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When I was growing up, my family had a lot of VHS movies on the shelf. Many of them were Disney, as I think was/is typical. One of them was Aladdin and the King of Thieves, the third film in the Aladdin lineup. It came out in 1996, four years after the original (1992) and two years after Aladdin and the Return of Jafar (1994). Subsequently, my movie timeline was a little off. Keep in mind that I did see the original Aladdin first, but I suspect it only once or twice and rented from the video store. My mom occasionally picked up movies she thought looked interesting, or were sequels to a classic, so one day she came home with Aladdin and the King of Thieves. This became one of our favorite movies on the shelf. What about The Return of Jafar? I saw it only once after the family realized we had skipped it by accident. To be honest, I do not really remember its plot that well beyond Jafar getting out of his lamp with Iago with him. What really stuck out to me was that all the voice actors were different. It is one thing to replace the main cast for a low budget sequel, but another to replace Robin Williams. You notice. Which is why I think the third movie is of higher quality all around. More on that later.
No one can deny that the original Aladdin film is very good. Perhaps it is not a Mulan or a Lion King or even a Hercules, but it is undeniably a fun jaunt of a movie. It really feels like the fairy tale world's version of Arabia: billowy clothes, sand for miles, princesses, heroes, huge palaces, sparkling jewels, beasts, and djinn. (I will not comment on the accuracy of any of it since I doubt most of it and have no background to justify going into why.) My main complaint is that Aladdin and Jasmine lose sight of what is important. Jasmine in the beginning of the film seems determined to come in contact with the grittier aspects of life, although she is understandably shocked when she encounters them. After Aladdin takes her around the world on his magic carpet, she just forgets about all that. She can live happily in her castle bubble knowing that she can see the real world by flying over the lowly people's head and skip to the tourist sites. It just bothers me that her focus is on herself despite the film's attempt to make her seem empathetic (taking pity on a child, loving her tiger, accepting Aladdin's poor home, letting the doves loose...). There are some great moments where she and her father discuss his need to let go or her responsibility to the throne, but it all seems to have a band-aid stuck over it when Jasmine agrees to marry someone.
As for Aladdin, he saw that Jasmine appreciated him as a mere street rat yet as soon as he learns she is a princess he loses sight of what he loved about her off the bat. It is sweet to see that she sees through the disguise, is glad he is not dead, and wants to be with him even more, but he continues lying to her ("I dress up as a street rat to get away from palace life"). This may come from his own intense desire to be a prince, but it betrays Jasmine's trust as well as the Genie's. His determination to remain perpetually wealthy actually seems to make him distrust the Genie as well, as though his wealth will disappear once the Genie is freed. And the paranoia and guilt of lying means he wants one wish as a backup, which is, again, selfish because it puts his superficial need for wealth above the Genie's right to a free existence. (I am not getting into anything about the Genie's confusing wish granting. Aladdin does not seem to be a prince so much as insanely wealthy, as he has no kingdom and therefore cannot be a throne's successor. As a normal person, Aladdin does not realize that one day his kingdom will have to materialize to keep up his charade. Perhaps Genie turned him into what Aladdin imagined a prince was minus all the technicalities. Also, Genie needs a wish to save his life but can get him out of the cave no problem? Because it's a big deal to save a friend, but not to free a stranger? When can the Genie just do what he wants and when can he not? I wonder what rules are just in Genie's head.) Aladdin only frees the Genie after all his own dreams come true.
Anyway, the first Aladdin is good and is supposed to teach kids to be themselves and be good friends and stuff. Power is corrupting, yada yada. It starts with a conman merchant telling the story and ends with Aladdin and Jasmine supposedly getting married while the Genie goes off to do whatever he wants while Jafar is safely buried in his genie lamp in the desert with Iago.
Again, the only real takeaway I have from The Return of Jafar is that Iago gets out of the lamp with Jafar and switches sides to hang out with Abu. Oh, and Genie comes back to hang out. He still has his slave wrist cuffs on, either to keep with his marketable art style or because he decided he likes the look.
Moving on to Aladdin and the King of Thieves. Most people know something of the original Aladdin story, but I will describe this one for those who thought a non-theater sequel was a waste of time. Let me remind you that the art quality is pretty darn good and Robin Williams returns for more in jokes ("Mama always said 'magic is as magic does.'").
In the shining city of Agrabah, Aladdin and Jasmine are finally getting married! (Apparently they did not manage to do that in either of the other movies.) Genie fetches Aladdin from his old home in town where he has been getting ready and thinking about his past, pulling out a decorative knife he has kept hidden for years, a momento from his father. Everyone is surprised to hear Aladdin has a father, although he is sure he is dead by now. At the palace, a huge party ensues, but we see that there are shady characters mixed in with the guests who eventually sabotage the whole thing in order to steal wedding gifts, purses, and jewelry. It is the Forty Thieves, a terrible group of robbers led by a mysterious man. This "king of thieves" attempts to steal a magic scepter that turns out to be an oracle, revealing to him that his father is trapped in the world of thieves. Full of mixed feelings and hoping to free his father, Aladdin goes after the Forty Thieves.
The Forty Thieves live in Mount Sesame, a magical place where shouting "Open Sesame" will part the lake and open a secret door. Once inside, Aladdin is caught, but is recognize. Cassim, king of thieves, is his father and welcomes him into the band. However, he can only become part of the Forty Thieves if he fights someone to the death, as pointed out by the vicious Sa'luk, who Aladdin fights and wins against. (Sa'luk falls into the sea, but survives and gives the Agrabah guards the password to the Forty Thieves' hideout to save himself and get revenge.)
Cassim tells Aladdin about his dream: to find the Hand of Midas. It is a treasure that turns any object into gold and is why he was after the oracle scepter. He shows Aladdin a sunken boat made entirely of gold to prove the validity of his goal. Wanting to have a relationship with his father, Aladdin convinces Cassim to come back to the palace to meet Jasmine, Genie, and the Sultan. Genie knows the secret, but stays quiet at Aladdin's insistence. Meanwhile, the guards have set a trap for Cassim, who has become friends with greedy parrot Iago. The two try to take the scepter and are exposed, sentenced to life imprisonment by the Sultan. Aladdin frees them and Cassim asks him to come away as thief, but he chooses instead to return to the palace and accept the consequences of his actions. The Sultan decides to pardon his actions as those of a loyal son, not a convict.
Back at Mount Sesame, Sa'luk has made it seem like Cassim told the city guards about their hideout, not him. They bind Cassim and Iago when they return, forcing them to use the oracle to pinpoint the Hand of Midas. It is on the Vanishing Isle and the scepter shows the way with a glowing light. While Cassim is strapped to the mast of the thieves' ship, Iago escapes to tell Aladdin, who takes the magic carpet to go after them. As it turns out, the Vanishing Isle is an enormous turtle swimming in the sea with a city on its back. Aladdin helps Cassim find the Hand of Midas, which is incredibly dangerous in its ability to turn anything and anyone into solid gold. At first amazing, it is a hazardous power, turning Cassim's cloak into a golden weight on his neck, forcing him to discard it despite its worth.
Sa'luk pursues them all the while. Genie recognizes the danger his friends are in, so goes off to annoy the turtle until it submerges again, quickly filling all the buildings with water. Battling with Sa'luk, Cassim has to choose between his greed and his son's life. He chooses Aladdin, throwing the Hand to Sa'luk, who catches it with his bare hands and turns into a solid gold statue forever lying on the floor of the turtle's city. Everyone else escapes as the city disappears.
Finally, Jasmine and Aladdin get married with both their fathers present, although Cassim leaves immediately to go off on adventures with Iago, who has chosen to go with him. The ending wraps up the series, as the peddler narrator from the first film again sings about Arabian Nights.
So, in the end, it turns out that Aladdin was a prince all along: the prince of thieves. However, while he is able to overcome that lifestyle, one born of poverty, his father never will, for greed is his driving force.
I recently saw Nostalgia Critic's review on Aladdin and the King of Thieves during his Sequel Month and he did not really get it. He commented that Aladdin's father will say one thing and do another, and it is just too inconsistent. Well, that is exactly what I like about the film. The fact of the matter is that Cassim is not a good father and Aladdin learns to accept that fact by film's end. As a kid this is not what stood out to me. I liked the bright visuals, Open Sesame mountain, dangerous relics, and cities on the backs of turtles. As an adult, I really appreciate the film because since my early days of watching it I have come to accept that I, too, have a parent that will say one thing and do another. Many people do, whether that parent suffers from alcoholism, drug addiction, love of work, or simple selfishness and laziness. You want that parent to do something and they act like they want it too, but their joy in life is elsewhere and you will never be able to compete with it. Even as a child I recognized that Cassim cared mostly for himself with little room in his heart and mind for Aladdin, even if those small parts loved his son deeply. Personally, I have never found Cassim's behavior confusing, only unfortunate.
And the fact that Aladdin has to walk away from a world he could be great in is really the film's highlight. While in the original Aladdin tries to be okay with himself, he only feels secure when the Sultan himself declares him worthy of the princess. By the third film, the city guards still hate him and see him as nothing more than the street rat he grew up as. While Aladdin feels comfortable sharing more truths with Jasmine, which is great, he is not really comfortable with himself. And he continues to be in denial until Cassim not only proves himself a criminal, but betrays Aladdin's trust that he would not steal from the palace again. Aladdin then comes to understand that Cassim is his father and he is a loyal son, but he also breaks away from his thieving roots by choosing to face consequences that Cassim will spend his whole life running from. No longer driven by fear of starvation, Aladdin is ready to turn his back on all his father loves. He may be prince of thieves, but he will never be king. In fact, he renounces his throne altogether.
On top of all that, I like the dark story line in this film. Aladdin is thrown into a world that is not just "eye for an eye" like in the original. He must voluntarily fight and kill someone to be accepted by his father's ilk. (Cassim shows concern during this scene, but I think this might just suggest that Cassim willingly entered this world of dark people rather than grew up in it, making all his actions less forgivable. He chose to become a thief to gain wealth and power.) Sa'luk is not necessarily deep as a character, but he is a great villain. His gray skin, clawed jewelry, and nasty voice all lend to a truly evil man who really only cares about himself. He is the entirely unfeeling version of Cassim. That being said, it is still terrifying to watch him perish at the film's climax. Probably they made his skin gray to keep him from looking like a normal human being turned to stone a la Atlantis. The Hand of Midas really encapsulates the nature of King Midas's desire and curse: anything it touches turns to gold without mercy. When it falls on the ground, the entire city on the turtle's back does too, even tinting the water. Cassim's overly heavy gold cloak is another example. They can only carry the hand by wrapping it in cloth, which turns gold liquidly, as though blood is gushing out of it. The visuals are really spectacular.
In my opinion, The King of Thieves has more to offer than the original Aladdin, although its more complicated plot and subjects prevent it from rivaling the classic tale. It is easier to watch a movie with a single evil like Jafar with a clear goal than it is to understand the human depths of the world of thieves.
Also, funny thing. I realized while writing this that The Thief and the Cobbler (or whatever alternative name you know for it) actually combines the plots of both Aladdin and The King of Thieves. You have a princess wanting more, an overprotective sultan, a royal adviser manipulating the king, oracles giving cryptic clues, hoards of bandits and evil doers, and a poor young lad who must save the day. The only thing missing is the Genie, although I guess you could argue that the thief is accidentally the cobbler's genie by making all the right mistakes.
