DVD Review: Aladdin: Special Edition

10/15/04

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I present to you Exhibit A in Disney?s case against all other animators: the ?Aladdin Special Edition? DVD. As you will see in this DVD set, ?Aladdin? is undoubtedly the way animated DVDs were meant to be produced. Top-notch music. An outstanding mix of traditional and computer-generated animation. Impeccably re-mastered surround-sound audio. An engaging story. And more bonus features than Abu could fit in his kleptomaniac?s jacket. Our first component of Exhibit A is the music, which has already earned ?Aladdin? two different Academy Awards. Re-mastered and presented in THX-certified Dolby Digital, the music of Aladdin shines like the genie?s lamp after too many rubbings. In a word, it?s blinding. The entire audio track follows this model, as you can hear in any sequence featuring the magic carpet as it zips through caves, dusty streets and the sultan?s foyer. The video quality of Exhibit A mimics that of its audio, because this Special Edition DVD marks the first time ?Aladdin? has been presented digitally. ?Aladdin? was one of Disney?s first forays into mixing both digital and traditional animation, and the bright colors and seamless blend of old and new styles is truly showcased when you watch this restored film on an HDTV. The story of ?Aladdin? is surely already known by the members of our esteemed jury, so allow me to skip ahead to the third component of Disney?s case for grandeur: the bonus features on ?Aladdin Special Edition.? The showcase piece in Aladdin?s bonus features is a two-hour ?Making of? feature that mixes interviews with the cast and crew with behind-the-scenes peeks at the respective production aspects of those interviews. For example, a conversation with the animators branches off into colorful segments about the animation process for each character. Since this feature is longer than the movie itself, Disney has created a navigation process to watch it that allows viewers to watch the featurette in its entirety or by picking and choosing individual elements. This is great for families whose kids are only interested in the music aspects, for example, and it also enables fast navigation between segments. The movie also includes not one but three commentary tracks, as well as a feature that mimics VH1?s Pop-Up Video with fun movie-related facts. There are also four deleted songs, complete with fully sketched storyboards, and several deleted scenes. Add to that the new music videos and a karaoke-like Disney Song Selection feature, and ?Aladdin Special Edition? already out-does most DVD sets, animated or not. But ladies and gentlemen, Disney didn?t stop there. In fact, the second disk is filled with a variety of children?s games and 3D adventures. Take, for example, the Dolby Digital Magic Carpet Adventure, which is a virtual magic carpet ride on which Aladdin is trying to save Jasmine. And consider the ?Genie World Tour,? which chronicles a trip around the world with the hilarious Genie. Or perhaps the ?Inside the Genie?s Lamp? feature is more to your liking, which takes viewers for the first time into the ?teeny tiny space? of the genie?s lamp. Maybe it?s the ?Three Wishes Game? that puts you over the edge, which magically tells your fortune as only a genie can. Members of the jury, I submit to you that ?Aladdin Special Edition? is not just an enjoyable re-mastered version of a classic Disney film, but an example for all other DVDs, animated or not, to follow. If you have children in your home, this is a must-own DVD certain to entertain for hours on end without, dear jury, ever making the grown-ups tired. I hope that you can see beyond the superficial packaging and look deep inside this DVD, see the things that make it so special, and find ?Aladdin Special Edition? guilty of upping the bar by which all other family friendly DVDs should be judged. --Jonas Allen
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