Here we go again with another bad straight-to-video Disney sequel!
I’ll start of by saying that this film sets up the plot for the Aladdin animated series that followed. Something that I am pretty sure I remember watching as a kid, but have no memory of what it was like. I’ll have to look into that. Oh, and it’s also notable because it is Disney’s first direct-to-video sequel: this is where the pain began folks!
Anyway, the plot as IMDB puts it: Jafar comes for revenge on Aladdin, using a foolish thief and Iago’s treachery to find a way back into power. Fair enough, the old revenge situation. Actually, before we go on, I’ll just say this is not nearly the worst of the Disney sequels. But it’s also not great and there are various reasons why I put it as one of the bad ones.
The animation is such a drop down from the original movie. Clearly, it was a rush piece and those who worked on it have suggested how they aimed to get it out fast after the success of the first film. And Robin Williams didn’t return to voice the Genie. Now, Dan Castellaneta does a decent job, its not bad at all. But its also clearly not Robin Williams who was a big part of what made the first film so great, so it does notice.
The good points of the film are that Jafar remains interesting as a villain and Iago gets plenty to do. The story has a decent pace and does have some decent beats to it. If only they had given the movie a bit more time and added some finesse. Ultimately though, for me, it misses Robin Williams a lot as the Genie and the animation makes my head hurt a little!
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