Aladdin is the 121st episode of Screen Junkies comedy series Honest Trailers. It was written Spencer Gilbert, Dan Murrell and Andy Signore. It was narrated by Jon Bailey as Epic Voice Guy. It parodies the 1992 Disney animated film Aladdin in the format of a musical episode. It includes parody songs by PaperBot. It was published on October 6, 2015 to coincide with the film's latest Special Edition release on home video and Blu-ray. It is 6 minutes 10 seconds long. It has been viewed over 9.4 million times.
Watch Honest Trailers - Aladdin on YouTube
"A Middle Eastern fairy tale that would never be made today." ~ Honest Trailers - Aladdin
Script[]
From the studio who's not exactly known for tastefully handling other cultures' stories (Disney) comes the 25th anniversary of a Middle Eastern fairy tale that would never be made today.
Sultan: Praise Allah!
Aladdin
Journey to Agrabah, an ancient-ish Arab-ish land ruled under strict Sharia law...
Shop Owner (preparing to cut off Jasmine's hand): Do you know what the penalty is for stealing?!
...and meet Jasmine, a princess struggling with the ultimate first world problem.
Jasmine: I don't wanna be a princess anymore.
She's a strong, independent woman who won't let herself be married off like a piece of property, until she meets a sexy bad boy. Watch her slum it up with Aladdin, a hunky thief with no home, no parents, and no nipples, who steals food and gives it to even smaller, cuter orphans. Aww, so sweet.
Together, they'll create the most realistic love story in Disney history, as the guy asks the girl to trust him, then says whatever it takes to get into her MC Hammer pants...
Genie: Tell her the TRUTH!!!
Aladdin: No way!
...and at the end of it all, must face the consequences of his pathological lie by getting everything he ever wanted.
Sit back as Robin Williams takes over the film as the magical Genie, who's so powerful, he does impressions of people who won't be born for hundreds of years. (shows the Genie doing impressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rodney Dangerfield, Ed Sullivan, Jack Nicholson, and Peter Lorre) Kids just love a good Peter Lorre. Enjoy his non-stop improvised riffing that made him everybody's favorite part of the film and every Disney animator's worst nightmare.
Genie: The exits are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, anywhere! (shows the Genie pointing multiple hands in various directions)
Aw, their poor, poor hands.
Conspiring against them is Jafar, whose goatee, black robes, and snake staff should really tip people off that he's evil...
Jafar: This princess will marry me!
...and his accomplice Iago...
Iago: I can't TAKE it anymore!
...who is now the second most famous bird Gilbert Gottfried has ever voiced.
Aflac duck: Aflac.
Follow along on an adventure that made people spend way too much time thinking about what they'd spend their three wishes on and taught kids that it's not how rich you are, but what's inside that counts...if by inside, you mean inside a magic lamp that can make you rich.
So get ready for a movie that, if it weren't for the Genie and the music, would be pretty by-the-numbers. But, man, is that Genie funny, and man, is that music good, featuring unforgettable songs like "The Narrator Song"...
(sung to the tune of "Arabian Nights")
Peddler:
A framing deviiiiiiiice
For this whimsical taaaaaaaale
The credits will go
Much faster, you know,
So the young kids won't baaaaaaaail
..."The Telling Kids It's Okay to Steal Song"...
(sung to the tune of "One Jump Ahead")
Aladdin:
Stealing,
It's fine if you need it
Get yours
Forget the police
Feed me, or I will disturb the peace
Guards:
Where did
You get
A French
Baguette?
Aladdin:
That's how cartoon bread's drawn!
..."The Take Your Kid to the Bathroom Song"...
(sung to the tune of "Prince Ali")
Genie:
Time to pee,
Nothing to see
Release your agua!
Wash your hands,
Zip up your pants,
You can trust me.
Aladdin's turned to a prince;
Don't worry, it all makes sense.
No need to whine anymore,
Your kid can pee!
..."The Kidnapping Your Date Song"...
(sung to the tune of "A Whole New World")
Aladdin:
I just kidnapped this girl
'Cause her midriff is sexy
We are up here,
Now let's see if she'll rub my lamp tonight
I'll pork this girl
As long as that's okay with you
No creepy long-faced dudes
Or family feuds
To keep us both from porking
Jasmine:
You'll pork this girl.
Your sentient rug can watch us, too
Even though you're a fraud,
I like that bod,
So I'll enjoy an airborne pork with you.
Aladdin: (You are so much hotter than Abu.)
...and "The Robin Williams Song".
(sung to the tune of "Friend Like Me")
Genie:
Can Josh Gad do this?
Can Jack Black do that?
Can Jim Carrey pull this off
Without his mask?
Mr. Hugh Jackman, sir,
This ain't the Tonys...
The torch can pass;
Go ahead, recast,
But I'll always be the best,
Always be the best
Give the remake talk a rest;
It'll be a mess
'Cause I'll always
Be the
Best
Ge-
Niiiiiiiie!
Ah-ha-ha!
Woo-hoo-hoo!
You ain't never gonna recast me!
Starring: A Liar (Scott Weinger as Aladdin), Blue Jasmine (Linda Larkin as Jasmine), Male-eficent (Jonathan Freeman as Jafar), The Original Angry Bird (Gilbert Gottfried as Iago), Curious Abu (Frank Welker as Abu), The Hardest Level in the Super Nintendo Game (Aladdin being chased by a wave of lava on the magic carpet), Really Ties the Room Together (the magic carpet), and Robbin Screentime (Robin Williams as the Genie).
Honest title for Aladdin - A Genie. Title design by Robert Holtby.
A Genie
That Jasmine is so hot, right, guys? Maybe the hottest Disney princess ever. Well, guess what? She's fifteen years old (shows Jasmine as being a few days away from her 16th birthday according to her Wikipedia article). Don't you feel gross now? Well, at least it's okay for Aladdin to -- (shows Aladdin as being eighteen years old according to his Wikipedia article) uh-oh.
Trivia[]
- Screen Junkies also made an episode of Honest Trailers about the 2019 reboot of Aladdin.
- Screen Junkies have produced Honest Trailers for several other musicals including Mary Poppins, Les Miserables, Frozen, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, The Lion King, The Jungle Book, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Beauty and the Beast, Moana, La La Land, and The Greatest Showman. They also included parody songs in the Honest Trailers for The LEGO Movie, Fifty Shades of Grey, Toy Story and Honest Retro TV Themes!
- An Honest Trailer Commentary for this episode was recorded and was available on the Screen Junkies Plus until the website/app was discontinued. Screen Junkies don't currently have any way of releasing the video.
Reception[]
Honest Trailers - Aladdin has a 97.5% approval rating from YouTube viewers. Media sites were generally positive in their reviews of this Honest Trailer, especially its songs. Geek Tyrant said the video was "just as funny" as previous Honest Trailers for Disney animated films. CinemaBlend wrote "Honest Trailers' roasting of Aladdin earned its viral spread, if only on the strength of the remade songs, sang and produced with the same obvious care and effort as the originals. Screen Junkies takes their Honest Trailers seriously, and the result this time around is hilarious."
However, some sites were critical of certain aspects of the Honest Trailer. Nerdist and CinemaBlend both took issue with the Honest Trailer's complaint about genie knowing modern pop culture references. Nerdist proposed another explanation, while CinemaBlend called the criticism reaching and "inconsequential."
In addition, Nerdist wrote that Screen Junkies went "relatively easy" on Aladdin by not calling out the original racist lyrics to "Arabian Nights." In contrast CinemaBlend wrote that Screen Junkies acknowledged the film's racism by "showing a clip from the film of a giant, stereotypical Ali Baba-looking type wielding his machete and threatening to lop the arm off of a poor village girl who was caught stealing." In the same article, CinemaBlend also wrote, "While the video makes no further commentary on the sociopolitical nature of Mid-East relations, the subtlety in these lines alone allows the informed viewer to draw their own conclusions."
CinemaBlend used this Honest Trailer to discuss Screen Junkies' insightful approach to comedy, writing:
The clip takes the playful jabs that are the trademark of the innovative comedy network, while also making several salient points regarding the film’s subject matter. Honest Trailers generally chops up a film, adds some condensed, hyper-sharpened commentary, and presents a comedic Cliff Notes version in mere minutes. This Honest Trailers takes particular note of the cultural shifts that have occurred over the last two-and-a-half decades that would denote, as the video states, that the film would "would never get made today." (Joshua Waldrop, CinemaBlend)
Production credits[]
Video thumbnail for Honest Trailers - Aladdin
Voiceover Narration by Jon Bailey
Music by PaperBot
Title design by Robert Holtby
Series Created by Andy Signore & Brett Weiner
Written by Spencer Gilbert, Dan Murrell, and Andy Signore
Edited by Anthony Falleroni and Dan Murrell
External links[]
- ALADDIN HONEST TRAILER REWRITES THE CLASSIC SONGS - Nerdist article
- The Aladdin Honest Trailer Rips The Animated Disney Classic To Shreds - CinemaBlend article
- 'Aladdin' honest trailer reminds us why it's really Genie's movie - EW article
- Aladdin has been given the Honest Trailers treatment – and it turns the film completely on its head - Metro article
- Honest Trailer For Disney's ALADDIN - Geek Tyrant article