D23, the new Disney fanclub, reminded me that today Aladdin’s sequel and the first of the much discussed, loved, hated direct-to-video or has it was later called direct-to-DVD film was released 15 years ago today. The movie itself was mediocre at best, animation and colors where TV quality, characters looked often off model and acted sometimes differently that before and the story wasn’t the best either but boy was I excited to learn my favorite movie got a follow-up.

Set after the feature film and a lead into the Saturday morning television series that aired the same year The Return of Jafar showed us that Jafar escaped his prison in the Cave of Wonders and is out for revenge against the boy who ruined his plans to be ruler of Agrabah. His new sidekick the not so smart thief Abis Mal isn’t making life easier to make matters worse Iago switches sides and joins Aladdin and his friends on side of all that’s good. As we all know Jafar got killed and Aladdin would have his hands full dealing with Abis Mal and all the other new villains of the TV series.

Why now “celebrate” the films 15th anniversary watching it this weekend or at least join “Vengeful Evil Djinn” and let the world know your appreciation.

Dreamworks CEO Jeffery Katzenberg sat down with AOL Entertainment to talk about his career in line of an upcoming Dreamworks film I personally have no interest in. The last time I went to theater to see a Dreamworks animated film was Shrek 2 a few years back or was it Madagascar? Can’t remember you do the math how much Dreamworks animated division interest me.

Anyway in the interview he says he did know nothing about animation or had any affinity with the genre before he joined Disney in 1984. Learning along the way with each new film until, after 5 years, he learned enough that his input nudged Disney feature animation back to the leading animation studio it was a couple decades earlier.

After all he had major influence on Aladdin helping turn it into the final beloved product we know today. I know he was the one saying it was better aging Aladdin so he would match better with the final form of Jasmine. There’s some footage on that meeting on the DVD under the title “Designing the Lead Character” and I believe the making of book mentioned that as well.

Still, for someone who didn’t had anything to do with animation Mr. Katzenberg didn’t do bad 24 years later. I mean he’s the big chef on the second biggest animation studio in the world with a turnover of multi-million dollars a year. Kudos.

To celebrate Disney’s Aladdin premiered 15 years ago this 25 November a high-quality picture is published daily. The pictures are from a Japanese Movie Program I purchased earlier this year and promised to share high-res scans but haven’t gotten a chance to so.
The pictures are large, 3000 pixels wide and over 400kb in size.

Aladdn forever!

Until Another Arabian Night!

Download the Zip file by clicking on the thumbnail of Day 30: Teaser Poster

To celebrate that today precisely 15 years ago Disney’s Aladdin premiered Streetrat featured a daily high-quality picture for the past 25 days. The pictures are from a Japanese Movie Program I purchased earlier this year and promised to share high-res scans but haven’t gotten a chance to so. Besides stills from the movie the program contained promotional photos of the key people who brought this animated film to life.

Aladdin’s animation team consisted of hunderds of animators, assisent, animators, inbetweenters and others like coloring artists and the special effects animators. Like all Disney features each character was assigned a unit under the leadership of a supervisor animator responsible for the character design.

Glen Keane

Supervisior Animator Aladdin

Glen drawing Aladdin. Here seen mid-way
through the film.

Before Aladdin, Glen studied at Calarts up to 1974 when he rolled into “The Rescuers” where he was tutored by Ollie Johnston. And so his skills grew as he went from “Pete’s Dragon” to “The Fox and The Hound” to “The Great Mouse Detective” as freelancer. In between working with the man who would eventually run Disney Animation John Lasseter on an early CG short “Where The Wild Things Are” in 1983. When that short didn’t get made, because a cost issue Glen moved back to Disney as employee and did character animation for “Oliver & Company”.
It was as supervisior animator of Ariel Glen Keane’s star started to shine which got brighter in his ground breaking animation of Beast in “Beauty and the Beast”.
After Aladdin came Pocahontas and Hercules before his last feature animation project “Treasure Planet” was released in 2002. Between then and the upcoming Rapunzel film Mr. Keane did a few sequel projects like animating Faline in Bambi 2.

Mark Henn

Supervisior Animator Jasmine

No photo
Before Aladdin we knowthat Mark Henn started at Disney on “The Black Cauldron” as mere animator. What he did before that it is unclear, I assume he rolled in into CalArts at some point before being hired by Disney. Quickly Mark was promoted to supervisior animator for the next two projects “The Great Mouse Detective” and “Oliver” before having the title animation director on his office door when co-working with Glen Keane on Ariel’s design. It was then he moved to Florida where lead the unit doing Belle in “Beauty”.
After Aladdin, Mark stayed in Florida to supervise Young Simba for “The Lion King” Appearently did some work for Pixar between projects because he is credited as visual effects and modeling on “Toy Story”. Back at Disney followed “Pocahontas” and “Mulan” with moddeling for “A Bug’s Life” in between.
Not credited but I think he did some work on “A Goofy Movie” too. In 2000 he did additional animation on “The Emperor’s New Groove”, modeling for the Pixar 2001 film “Monsters Inc“. before faling down the ladder to do “Lilo & Stitch” as Lead Animator (Hula Dancers).
Back in the supervisior seat on “Home on the Range” before transfering to CG in “Meet the Robinsons”
Currently Mark Henn and Andreas Deja are in the shorts program having just finished the Goofy short.

Andreas Deja

Supervisior Animator Jafar

Mr. Deja sketching Jafar. Here seen talking to Iago.

Before Aladdin, Andreas Deja rolled into Disney in the 80′s as animator on “The Black Cauldron” then he went onto “The Great Mouse Detective”, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and “Oliver and Company”. A quick side-step animating Mickey Mouse in “The Prince and the Pauper” before rolling into the first of the top four Disney features of the 90′s. In “Mermaid” he supervised the King Triton animation unit and in “Beauty” he designed Gaston.
After Aladdin followed Scar in “The Lion King” next was another Mickey short “Run Away Brain”. Andreas animated the title character and hero in “Hercules” before he did some work on “The Emperor’s New Groove”. Another quick little project on Mickey’s animation in “Fantasia 2000″ before doing his first female lead character in “Lilo and Stitch” ending his feature film career with “Home on the Range”.
He had and advisor role in “Bambi 2″ before doing some animation of Queen Narissa in this years “Enchanted”.

Eric Goldberg

Supervisior Animator Genie

Eric doing a sketch of Genie.
Likely from his first scenes in the cave.

Before Aladdin Eric Goldberg was a freelancer animator on several projects directed by Richard Willaims who in turn in best know for his unfinished project “The Princess and the Cobbler” also known as “Arabian Nights”. Bad tonques say the Aladdin crew stole or borrowed from this movie.
After Aladdin Eric Goldberg stayed at Disney to direct “Pocahontas” and animate Phil in “Hercules” and drawn some “Fantasia 2000″ segments. He also got a cameo appearence as animator in that movie. What followed was a period of live action comedies where Eric did the neccary (2d/cg/sfxc) animation “Looney Tunes: Back in Action” is the best known film of that period.
In 2001 Eric Goldberg returned to Disney to write, direct and (probably) animate the Disneyland Japan resort attraction “The Magic Lamp 3D”, it combines a 3D CG animation with a live stage show, starring Genie. Currently his is reunited with Aladdin directors Ron Clements & John Musker and his fellow animator Andreas Deja for “The Princess and the Frog”.
Between feature projects he is often interviewed for Disney DVD bonus material on classic and modern animated films by the studio.

Will Finn

Supervisior Animator Iago

Will Finn predenting to be Iago who explains
Jafar his plans to dump the sultan royal family.

Before Aladdin Willaim S. Fin did work on the Don Bluth classic “The Secret of NIMH” before doing a Goofy short as his first Disney project. Followewas Filmations “Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night” then back at Disney Will Finn animated on “Oliver” and “Beauty”.
After Aladdin he stayed at Disney up till their last traditional animated feature film “Home on the Range” In between Disney films Will was at Dreamworks for “The Road to El Dorado”
In 1994 Will Finn did storyboard work for “Return of Jafar”.

Duncan Marjoribanks

Supervisior Animator Abu

Abu looks about ready to be naughty as Duncan shows his drawing.

Before Aladdin Duncan joined the Studio during production of “Mermaid” where he did Sebasitaan. Before this he worked at Hanna-Barbara on a Heidi film. Next was McLeach the villain of the forgotten Rescuers sequel “The Rescuers Down Under”.
After Aladdin Duncan topped with “Pocahontas” where he wrote the story for, video reference cast, character design and animation for. He held an office on the Disney lot until after “Huncback” where had some additional animation tasks. His next office was at Dreamworks where he worked on “The Prince of Egypt”, “The Road to El Dorado” and “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”.
After that he was back at Burbank for “Home on the Range” and “Meet the Robinsons” in animation tasks.

David Pruiksma

Supervisior Animator Sultan

David Pruiksma studying a sculpture of the Sultan

Before Aladdin David Pruiksma’s carreer started as assistent animator on “The Black Cauldron” in 1985. He stayed at Disney for almost 20 years going from project to project as the only supervising animator on Aladdin to have worked on all films from “Mermaid” to “Pocahontas”.
After Aladdin came “The Lion King”, “Pocahontas”, “Hunchback”, then a gap to “Atlantis” in 2001 with another gap to the short “One by One”.

Randy Cartwright

Supervisior Animator Carpet and Cave of Wonders

Randy drawing Carpet.

Before Aladdin the Disney vetran Randy Cartwright began at Disney on “Pete’s Dragon” then “Fox”, “Brave Little Toaster” and Mickey’s Christmas Carol” before joining the Belle unit on “Beauty”.
After Aladdin Mr. Cartwright’s star went up with his work on Zazu on “The Lion King” then to the story deparments of “Pocahontas” and “Hercules” before setting up camp at Dreamworks. There did story and animation of the various films like “The Prince of Egypt” and all following films including “Shrek”. He was last credit as story writer on “Madagascar”.
Like Glen, Andreas and Eric Randy is often seen on Disney DVDs.

A big anniversary like this week can’t go by without an appropriate wallpaper. Based on an image in the most recent Princess magazine comes A Whole Old World Anniversary Wallpaper.

Sorry just a 1024 by 768 pixel version. Set the wallpaper as your desktop by clicking on the thumbnail to load the full screen version then right click and choose Set as background .

To celebrate that today precisely 15 years ago Disney’s Aladdin premiered Streetrat featured a daily high-quality picture for the past 25 days. The pictures are from a Japanese Movie Program I purchased earlier this year and promised to share high-res scans but haven’t gotten a chance to so. Besides stills from the movie the program contained promotional photos of the key people who brought this animated film to life.

Not included in the magazine but deserving the credits are two of the key story people who shaped Aladdin into its final form are Terry Rossio and his writing partner Ted Elliott.

Ted Elliott

Screenplay writer

Before Aladdin, Ted co-wrote the unknown horror comedy “Little Monsters” with Terry Rossio.
After Aladdin, he and Terry made name in the movie industry working on the family film “Small Soldiers” before hitting gold in “The Mask Of Zorro” in 1999 quickly followed by 2 DreamWorks movies “Road To Eldorado” and the first “Shrek” movie before being reunited with Ron n’ John and a large portion of the Aladdin crew for “Treasure Planet”. They became immortal when asked to write the screenplay for all three “Pirates Of The Pirates of the Caribbean” films.

Terry Rossio

Screenplay writer

Terry Rossio’s professional career is exactly the same as Teds above.

Howard Ashman

Lyricist & Story Writer

Before Aladdin, Howard Ashman wrote story and lyrics for “Little Shop Of Horrors” along with is pal the legendary Alan Menken before landing at Disney. As ‘test run’ Howard was asked to write the opening song Once Upon a Time in New York City for “Oliver & Company.” Next followed “The Little Mermaid” his baby which he co-wrote, co-produced, and did the lyrics for. Next project was doing the songs together with Alan for “Beauty and the Beast”
After Aladdin, Howard Ashman died half-way Aladdin’s production and so never saw the final film of both Beauty and Al.

Alan Menken

Lyrist & Composer

Lyricists and composers Alan Menken and Tim Rice seen going through a song.

Before Aladdin, Alan’s career followed more or less the same path Howard walked. He did lyrics for “Little Shop of Horrors” and composed for two unknown movies “The Line” (1980) and “Act II” (1987) before joining Disney to never leave by composing “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast”
After Aladdin, came “Pocahontas” , “The Hunch Back Of Notre Dame” and “Hercules” between feature film his music and lyrics where used in Aladdin’s sequel 1 and series in Arabian Nights Mr. Menken wrote additional material for musical adaption’s his big 3 films, “The Little Mermaid: Broadway Musical”, “Beauty and the Beast: Broadway”,
“Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular”

Tim Rice

Lyrist & Composer

Lyrists and composers Alan Menken and Tim Rice.

Before Aladdin Tim Rice wrote music and songs for musicals “Evita” and “Chess” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” until he was asked to help Alan complete songs and score for Aladdin.
After Aladdin, Mr. Rice continued working for Disney by working with Elton John on the music of “The Lion King”. Reunited with Alan Menken writing more songs for the Broadway adaption of Beauty. A new musical called “Aida” and the theater version of 1994s of Simba the lion king.
For DreamWorks Tim Rice joined forces with Elton John again on “The Road to El Dorado”.

To celebrate that today precisely 15 years ago Disney’s Aladdin premiered Streetrat featured a daily high-quality picture for the past 25 days. The pictures are from a Japanese Movie Program I purchased earlier this year and promised to share high-res scans but haven’t gotten a chance to so. Besides stills from the movie the program contained promotional photos of the key people who brought this animated film to life.

Kathy Altieri

Backgrounds Supervisor

Backgrounds supervisor Kathy Altieri working on a background of the palace

Before Aladdin, Kathy has a short career at Disney. She was part of the background team of “The Little Mermaid” as background artist before helming the design of Aladdin.
After Aladdin, she worked on “The Lion King” and “The Hunchback of Northre Dame” before leaving Disney in favor of Dreamworks. She was Art Director on “The Prince of Egypt” (1998) and production designer on DW last 2D film “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” recent before doing the same on “Over The Hedge” (2006).

Rasoul Azadani

Layout Supervisor

Not included in the magazine but certainly deserves credits for designing Agrabah’s argitecture.
Before Aladdin, Razoul joined Disney in the late 1980s as layout artist on “Oliver & Company” and the hit “The Little Mermaid” working along with Kathy Altieri designing under- and above water line backgrounds. Once Mermaid was done Rasoul promoted to key layout artist for “Beauty and the Beast” before completing the 3 modern princess movies with Aladdin.
After Aladdin, Razoul stayed at Disney doing the backgrounds for “Hercules” and a segement in “Fantasia 2000″ on the Eric Goldberg pet project “Rhapsody in Blue” before dropping of the rader in animation land.

Being totally in the mood for some Al/Jas romance because it’s a happy day. *points to header image* and even though it’s now 5 past 10 in the evening and so the 15th Anniversary comes to an end in less then 2 hours I felt I should do something to celebrate it.

This morning I watched “While The City Snoozes” on TV and tonight I watched my favorite scenes from the movie which happen to be also edited in an Aladdin Music Video starring the boy trapped in his poovery and the trapped girl in her gilden cage.
Aladdin Romance is brought you by magnum44 and made possible thanks to the talented Aladdin crew and YouTube.

Happy 15th guys!

Aladdin Forever

To celebrate that today precisely 15 years ago Disney’s Aladdin premiered Streetrat featured a daily high-quality picture for the past 25 days. The pictures are from a Japanese Movie Program I purchased earlier this year and promised to share high-res scans but haven’t gotten a chance to so. Besides stills from the movie the program contained promotional photos of the key people who brought this animated film to life.

Ron Clements

co-Director

Before Aladdin, Ron Clements was at the Disney studios since the late 1970′s as animator on the short film “The Small One”, the live-action/animated film “Pete’s Dragon” up to the 1981 “Fox And The Hound”. From then on he teamed up with John Musker to write for “The Black Cauldron” and “The Great Mouse Detective” Which paved the way for their directional debut with the hit “The Little Mermaid” where they also wrote the screenplay of and making them immortal. Once Mermaid was finished they started on Aladdin
After Aladdin, Ron Clements would work on directing, writing and producing “Hercules” After Herc it would be quiet around this magical duo for four years when their last film before temporarily leaving Disney come out. “Treasure Planet” wasn’t the hit they hoped for and a few years later Disney would shot down their traditional animation feature film department.
Since 2006 Ron Clements is again working with his friend John Musker on a 2D Disney film. “The Princess And The Frog” is set for a 2009 premiere.

John Musker

co-Director

Before Aladdin, John Musker’s story is more or less the same as Ron’s. John joined Disney around the same time working as assistant animator with Frank Thomas on “The Rescuers” (1977) before working on “Pete’s Dragon”, “The Black Cauldron”, “The Great Mouse Detective” and “The Little Mermaid” (1989). Before producing and directing Aladdin.
After Aladdin, John Musker worked on “Hercules” and “Treasure Planet” (2002) five years after his last Disney film these two vets attendant the premiere of “The Princess And The Frog”.

To celebrate Disney’s Aladdin premiered 15 years ago this 25 November a high-quality picture is published daily. The pictures are from a Japanese Movie Program I purchased earlier this year and promised to share high-res scans but haven’t gotten a chance to so.
The pictures are large, 3000 pixels wide and over 400kb in size.

Download the Zip file by clicking on the thumbnail of Day 24: Hey, stud!

To celebrate Disney’s Aladdin premiered 15 years ago this 25 November a high-quality picture is published daily. The pictures are from a Japanese Movie Program I purchased earlier this year and promised to share high-res scans but haven’t gotten a chance to so.
The pictures are large, 3000 pixels wide and over 500kb in size.

Download the Zip file by clicking on the thumbnail of Day 23: Genie Puppeteer!

To celebrate Disney’s Aladdin premiered 15 years ago this 25 November a high-quality picture is published daily. The pictures are from a Japanese Movie Program I purchased earlier this year and promised to share high-res scans but haven’t gotten a chance to so.
The pictures are large, 3000 pixels wide and over 500kb in size.

Download the Zip file by clicking on the thumbnail of Day 22: Shopping citizens!

To celebrate Disney’s Aladdin premiered 15 years ago this 25 November a high-quality picture is published daily. The pictures are from a Japanese Movie Program I purchased earlier this year and promised to share high-res scans but haven’t gotten a chance to so.
The pictures are large, 3000 pixels wide and over 800kb in size.

Download the Zip file by clicking on the thumbnail of Day 21: Amor!

To celebrate Disney’s Aladdin premiered 15 years ago this 25 November a high-quality picture is published daily. The pictures are from a Japanese Movie Program I purchased earlier this year and promised to share high-res scans but haven’t gotten a chance to so.
The pictures are large, 3000 pixels wide and over 500kb in size.

Download the Zip file by clicking on the thumbnail of Day 20: Genie Puppeteer!

15 years ago this month Walt Disney Studios released its 32th full-length animated classic Aladdin. In honor of this joyful month Streetrat celebrates 15 years of magic, action, humor and romance.

Walt Disney Classics Collection is known for its exclusive handcrafted and painted porcelain statues of Disney characters. The statues are produced in limited numbers and therefore prices vary from relative cheap (around $100) to expensive (more than a thousand dollars).

Aladdin statues in the Collection go back almost a decade, in 1997/98 WDCC launched “I’m Losing to a Rug” and “One Mighty Evil One”
Genie and Jafar where the first to get a WDCC statue in 1997. You probably seen them or might even own one. Genie is playing a game of chess against Carpet while Jafar is seen placing the ruby ring into the hourglass, both statues appear to have been retired earlier this year.

Oh Mighty Evil One and I’m losing to a rug

Aladdin Opening

Several years past and virtually every other major classic film got a figure except Aladdin.

For the 2001 holiday season two sculptures where released in the “Enchanted Castle” Ornament Series. Triton’s Castle and Sultan’s Palace. The suggested retail price was $45 then. Today I’ve seen it selling for almost 60 bucks on EBay. It’s relative cheap and would be a great addition to anyone’s WDCC sculpture collection.

It wasn’t until 2002 Aladdin fans exchange their money for on a new Walt Disney Classic Collection figure. A title plaque wasn’t much but it the first in a line of figs that would blow Genie and Jafar out of the water. The plaque is aimed at the lower end of the market selling for around $30 it is great for Disney fans who want to own a genuine Walt Disney Classics Collection figure both can’t affort the more expensive ones. It would also be a great birthday or Christmas present. That same year saw the dreewable and expensive Aladdin figure day light. In a Dusty Horner crafted limited rendition of 1,992 pcs of A Whole New World made for Aladdin’s 10th birthday. Some dealers sold a Jeweled Agrabah Base.

The next couple of years the collection didn’t grow but in the winter 2005 a figure of Aladdin with lamp, Abu on his head and Carpet titled “Legend of the Lamp” was released. Because it was only 3 months on the market it’s hard to find and logically pricey.

One year later Jasmine, Sultan and Rajah where given the WDCC retreatment. Together the three make the princess introduction scene. Jasmine holding the bird “Captive Spirits” while her father “Fawning Father” pleads to choose a husband and Rajah “Bengal Bodyguard” is observing them from a distance. Statues are made of earthenware and although I couldn’t confirm it I suspect the releases where tied into Aladdin DVD premiere that same year.

Captive Spirits, Fawning Father and Bengal Bodyguard

With just above a hundred bucks each, with Sultan being the cheapest and Rajah the priciest it is possible far the average Disney fantastic to at least own one.

Not long after, in 2006, Genie and Jafar got a second statue.
Titled “Villainous Vizier” by Kent Melton, who also did “I’m Losing To A Rug” and “Oh Mighty Evil One” both are selling for about $ 175. The Genie captured the jinni loony personality in the Ruben Procopio sculpture “Magic At His Finger Tips”.
Also in 2006 a stone-resin statue of the Cave Of Wonders was released. The cave sits on a wooden base and comes with a miniature bronze Aladdin.

Villainous Vizier and Magic At His Finger Tips
The Cave of Wonders with miniture Aladdin

Harder to find is “Group Hug” a three dimensional recreation of the final moments in Aladdin. Jasmine is lifted by Aladdin where Genie, Sultan, Carpet and Abu stand around watching the newly formed couple. The characters stand on a base in the form of the palace balcony. The statue is made Capodimonte porcelain with the hands of sculptor Enzo Arnzenton. The price: US $1.901, 55

WDCC statues are being sold at various official dealers worldwide and second hand on auction sites like EBay.