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Credit: DisneyDisney’s Aladdin directors revealed that a Robin Williams character was cut from the classic 1992 animated movie.
The Walt Disney Company’s Renaissance era wouldn’t be complete without Aladdin (1992). The musical adventure introduced the street rat Aladdin, the fierce princess Jasmine, and the charismatic Genie, all of whom have survived the test of time, becoming some of Disney’s most popular characters.
Robin Williams’ work as the Genie in the Academy Award-winning classic is perhaps one of the House of Mouse’s most celebrated performances. But did you know that, through story changes and editing, Disney actually cut Robin Williams from the final movie?
For context, at the start of the film, a peddler at the Agrabah market introduces the tale of Aladdin. Fans have long since deduced that this peddler is the Genie, now free from the lamp–an assumption aided by the fact the late Robin Williams also voices this character. This connection is never explicitly addressed in the 1992 feature film, but co-director Ron Clements revealed that the character is supposed to be the Genie.
“That was the whole intention, originally,” Clements told E! News back in 2015. “We even had that at the end of the movie, where he would reveal himself to be the Genie, and of course Robin did the voice of the peddler. Just through story changes and some editing, we lost the reveal at the end. So, that’s an urban legend that actually is true.”
Related: 30 Years After Disney Feud, Zelda Williams Speaks Out on Dad Robin Williams Getting Replaced
It’s a shame that Williams was cut from this part of the movie, as it would have confirmed the theory that the Genie and the peddler were one and the same there and then. But maybe that’s not as fun as fans theorizing year after year and keeping the conversation alive.
While Clements did confirm this Aladdin mystery almost a decade ago, there are a number of theories relating to Disney and Pixar animated movies that have been left unanswered by the Mouse House. Among them is the idea that Queen Elsa was dead all along in Frozen II (2019) and that the witch in Brave (2012) is actually Boo from Monsters, Inc. (2001). There is even the notion that every single Pixar film is part of the same interconnected universe.
Robin Williams and Disney
Robin Williams’s work as the Genie is one of his most renowned works, coming just a year before his beloved and memorable live-action comedy Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). But it wasn’t all that peaceful behind the scenes. Williams joined Aladdin on a $75,000 fee instead of the multi-million salary he requested on the basis that his voice would not be used to sell merchandise nor his name to promote and market the movie.
Disney went back on their word, sparking a historic feud between the actor and the entertainment giant–read the full story here on Inside the Magic.
Related: Goodbye, Agrabah! Live-Action ‘Aladdin’ Sequel Seemingly Not Moving Forward at Disney
While Williams did not return for Aladdin‘s 1994 direct-to-video sequel, The Return of Jafar (Dan Castellaneta voiced the Genie for this), Williams returned for the second sequel, Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996), after Disney reportedly made amends with the actor.
Disney returned to the world of Agrabah in 2019 with the billion-dollar hit live-action movie Aladdin from director Guy Ritchie. Will Smith played the role of the Genie in this new adaptation.
Did you think that the peddler was the Genie all along? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!