Today in History – Disney's ‘Aladdin’ premieres

CAIRO - 26 November 2017: November 25 marks the anniversary of Disney's beloved animated classic “Aladdin”, which first premiered on this day in 1992 – 25 years ago.



Marking the fourth film in the “Disney renaissance”, which started with 1989's “The Little Mermaid”, Disney's “Aladdin” is an adaptation of the classic fairytale “One Thousand and One Nights”. Featuring Robin Williams as the voice of the Genie, the film centers on the titular Aladdin (Scott Weinger) in the fictional desert city of Agrabah. A street urchin, Aladdin dreams of winning the heart of the beautiful Princess Jasmine, though she is arranged to be married off.

Aladdin's luck turns around when he visits the magical Cave of Wonders and retrieves a golden lamp, which summons the wacky yet powerful Genie to grant him three wishes, along with a flying carpet. Yet, while Aladdin uses the lamp to rise himself up from rags to riches and ask for Jasmine's hand in marriage, the wicked royal advisor, Jafar (Jonathan Freeman), hatches an evil plot to take control of the lamp for himself.

Winning two Oscar awards, “Aladdin” earned a total domestic gross of over $217,350,219 from a budget of $28,000,000. The film was followed up with a direct to VHS sequel titled “Aladdin: The Return of Jafar” in 1995, an animated television series that ran from September 5, 1994 until November 25, 1995, and finally finishing off with “Aladdin and the King of Thieves” in 1996.

A live-action remake of the film starring Will Smith as the Genie, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine and Mena Massoud as Aladdin is set for a 2019 release.