If you are looking for a Disney animated classic for the children, or if you love the film and are young at heart…or perhaps you are a person who just wants to experience this Disney classic in HD, you can’t go wrong with this release! It is the definitive version of “Aladdin” to own and a Blu-ray release that I highly recommend!
TITLE: Aladdin: Diamond Edition
FILM RELEASE: 1992
DURATION: 91 Minutes
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:85:1 Aspect Ratio), English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Audio Description Track 2.0, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish
COMPANY: Disney
RATED: G (For General Audiences)
Release Date: October 13, 2015
Directed by Ron Clements and John Musker
Screenplay by Ron Clements, John Musker, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio
Story by Burny Mattinson, Roger Allers, Daan jippes, Kevin Harkey, Sue C. Nichols, Francis Glebas, Darrell Rooney, Larry Leker, James Fujii, Kirk Hanson, Kevin Lima, Rebecca Rees, David S. Smith, Chris Sanders, Brian Pimental, Patrick A. Ventura
Produced by Ron Clements, John Musker
Co-Produced: Donald W. Ernst, Amy Pell
Music by Alan Menken
Edited by H. Lee Peterson
Cinematography by Claudio Miranda
Edited by Walter Murch, Craig Wood
Casting by Albert Tavares
Production Design by Richard Vander Wende
Art Direction by Bill Perkins
Featuring the voices of:
Scott Weinger as Aladdin
Robin Williams as Genie/Peddler
Linda Larkin as Jasmine
Jonathan Freeman as Jafar
Frank Welker as Abu/Cave of Wonders
Gilbert Gottfried as Iago
Douglas Seale as Sultan
Charles Adler as Gazeem
Corey Burton as Prince Achmed
Jim Cummings as Razoul/Farouk
In Disney’s riveting mystery adventure TOMORROWLAND, a jaded inventor and an optimistic teen embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space.
From the team who brought audiences the successful Disney film, “The Little Mermaid” (1989) in 1992 would hope that they can achieve the same success with “Aladdin”.
An animated film that is inspired by the Middle Eastern folk tale. The film became the 31st Walt Disney Animation Classic, and would be released the year after the successful “Beauty and the Beast”.
And while the film debuted in theaters at #2, the film would have a long life, eventually reaching #1 for weeks and being in the top of the box office for weeks, making it the most successful film of 1992. The film which was budgeted at $22 million, would go on to earn $504 million.
The film would win two Academy Awards for “Best Music, Original Score” and “Best Music, Original Song” for “A Whole New World”.
And now Disney’s successful animated film “Aladdin: Diamond Edition” will be released on Blu-ray in October 2015.
“Aladdin” begins with the introduction of Jafar, the Grand Vizier to the Sultan, who is trying to retrieve a magical oil lamp containing a genie from the Cave of Wonders. When he tries to get a thief to steal it, the thief fails, but he and his parrot Lago learn that only a “Diamond in the Rough” can enter the cave.
We are introduced to a thief named Aladdin, who is accompanied by his little monkey, named Abu. The two steal food in order to survive but end up giving their bread to children who are in need of food.
Meanwhile, Jasmine, the daughter of the Sultan is tired of her life and that her father is trying to make her get married, so he heads to the Agrabah’s marketplace. While being accused of stealing, Aladdin comes to her rescue and they become friends.
Jafar spots Aladdin and believes he is his “Diamond in the Rough” and orders him to be captured and executed for kidnapping the princess.
While Jasmine orders him to be released, Jafar tricks her into thinking that Aladdin is sentenced to death, but in reality, he makes Aladdin (and Abu) go to the Cave of Wonders to retrieve the lamp for a reward.
But what happens when Aladdin and Abu go on their adventure to find the lamp containing the genie?
VIDEO:
“Aladdin: Diamond Edition” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1 aspect ratio). The film is what I would expect from Disney, nothing less than perfect, “Aladdin” looks amazing on Blu-ray. Colors are vibrant, animation looks recent due to its clarity and detail. In fact, one of the biggest tests would be the lava scene as Aladdin and Abu are in the Cave of wonders, due to the reds and oranges, while I did see some banding, it’s only if you are trying to look for any flaws, that they become a little apparent, but really, not many people will catch these. In fact, if anything, they will be more pleased with how sharp and gorgeous the film looks in HD.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
“Aladdin: Diamond Edition” is presented in English 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack. The lossless soundtrack is very immersive. One can expect crystal clear dialogue and music, while surround channels are effectively used throughout the film, utilizing panning and directional audio. Also a great use of LFE during the more action intensive scenes. Audiophiles should be pleased with this fantastic lossless soundtrack!
Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES
“Aladdin: Diamond Edition” comes with the following special features:
- Audio Commentaries – Featuring audio commentary with directors Ron Clements and John Musker and co-producer Amy Pell. The second audio commentary features supervising animators Andreas Deja, Will Finn, Eric Goldberg and Glen Keane.
- The Genie Outtakes – (8:53) A featurette showcasing Robin Williams outtakes.
- Aladdin: Creating Broadway Magic – (18:53) “Glee” star Darren Criss showcases the Broadway adaptation and production of “Aladdin”.
- Unboxing Aladdin – (4:40) Disney Channel’s Joey Bragg discusses the Easter Eggs showcased in the film.
- Genie 101 – (3:59) Aladdin voice actor Scott Weinger talks about Genie in early cinema.
- Ron & John: You Ain’t Never Had a Friend Like Me – (5:36) Directors Ron Clements and John Musker talk about their time working for Disney during the ’90s.
- Deleted Songs – Featuring four deleted songs.
- Deleted Scenes – Featuring two deleted/alternate scenes.
- Music Videos – Featuring Clay Aiken’s “Proud of Your boy” plus the original story reel and behind-the scenes footage of “Proud of Your Boy”. Also, featuring the music video for former married couple Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey for “A Whole New World” and also a behind-the-scenes of “A Whole New World”. And the classic Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle music video for “A Whole New World”.
- Disney Song Selection with Optional On-Screen Lyrics – Sing songs from the film with on-screen lyrics.
- Inside the Genie’s Lamp: Guided Tour – (6:13) Inside the “Genie World Tour” hosted by Jafar’s parrot Lago.
- The Genie World Tour – (3:14) The tour hosted by Jafar’s parrot Lago.
- Trailers
EXTRAS:
“Aladdin: Diamond Edition” comes with a slipcover and Disney Movie Rewards code. A Blu-ray and DVD version of the film is included and with the entering of the code, will give you access to Digital HD version online.
There was no doubt that “Aladdin” is one of the most anticipated releases from Disney to be released on Blu-ray.
With many of the Disney ’90 films released on Blu-ray, good things come for those who wait as the Diamond Edition of “Aladdin” is a fantastic release.
From its comedy (thanks to the late Robin Williams) but also its characters and adventurous storyline, “Aladdin: Diamond Edition” is a Walt Disney animated classic that will entertain generations upon generations.
Back in the ’90s, the film was considered a rare Disney gem, thanks to its comedy that appealed to both children and adults, one can easily be captivated by Aladdin, Abu, the flying magic carpet, the genie and their adventures. But the animation was a major highlight at the time as the colors were vibrant, the character designs managed to stay within Disney’s consistency of quality animation.
But with that being said, I’m going to be truthful and say that I enjoyed Ron Clements and John Musker’s “The Little Mermaid” much more.  As well as “Beauty and the Beast”, mainly because of the combination of a deeper storyline and its music, back in 1992, “A Whole New World”, while popular, was a song that I grew sick of quickly, that even listening to it in 2015, I’m still not enjoying the song and can’t sit through the entire song. But also, at the time, and I must say first that I have always enjoyed Robin Williams as an actor and comedian, I felt at the time that the genie bits were overdone. But that was my opinion at the time and I was only a teenager at the time, but as an adult and as a parent, watching this film again, I found myself appreciating it much more.
But watching “Aladdin: Diamond Edition”, I must say that this film looks absolutely gorgeous on Blu-ray. The film is clean and vibrant, the backgrounds and surroundings are beautifully painted and show amazing detail. The lossless 7.1 soundtrack is immersive, crisp and crystal clear.
And for those who owned previous versions of the film, there are new special features included in this “Diamond Edition”, but also the classic featurettes from previous releases are also included in this fantastic release. So, it’s a packed Blu-ray release and also an excellent Diamond Edition Blu-ray!
Overall, if you are looking for a Disney animated classic for the children, or if you love the film and are young at heart…or perhaps you are a person who just wants to experience this Disney classic in HD, you can’t go wrong with this release! It is the definitive version of “Aladdin” to own and a Blu-ray release that I highly recommend!
