The Return of Jafar
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| The Return of Jafar | |
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 VHS Cover For The Return of Jafar |
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| Directed by | Toby Shelton Tad Stones Alan Zaslove |
| Produced by | Jessica Koplos-Miller Maia Mattise Tad Stones Alan Zaslove |
| Written by | Kevin Campbell Duane Capizzi Mirith J. Colao Douglas Langdale Mark McCorkle Bill Motz Steve Roberts Dev Ross Bob Roth Robert Schooley Tad Stones Jan Strnad Brian Swenlin |
| Starring | Jonathan Freeman Scott Weinger Gilbert Gottfried Dan Castellaneta Jason Alexander Linda Larkin Frank Welker Val Bettin |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Home Video |
| Release date(s) | May 20, 1994 |
| Running time | 66 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | N/A |
| Preceded by | Aladdin (1992) |
| Followed by | Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996) |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Return of Jafar (later retitled Aladdin: The Return of Jafar) is a direct-to-video sequel to the 1992 film Aladdin, produced by The Walt Disney Company in 1994. The movie was released direct-to-video, and serves as the origin of the Aladdin animated series. Another direct-to-video sequel, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, followed in 1996.
It was the first Disney direct-to-video animated feature release, and is currently available on Special Edition DVD (with "Aladdin:" added to the title), with digitally restored picture and remastered sound.
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[edit] Plot synopsis
The movie centers on Jafar, the villain from the first movie, trying to gain his revenge against Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, and the Sultan, and become the ruler of Agrabah. Iago and Jafar, having been buried in the desert at the end of the first film, finally manage to return to the surface. Jafar orders Iago to release him, but Iago, tired of being treated badly by Jafar, throws the lamp into a nearby well and returns to Agrabah, hoping to convince Aladdin that he had served Jafar only because of a spell cast on him (though this is untrue). He meets Aladdin and insists that he is innocent, but Aladdin is too clever to be fooled and tries to capture him. While chasing Iago, Aladdin has a run-in with some criminals who try to kill him, but he is saved by Iago. After this, Iago gains Aladdin's respect and returns with him to the palace, though at the time, Iago cares nothing for him. When Aladdin returns to the palace, he is greeted by Genie, who has returned from seeing the world. After revealing Iago to the Sultan, Iago is almost killed by the palace guards, but this is prevented by Aladdin, who insists that Iago has good in him. This causes Iago to begin to develop sympathy for Aladdin.
Meanwhile, Jafar is found by a browbeaten thief named Abis Mal who also bears a grudge against Aladdin. As Jafar was transformed into a genie at the end of the first film, he is somewhat handicapped by the incompetence of his new "master". Jafar desires to kill Aladdin and be wished free from his lamp so he can rule Agrabah, but needs Mal's co-operation to do this, as he is bound by the restrictions of the genie. Though Abis Mal is technically his master, it is Jafar who is really in charge, and shows Mal, though he cannot directly kill him, that he could easily find a way to get rid of him if he disobeys him, as Abis Mal is transported under the ocean and almost eaten by a shark after wishing for treasure (which also forces him to make a second wish to take him back to land).
Jafar has Abis Mal take him to the palace, where he manages to scare Iago back to his side. He has Iago take Aladdin and the Sultan to a place where he and Abis Mal are to kidnap the sultan. After Aladdin leaves, Jafar confronts the Genie in the Palace gardens and shows his power as he sings a rather taunting song "You're Only Second Rate" before locking him in a magical orb so he cannot use his magic against him. Jafar then locks all of the others in a cell and he and Abis Mal then meet up with Iago, kidnap the sultan, and quickly return to the palace. When Aladdin returns, he is accused by Jafar disguised as the princess of murdering the sultan, and sentenced to death. Iago, however, who was assigned to guard the others, breaks the Genie's confinment allowing him to save Aladdin and letting him help Aladdin and his friends escape from Jafar's clutches. Genie then tells Aladdin that in order to destoy Jafar, his lamp must be destroyed, and Aladdin sets out to steal it. However, Jafar discovers that Aladdin is still alive and attempts to destroy him.
In the Palace gardens, Abis Mal gets stuck on a tree branch and is unable to reach the lamp. Aladdin and his friends fly on the magic carpet to get the lamp, but Jafar (in genie form) comes out of the ground before them. Genie (disguised as Aladdin) distracts Jafar as Aladdin goes after the lamp on the magic carpet. But Jafar is too quick and he uses his power to put a binding effect on the carpet, causing it collide with the ground and fall to pieces. Aladdin is feet away from the lamp, but Jafar stops him again by making the ground under him come up like a rock-shaped pedestal. Jafar then makes the ground crumble away into a lake of molten magma and a showdown begins. Princess Jasmine, the Genie and Abu find themselves trapped on a pedestal surrounded by the magma.
The rock Aladdin is on falls into the magma and floats around the lamp's pedestal, but Aladdin is unable to reach it. One of the Palace towers falls into the magma and Jafar laughs at Aladdin to give it up. Suddenly, Iago comes out of nowhere and heads for the lamp. Jafar, realizing that Iago really has turned against him, attempts to stop him by firing energy blasts, but Iago manages to get the lamp first. Jafar fires at Iago again, and this time he hits Iago. Iago falls onto a rock just above the magma and lies almost motionless. Jafar sounds his triumph by laughing, however, Iago, with his last ounce of strength, knocks the lamp into the magma, thereby destroying Jafar.
The pedestal that Genie, Jasmine and Abu are on begins to collapse into the magma. Genie stretches out to form a bridge to the higher ground which Jasmine and Abu quickly take, before the pedestal completely crumbles. Like in the first film, everything that Jafar did begins to work in reverse: the magma disappears, the Palace gardens come together again and the magic carpet is restored. After the showdown, Iago lies motionless in Aladdin's hands. Jasmine thinks Iago to have died, but Iago coughs and says weakly, "You'd be surprised what you can live through."
Later in the Palace, Iago, recovering from the incident earlier, is now truly Aladdin's friend. After the credits, Abis Mal, still stuck on a tree branch, suddenly realizes that with Jafar and the lamp gone, he will never have his third wish.
[edit] Goofs
- Toward the beginning of the film, when Aladdin, flying on Carpet, is throwing the treasure he recovered from Abis Mal to the commoners, after he mutters to Abu that the last of it has been thrown, a full bag of loot can still be seen.
- The Genie still has cuffs around his wrists, despite the fact that they fell off when he was freed in "Aladdin".
- In one scene, Abu is trying to take the jeweled flower from the vase containing both it and a real flower. After he mistakingly grabs the real flower instead of the jewelled one, the jewelled flower is the one seen missing from the vase. A short time after, both are seen missing.
- During the scene when Aladdin and Jasmine are in the courtyard, Aladdin is initially wearing his palace garments, but about halfway through (after the interval with Jafar and Abis Mal), he is seen wearing his peasant clothes, and remains in these clothes for the remainder of the film.
- During the "You're Only Second Rate" song, when Genie is first shown on a spinning plate, Jafar's human hand can be seen spinning it for a split second. The next shot shows a full view of Jafar in his genie form spinning it, including with his red genie hand as opposed to his normal one.
- After Jafar's taunting song, he covers Abu's arms with many individual metal strings. Later, when the rest are also in the dungeon, Abu only has chains around his wrists.
- During a scene with Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, the Sultan and Genie having dinner, when the Genie "accidentally" cuts his hand off, the Sultan is watching, startled. In one shot, his eyebrows are on his head, when suddenly they disappear. Within a second, they re-appear and once again disappear. When the angle changes, they are back.
[edit] Comic
When Disney was publishing their own comics in the mid-90s, they produced a two issue Aladdin comic presenting an alternate version of The Return Of Jafar. It was titled The Return Of Aladdin. The comic is introduced by the Merchant from the first movie.
The story starts off showing that Aladdin has been particularly bored of palace life. Meanwhile, Jafar has escaped the Cave Of Wonders. Iago is given the task of finding the right master for Jafar to manipulate. Their search seems hopeless as some people are able to enjoy all three wishes or messing up.
They find someone to use the lamp, who is known as Isabella, a master magician. Isabella is similar in appearance to Jafar (except his clothing is green). His first wish is to return to Agrabah Palace (as he performed entertainment to the sultan in #1). His second wish is for an army of soldiers to pursue Aladdin and Jasmine when they catch on to Jafar's presence. He is persuaded to use his third wish to trap Jafar and Iago in the lamp again, sending them back to the cave.
Due to persuasion by the Genie, the Sultan hires Isabella to a permanent entertainment job at the palace. The end of the story shows the merchant having a black lamp similar to Jafar's, but he claims it to be worthless.
[edit] Trivia
- This was the first and only "Aladdin" full-length production without the original voice of the Genie, Robin Williams. He was replaced by Dan Castellaneta, who also voiced the Genie in the animated series as well as in Kingdom Hearts. Castellaneta is perhaps most-known as the voice of Homer Simpson from the widely popular show The Simpsons. Williams returned as the Genie in Aladdin and the King of Thieves.
- Abis Mal made a few reappearances in the Aladdin animated TV series afterwards. Jafar reappeared in an episode of Hercules: The Animated Series and was also the main villain of Mickey's House of Villains.
- Abis Mal is phonetically the same as "abysmal", which means bad or terrible.
- The plot of this movie is loosely used in Agrabah, one of the worlds in Kingdom Hearts II, only with Abis Mal being replaced by the Peddler from the first film.
- The movie was received well by most critics, but has often been panned for its animation.[citation needed]
[edit] External links
