialogue for Thieves. So they had to throw all the footage out. But instead of being dismayed, the crew were excited. The studio put up more money, and the animators were given more time. The genie's scenes were rewritten to fit Williams' comic style. Then he made his own input by improvisations. Producer-director Tad Stones said Williams' imagination "turned Thieves into a whole other thing". The entire climax became bigger.
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| I want my claw to look like a hawk :) Sort of :) |
But Williams isn't the only famous voice on Thieves. Alongside with John-Rhys Davies (who actually lead the The Making of Aladdin-documentary) as Cassim, Jerry Orbach (Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast) lead his voice to Sa'Luk; The new villain of the piece (which was a much more zanier role for Orbach). While Sa'Luk may pale to Jafar, he's still effective enough as a villain. And it`s needless to say how most of the voice actors have returned, with
the exception of having Liz Callaway (The Swan Princess, Anastasia) replacing Lea Salonga as the singing voice of Jasmine. Even with voice veterans as Corey Burton (Atlantis The Lost Empire), Jim Cummings, Jess Harnell (Animaniacs), Rob Paulsen (Animaniacs) and even Paul Kandel (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) among the cast. Sean Connery was originally cast as Cassim, but scheduling conflicts with another film forced him to drop out.
What Differentiates Aladdin and The King of Thieves From Other Aladdin Properties and How the Characters Are Different
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| This septer was given some technology beyond it`s years :) Thanks to Genie ;) |
In fact, there are a couple of changes to Aladdin and the King of Thieves
than to the regular Aladdin-property. Gone are the Alan Menken-cues
from the first movie and Thieves was given a complete new score. New songs were written, a couple of them sung by Genie (but at least Thieves gets to end with the Arabian Nights Finale
that was meant for the first movie. Despite how the narrator doesn`t
reveal himself to be Genie). Gone are the regular clothes on the leads, as they`ve
given new ones. Notable how Rajah is surprisingly little featured. But while Jafar seemed like a good way to introduce the series to include Iago into the squad, Thieves pretty much paves the way of making him dissappear from the squad (as it ends with him leaving with Cassim).  |
| Don`t worry, with Genie watching over us, we won`t slip ;) |
But unlike Jafar, who is pretty much about Iago, Thieves
is a return to Aladdin's story and makes him the center again. And
making Aladdin likable again by making him more vulnerable (as Aladdin
came across as unlikeable in some episodes from the series). The same could be
same for Jasmine. Who's surprisingly subdued and supportive in this film and less
snappier than usual. Abu is essentially less callous and even Iago have
his moments of compassion. While Razoul may be regressed to hating
Aladdin again (since there was somewhat a closure between them in the
series), even Razoul gets his attention at the end (and frankly, he gets
more involved in the plot, due to how he helps the villain).Reception, Plot & Information
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| I tried to dress up like Hello Nurse from Animaniacs, but more proper ;) |
As for the reception of Aladdin and The King of Thieves, it's notable how it got mostly better words than Jafar did at it's release. And it`s easy to see why. While Jafar may have it's perks, Thieves comes across as more solid as a whole. Some have claimed how Robin Williams comeback is the saving grace of the film. As for the plot, it comes across as a blend of Indiana Jones and Ali Baba and 40
Thieves from One Thousand and One Nights (the Thieves are racially diverse and even somewhat predecessors to the Huns in Mulan).  |
| Don`t worry, it`s not heavy to have a castle on a back. After all, my shell is thick :) |
Other Mediterranean properties have been included to the plot as well. As the Hand of Midas and the Oracle
(both Greek elements that could`ve been present in the
upcoming Hercules). While the visuals are still second rate (no offense), Thieves still is more epic in tone. And it has something of a first in a Aladdin movie: A slow motion scene (yeah, I know it`s a shallow cue, but still). 
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| It will be challenge to not touch it. But I can`t help being proud of it :) |
Epilogue
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| Rapunzel should`ve been here :) |
Writing an entry about a Disney cheapquel is always a minefield for obvious reasons (and yes, it was expected that Aladdin & The King of Thieves was going to break that stigma). However, with Thieves, the staple is somewhat different. While it doesn`t
seem to be one of the most cherished of the bunch, at least it doesn`t
seems to be one of the most hated of them either. As for my own
experience, I happened to like Thieves when I saw it initially. I
remember borrowing it from a neighbour of mine who had bought her copy
of the tape from the U.S at the time of it`s release.  |
| At least it`s not Best of You. Right, Foo Fighters? :) |
I happened to see it in English long before it was released in Norway (which was the following January of 1997). And even back then, I thought it was somewhat of an improvement of The Return of Jafar. While of course I`ve would`ve preferred a polished and more epic sequel in the vein of The Rescuers Down Under, it`s still a worthy closure to the Aladdin saga.
So as this entry was written to synergize with it`s aforementioned 25th Anniversary, there`s nothing
left to wish it Happy Past 25th Anniversary and may you continue to have many
more.  |
| At least it`s not Robin Hood and The Prince of Thieves :) Despite how it`s similar :) |
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References:
The Making of Aladdin & The King of Thieves
Mouse Under Glass (David Koenig)
Aladdin Platinum Edition
Thanks for your fun post! I know King of Thieves is generally more liked than The Return of Jafar and growing up I felt that way as well. However, I had shallow reasons because I just liked it for the chance to see Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding and Jasmine in a wedding dress. Now, I think I prefer Return of Jafar when it comes to plotlines, probably since all the characters get a chance to shine (including Jafar), whereas King of Thieves is more Aladdin and Cassim focused. Jasmine, Genie, and Abu really take a backseat here.
SvarSlett