Growing up as a child of the 90s, Aladdin was one of my favorite animated films. I could watch it on repeat for hours. As a huge fan of Robin Williams, it’s no surprise that it still remains one of my favorite classic Disney films of all-time. That being said, it has been at least 10-15 years since I’ve seen the film in its entirety, so you can imagine how excited I was when Disney decided to release the film for the first time on Blu-ray and digital HD via their Diamond Edition packages. Let’s just say Aladdin hasn’t lost any of its magic.
Unless you’re between the ages of 5 and 10, there’s no reason to not know the story of Disney’s Aladdin but, should you fall into that category the story is as follows. Aladdin is a street-rat commoner, stealing things from others in order to survive on the city streets with his trusty monkey sidekick Abu. When Aladdin is arrested and deceived by the evil Jafar, he ends up discovering a magical lamp containing a genie. Using the genie, Aladdin wishes to become a prince so that he may be able to win the heart of the city’s princess, Jasmine, and marry her.
I don’t think I really need to review the contents of the movie. It’s awesome and just as great for kids as it is adults. The film won an academy award for best original song and everything about it is great. The music, the voice acting, Robin Williams as the genie. The film has its emotional highs and lows and is a must-see for fans of animation.
Now, the real reason to be excited about this release is the format and the features. The movie looks stunning on Blu-ray and the audio quality is exceptional. This is a very colorful film and everything you see on screen is incredibly vibrant, creating an immersive theatrical experience even on my 30” monitor. Disney rarely messes up when it comes to transferring their classics to HD and the Diamond Edition packages have yet to fail. The only surprise is how long it took Disney to release Aladdin on Blu-ray since it’s most definitely a fan favorite.
As mentioned above, it wouldn’t be a Diamond Edition without a ton of special features. Alaadin is crammed back with new and old features that fans and animation lovers will eat up. There’s something here for everyone. Below is a full breakdown of the features with a brief description to follow:
- The Genie Outtakes (9 min): Here we find the co-directors and one of the supervising animators introducing various genie outtakes recorded by Robin Williams. Don’t expect new footage, just some storyboards and a lot of Robin’s fun voices that either extend or alter existing scenes in the film. It concludes with a touching tribute to one of my favorite actors.
- Genie 101 (4 min): The man who voiced Aladdin, Scott Weinger, goes through the history of the genie and the various pop-culture references that most young-ins today wouldn’t understand. It’s a fun little feature.
- Ron & Jon: You Ain’t Never Had a Friend Like Me (6 min): A brief discussion with co-director’s John Musker and Ron Clements. The two discuss what it’s like collaborating, working at Disney in the 90s and more.
- Unboxing Aladdin (5 min): A feature where easter eggs that exist throughout the film are unveiled by Disney Channel’s Joey Bragg.
- Aladdin: Creating Broadway Magic (19 min): A mini documentary or long featurette, actor Darren Criss gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the adaptation of Aladdin, bringing the classic alive from the screen to Broadway.
- Classic Bonus: All of the bonus features from the original DVD release of Aladdin are included on this Blu-ray. The full slate of special features from the original release are detailed below:
- A Diamond in the Rough: The Making of Aladdin (70:52)
- Alan Menken: Musical Renaissance Man (19:55)
- The Art of Aladdin: Art Review with Filmmakers’ Commentary (8:45)
- Audio Commentaries: Two audio commentaries are included in this section. The first is with directors John Musker, Ron Clements and co-producer Amy Pell. The second commentary is with the supervising animators Andreas Deja, Eric Goldberg, Glen Keane, and Will Finn.
- Deleted Song: Proud of Your Boy, Original Demo (3:58)
- Deleted Song: You Can Count on Me (2:22)
- Deleted Song: Humiliate the Boy (3:54)
- Deleted Song: Why Me (3:42)
- Deleted/Alternate Scene: Aladdin & Jasmine’s First Meeting (2:51)
- Deleted/Alternate Scene: Aladdin in the Lap of Luxury (2:52)
- Music Video: “Proud of Your Boy” with Clay Aiken (2:20)
- Proud of Your Boy Original Story Reel (2:18)
- Behind the Scenes of “Proud of Your Boy” (SD, 3:20)
- Music Video: “A Whole New World” with Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey (4:14)
- Behind the Scenes of “A Whole New World” (3:46)
- Music Video: “A Whole New World” with Regina Belle & Peabo Bryson (4:07)
- Disney Song Selection with Optional On-Screen Lyrics (11:28)
- Inside the Genie’s Lamp: Guided Tour (6:13)
- The Genie World Tour (3:14)
Overall, I couldn’t be happier with this release of Aladdin and, if you’re a fan like I am, I highly recommend picking up this edition. It comes with a DVD, a Blu-ray and an HD copy so that you can watch it anywhere and in various formats.
The Diamond Edition of Aladdin is now available everywhere thanks to Disney.
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