Story

With the help of their friends, Aladdin (voice of Scott Weinger) and Jasmine (voice of Linda Larkin) are preparing for their extravagant wedding. Everyone is surprised when the festivities are crashed by a herd of elephants provoked by the notorious criminal group, the Forty Thieves. Led by Cassim (John Rhys-Davis), King of Thieves, the Forty Thieves want to steal a sceptre from the palace. Aladdin follows Cassim and fights him to keep the sceptre, while Genie (Robin Williams), Carpet, Abu (Frank Welker) and Iago (Gilbert Gottfried) run the thieves out of the palace.

Forced to postpone their wedding because of the destruction caused by the raid, Jasmine and Aladdin have no idea why Cassim so desperately wants the sceptre. Suddenly, a magical being bursts from the sceptre and reveals herself as the Oracle, saying that she can answer a single question. But knowing that Aladdin is curious about his past, the Oracle also says that his questions can be answered by his father. This comes as a shock to everyone, because Aladdin’s father has long been presumed dead.

Aladdin learns that his father is trapped within the world of the Forty Thieves, and so he must follow them to find his answers. Aladdin and his friends track down the Forty Thieves, only to learn Aladdin’s father is none other than the King of Thieves himself.

Will Aladdin choose his long-lost father over Jasmine? Will Cassim change his ways and realise his ultimate treasure? Or will Cassim’s greed and lust for gold keep father and son apart forever?

Themes

Crime; family breakdown; death or separation from a parent

Violence

There is some violence in Aladdin and the King of Thieves, including:

• Genie throws a heavy sack on top of a guard, crushing him.
• While the wedding guests are fleeing the elephants, the Forty Thieves jump out and attack people with knives and swords.
• Aladdin and Cassim get in a physical fight over a sceptre that Aladdin and Jasmine have ben given for their wedding.
• Aladdin crashes a meeting of the Forty Thieves, tackling Sa’luk to the ground and announcing he is Cassin’s son.
• During the song ‘Welcome to the Forty Thieves’, the thieves walk towards Aladdin, pointing their swords at him.
• Sa’luk tests Aladdin in ‘The Challenge’, which is a physical fight surrounded by lightning and rain.
• Sa’luk throws Aladdin over the edge of a cliff, but he lands on a ledge.
• Aladdin knocks Sa’luk off the ledge, and he falls off into rocks and water. It looks like Sa’luk has been killed.
• Sa’luk jumps out of the water and wrestles a shark, killing it.
• Sa’luk plots with the palace guards to capture and kill Cassim.
• Aladdin, dressed as the King of Thieves, jumps on the heads of the palace guards.
• Sa’luk fights several of the Forty Thieves. They punch, kick and throw knives at each other.
• Aladdin jumps from a building and knocks Sa’luk to the ground, punching him in the head.

Sexual references

Aladdin and the King of Thieves has some sexual references. For example, Genie says, ‘I thought the ground wasn’t supposed to move until the honeymoon’.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

There’s no use of substances in Aladdin and the King of Thieves.

Nudity and sexual activity

There’s some nudity and sexual activity in Aladdin and the King of Thieves. For example:

• During the song ‘There’s a party here in Agrabah’, Genie uses his magic on a group of girls. The girls go from wearing clothing that covers them fully to wearing to long pants and crop tops.
• Genie jumps out of a cake dressed as a girl with large breasts. He’s wearing only a bra.
• Aladdin and Jasmine kiss at the end of the movie at their wedding.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in Aladdin and the King of Thieves:

• Genie refers to a ‘Kodiak moment’.
• Genie dresses himself and Jasmine as Snow White, Elvis, Cinderella, Pocahontas and Jessica Rabbit.

Coarse language

Aladdin and the King of Thieves has some insulting language and name-calling. For example, the guards refer to Aladdin as a ‘street rat’.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Aladdin and the King of Thieves is an animated movie about Aladdin’s reunion with his father. The movie is the third instalment of Disney’s original Aladdin franchise and is likely to appeal to families with older children.

Aladdin and the King of Thieves has some violence and scary scenes, so it’s most suitable for children over 8 years. We recommend parental guidance for children aged 5-8 years.

These are the main messages from Aladdin and the King of Thieves:

• Be true to yourself.
• Value family relationships and true friendships over treasure and gold.

Values in Aladdin and the King of Thieves that you could reinforce with your children include:

• staying true to yourself, rather than changing yourself to conform to people’s expectations
• being your own person with your own beliefs, rather than following in your parents’ footsteps.

Aladdin and the King of Thieves could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the importance of giving people a second chance, even if they’ve done the wrong thing in the past. For example, Aladdin has always felt abandoned by his father, and he learns that being true to himself outweighs changing himself to get his father’s approval. Cassim also learns that being there for his son is more important than any treasure. Both learn that although things might not have worked out in the past, it’s OK to have hope for the future.