Aladdin (TV series)

Aladdin
Opening title logo
Also known as	Disney's Aladdin
Genre	Action/Adventure Fantasy Comedy Romance
Created by	Walt Disney Television
Directed by	Alan Zaslove Rob LaDuca Bob Hathcock Toby Shelton Tad Stones
Starring	Scott Weinger Linda Larkin Dan Castellaneta Gilbert Gottfried Frank Welker Val Bettin Jason Alexander James Avery Jonathan Brandis
Opening theme	"Arabian Nights"
Ending theme	"Arabian Nights"
Composer(s)	Mark Watters John Given Harvey Cohen Carl Johnson Thomas Richard Sharp
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	86 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	Walt Disney Television Animation
Distributor	Buena Vista Television
Release
Original network	The Disney Channel (1994) Syndication (Season 1) CBS (Seasons 1–2)[1]
Picture format	Color SD: 4:3 (broadcast/DVD release) HD: 16:9 (streaming)
Audio format	Dolby Surround 5.1
Original release	September 5, 1994 (1994-09-05) – November 25, 1995 (1995-11-25)
Chronology
Preceded by	The Return of Jafar
Followed by	Aladdin and the King of Thieves

Aladdin is an animated television series made by Walt Disney Television Animation which aired from 1994 to 1995, based on the original 1992 Disney film of the same name. It was animated at the Slightly Offbeat Productions Studios in Penrose, Auckland, New Zealand. The series followed the direct-to-video sequel The Return of Jafar, and picked up where that installment left off.

The series was produced by Alan Zaslove and Tad Stones, who were already renowned for their work on Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers and Darkwing Duck.^[2] Many of the films' stars provided the voices of their TV counterparts, with the notable exceptions of Dan Castellaneta filling in for Robin Williams in the Genie role (like in The Return of Jafar), and Val Bettin as the Sultan (who replaced Douglas Seale after the original film). Unlike The Little Mermaid TV series, this series does not feature any musical numbers.

The series originally aired as a preview on The Disney Channel in early 1994,^[3] and in September of that year it began airing concurrently on the syndicated The Disney Afternoon block^[2] and on Saturday mornings on CBS (prior to Disney's purchase of rival ABC). Disney Channel reran the series in the late-1990s until it was replaced by their pre-teen lineup. The show was later shown on Toon Disney, until 2009 when the channel shutdown.

Plot

While Aladdin may still be living on the streets of Agrabah, he is now engaged to the beautiful and spirited Princess Jasmine. "Al" and Jasmine, along with monkey sidekick Abu, the Magic Carpet, the fast-talking, shape-shifting Genie, and Iago the short-tempered parrot continue their adventures exploring the world and protecting Agrabah.

Characters

Main cast

• Aladdin (voiced by Scott Weinger): He was originally a street urchin who stole food to survive, but his life changed when he met and fell in love with Jasmine, the Princess of Agrabah. Aladdin is engaged to marry Jasmine and will eventually become Prince and someday Sultan. He learns of his future responsibilities while protecting the kingdom from monsters, sorcerers and other more dangers.
• Princess Jasmine (voiced by Linda Larkin): She was forced by her father to marry a prince, but her life changed for the better when she ran away from home and met the man of her dreams, Aladdin. Jasmine is no ordinary princess as she is independent and wants to live a life where she is free to make her own choices and to not let others control her life. Now with more freedom, Jasmine starts to experience things that she had never done before, and with Aladdin by her side Jasmine learns she is capable of doing just about anything once she sets her mind to it.
• Genie (voiced by Dan Castellaneta and later Robin Williams): Freed from his lamp and able to use his magic freely, Genie helps Aladdin in his adventures to protect Agrabah. However, Genie's magic doesn't always work as others would like it as much of his power was taken away once he was freed, but with or without his magic his friends love him for who he is.
• Iago (voiced by Gilbert Gottfried): Though he may have changed his ways and is now on the side of good, Iago is still rather greedy and someday wishes to have riches and power in his life. Iago causes trouble for the gang as he leads them on treasure hunts that turn out to be dangerous. Though he may not be the most likeable bird, Iago has a heart of gold and always does the right thing in the end.
• Abu (voiced by Frank Welker): The loveable yet troublesome best friend of Aladdin. Abu is known to be a master thief and has his eyes set on gold and jewels, but is working on changing his thieving ways. Abu and Iago have become good friends and work together on many occasions to gain money and riches beyond their wildest dreams.
• Magic Carpet

Recurring cast

• Eden / Dhandi (voiced by Debi Derryberry)
• Abis Mal (voiced by Jason Alexander)
• Haroud Hazi Bin (voiced by James Avery)
• Sadira (voiced by Kellie Martin)
• Mozenrath (voiced by Jonathan Brandis)
• Amin Damoola (voiced by Jeff Bennett)
• Mechanicles (voiced by Charlie Adler)
• Razoul / Prince Wazoo / The Sand Monster / Dominus Tusk (voiced by Jim Cummings)
• Arbutus / General Gouda (voiced by Ron Perlman)
• The Sultan (voiced by Val Bettin)
• Khartoum (voiced by Tony Jay)
• Phasir (voiced by Ed Gilbert)
• Mirage (voiced by Bebe Neuwirth)
• Ayham Aghoul (voiced by Hamilton Camp)
• Aziz (voiced by Michael Bell)
• Minos / King Zabar (voiced by Keith David)
• Fatima (voiced by Charity James)
• Uncouthma (voiced by Tino Insana)
• Chaos (voiced by Matt Frewer)
• Saleen (voiced by Julie Brown)
• Malcho (voiced by Héctor Elizondo)
• Caliph Kapok / Amok Mon Ra (voiced by Tim Curry)
• Thundra (voiced by Candi Milo)
• Queen Daluka (voiced by Tress MacNeille)
• Ayam Aghoul (voiced by Hamilton Camp)
• Magma (voiced by Tone Loc)
• Sootinai (voiced by Dorian Harewood)
• Ajed Al Gebraic (voiced by Jonathan Harris)
• Nefir Hasenuf (voiced by Rene Auberjonois)
• Queen Hippsodeth (voiced by Kate Mulgrew)
• Sultan Pasta Al Dente (voiced by Stuart Pankin)
• Scara (voiced by Susan Tolsky)
• Merc (voiced by Dorian Harewood)
• Shaman (voiced by Malcolm McDowell)
• Nefir Hasenuf (voiced by Rene Auberjonois)

Episodes

A total of 86 episodes were produced. After the series another direct-to-video movie, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, was released. This was followed by a guest appearance on November 24, 1998 in "Hercules and the Arabian Night," an episode of Hercules: The Animated Series. Guest stars intended to be in the series included George C. Scott, Hank Azaria, June Foray, Paul Winchell, Phil Hartman, James Earl Jones and Richard Horvitz, but the makers didn't have the time.

Home media

VHS releases

Twelve VHS cassettes containing 24 episodes of the series were released in the United States (including 4 cassettes of the Princess Collection: Jasmine's Enchanted Tales set, which contain 8 episodes).

Princess Collection - Jasmine's Enchanted Tales:

UK, Australia & New Zealand releases

Ten VHS cassettes containing 19 episodes of the series were released in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

DVD releases

On March 14, 2005, three episodes of the series were released on the Jasmine's Enchanted Tales: Journey of a Princess DVD release.^[4] Also, four episodes were released as part of the Disney Princess DVD releases.

Video on Demand

International releases

The first season of the show is currently available for purchase on Amazon Instant Video in Germany.

Awards

Daytime Emmy Awards

• 1995 – Outstanding Music Direction and Composition – Mark Watters, John Given, Harvey Cohen, Carl Johnson and Thomas Richard Sharp (won)
• 1995 – Outstanding Film Sound Mixing – Timothy J. Garrity, Melissa Ellis, Deb Adair, Bill Koepnick, Jim Hodson and Timothy Borquez (won)
• 1995 – Outstanding Film Sound Editing – John O. Robinson III, Michael Geisler, Marc S. Perlman, William Griggs, Melissa Ellis, Ray Leonard, Phyllis Ginter, Michael Gollom, Timothy Borquez, Tom Jaeger, Charles Rychwalski, Greg LaPlante, Kenneth Young, Jennifer Mertens, Robert Duran, Bill Koepnick, Jim Hodson and Alex Wilkinson (won)
• 1996 – Outstanding Sound Mixing – Special Class – Michael Jiron, Allen L. Stone and Deb Adair (won)

References

External links

• Aladdin at the Internet Movie Database
• Disney's Aladdin: The Series at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• Aladdin at TV.com