ALADDIN has always been one of our favorite movies. A princess that speaks her mind, a lovable boy, high jinxed side kick, and of course the lovable, scene stealing genie. It’s hard to believe that the film came out 23 years ago. It’s also hard to believe that this is the first time the film is in HD in the United States, but it’s true, with the release of ALADDIN DIAMOND EDITION, it is the first time fans will be seeing the film in spectacular high definition.

With this being a Diamond Edition, of course expectations are high that there will be a lot of interesting content as Bonus Features, since the past several home releases have been sub par. Luckily, with Aladdin, that’s not the case. Not only do you get all the classic Bonus Features that were on the Platinum Edition of the DVD, but we a nice selection of new ones for the Blu-ray.

 

First up is GENIE OUTTAKES, with introductions by Eric Goldberg, and Directors John Musker & Ron Clements this is exactly what it sounds like. Either rough animation or fully animated sequences of some of Robin Williams funniest outtakes as Genie. This is a really great feature, and a very nice tribute from the filmmakers that knew Williams the best.

GENIE 101 is hosted by Aladdin himself, SCOTT WEINGER. This feature explores all the famous transformations that Robin Williams does as Genie. For example, the Arsenio Hall reference or do you actually know how many television hosts he transforms into? This is a short but fun feature that also pays tribute to the late Williams.

RON & JOHN: YOU AIN’T NEVER HAD A FRIEND LIKE ME is all about the long friendship between these directors and how they met at Disney. They share stories about their times at Disney making ALADDIN and THE LITTLE MERMAID, and you can tell they truly love working together and being friends.

 

Ever wanted to know where Easter Eggs are in a movie? You’ve heard of PIXAR doing it, but Disney? UNBOXING ALADDIN is exactly that. It shares the secrets and easter eggs in ALADDIN. Did you know Beast makes an appearance in Agrabah?

ALADDIN: CREATING BROADWAY MAGIC our favorite Warbler Darren Criss, takes us behind the scenes of the Broadway production of ALADDIN. Darren interviews composer Alan Menken, and President of Disney Theatrical Thomas Schumacher, with other cast members about the success and almost failure of the theatrical production.

It’s weird to imagine that ALADDIN was first in theaters 23 years ago. But it truly is a classic that with stands time. It’s a great film to remember the genius that Robin Williams was, in probably in one of his funniest roles ever. It’s a great film to show little girls about empowerment. ALADDIN DIAMOND EDITION is a must have for any fan of Walt Disney Animation and is available now on Blu-ray.