Aladdin (GoodTimes film)

Aladdin is a 49-minute animated film based on the classic Arabian Nights story, Aladdin, translated by Antoine Galland. Like all other Golden Films productions, the film featured a single theme song, "Rub the Lamp", written and composed by Richard Hurwitz and John Arrias. It was released directly to video on April 27, 1992.

Plot
A young boy named Aladdin lives a poor life with his mother. After thugs stealing his cabbages and tried fighting them back to flee, a shifty middle-aged man named Hassim approaches Aladdin claiming to be his long-lost uncle and persuades him to come on a journey promising riches. Once in some ruins in the desert, Hassim performs an incantation to open a cave and Aladdin realizes that Hassim is not his uncle. Hassim only brought him here because he is the only one who can enter the cave interior. Aladdin reluctantly enters the cave and finds what Hassim was looking for: an old lamp. Fearing that Hassim will kill him after he gets what he wants, Aladdin refuses to hand over the lamp and Hassim closes the cave, trapping Aladdin. Unwittingly, Aladdin rubs the lamp and releases a powerful genie who can grant any wish. Aladdin makes a wish to return to his home. After his safe return, Aladdin's mother disregards the lamp and Aladdin keeps it hidden and remains silent about it.

Four years later, Aladdin is captivated by the Sultan's daughter Layla and sneaks into the bathing house to see her. Aladdin escapes the guards and returns home to tell his mother his wish to marry the princess. Next day, Aladdin's mother presents a sack of jewels he obtained from the cave before the sultan. The sultan's conniving vizier (who has plans to marry the princess himself) convinces the sultan that his daughter is worth more than the jewels and that Aladdin should bring bigger riches and many servants. With the aid of the lamp, Aladdin accomplishes this. The sultan allows Aladdin to marry Layla and Aladdin has the genie build a palace by the city for the married couple to live in peacefully.

Hassim hears about Aladdin's success with the lamp from the medicine woman Fatima. Hassim travels to Aladdin's palace. With Aladdin out on a hunt, Hassim tricks Layla into swapping the genie's lamp for a new one and makes a wish for the palace and princess to be transported to Marrakesh. Hearing about his daughter's disappearance, the sultan has Aladdin arrested. Before Aladdin can be sentenced, Fatima (who did not get her end of the bargain with Hassim) approaches and reveals the whereabouts of Layla. With his mother in the sultan's custody and one month to put things right, Aladdin travels to Marrakesh, sneaks into his palace and swipes the lamp from a sleeping Hassim. With the lamp back in his possession, Aladdin wishes his wife and palace to be returned to his homeland.

Hassim notices Aladdin's liberation and swears revenge. He kills Fatima and uses her clothes to disguise himself as her, then beckons the princess to have Aladdin wish for the egg of the fabled Roc to bring them good luck. The genie is not able to grant this wish as the Roc is superior to him and reveals that Fatima is actually Hassim. Aladdin feigns illness to bring Hassim right where he wants him. Aladdin and Hassim duel, ending up with Hassim tripping on his own robe and falling on his own sword, resulting in his death. Aladdin and the princess then live happily ever after without the fear of anyone stealing the lamp again.

Why It Sucks

 * 1) It's a direct rip-off of Disney's mh:greatestmovies:Aladdin along with it's classic Arabian Nights story of the same name, since this movie was rushed to be released before Disney's version was even shown on the big screen.
 * 2) *On that note, Disney later sued GoodTimes, due to the film's VHS cover plagiarizing their's.
 * 3) Poorly written plot that lacks adapting the folklore of the same name.
 * 4) An inconsistent tone that doesn't feel appealing to children.
 * 5) Bland characterization for the characters that are just boring bootleg versions of their Disney counterparts.
 * 6) *Hassim is a bootleg version of Jafar with the same goals of using the Magic Lamp to take over the world. But, for him he believes that he was Aladdin's long-lost uncle.
 * 7) *Layla is a bootleg version of Jasmine who is much of a bland cliche
 * 8) Some scenes are too intense and/or scary for children, like when Hassim threatens to kill Aladdin if he doesn't open the cave, Hassim getting a disguise by killing Fatima off-screen just like the folklore and Hassim dying by falling and stabbed on his own sword and then vanishes into dust.
 * 9) Many animation errors like terrible lip-syncing, scene recycling and even visible animation cels (shown in Phelous's review here).
 * 10) Terrible soundtrack that is boring and annoying to hear, especially when generic public domain music is used.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) The animation is good for straight-to-video standards, despite having many errors.
 * 2) Decent voice acting from the presence of Corey Burton who voiced Count Dooku in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
 * 3) It is closer to being faithful to the classic Arabian Nights story.

Full Movie
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Reviews
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