"Hercules and the Arabian Night" is an episode of Hercules that features a crossover with the characters from Aladdin. It first aired on February 10, 1999.
Plot[]
Hades with Jafar.
As Hades goes through his usual job of bringing fresh souls into the Underworld, Pain and Panic show up and tell him that there's a new arrival who won't cooperating. The two take Hades to meet the ghost, but the spirit was nowhere to be seen, so Hades asked his two minions of what did the ghost look like. When Pain and Panic describe the ghost, the spirit approaches behind, scaring them. The spirit turned out to be Jafar who demands to be sent back to Agrabah. Hades is at first unconcerned, but they find a common ground: Jafar tried to overtake Agrabah, Hades is trying to overtake Mount Olympus and they both have been defeated by "upstart boys", but each villain thinks his nemesis is superior. They make a bet that they can defeat each other's respective hero. So Hades gives Jafar a new snake staff, which makes him flesh and blood so long as he holds it, and tells him to attack Hercules while he's training on Philoctetes' island.
At said island, Phil is trying to teach Hercules not to "barrel through" and to "use his noodle" from time to time. Suddenly, Jafar pops up and creates a huge bull-like red beast, a Griffin and a Minotaur to go after Hercules. With Phil tied up, Hercules does his best to wrestle the beasts. Jafar laughs at how slow Hercules is, until Hercules picks up Phil's "statue head" house, bashes the beasts and proceeds to smash it on Jafar, who gets knocked all the way back to the Underworld - although Phil scolds Hercules for misinterpreting his instruction of "using his noodle" rather literally, by stating "I said use your head - not my house!".
Hades, upon learning that Jafar's foe Aladdin is 'a mere mortal', decides to send Pain and Panic to Agrabah to take Aladdin out - just for 'a chuckle or a two'. Likely having lost the concept of the passage of time due to Jafar's death and his time in the Underworld, when Pain and Panic arrive in the Arabian city, they first mistake Abu for Aladdin, claiming that he fits Jafar's description of the character on their rap sheet as "wearing a vest, no shirt, and a rakish fez", but Pain are confused when the "Aladdin" they captured doesn't look as "heroic" like they pictured him to be. But the real Aladdin, along with his wife Jasmine, arrive on the Magic Carpet, pointing out Pain and Panic's mistake. After a scuffle, Pain and Panic are about to finish Aladdin off, but Aladdin convinces them to look into his lamp (by telling them not to look into it). Genie's hand punches them all the way back to Greece (a town parallel to an Arabian city) and down into the Underworld (this is Genie's only appearance in this episode).
Hades admits that Aladdin is tough, but wants to concentrate on beating Hercules first. Then Jafar offers an idea: what if Hercules and Aladdin had a misunderstanding between them and get into a fight? Hades likes the idea and puts the plan into motion. The first part is kidnapping Abu from Agrabah and Icarus from Prometheus Academy (both using bananas as bait). When Hercules can't find Icarus, Jafar (in his old man disguise) fools Hercules by telling him that a "young rogue named Aladdin" kidnapped him. Hercules gets angry and runs off to find Aladdin. Later, in Agrabah, Aladdin and Jasmine can't find Abu, and Pain and Panic disguise themselves as Hercules and tell him that Hercules kidnapped Abu.
When Herc, Phil and Pegasus arrive in Agrabah, Al, Jasmine and Carpet give them a not-so-warm welcome. Hercules and Aladdin start the fight, aka "The Battle of the Disney Heroes." Hercules barreling in and Aladdin sidestepping each blow. Aladdin gets Hercules to chase him through the alleyways of Agrabah to an old abandoned building. He then gets Hercules to punch enough holes in the walls to bring most of the house down on top of Hercules. When Herc holds it up, Aladdin demands Herc to tell where he hid Abu. Herc responds by wanting to know where Aladdin took Icarus. Aladdin, shocked at hearing this, begins to realize, "There's been a big mistake." Before they can work it out, though, the building collapses on both of them.
Aladdin and Hercules properly introduce each other.
While Jafar and Hades believe the heroes have been destroyed and laugh maniacally together to celebrate, Hercules gets himself and Aladdin out of the rubble. They piece together that it was a setup and that Hades and Jafar are holding Icarus and Abu in the Underworld. Aladdin wants to charge in to rescue them, but Hercules thinks of another way. While Hades tells Jafar of his plans for Olympian domination (and offers Jafar the 'Lord of the Dead' title while doing this), Pain and Panic yell that Hercules and Aladdin are coming their way.
Jafar is sent to stop them. He blasts Aladdin in an ice block and creates a giant scorpion to take on the slow Hercules. But there's one problem: the man in the ice is Hercules, disguised as Aladdin, and the one fighting the scorpion is Aladdin disguised as Hercules. Shocked, Jafar is unable to stop Aladdin from nabbing the snake staff and tossing it to Hercules, who snaps it in half. The spirit of Jafar is dragged down into the River Styx for good. Icarus and Abu meanwhile have escaped and begin punching Hades, until he threatens to make them "permanent residents".
Hercules and Aladdin congratulate each other before Aladdin takes Jasmine, Abu and Carpet back to Agrabah. Aladdin tells Hercules that he'll make a great hero someday. Hercules thanks him, "Coming from it means a lot." Icarus, having bonded with Abu, asks Hercules if they can get a monkey.
Cast[]
- Tate Donovan as Hercules, a hero-in-training who is learning to not just barrel through, but use his head. He first encounters Jafar when Hades gambles that he can't beat him; Jafar is proven wrong, despite Hercules' clumsiness, and so they capture Hercules' friend Icarus. Jafar, in disguise, frames Aladdin, who Hercules pursues to Agrabah, being defeated due to unfamiliar surroundings and Aladdin's agility, and his overuse of strength. Once the two realize that both their friends have been captured, they deduce that Hades and Jafar have teamed up. Hercules then teams up with Aladdin to rescue Icarus and Abu by disguising himself as Aladdin, while he does likewise, as opposed to head-on assault. At the end of the episode, Aladdin tells Hercules he'll make a great hero.
- Scott Weinger as Aladdin, a street rat turned hero and heir to the throne of Agrabah, who is first encountered by Pain and Panic after they mistake Abu for him. He defeats them by having them look into his lamp. After realizing Aladdin is tricky, Hades has Jafar capture Abu and Pain and Panic frame Hercules for it. Confronting a newly arrived Hercules, Aladdin leads him around the city, dodging his blows but quickly discovering that he is too strong to face head on. After collapsing a building on Hercules, the pair realize that Jafar and Hades have teamed up and set them both up, and they go to the Underworld disguised as each other to defeat the villains and rescue their friends. Aladdin tells Hercules that he'll make a great hero at the end of the episode.
- James Woods as Hades, Lord of the Dead and Hercules's archenemy, who is constantly irked by Hercules getting in the way. After encountering a reluctantly dead Jafar, he makes him alive again so long as he holds his serpent staff, and bets correctly that he cannot defeat Hercules. However, when Hades sends Pain and Panic after Aladdin, he proves too tricky as well. Jafar then proposes that the pair have a "misunderstanding" involving their friends being captured, which Hades puts into effect. He offers Jafar title of "Lord of the Dead" after they are assumed dead. However, the two heroes realize they've been played, and come to the Underworld for their friends, who Hades reluctantly releases after Jafar is defeated.
- Jonathan Freeman as Jafar, the deceased archenemy of Aladdin, who wants revenge on him, and to rule Agrabah. He convinces Hades to make him flesh and bones again; however, this is conditional: Jafar only remains alive so long as he holds his staff. He then attacks Hercules, who proves too strong despite his clumsiness; Hades likewise finds Aladdin too tricky to handle. Jafar then proposes that the heroes have a "misunderstanding" involving their friends being captured, which Hades puts into effect. Unfortunately for them, the two heroes realize the deception and come to the Underworld for their friends; Jafar doesn't realize that they are disguised as each other, and his staff is broken, with his soul going to the River Styx permanently.
- Linda Larkin as Princess Jasmine, Aladdin's wife, who helps Aladdin deal with Pain and Panic. Jasmine and Aladdin give Hercules a not-so-warm welcome after thinking he has captured Abu. She realizes that Hercules and Aladdin have been deceived, and helps deduce that Jafar and Hades are behind it. Jasmine is at first eyed by Phil, until she tells him sternly,"I'm married".
- Robert Costanzo as Philoctetes, Hercules' mentor, who constantly tries to convince him to not just barrel through things, but to use his head once in a while. He is trussed up by Jafar during their initial confrontation after advising Hercules this, but Hercules later uses this advice when invading the Undeworld. He seems attracted to Jasmine, until she replies sternly, "I'm married".
- French Stewart as Icarus, Hercules' best friend, who is captured by Hades and Jafar (using a banana trail). He and Abu bond while they are being held captive, and after Abu frees them, he asks Hercules if they can get a monkey.
- Frank Welker as Abu, Aladdin's pet monkey, who is kidnapped by Jafar using a banana trail. He is held with Icarus in the Underworld, where the two bond. Abu angrily confronts Hades until threatened with death, and leaves with Aladdin and Jasmine for Agrabah.
- Bobcat Goldthwait and Matt Frewer as Pain and Panic, Hades' minions, who are sent first to deal with Aladdin, who tricks them into looking into Genie's lamp; his fist knocks them all the way back to Greece. Pain then disguises himself as Hercules, saying he has kidnapped Abu.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This episode takes place after the events of Aladdin and the King of Thieves, which would make this episode a sequel. This is given to the fact that Aladdin is wearing the same outfit from that movie and when Phil makes a pass at Jasmine, she turns him down, telling the satyr that she is married while showing her wedding ring. This also explains Iago's absence in this episode since he left to tour the world with Cassim at the end of Aladdin and the King of Thieves. However, Iago was mentioned (albeit not by name) by Jafar who was still furious at how he had betrayed him during the events of The Return of Jafar.
- Besides Iago, Rajah and the Sultan are also the only main characters from the Aladdin franchise to not appear in this episode as well.
- The Peddler, Razoul and his guards don't appear in this episode either.
- This is the first of only two episodes of a Disney television series to take place after a Disney sequel. The other being The Lion Guard episode Return to the Pride Lands, which takes place after The Lion King II: Simba's Pride.
- The episode implies that the events of Aladdin actually took place around the same era as Ancient Greece. A similar hint was given in The Return of Jafar, where Genie commented that he had "raced with Hercules" during his song when he explained his travels across the world. However it's historically impossible that the two occurred around the same time, as there are at least 3000 years between the Ancient Greek and the Abbasid Caliphate.
- Also, during "A Whole New World" song that was seen in the original movie, a place that could be considered Greece is shown.
- The character of Mechanicles from the Aladdin TV series, who seems like an Ancient Greek character and describes himself as "the greatest of the great Greek geniuses", further muddles the timeline issue.
- Co-incidentally, both Aladdin and Hercules were directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, and Tad Stones served as executive producer on both this show and the Aladdin TV series. Both films belong to an era known as the Disney Renaissance and were released five years apart from each, with Aladdin released in 1992 and Hercules released in 1997 respectively. Both films are composed by Alan Menken.
- In addition, the pop versions of their songs, "A Whole New World" (sung by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle) and "Go the Distance" (sung by Michael Bolton) are played during the closing credits of their respective films.
- The disguise Jafar used to trick Hercules into fighting Aladdin was the same one he used to recruit Aladdin to go to the Cave of Wonders in the first film.
- When Hades makes a new snake staff for Jafar, he tells Jafar that he will be flesh and blood as long as he holds it - with Jafar instantly becoming a spirit again when Hades briefly takes it from him. However, Aladdin later takes it and throws it to Hercules to snap. Before it's snapped, Jafar mysteriously remains flesh and blood.
- Jafar's death in "Hercules and the Arabian Night" is almost similar to that of The Return of Jafar, where after his source of life (snake staff in "Hercules and the Arabian Night", Jafar's Lamp in The Return of Jafar) gets destroyed, he gets killed (via electrocution in The Return of Jafar, via imprisonment in River Styx in "Hercules and the Arabian Night"). Coincidentally, both defeats also involved a lethal substance resulting in their death (in The Return of Jafar, it was lava which destroyed the lamp, and Jafar by proxy; while in "Hercules and the Arabian Night", it was the waters of the River Styx, which was where dead souls were trapped under and potent enough that even Hades is unable to get out of it if he falls in.)
- The Genie has the shortest appearance in the entire episode, only consisting of a single fist out of the lamp. This was likely because neither Robin Williams nor Dan Castellaneta were available, despite the latter having a recurring role on the show as Homer.
- Phil did say one of Genie's quotes from the first Aladdin movie when Hercules thought of a way to get to the Underworld to save Icarus and Abu: "He can be taught!"
- A number of musical cues in this episode are reused from the Aladdin TV series, notably playing when Pain and Panic comment on their disguise's pants and when Genie's lamp is shown.
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