Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (1982 film)
Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (世界名作童話 アラジンと魔法のランプ, Sekai Meisaku Dōwa: Arajin to mahō no rampu, lit. "World Masterpiece Fairy Tales: Aladdin and the Magic Lamp"), is a 1982 Japanese anime fantasy film based on the Middle Eastern folk tale of Aladdin. The film was released in Japan on 13 March 1982 by Toei.
| Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Yoshikatsu Kasai |
| Written by | Akira Miyazaki |
| Based on | Aladdin |
| Starring | See voice cast |
| Cinematography | Toshiharu Takei |
| Edited by | Yasuhiro Yoshikawa |
| Music by | Katsuhiro Tsubono |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Toei Company |
Release date |
|
Running time | 65 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Preceded by The Wild Swans (1977), Thumbelina (1978), Twelve Months (1980) and Swan Lake (1981), it represents the fifth and final entry in Toei's World Masterpiece Fairy Tales movie series.
Plot
Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp revolves around Aladdin, an impoverished but street smart kid who lives in an Arabian city somewhere in a desert with his mother. Along with his gang of friends, they steal from the local merchants and market sellers to survive. One day he is approached by an evil wizard who offers to reward him great riches, if he will accompany him to a cave somewhere in the desert, and retrieve a lamp from within.
Aladdin succeeds in doing this, even acquiring the hall of thousand lights where the lamp is found. However, upon return to the cave entrance, the wizard seals him in after Aladdin refuses to hand over the lamp, having become suspicious of the wizard.
Trapped, Aladdin however uses a magic ring, provided by the wizard before venturing into the cave, and summons a Genie who is able to free him from the cave. While en route home through the desert, Aladdin meets a jerboa that he adopts as a pet.
Returning home, Aladdin discovers that the lamp contains a more powerful Genie who upon Aladdin's first wish, conjures up a succulent meal for him and his mother.
The next day, after Aladdin sells the golden plated dinnerware from the meal, he encounters a young attractive girl, who he quickly discovers is actually the Sultan's daughter; Princess Badral.
Badral is hiding from the Grand Wazir's son, whom her father has agreed to offer her hand in marriage to. The two spend time together out on the town before Badral is eventually found and escorted back to the palace. However, Aladdin, having now fallen in love with her, decides to marry Badral himself.
With the help of the Genie of the lamp, Aladdin becomes a wealthy prince and asks the Sultan for his daughter's hand in marriage. Having already promised her to the Grand Wazir's son, the Sultan instead decrees that whichever of the two suitors brings him the best dowry, will marry Badral.
Aladdin easily wins, while the Grand Wazir and his son are arrested for using stolen wealth to increase their dowry. Once married, Aladdin then uses the Genie of the lamp to build a grand palace for him and Badral. One day, however, while Aladdin and his friends are out hunting with the Sultan, the wizard from earlier dupes Aladdin's mother and Badral into trading him the lamp for a new one.
With the lamp in his possession, he then wishes Aladdin's palace and all within it transported to his castle in Africa. Furious, the Sultan charges Aladdin with three days to rescue his daughter, otherwise Aladdin's friends will be executed.
After losing his camel in the desert, Aladdin calls upon the Genie of the Ring that he still has. He warns however that he cannot undo the spell of the Genie of the lamp, but can transport Aladdin to where the palace is. The effort to do so, however, causes the ring to crumble. Once there, Aladdin reunites with Badral. The two defeat the wizard and use the lamp to undo his wish. Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp ends with Aladdin and Badral sealing the lamp in a locked chest and disposing of its key.
Voice Cast
| Character | Original version (Japanese) [Original Version] | Frontier Enterprises version (English) [1st Version] | Sync, Ltd. version (English) [2nd Version] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aladdin (アラジン) | Kazuo Kimaya (神谷和夫) | John Armstrong | Christopher Atkins |
| The Princess (王女) | Keiko Suzuka (鈴鹿景子) | Gerri Sorrells | Kristy McNichol |
| The Wizard (魔法使い) | Kikuo Kaneuchi (金内喜久夫) | Joseph Zucatti | John Carradine |
| Aladdin's Mother (アラジンの母) | Reiko Nanao (七尾伶子) | Judy Sackheim | June Lockhart |
| Genie of the Ring (魔神の指輪) | Yoshisada Sakaguchi (坂口芳貞) | Bill Ross | Mike Reynolds |
| The Sultan (スルタン) | Kazuo Kitamura (北村和夫) | Mike Worman | Ted Lehman |
| Grand Wazir (大臣) | Takeshi Katô (加藤武) | Richard Murphy | Jan Rabson |
| Wazir's Son (ワジールの息子) | Kimihiro Reizei (冷泉公裕) | Don Johnson | Ardwight Chamberlain |
| Genie of the Lamp (ランプの魔神) | Kazuo Kitamura (北村和夫) | Dick Murphy | John Hausteader |
English releases
The film was originally dubbed in English by Frontier Enterprises (directly in Japan with a cast of American expatriates). This dub received a VHS release by Media Home Entertainment in 1988 in the United States.
An alternative English dub version by Sync, Ltd. under the title Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, was recorded and mixed at Golden Sync Studios and released in North America by The Samuel Goldwyn Company. This featured the celebrity famous Hollywood voice actor cast including Christopher Atkins as Aladdin, Kristy McNichol as The Princess, John Carradine as The Wizard and June Lockhart as Aladdin's Mother. The opening and closing credits music was "Angel's Flight" by Chuck Greenberg and performed by Shadow Fax on Windham Hill Records replaced the Godiego songs. This dub would air on The Disney Channel on 3 September 1984, and American Movie Classics on 5 April 1992, but has not seen a home media release to date.
Music
Japanese Opening Theme
- Mahou no Akari/Let It Burn (魔法のあかり, lit. "Magic Light") by Mickie Yoshino (arrangement), Yukihide Takekawa (music) and Michio Yamagami (lyrics), sung by The Godiego
Japanese Ending Theme
- Aladdin no Lamp/Genie of the Lamp (アラジンのランプ, lit." Aladdin's Lamp") by Mickie Yoshino (arrangement), Yukihide Takekawa (music) and Michio Yamagami (lyrics), sung by The Godiego
Incidental music composed by Katsuhiro Tsubono
English Opening/Ending Themes
- Angel's Flight by Chuck Greenberg, performed by Shadowfax
External links
- Official English webpage from Toei Animation
- Aladdin and the Magic Lamp at IMDb
- Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp at Rotten Tomatoes
- Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia