Review of The Return of Jafar (1994) by Sam L — 23 Aug 2012

If you exclude having Disney World open on the weekends (which, by definition, is a death sentence by trampling), making a full line of direct-to-video DVDs - most of which are sequels to famous Disney movies - in order to capitalize on the success of the prequel, had to of been their worst. Most people remember the good aul' times when they would kick back on the couch (whether they were kids or not) and see the little ones squirm and laugh in excitement as vivid color and characters would roam across the screen in jest and whatnot.

Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas (one of the darker ones), Little Mermaid, Lion King, the list goes on and on. All of them had their positive aspects and their small quirks you could overlook. Imagine if you took the "magic" and the pulsing primitiveness about those films - complete with the characters and their personalities - and turned them into rushed, shorter, yawn-worthy sequels. Yes, the period of Disney where they would fire out DVD-only embarrassments was definitely one of their darkest. How on Earth do you make a sequel to the Hunchback of Notre Dame; considering that it was a book written by the unforgettable Victor Hugo (Les Miserables, etc.), that in itself is just an insult.

Aladdin, in my personal opinion, was their best work. Sure, it focuses on the popular culture references a bit too much and the story was felt like a 1980's "be rich, famous, and look good at it too" dig, but it was excellently done. The characters were very likable (if not unbelievable), it had that Disney wit and humor, and it had a beautiful score and soundtrack. (I don't think anybody could forget the 'A Whole New World' number, that was so well done) So, considering my love for Aladdin, as a child and as a man now, I think it's safe to say a sequel might never have worked; especially considering this movie STARTED the line of terrible sequels.

...It's honestly not that bad.

To say that Tad Stones (Darkwing Duck) and Alan Zaslove (Chip n' Dale) could have met the same integrity and flavor of the original movie is... well, it's bullshit. Because The Return of Jafar, quite bluntly, doesn't. It's clear that there was not a whole lot of effort put into The Return of Jafar; it's running time is a reticent 69 minutes, the animation has enough flaws to make the characters look like aliens at times, and there are a few scenes with too much filler.

That being said, it actually does work. Aladdin was also primarily a good movie because it was driven by smaller characters; the Genie was definitely the focus of half the movie, Jafar himself was a dark and very sinister villain (one of the best ones, in fact), and the various anthropomorphic characters definitely give the film a better edge.

Aladdin's sequel is, in fact, run by the characters on the sideline. Obviously (due to its cheesy but fitting title), Jafar is back. Jafar, both as a villain and a character, worked because he was a snide, acerbic, very clever person that inspired both fear and confidence. He was able to play the act of a 'good guy' being the royal vizier, but due to his character being so well-developed, Jafar was one of the most memorable, if not the, characters in the whole movie.

Jafar actually doesn't have any of his character toned down; Disney did right by making him a cunning dick. Jonathan Freeman does an excellent job voicing and acting as Jafar. The main storyline revolves around this; Jafar is freed from his genie lamp (he was turned into a genie at the end of the movie, mind you) and is accompanied by a newer sidekick. An incompetent, greedy, midget-sized Abis Mal - voiced obnoxiously by Jason Alexander - and his attempts to take over the kingdom of Agrabah. Shocker, right?

In the span of 69 minutes, Jafar is able to capture everyone, surpress the Genie, nearly executes Aladdin, and opens a fissure in the Earth that nearly kills everyone. He's still a damn memorable character because his personality hasn't changed a bit; even to his master, Abis Mal, he is able to trick the thief into wasting his first two wishes and is still able to keep his loyalty to Jafar until the end of the film.

However, the film doesn't just revolve around Jafar. It does revolve around... -sigh-Iago. Most people remember Jafar's former sidekick as he should be and still is; an annoying, colorful, anger-driven parrot voiced by Gilbert Gottfried. Now take that parrot and make him a main character of the film, who not only drives the story, but sings. Yes, Gilbert Gottfried, with the most annoying voice known to man, sings twice in this film; one a solo number, the other a well-known triplet.

Iago's role in this movie DOES provide another likable element to the storyline; he struggles between defending his loyalty to Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, and his debt to Jafar. Basically, between good and evil. After 20 minutes, the film really starts to pick up, and a good deal of it is thanks to the parrot.

Despite this, he's still sarcastic, still annoying, and still so Gilbert Gottfried. Making him sing was not a particularly good choice, Disney.

Thankfully though, after a near groan-inducing beginning, it's good to see the film really start to pick up after the first quarter of it. At 69 minutes, the film is fast-paced and semi-entertaining; granted, it has several quirks, but also several good things to it.

One of which are the musical numbers; as with almost all old Disney movies, the film presents a line of songs. Unlike the last film, with Prince Ali (both the epic reprise and the actual song) and A Whole New World, these songs don't particularly drive the film; but they're good nonetheless. Jafar sings a fast-paced, catchy song ("You're Only Second Rate") with a rapier wit, there is a good, jazzy triplet in the middle of the film ("Forget About Love"), and the Genie returns with a number that, while it isn't as good as his solo in the first film, does a good job. ("Nothing In The World").

Despite the great songs and the good story, Return of Jafar does still stand as a movie that has a bit too many quirks. The animation completely blows; while the battle at the end of the movie and Jafar's solo number are good, the film has random movements, shitty drawing, and often times odd poses. You can blame the second-rate directors. (Pun intended) Having Iago sing ("I'm Looking Out For Me"), has to be near the top of bad decisions for Disney, the antagonist Abis Mal is not particularly memorable, and even at 69 minutes the film does contain some very dull filler.

Despite all this, The Return of Jafar is NOT bad. The film works by centering it around the shrewd Jafar, has several belting, memorable songs, and actually becomes very entertaining in the middle of the movie. On the other hand, however, the animation is terrible, the story gets repetitive at times, Iago becomes even more endearing than he was the first time around... and the moral that Aladdin talks about at the end is a bit... forced. To me, the moral was about not keeping secrets and lies to those you love, as it could very well damage them. Like having Aladdin keep Iago (classified as a criminal) a secret nearly destroyed his relationship with Jasmine; and Iago keeping his new loyalty to Jafar a secret nearly killed everyone.

But Aladdin says that he wants to explore the world... isn't that what the number 'A Whole New World' was about? What the fuck, Disney. Anyways, while it's not bad, it's not great. Definitely worth at least a look, granted if you have tolerance and go into it not expecting the original Aladdin.