Robin Williams’ Aladdin Agreement Proves How Great His Genie Was

Robin Williams‘ Genie in Aladdin is one of the most iconic Disney creations of all time and the deal he made when he signed on makes the performance even better. Disney’s Aladdin began life as a pitch from Howard Ashman, a lyricist whose work includes The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, in 1988. Directors Ron Clements and John Musker (Moana, Treasure Planet) then joined the project shortly before Ashman’s death in 1991. One of the characters that Clements and Musker created in their draft of the screenplay was the Genie, whom they wrote with Robin Williams in mind.

Robin Williams improvised a significant portion of the Genie’s best quotes in Aladdin, a unique occurrence for an animated film. It is estimated that Williams ad-libbed around 16 hours worth of material during his recording sessions. Aladdin was also rejected as an entry for the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar by the Academy Awards, due to the sheer amount of dialogue that Williams improvised. Williams’ performance as the Genie is an example of his sheer brilliance, and his arrangement with Disney makes it better, even though the corporation later breached it.

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Robin Williams’ Aladdin Deal Makes His Genie Performance Even Greater

Williams Agreed To A Much Smaller Payday For His Aladdin Role

Williams joined the cast of the original Aladdin because he wished to be a part of “this animation tradition,” rather than simply because he wanted a large paycheck. As such, he agreed to voice the role for only $75,000 rather than his usual fee of $8 million. He also took the role after being shown an animation of the Genie performing a segment of one of Williams’ standup routines. Reportedly, this animation, done by Eric Goldberg, made Williams “laugh his ass off.” This shows just how much he respected animation as a medium and makes his legendary performance even better.

Disney & Robin Williams’ Aladdin Deal & Fallout Explained

Williams Felt Disney Broke A Deal Regarding The Advertising Of The Genie

One major stipulation of the deal was that Williams would not be used as a marketing tool by Disney. During an appearance on The Today Show, Williams stated that the company had “crossed the line” and broken the deal by using his voice to sell merchandise for the movie in advertisements. As such, Williams did not return in Aladdin‘s sequel, The Return of Jafar, released in 1994. Instead, he was replaced by Homer Simpson’s voice actor, Dan Castellaneta.

At the time, Disney spokespeople dismissed Williams’ claims, stating that they ran every single piece of marketing by him and his wife. The company also sent the actor a Picasso painting, valued at $1 million, as a gesture of thanks. However, this did nothing to repair the damaged relationship between Williams and Disney.

Later in 1994, Jeffrey Katzenberg was replaced as the chairman of Walt Disney Studios by Joe Roth. Roth was quick to issue a public apology to Williams, and the comedian then signed on to reprise his role as the Genie in Aladdin and the King of Thieves. Controversially, Will Smith would play the Genie in the Guy Ritchie-directed live-action Aladdin, taking over from the late Williams. Still, Robin Williams‘ deal with Disney makes his iconic role as the Genie in the original Aladdin even better, even if Disney broke their agreement.