Although the film serves as the pilot of the television series and received mixed-to-negative reviews, it sold 15million VHS tapes, grossing more than $300 million (equivalent to $616,704,086 in 2023) on a budget of approximately $5 million (equivalent to $10,278,401 in 2023), making it one of the best-selling films on home video.
Plot
A year after Jafar's defeat, Aladdin and Abu have settled into the Palace of Agrabah with Princess Jasmine and her father, the Sultan. Still yearning for adventures, Aladdin foils a criminal group led by the dimwitted Abis Mal and returns their stolen loot to the citizens of Agrabah. Meanwhile, in the desert, Iago escapes from Jafar's lamp. Tired of being taken for granted, Iago refuses Jafar's demands to free him, and drops the lamp into a well.
Iago flies to Agrabah, planning to return to the Palace by befriending Aladdin. During his first interaction with Aladdin and Abu, the three are attacked by Abis Mal and his henchmen, and Iago inadvertently saves Aladdin's life. In gratitude, Aladdin keeps Iago on the palace grounds, promising to speak with the Sultan on Iago's behalf. Abis Mal later finds Jafar's lamp in the well and frees him. Hindered by his incompetent new master, Jafar tricks Abis Mal into wasting his first two wishes, then enlists his help in taking revenge on Aladdin. Abis Mal agrees, also desiring revenge on Aladdin.
Meanwhile, the Genie returns to the palace after traveling the world for one year, although his powers are diminished since he was freed from the lamp. At the evening banquet, the Sultan announces Aladdin as the new Royal Vizier. Rajah discovers Iago in the garden and chases him into the banquet. Aladdin asks the Sultan to pardon Iago, but Jasmine is dismayed that Aladdin never confided in her. The Genie and Iago help them reconcile, but the Sultan, though remaining suspicious, temporarily pardons Iago and instructs Aladdin to watch over him. However, Jafar infiltrates the palace and tricks Iago to take Aladdin and the Sultan into going on a trip to the waterfall.
During the trip, the Sultan finally forgives Aladdin and Iago, but Jafar, having transformed into a gang of sorcerer horsemen riding dragon-winged horses, ambushes them, sending Aladdin into the waterfall while taking the Sultan, Jasmine, the Genie and Abu as prisoners. Aladdin eventually returns to Agrabah to warn Razoul but Jafar, posing as Jasmine, frames Aladdin for murdering the Sultan, and sentences him to death. Feeling guilty for being tricked, Iago frees the Genie, who saves Aladdin. Jafar now controls Agrabah, but Aladdin is determined to stop him, and the Genie reveals that the only way to kill Jafar is to destroy his lamp. Iago chooses to leave, but not before Aladdin thanks him for his help.
Jafar demands that Abis Mal free him from the lamp with his third wish, just as Aladdin and his friends confront them to obtain the lamp. Jafar, in his Genie form, ambushes the group, knocks the Genie unconscious and shatters the Carpet. He splits open the Palace gardens, creating a pool of lava, and traps Aladdin on a sinking rock. Iago, having a change of heart after realizing that he has been repeatedly tricked by Jafar, returns and grabs the lamp but is burned and critically injured. With his remaining strength, Iago kicks the lamp into the lava, causing Jafar to fade from existence and ending his reign of terror once and for all. With his death, Jafar's magic is undone, restoring the Palace gardens and the Carpet. Iago is assumed dead, though he regains consciousness and is forgiven, being allowed back into the Palace. Aladdin ultimately rejects the Sultan's offer to become his vizier, having decided he wants to see the world with Jasmine instead.
In a post-credits scene, Abis Mal realizes that, with Jafar dead and the lamp destroyed, he doesn't get his third wish.
While conceiving the sequel, Stones became fascinated with the character Iago, stating, "I said, 'I want the parrot in there,' but he was trapped in the lamp [at the end of the Aladdin movie], so we came up with a story of how he got out and ended up with Aladdin."[8] As was common with half-hour animated television series at the time, Disney planned to begin the series with an hourlong television special, but Stones suggested that the film should instead be released on home video.[7][9] The idea was initially met with some resistance from Disney Feature Animation president Peter Schneider and Disney CEO Michael Eisner, who felt it would cheapen Disney's brand.[8] Ultimately, layout designer Paul Felix conceived the film's opening with the gang of thieves entering a cave, which was later animated at Disney Animation Australia. Impressed with the animation dailies, Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg allowed for the first half to be animated in Australia, while the climax was animated in Japan.[7][8]
Due to a well publicized bitter fall-out over the use of his voice in the marketing campaign for Aladdin, Robin Williams refused to reprise the role of the Genie, so he was replaced by Dan Castellaneta.[10][5] Stones also claimed that Williams participated in selecting Castellaneta to voice the Genie.[11] It was also the first Aladdin full-length production without the original voice of the Sultan, Douglas Seale. He was replaced by Val Bettin, who had previously worked with Disney on The Great Mouse Detective, and who would reprise his role in the franchise's animated series and Aladdin and the King of Thieves.
Instead of the film receiving a theatrical release, Steve Feldstein, director of public relations for Disney's home video division, stated that the decision to release The Return of Jafar on home video was due to time constraints, claiming that "to put the film in the theatrical pipeline would have taken up to five years", but releasing it on home video would take "less than two years". In addition, Feldstein confirmed that financing was also a consideration because producing a direct-to-video feature would be "less costly to make than Aladdin".[12] Likewise, due to an expanding video market, Disney claimed that demand from theatrical and video audiences for Aladdin and other characters was another reason for a speedy follow-up.[13]
Home media
The Return of Jafar was first released on VHS and LaserDisc in the United States and Canada on May 20, 1994, being the first installment of the direct-to-video sequels.[13] In its first two days, it sold more than 1.5 million VHS copies;[2] more than 4.6 million VHS copies were sold in less than a week.[12] In the United States, more than ten million copies were sold, ranking among the top 15 top-selling videos of all time (at the time), earning $150 million in profits.[14] The film eventually sold 15million units, and grossed approximately $300million worldwide.[15] The sequel's success removed what the Los Angeles Times described as "the low-quality stigma" from direct-to-video, and caused Disney, Universal Pictures, and other studios to release more direct-to-video films.[16] For its original direct-to-video release, The Return of Jafar was accompanied with a promotional campaign including trailers and inserts in over a million VHS copies of The Fox and the Hound (1981), and mail-in rebate coupons for Mattel toys and products from Pillsbury (in the United States only) packaged inside every copy of the VHS cassette of the film.
On July 14, 1998, the film along with A Goofy Movie and The Three Caballeros was promoted with a $2 instant savings coupon from Walt Disney Home Video, good toward the purchase of The Spirit of Mickey (released on that same day) and any one of these three videos.
Originally released on VHS that year, The Return of Jafar was reissued on Special EditionDVD and VHS (with "Aladdin:" added to the title) on January 18, 2005, the same day as its direct sequel, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, also received a re-release, with a digitally restored picture and remastered sound. The Special Edition DVD, along with the two other films in the series, were placed on moratorium (placed into the Disney Vault) on January 31, 2008, in the United States, and on February 4, 2008, in the United Kingdom.[17]The Return of Jafar, along with Aladdin and the King of Thieves was released on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital HD Combo Pack on January 5, 2016, as a Disney Movie Club exclusive in North America.[18]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an overall approval rating of 33%, based on 12 reviews collected, with a weighted average score of 4.3/10.[19]
David Nusair of Reelfilm.com summed up most of the negative feelings that contributed to this rating:
Notable as the first direct-to-video Disney sequel, The Return of Jafar follows Aladdin (Scott Weinger) as he attempts to once again foil Jafar's (Jonathan Freeman) villainous plot to take over Agrabah. And despite the fact that he was freed from his lamp at the end of the first film, the genie (now voiced by Dan Castellaneta) is back and wackier than ever. It's clear right from the outset that Disney put very little effort into the production of The Return of Jafar, particularly in the realm of animation. The film has all the style and fluidity of a Saturday morning cartoon, while various songs are bland and forgettable. The repetitive storyline doesn't do the movie any favors, and even at a running time of 69-minutes, doldrums set in almost immediately. Castellaneta does the best he can with the material, but generally comes up short (particularly when compared with Robin Williams's manic performance from the original). The Return of Jafar is a thoroughly needless sequel that may keep small children engaged, but is bound to come off as nothing less than a huge disappointment for fans of the original.[20]
Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Steve Daly graded the sequel a "C−", criticizing it as a "knockoff" that "carries the Disney label and costs about as much as a tape of Aladdin, but it's clear from the first jerky frame that the same time, care, and creativity didn't go into it".[22]
Adaptations
Comic
When Disney was publishing its own comics in the mid-90s, it 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 Peddler from the first film.
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, for as some people are able to enjoy all three wishes or mess up. They find someone to use the lamp; she is known as Isabella, a master magician. Isabella is similar in appearance to Jafar (although his clothing is green). His first wish is to return to Agrabah Palace (as he performed entertainment for the Sultan in the first film). 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 for a permanent entertainment job at the Palace. The end of the story shows the Peddler having a black lamp similar to Jafar's, but he claims it to be worthless.
Video game
The plot of the film is loosely used in Agrabah, one of the worlds in Kingdom Hearts II, and the Peddler appears from the first film. As in the film, Iago escapes from Jafar and does his best to respect Aladdin, Jasmine, Sora, Donald and Goofy, although Jafar cons him into aiding him in his revenge, almost damaging Iago's friendship with Aladdin and Sora, but he redeems himself after taking a blow for Aladdin that almost claims his life. The Peddler, at the beginning, comes across Jafar's lamp, but sells it to Aladdin, Sora, Donald and Goofy for a rare artifact in the Cave of Wonders. Despite Aladdin sealing the lamp in the Palace dungeon, the greedy Peddler breaks into the dungeon and frees Jafar, unleashing his fury on Agrabah until he is defeated by Sora and company. The Peddler's fate is left ambiguous. This was the first Disney sequel to have its plot adapted into a level in the Kingdom Hearts series, which was followed by the Grid being an adaptation of Tron: Legacy, and the Caribbean being one of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
Furthermore, there is a mild allusion to the Agrabah boss battle in Kingdom Hearts. Sora must fight Jafar in Genie form, surrounded by a lava pit with raising and lowering levels, while Iago flies above with Jafar's lamp. Only striking the lamp has any effect on Jafar's health. This fight also takes place in the second game, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, and its PlayStation 2 remake. In both versions of Chain of Memories, the boss fight is due to the majority of the game being illusions created from Sora's memories. A second playable character, Riku, also fights the boss in his mode. The battle is again visited in Kingdom Hearts Coded and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded.
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