FLASH FRIDAY: Mighty Is He! All About ALADDIN - Movie, Musical, Prequel & Beyond
By: Pat Cerasaro Jul. 17, 2015
Today we celebrates the news of a planned ALADDIN prequel by looking back at the Hollywood and Broadway hit.
Fabulous He
One of the most cherished and celebrated animated movie musicals of all time, Disney's ALADDIN is in a league of its own. As the final Howard Ashman/Alan Menken collaboration to make it to the silver screen following their work together on the stage-to-screen adaptation of LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS and the Disney mega-hits THE LITTLE MERMAID and BEAUTY & THE BEAST, ALADDIN showcased the pair's combustible chemistry in creating highly accessible earworm tunes packed with dramatic heft, comedic prowess, lyrical precision and exceptional storytelling depth. Unfortunately, Ashman would not live to see the movie musical make its world premiere on November 25. 1992. After his untimely death due to complications from AIDS in early 1991, acclaimed Tony Award-winning lyricist Tim Rice was brought into the fold to provide additional lyrics for several songs for ALADDIN, many of which became standouts from the popular and enduring score, including the eventual Academy Award-winning romantic duet "A Whole New World".
Originally pitched as an animated musical comedy in the vein of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby road movies with a Cab Calloway-esque Genie, ALADDIN went through an extensive rewriting and refining process in its long and twisty journey to the big screen. Work first began on the project as far back as 1988 when Howard Ashman first pitched the concept for the movie and the first songs were penned for the score by Menken and Ashman, but the film was put on the back burner and BEAUTY & THE BEAST was greenlit instead due to the studio's concerns about the initial pitch by Ashman. Following the worldwide success of BEAUTY & THE BEAST, screenwriter Linda Woolverton became involved, as did directors John Musker and Ron Clements. Studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg became intimately involved with the development of the project soon thereafter, and shepherded the significantly revised and re-jiggered scenario to its final finished form along with Menken and company, with Ashman tragically passing away in the interim.
Of course, a big, splashy Broadway musical has since succeeded in its journey to the Great White Way after several developmental attempts over the years, recently earning James Monroe Iglehart a Best Featured Actor In A Musical Tony Award for his work as the Genie in the stage version, which interestingly re-incorporates many moments and concepts from Ashman and Menken's original plans for the piece. Now, breaking news just this week confirms that a prequel titled GENIES is being planned by the House of Mouse, with Tripp Vinson set to direct a live-action film from a script by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift depicting the genesis of the genies who inhabit the magical lamp eventually discovered by Aladdin that leads him on his various adventures in both the movie and the musical. Indeed, Aladdin may have been granted three wishes in the story itself and it appears as though the third wish for yet another major project in the magical world originally dreamed up by Ashman will appear sometime very soon.
Friend Like Me
So, now, let's take a look at some of the highlights from the various iterations of ALADDIN as we anticipate the new film prequel.
First up, check out the trailer for the feature film of ALADDIN.
Next, Robin Williams shines with one of the score's biggest showstoppers.
Lea Salonga and Brad Kane sing "A Whole New World" at the Oscars.
ALADDIN wins Best Song at the Oscars.
ALADDIN is presented as a theme park attraction at California Adventure.
Broadway's ALADDIN performs on THE VIEW.
Go inside ALADDIN on Broadway.
The cast of Broadway's ALADDIN pays tribute to Robin Williams.
James Monroe Iglehart and the cast of ALADDIN perform on the Tony Awards.
Lastly, Darren Criss performs a cut ALADDIN movie song reinstated for Broadway.
As a special bonus, hear Howard Ashman perform a demo for an early song written for ALADDIN.
What is your absolute favorite version of ALADDIN - the animated movie musical, the stage version or perhaps even one of the direct-to-video sequels? Furthermore, what is your choice for most memorable moment from the engaging score? Certainly, with a story this rich and the character of the Genie so compelling and iconic for an entire generation (or several), the GENIES project has already been supplied with more magic than a cartful of lamps.
Photo Credits: Disney
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