An extremely liberal adaptation of the classic tale, Aladdin follows the charming hero and erstwhile thief (Scott Weinger) in his quest to win the heart of the beautiful Princess Jasmine (Linda Larkin). Since every Disney cartoon needs a dastardly villain, Aladdin's nemesis is Jafar (Jonathan Freeman), the Sultan's vizier. A Machiavellian schemer with designs on both the throne and Jasmine, Jafar is not about to let some street kid like Aladdin foil his plans. With his parrot accomplice (Gilbert Gottfried, screeching as usual) perched on his shoulder, Jafar initially seems too formidable a foe for our hero. Fortunately, Aladdin has a powerful genie (Williams) on his side to help him rescue Jasmine from Jafar's clutches.

Even if Aladdin didn't have Williams riffing hilariously as the hero's sidekick, it would still work as a sweeping adventure story, full of hairbreadth escapes and dazzling action, right up there with Disney's Tarzan. But the minute Aladdin summons William's genie from the bottle, the comedian effectively seizes control of the movie. He's at the top of his zany form here, ad-libbing and tossing in so many pop culture references that you lose count. Williams's freewheeling irreverence keeps the film aloft, even during the few cloying moments, such as when Aladdin and Jasmine sing the inevitable power ballad, "A Whole New World."

Of all the Disney animated features, Aladdin is undoubtedly the funniest, chiefly because of Williams's inestimable contribution. Today, with traditional animation in an artistic and commercial slump (see Home on the Range, if you don't believe us), Aladdin is a terrific reminder of that old Disney magic, before the equally brilliant Toy Story ushered in the Pixar era of computer animation.

DVD DETAILS
The Aladdin DVD comes with so many special features, it's hard to know where to begin. For the kids, there are several nifty, interactive features, ranging from the "3 Wishes Game" to the 3-D "Inside the Genie's Lamp." And with the "Disney Song Selection" feature, kids can sing along to the witty score by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice. If that doesn't sate the kids' appetite for Aladdin songs, there's always the music video of American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken, looking rather cartoonish himself, singing "Proud of You Boy," which was deleted from the film.

For animation junkies, the Aladdin DVD provides some fascinating, behind-the-scenes anecdotes courtesy of the co-directors, Ron Clements and John Musker, who weigh in on commentary tracks. Aside from the deleted scenes and a "making of" feature, the most intriguing special feature is one that enables you to watch Aladdin in "Trivia Mode," where "fun facts" literally pop up on screen during the film. What more could anyone wish for?