Aladdin

"Getting into trouble a little early today, aren't we, Aladdin?"

"Trouble? No way. You're only in trouble if you get caught. "

Aladdin (Weinger and Kane) is a thief, stealing on the streets of Agrabah, to survive alongside his best friend a monkey named Abu (Welker). He dreams of a better life inside the palace. He sees a chance at happiness when he rescues Jasmine (Larkin and Salonga). But that joy is short-lived when he discovers that Jasmine is the princess, and he is sentenced to life in the dungeon.

A mysterious prisoner offers Aladdin a second chance: escape from prison and a job. But things do not go to plan, leaving Aladdin, Abu, and a Magic Carpet trapped in the Cave of Wonders and buried deep in the sand. They also have an old lamp, that IA revealed to contain a Genie (Williams), who will grant Aladdin 3 wishes.

Meanwhile, Jasmine feels trapped in her life. As the princess, everything is planned. She is pressured by her father, the Sultan (Seale), and his grand vizier, Jafar (Freeman) to uphold the law and get married. Jafar and his parrot Iago (Gottfried) have bigger plans to take over the kingdom. 

Aladdin returns to Agrabah triumphantly as Prince Ali. Can he get the girl and protect Agrabah from Jafar?

Based on the folktale Aladdin and One Thousand and One Nights.

The Good:

The music is great, with some songs by award-winning team (and Disney regulars) Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. Ashman died in 1991, and Tim Rice was brought in to help finish the soundtrack.

The story is fun and interesting, with a strong lead and an imposing villain. The animation is good.

The cast is strong, with Robin Williams giving the most memorable performance. He gives the Genie a big personality, that steals the show. Broadway star Lea Salonga singing for Jasmine and musician Brad Kane singing for Aladdin. Voice actor Frank Welker voices the non-speaking animal side-kicks (Abu and Rajah) along with the Cave of Wonders. Comedian Gilbert Gottfried gets to be the sparky, evil side kick. The rest of the cast is fine as well, and the majority return for the subsequent films and TV show.

The Bad:

No real complaints.

Other Comments:

-Nominated for 5 Academy Awards: Best Original Score, Best Original Song (2 nominations), Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Sound. It won Best Original Score for Alan Menken and Best Original Song for "A Whole New World", Alan Menken and Tim Rice.

-The success of this film led to 2 sequels, The Return of Jafar in 1994 and Aladdin and the King of Thieves in 1996, and an Aladdin TV show from 1994-1995.

-The film wad turned into a Broadway musical, adding some of the songs written by Ashman and Menken, in 2011.

-A live-action remake, directed by Guy Ritchie, was made by Disney in 2019.

Aladdin (1992) 90 minutes

Director: John Musker & Ron Clements

Starring: Scott Weinger as Aladdin

Brad Kane as (singing)

Robin Williams as the Genie

Linda Larkin as Jasmine

Lea Salonga as Jasmine (singing)

Jonathan Freeman as Jafar

Frank Welker as Abu, Rajah, Cave of Wonders

Gilbert Gottfried as Iago

Douglas Seale as the Sultan

Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo

"Questions are key to the door of doubt."

Famed detective Charlie Chan (Orlan) and his number one son Lee (Luke) are in Monte Carlo for an art show. They befriend the Chief of Police Jules Etienne Joubert (Huber) at a casino.

That evening, two men are murdered and $1 million in bonds are missing. The bonds belong to Victor Karnoff (Blackmer), who blames his rival Paul Savarin (Raquello). The car of Evelyn Grey (Field) is seen fleeing the first murder site. Evelyn is dating Karnoff's secretary and brother-in-law Gordon Chase (Kent). Karnoff's wife, Joan (Linaker) is also connected to the case, along with bartender Al Rogers (Lynn). With multiple murders, blackmail, lies, theft, and romance at play, can Chan unravel the truth?

The character of Charlie Chan was created by Earl Derr Biggers in a series of novels from 1925-1932. In 1931, Chan was the star of Charlie Chan Carries On, starring Warner Orland. This is Orlan's 16th and final appearance as the character. 

The Good:

The story moves at a decent pace. It also has a mix of mystery and humor, mostly on behalf of Keye Luke's Lee Chan. Luke is funny and charismatic in the role.

Warner Oland's Charlie Chan is methodical and astute. He rolls with the situation around him, while also keeping the suspects in line, by interrupting them with "Contradiction, please" or "Excuse, please". I also enjoyed his camaraderie with Harold Huber's Inspector. 

The Bad:

I guessed the guilty party early on. It didn't hurt the enjoyment of the film.

Other Comments:

-This was Orlan's final film.

-The series continued with Sidney Toler for 22 films and Roland Winters for 6 films.

-Luke also appeared in thr Mr. Wong film series, taking over the role from Boris Karloff. He also appeared as Lee Chan in thr Mr. Moto series.

-Enjoyable film. I am interested in watching other films in the series, especially to see how the character differs with other actors.

Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo (1937) 73 minutes

Director: Eugene Forde

Starring:Warner Oland as Charlie Chan

Keye Luke as Lee Chan

Virginia Field as Evelyn Grey

Sidney Blackmer as Victor Karnoff

Harold Huber as Chief of Police Jules Etienne Joubert

Kay Linaker as Joan Karnoff

Robert Kent as Gordon Chase

Edward Raquello as Paul Savarin

George Lynn as Al Rogers

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Wallace (Whitehead) has an invention for everything, including making and feeding him breakfast. But inventing is not cheap and he needs to find a way to make some money. Wallace invents a gnome robot, called Norbot (Shearsmith), to help his long suffering dog Gromit, and later the town.

Years before, Wallace and Gromit helped the police capture notoriius criminal Feathers McGraw. McGraw was imprisoned in a zoo. He learns of Wallace's recent success and plots to escape, ruin Wallace, and re-steal the Blue Diamond. He turns the Norbot evil and the town turn against Wallace. Can Wallace and Gromit clear their names and stop McGraw?

This is Aardman Animations 6th Wallace and Gromit adventure: 4 short films (A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave, and A Matter of Loaf and Death) and 1 previous feature length film (Curse of the Were-Rabbit).

The Good:

It has been over a decade since Wallace and Gromit appeared on screen. But it feels like no time has passed here. Wallace and Gromit are a loveable duo. As always, this is a stop-motion animated film, with lots of personality and quirky characters. 

Feathers McGraw is the best villain and does not disappoint here. The gnomes were the right amount of creepy.

The Bad:

It's mostly good, but the scene of Norbot charging is cringey. Other than that, no real issues.

Other Comments:

-Feathers McGraw previously appeared in the short Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers.

-This film is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. 

-A thoroughly enjoyable film. I was concerned that they wouldn't be able to recapture the magic of prior films, but my fears were unfounded. It was great!

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024) 79 minutes

Director: Nick Park & Mark Crossingham

Starring: Ben Whitehead as Wallace

Peter Kay as Chief Inspector Albert Mackintosh

Reece Shearsmith as Norbot

Diane Morgan as Onya Doorstep