Aladdin Diamond Edition Blu-Ray Review

Aladdin was a huge box office success when it was released in 1992. In fact, it beat out Batman Returns and Home Alone 2 to be the highest grossing film of the year. For the first time in a long time, Disney had an animated hit with a male lead and Aladdin-fever seemed to have no end in sight. Think of it as the Frozen of 1992, launching an animated series, creating the direct-to-video sequel, and making its mark on Disney Parks all around the world.

By 2004 when Aladdin made its DVD debut, something changed. Many blamed the recent 9/11 terrorist attacks for nullifying the film’s appeal. Whether that’s accurate or not, the DVD release underperformed and remained in print far longer than most Platinum Edition titles in an effort to gain more sales (4 years compared to the average 16 months). When Disney launched the Diamond Edition line, it was at one time believed that Aladdin had been dropped altogether. The fact that it should have been released in 2012 and was skipped spoke volumes, meanwhile the film was released on Blu-Ray in Europe in 2013.

Aladdin is the final Platinum Edition title to receive a Blu-Ray release, a wrong that has finally been righted with the October 13^th release of the Diamond Edition. Disney strategically announced their plans to re-release Aladdin on the heels of the passing of the great Robin Williams, allowing a new generation to finally meet the Genie. Now that it’s finally here, it’s easy to see that Aladdin was worth the wait. With an impressive array of brand-new bonus features and a stunning video presentation, fans won’t want to miss this.

When orphaned street-rat Aladdin meets Jasmine, a princess in disguise, the two discover that they have more in common than they think. But when the evil Jafar imprisons Aladdin, it turns out he is the “diamond in the rough,” the only living soul capable of entering the Cave of Wonders where a long lost lamp has been kept for a thousand years. When Jafar’s plans fail and Aladdin gets the lamp instead, his powerful Genie grants him three wishes, leading Aladdin on a magical adventure and exposing him to a whole new world of excitement.

Starting last Spring, Disney stopped releasing separate DVD-only releases for Diamond Edition titles. This means that if you don’t have a Blu-Ray player but want Aladdin on DVD, you have to buy the Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital HD Combo Pack. This review covers both discs, Blu-Ray first and DVD second.

Video

Aladdin is finally presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, a huge improvement over the previous DVD’s extra-full 1.66:1. The film’s color palette looks better than ever in High Definition and the details of the talented Disney artists are clear and vivid. Purists will begrudge the fact that the original blue castle intro has been replaced with the modern CG one.

On DVD, Aladdin looks just as good as it did on the 2004 release. Compared to the Blu-Ray, the colors are duller and you lose a lot of detail, even around the letters in the title sequence. I would recommend this disc over the previous one only for the correct aspect ratio, although you lose a significant amount of bonus features if DVD is the only reason you would buy this release (more on that later).

Audio

Disney has assembled a brand new 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track for the Blu-Ray release and it is wondrous. Music and sound effects make excellent use of the rear speakers, as do off-screen voices. Jafar and the Cave of Wonders give your subwoofer a workout in this enveloping mix. Other language options include French and Spanish 5.1.

On DVD, the same three language options are presented in DTS 5.1. It’s obviously a less robust surround mix, but does a find job and sounds identical to the previous DVD’s mix.

Bonus Features

Disney has created a collection of brand-new bonus features amounting to nearly forty minutes of new content to celebrate the Blu-Ray debut of Aladdin.

• The Genie Outtakes (8:53) – Ron Clements, John Musker and Eric Goldberg introduce this feature and explain that they’ve taken some of their favorite Robin Williams outtakes from his recording sessions set to limited animation. The trio fondly remembers Williams and share their feelings on his passing.
• Aladdin: Creating Broadway Magic (18:53) – Darren Criss hosts this look into the Broadway version of Aladdin. It covers the history of Howard Ashman’s version of the film and how that creative direction went on to inspire the show that is now dominating the Great White Way’s box office. It’s surprisingly honest about the troubles and challenges in bringing Aladdin to life on stage.
• Unboxing Aladdin (4:40) – Joey Bragg from Disney Channel’s Liv & Maddie reveals some hidden items from the film in YouTube video style.
• Genie 101 (3:59) – Scott Weinger, the voice of Aladdin, highlights the personas behind many of Robin Williams’ impressions in the film. This bonus feature is dedicated to the genius of Robin Williams.
• Ron and John: You Ain’t Never Had a Friend Like Me (5:36) – Directors Ron Clements and John Musker share their friendship that has spanned nearly four decades.

Nearly all of the bonus features from the 2-disc Platinum Edition DVD release of Aladdin have made their way to this Blu-Ray disc. They are all found within a submenu called “Classic Bonus.” Nearly all of these features are presented in full screen and standard definition.

• Deleted Songs (13:57) – Four deleted songs from the film are presented in storyboard format and with an explanation of why they were cut. They can be viewed individually or with a “Play All” option.
  • Proud of Your Boy (Original Demo Recording)
  • You Can Count on Me
  • Humiliate the Boy
  • Why Me
• Deleted Scenes (5:43) – Ron Clements and John Musker introduce these storyboarded scenes that were cut from the film. These are also available individually or as “Play All.”
  • Aladdin & Jasmine’s First Meeting
  • Aladdin in the Lap of Luxury
• Music Videos – Two sub-menus lead you to multiple videos relating to these two music videos. No “Play All” option is offered.
  • “Proud of Your Boy” Performed by Clay Aiken
    • Music Video (2:20) – The American Idol runner-up performs the song alone in a recording studio while the film plays in the background.
    • Original Story Reel (2:18) – Clay Aiken’s version of the song accompanies the original storyboard pitch for this song. The visuals are the same as the version found in “Deleted Songs.”
    • Behind the Scenes of the Music Video (3:20) – Chris Montan leads this feature about how Disney used the Platinum Edition release to pay tribute to one of Howard Ashman’s lost songs.
  • “A Whole New World” Performed by Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey
    • Music Video (4:14) – The Newlyweds perform the song close together in a recording studio juxtaposed to scenes from the film.
    • Behind the Scenes of the Music Video (3:46) – In case you don’t understand how a music video works, Disney presents this mini version of an episode of MTV’s Making the Video with bizarre pop music in the background.

• Disney Song Selection (11:28) – Five songs from the film are presented in HD separate from the film with optional on-screen lyrics. The songs are “Arabian Nights,” “One Jump Ahead,” “Friend Like Me,” “Prince Ali” and “A Whole New World.”
• Inside the Genie’s Lamp: Guided Tour (6:13) – Iago takes a tour inside Genie’s lamp in this animated short created to introduce a game from the previous DVD release.
• The Genie World Tour (3:14) – Another animated short where Iago and Jafar look through the postcards Genie sends on his world tour. It features lots of fun Disney references.
• Audio Commentaries – Two feature-length commentaries from the DVD have happily made their way to Blu-Ray.
  • Filmmaker’s Audio Commentary – Directors John Musker and Ron Clements share this commentary with co-producer Amy Pell.
  • Animator’s Audio Commentary – Andreas Deja, Will Finn, Eric Goldberg and Glen Keane share their experiences on Aladdin.
• Diamond in the Rough (1:10:52) – This feature-length documentary covers the history of Aladdin, going back to Arabian Nights and through all stages of production. It’s wonderfully in-depth and is one of the most complete making-of documentaries ever produced for a Disney animated film.
• Alan Menken: Musical Renaissance Man (19:55) – This sweet featurette looks at the life of Alan Menken, exploring how his love of music started and how he reinvented animation with his melodies. It’s not specific to Aladdin, but is wonderful nonetheless.
• The Art of Aladdin: Art review with Filmmaker’s Commentary (8:45) – John Musker and Ron Clements lead this exploration into the concept art that lead to the final look of the film, paying credit to the talented artists that worked so hard to create Agrabah.
• Publicity – This section often gets left of Blu-Ray releases, but has thankfully been kept for this one. Three trailers are offered for Aladdin and its sequels.
  • Original Theatrical Trailer (2:50)
  • The Return of Jafar (00:43)
  • Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1:30)

What’s missing? A few DVD games such as a self-guided tour of Genie’s Lamp, Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Adventure, and 3 Wishes game didn’t make the leap from DVD to Blu-Ray. The saddest omissions are the art gallery and publicity gallery.

Disney Movies Anywhere offers a digital exclusive bonus feature that can be viewed when you redeem your digital copy.

• Deleted Song – “My Finest Hour” (4:02) – John Musker, Ron Clements and Eric Goldberg introduce this deleted song with storyboards. It features all of the original voices, including Robin Williams, with a temporary score track. This was a song Jafar would have sung after stealing the lamp and becoming sultan.

The only bonus features on the DVD are the Deleted Songs and Deleted Scenes. None of the new bonus features created exclusively for this release were made available on that disc, but homes that are DVD-only can access all of these bonus features online through Disney Movies Anywhere.

Packaging & Design

Aladdin is packaged in a standard-sized Blu-Ray case with the blue disc on the right, white DVD on the left. Inserts include a Disney Movie Rewards/Disney Movies Anywhere/Digital Copy code and an ad for Disney Movie Club. The case is housed in a holo-embossed slipcover with a reflective effect.

Both discs open with ads for Disney Movies Anywhere, The Good Dinosaur, Inside Out, Tomorrowland and an anti-smoking PSA starring Cruella DeVil. Selecting “Sneak Peeks” from the main menu adds promos for Disney Movie Rewards, Disney Parks, The Muppets and Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens. The menu features a loop of images from the film as seen through Aladdin’s rooftop window. The menu options appear below. The DVD features Disney Fast Play, allowing parents to put the disc in and walk away. Letting it run its course plays the preview trailers, film, DVD bonus features and then the remaining “Sneak Peeks.”

There are two physical bonus items that you can redeem through Disney Movie Rewards. The first is a new poster by Eric Tan featuring characters from Aladdin for $9.99 plus tax. If you also purchase the new live action version of Cinderella, you can get a charm bracelet and two charms (glass slipper and Genie’s lamp) for free plus shipping. You can also purchase an additional charm of Cinderella’s coach and a necklace with a charm slider for $9.99.

Final Thoughts

Aladdin is spectacular in this Diamond Edition Blu-Ray. Disney has given it the royal treatment in terms of video and audio quality. The 40 minutes of new bonus features are worthwhile and with nearly all of the previous bonus features carried over, it’s the most deluxe version ever available. Featuring tributes to the genius of Robin Williams, it’s a must-own release.