ALADIN

Aladdin is a 2019 American musicalfantasy film directed by Guy Ritchie, who co-wrote the screenplay with John August. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, it is a live action adaptation of Disney’s 1992 animated film of the same name, which is based on the eponymous Middle Eastern folktale from One Thousand and One Nights.

Plot

Aladdin, a kind-hearted young street rat living in the desert kingdom of Agrabah, along with his pet monkey Abu, rescues and befriends Princess Jasmine, who has snuck out of the palace, growing tired of her sheltered life. She hides her true identity, allowing Aladdin to believe that she is the princess’s handmaiden. However, Jasmine rushes home after seeing Prince Anders has come to court the princess. Meanwhile, the Grand Vizier Jafar grows tired of being “second best”. He and his parrot Iago thus seek a magic lamp hidden within the Cave of Wonders to become Sultan. Only one person is worthy to enter: “the diamond in the rough”, whom Jafar later identifies as Aladdin. Aladdin is captured by the palace guards on Jafar’s orders. Jafar reveals Jasmine’s true identity to Aladdin and persuades him to retrieve the lamp after telling him that he can be made rich enough to impress Jasmine. Inside the cave, Aladdin finds a magic carpet and obtains the lamp. Defying Aladdin’s instruction to touch nothing but the lamp, Abu grabs a ruby. Aladdin, Abu, and the carpet rush to escape the cave as it collapses. Aladdin gives the lamp to Jafar, but Jafar double-crosses them and throws Aladdin back into the cave, but not before Abu steals the lamp back.

Trapped, Aladdin rubs the lamp and meets the Genie, an incredibly powerful nigh-omnipotent being, who lives inside it. The Genie explains that he has the power to grant Aladdin three wishes, with the exception of murder, romance, resurrection of the dead, and wishing for more wishes. Aladdin wishes to be out of the cave and Genie takes him to the outskirts of Agrabah only to realize that Aladdin gave the lamp to Abu when making the wish, therefore making the wish invalid and getting Aladdin out of the cave without using one. Aladdin then uses his first wish to become a prince to impress Jasmine after promising to use his third wish to free the Genie from servitude. Back in Agrabah, Aladdin, as “Prince Ali of Ababwa”, arrives in a large spectacle, but Jasmine is unimpressed. Later, Aladdin takes Jasmine on a ride on the magic carpet while the Genie goes out with her handmaiden Dalia. When Jasmine deduces Aladdin’s true identity, Aladdin convinces Jasmine that he only dresses as a peasant to escape the stresses of royal life. However, Jafar also discovers Aladdin’s identity and threatens him to reveal where the lamp is hidden. Aladdin refuses and Jafar throws him out of a tower into the sea. Abu and the carpet arrive with the lamp and Aladdin rubs it just before fainting. At the cost of his second wish, Genie rescues Aladdin. After speaking with Jasmine, they help expose Jafar’s evil plan and the Sultan has Jafar arrested. After being offered the position as heir to the Sultan, Aladdin, fearing that he will lose Jasmine if the truth is revealed, reluctantly breaks his promise and refuses to free the Genie, upsetting him.

Meanwhile, Iago steals the dungeon keys and frees Jafar, who steals the lamp from Aladdin with his own street smarts and becomes the Genie’s new master. He uses his first wish to become Sultan. When Jasmine convinces the palace guards to rebel against Jafar, he uses his second wish to become the world’s most powerful sorcerer, sending the guards and Rajah to the dungeon. He then exiles Aladdin and Abu to a frozen wasteland on the other side of the Earth and threatens to kill Dalia and the Sultan unless Jasmine agrees to marry him. However, the Genie has the carpet go to retrieve Aladdin and Abu. As they proceed with the wedding ceremony, Aladdin returns and Jasmine helps him get the lamp back. Jafar transforms Iago into a roc and steals the lamp back after a brief chase. He overpowers the heroes, destroying the carpet in the process. However, Aladdin taunts Jafar for being “second best” to the Genie, tricking him into using his last wish to become the most powerful being in the universe. Genie turns Jafar into a genie himself, but since genies cannot live their own lives without being wished free, Jafar is now bound to a lamp. Jafar ends up trapped inside it, taking Iago with him. With Agrabah returned to normal, the Genie banishes Jafar’s lamp to the Cave of Wonders and fixes the carpet. He then advises Aladdin to use his third wish so he can marry Jasmine. Instead, Aladdin decides to keep his promise and frees the Genie, turning him human. The Sultan declares that Jasmine will be the next ruler and tells her she may change the law to marry Aladdin. Genie leaves to explore the world with Dalia, now his wife, and their two children, while Aladdin and Jasmine get married and start their new life together.

Music

See also: Aladdin (2019 soundtrack)

Alan Menken was brought in to compose the score for the film after previously doing so in the original animated film, while Pasek & Paul wrote a new song with Menken, and several songs from the original film, by Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice, were featured in the remake