Disney Wishing On New ‘Aladdin’ Video
Walt Disney Home Video is expecting direct-to-video magic to strike twice when it premieres “Aladdin and the King of Thieves,” the latest installment in the “Aladdin” trilogy, in stores this summer.
Direct-to-video was once thought of as a way to salvage movies that weren’t good enough for a theatrical run. However, “The Return of Jafar,” the first video-exclusive “Aladdin” sequel, changed the rules when it was released two years ago. The title has sold more than 10 million copies, according to Disney.
Scheduled for an Aug. 14 release, “Aladdin and the King of Thieves” will again test the direct-to-video waters and the staying power of one of Disney’s most popular characters. Although Disney has yet to announce a price for the title, retailers expect it to cost around $22.
Aside from bringing back Aladdin and Princess Jasmine for a royal wedding, “King of Thieves” marks the return of Robin Williams as the voice of Genie.
Following the theatrical release of “Aladdin,” Williams had a well-publicized falling-out with Disney over the use of his voice in the marketing campaign and refused to reprise his role for the “Jafar” sequel. Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson, subbed for Williams to mixed reviews.
Last year, however, the studio made a public apology to Williams, who came back for the third installment.
“It’s been wonderful to come back again and have this kind of carte blanche,” says Williams, “(and) once again to play the big blue guy.”
The video will feature five new songs (written by David Friedman, Randy Petersen, and Kevin Quinn), two of which are sung by Williams. There are, however, no plans for a separate sound-track release.
Jerry Orbach joins the cast as new villain Suluk, and John Rhys-Davies plays Cassim, Aladdin’s long-lost father.
While Williams had been absent from the series, co-stars Scott Weinger (Aladdin) and Gilbert Gottfried (Iago, the wisecracking parrot) had no trouble picking up where “The Return of Jafar” left off.
Gottfried and Weinger say having Williams back in the cast will add excitement to the release of “Prince of Thieves.”