I Can Show You The Alternatives
Aladdin is one of Disney’s all-time classic animated flicks. It’s a movie chock full of adventure, memorable songs and a scene-stealing performance from Robin Williams.
If you’ve finished watching this and are looking for alternatives – fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top picks for alternate viewing.
So without further ado, we present 10 movies to check out when you’ve finished watching Aladdin.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
Sinbad is often overlooked compared to the juggernaut of Disney animation. However, DreamWorks’ sea-fairing adventure is definitely worth checking out.
Our tale takes place with a Persian sailor called Sinbad, who’s on a quest to find the magical legendary Book of Peace. Unfortunately this task is made worse by the wicked Goddess of Chaos, who has framed him for stealing it.
Just to raise the stakes a little more, if Sinbad fails his mission, the Prince Proteus of Syracuse will be beheaded. No pressure then!
With some nice animation and an exciting story, Sinbad serves up a solid adventure.
The Emperor’s New Groove
The Emperor’s New Groove is another Disney animated comedy, armed with a sharp wit and some memorable moments.
The story here revolves around Kuzco, the narcissistic ruler of an ancient South American empire. Unfortunately, he has a real attitude problem.
After firing his advisor Yzma, Kuzco is transformed into a llama. Now the property of a llama herder called Pacha, Kuzco scrambles to find a way to transform back into his old self.
Eventually the pair agree to help each other, setting up a memorable buddy-comedy flick to follow.
Beauty and the Beast
A tale as old as time; 1991’s Beauty and the Beast remains one of Disney’s absolute best. The songs are timeless, the animation beautifully done and the story is perfectly paced too.
The plot centers around a cursed prince, forced into becoming a hideous monster; a reflection of his own ugliness inside after turning away a woman desperate for help.
This woman happens to be a witch, cursing the Prince and turning him into a monster. With Beast locked away in his tower, and time ticking away to regain his humanity, a young woman named Belle arrives, setting up an unlikely romance.
If you haven’t seen Beauty and the Beast yet, you really should check this one out.
Aladdin (2017)
Trying to remake the 1992 classic Aladdin was always going to be a tough ask. Despite a visually stunning film full of great choreography, dancing and singing numbers, Aladdin fails to bring anything new to the table, delivering a rather lackluster remake.
Aladdin’s story remains largely unchanged from its 1992 counterpart, save for a few moments. A valiant effort from the cast to try and inject some fun is enough to just about recommend it for this list.
It’s not perfect, but those looking for something similar to Aladdin will find it here.
The Princess Bride
The Princess Bride is a family classic and a must watch for lovers of Aladdin.
The story begins with a young boy being read a bedtime story by his Grandfather. This tale is a classic fantasy fable, revolving around the beautiful Buttercup who’s engaged to the odious Prince Humperdinck.
When she’s kidnapped and held against her will, it’s up to Westley (our farmboy-turned pirate) to rescue her.
Well-written and chock full of exciting set pieces, The Princess Bride is a great movie.
Tangled
With a host of colourful characters, a sharp wit and a couple of memorable tracks, Tangled doesn’t reinvent the wheel but does polish it up enough to give this conventional Disney princess formula some shine.
At the heart of this is magically long-haired Rapunzel. Having spent her entire life in a tower, her life is changed forever when she runs into a a runaway thief called Flint. When he encourages her to leave the tower and explore the world, Rapunzel’s life is changed forever.
The movie features some great moments and the visuals are absolutely stunning throughout. In fact, the movie that followed this (Frozen) suffers quite a lot thanks to scaling back on the CGI effects.
Aladdin: Return Of Jafar
Aladdin: Return of Jafar isn’t a great film by today’s standards, but it’s not a bad one either. As far as Disney animated sequels go, Return of Jafar is actually quite good.
The plot (as one may expect by the title) sees Jafar return, desperate for revenge on Aladdin. Using a foolish thief and Iago’s treachery, Jafar hatches a plan to get back into power and gain revenge on Aladdin.
The real sore point here though is the lack of Robin Williams, and this does flatline the sequel quite noticeably. Still, fans of Aladdin should find enough to like here.
Hercules
Hercules is one of the more underrated Disney Animated classics – but it’s a real gem. There’s some excellent voice acting, a perfect homage to Greek culture and an imaginative plot line about what it means to be a true hero.
The story revolves around half-God, half-mortal Hercules, whom Hades, God of the Underworld, is desperate to eliminate. After a botched plan, Hercules retains some of his God-like strength back on Earth where he’s raised by humans.
When he discovers his heritage though, he sets out on a mission to return to Mount Olympus and become a true hero. Along the way he battles monsters and sets out to rescue damsel in the distress Meg.
Tarzan
Tarzan’s story here is pretty basic and revolves around a man called Tarzan who’s raised by gorillas in the jungle. As he gets older, he’s forced to decide where he really belongs when he discovers he’s not actually an ape but a human being.
This is one of the final movies Disney produced before the new Millennium – and it’s a pretty good one to end it on too.
Robin Hood
The story of Robin’s Hood’s “take from the rich to give to the poor” idea has been echoed through generations.
It’s no surprise then that Disney’s animation department – known for spinning folklore tales into rich, vibrant stories – would get their hands on this one. The result is one of the better retellings of Robin Hood.
Using numerous different animals as characters, this imaginative interpretation sees fun and romance collide as our swashbuckling hero of Sherwood forest is depicted as a cunning fox.
He joins forces with a host of colourful characters in a bid to outwit and outsmart the greedy Prince John (who’s depicted as a Lion here.)
It’s a fun, vibrant romp that uses its themes of power and hierarchical rule to good use.
So there we have it, our 10 Movie picks to keep you busy after watching Aladdin.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!