In 2004, Pixar Animation Studios released The Incredibles, the story of a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers and live normal lives (after a series of events forces all superheroes to retire).
Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible, his wife Helen/Elasti-Girl, their son Dash (super-speed) and daughter Violet (invisibility/forcefields) and youngest son Jack-Jack (revealed to potentially have multiple powers at the end of the film), are doing their best to blend in when the former Mr. Incredible, extremely dissatisfied with living life as an “ordinary person” is given an offer to destroy a robot on a distant island. But there’s a lot more at play here than just a runaway robot, and soon the entire family will find themselves embroiled in a huge conflict with a strange figure from Mr. Incredibles’ past.
As it turns out, The Incredibles was the first major film commission for composer Michael Giacchino (known today for such works as Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness and Zootopia). Director Brad Bird noticed Giacchino after hearing his work on the tv show Alias (2001-2006). Prior to this, Pixar had only used the music of Thomas or Randy Newman in their films, so Giacchino’s jazzy style was a significant departure for the studio. To help give the score that “old-style” feel of the 1960s, Giacchino deliberately recorded the score on analog tapes (as opposed to digital recording).
The featurette linked above gives an in-depth look at the recording process of the film’s score, as well as how Giacchino initially developed the music on the piano. It’s always interesting to see where a major film composer first got their start, and I bet there are some people who don’t realize that Giacchino’s first film score was for an animated family film.
I hope you enjoy this behind the scenes look at the score for The Incredibles. With news of a sequel due out in 2019 , I am happy to report that Michael Giacchino will return to score that film as well. It will be very interesting to hear how the composer’s style has evolved over the years since the first film came out. Have a good Friday!
The more I look at Tangled (2010), the more I’m reminded of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996). Think about it, both feature protagonists who are locked away from the world “for their own safety.” Both Rapunzel and Quasimodo are told categorically that the outside world is cruel and dangerous and that if they were to ever venture out, they (i.e. Frollo and Mother Gothel) would not be able to protect them. And speaking of Mother Gothel, wow, she is surely the female version of Frollo, if ever such a thing existed.
If there’s one thing I can appreciate in any Disney film, it’s a good villain, and Mother Gothel is close to the top of my list of villains I love to hate. She is a master of blending sweet talk with put downs and threats. All of this is highlighted in “Mother Knows Best.”
Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) doesn’t know it, but she’s actually the long-lost Princess of the Kingdom of Corona (whose palace is located on the edge of sight from the tower in which she and her “mother” live.) Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) kidnapped Rapunzel when she was a toddler because the magic flower she was using to continually restore her youth was taken to help save the life of Rapunzel’s mother, and when the princess was born the magic power was transferred to Rapunzel’s hair (this is why it can never be cut, if it were, the magic power would fade away instantly). For the most part, Rapunzel has been content to live in the tower, free to paint all over the walls, master cooking, and basically do whatever Mother Gothel tells her, but now that she’s into her late teens, she (naturally) wants to explore outside the tower.
She especially wants to go see the “magic lights” that appear once a year in the distant city (not knowing that the lights are a memorial to their missing princess). On her birthday, Rapunzel summons up the courage to ask Mother Gothel if she can leave the tower, just for a little bit, and Mother Gothel isn’t happy at all (she knows Rapunzel would likely be recognized on the spot if she went into the city, that’s why she’s been in the tower all this time), and decides Rapunzel needs some reminding about how the world “really” works.
Mother Gothel lists a variety of bad things that can happen in the outside world:
“Ruffians, thugs, poison ivy, quicksand, cannibals and snakes,
The plague!! (also) Large bugs and men with pointy teeth”
And when that doesn’t quite do the trick, Gothel goes to the old Disney standby of putting down the hero/heroine and making them feel weak and insecure:
“On your own you won’t survive…gullible, naive, positively grubby, ditzy and a bit…vague
And in case there was any doubt that Gothel was a real monster of a villain, she ends the song with a simple (if chilling) request: “Don’t ever ask to leave this tower, again…Don’t forget it, you’ll regret it, Mother Knows Best!”
Of course, when the villain makes a threat like that, you just know that SOMETHING is going to happen to cause Rapunzel to leave the tower now, that something being a someone named Flynn Rider (but that’s a story for another time).
“Mother Knows Best” was written by the incomparable Alan Menken (I think I will be beside myself when he eventually passes away), with the lyrics created by Glenn Slater. The song is deliberately done in the style of musical theater (at the request of the director) and is considered by many to be the best song in the film. It definitely stands on the same level as older songs performed by Disney villains (I’m thinking of “Poor Unfortunate Souls” in particular). I have to say, Donna Murphy turns in a brilliant performance as Mother Gothel, in fact I’m almost upset that the character *spoiler alert* doesn’t survive the end of the film because I’d have loved to see her performance as Gothel continue.
What do you think of Tangled? Does Mother Gothel rank among the best Disney villains or what? Hope you enjoy listening to “Mother Knows Best.” Have a good Tuesday!
I have a confession to make: I have never seen Frozen in its entirety. At the time the film came out, I was buried head over heels in graduate studies and barely had time to notice the film’s release, let alone go see it in the theater. Two years after this hit film became a phenomenon, I finally decided to check out clips of the film online, which is how I (finally) discovered “Let it Go.”
“Let it Go” is also known as the Disney song that little girls and boys have been obsessed with for nearly three years and counting. It’s true that “Let it Go” is one of those songs that can easily get stuck inside your head, but it remains a beautiful song regardless.
To set up the context, “Let it Go” takes place after Queen Elsa has accidentally revealed her ice powers to the people of Arendelle (her kingdom, or queendom I supposed I should say). Embarrassed and humiliated, Elsa flees the city, causing a deep winter to fall as she does so. Now wandering alone in the mountains, Elsa decides that she is sick and tired of hiding who she truly is and lets her powers loose.
The snow glows white on the mountain tonight Not a footprint to be seen A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I’m the Queen The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside Couldn’t keep it in, Heaven knows I tried
Don’t let them in, don’t let them see Be the good girl you always have to be Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know Well, now they know!
Let it go! Let it go! Can’t hold it back anymore! Let it go! Let it go! Turn away and slam the door! I don’t care what they’re going to say! Let the storm rage on The cold never bothered me anyway
Before this song was created, Elsa was going to be the villain of this story. I believe it was going to be along the lines of Anna was the good sister and Elsa became evil, or always was evil, something like that. However, after songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez created the song and brought it to Disney, the writers looked at each other and said “We can’t make Elsa a villain now, not with a song like this!” So the story was changed.
It’s funny how some distance makes everything seem small And the fears that once controlled me can’t get to me at all!
It’s time to see what I can do To test the limits and break through No right, no wrong, no rules for me I’m free!
Let it go! Let it go! I’m one with the wind and sky Let it go! Let it go! You’ll never see me cry Here I stand, and here I stay! Let the storm rage on
It’s fascinating to watch how quickly Elsa’s powers expand in scope. She goes from creating whisps of snow and ice, to creating a snowman (Olaf), to a stairway of ice, and finally, the ice castle. With each successful creation, you can see confidence (and joy) growing in Elsa’s face. At last she is free to use her powers without anyone to tell her she can’t. And really, the song is only “sad” for the first verse, starting with verse two “It’s funny how some distance…” the background music becomes happy, and almost playful, matching Elsa’s rising spirits.
My power flurries through the air into the ground My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around! And one thought crystallizes like an icy blast! I’m never going back, the past is in the past!
Let it go! Let it go! And I’ll rise like the break of dawn Let it go! Let it go! That perfect girl is gone! Here I stand in the light of day! Let the storm rage on!!! The cold never bothered me anyway
Once the stairway is created, the tempo really begins to pick up and the scene quickly changes to the creation of the castle, beginning with that giant snowflake rapidly spreading over the ground below Elsa. And then, as Elsa raises her arms, the camera cuts back to show this HUGE ice palace rising from the ground; that moment is pure Disney magic!! Watching the palace complete itself, I felt like a little kid again after watching Cinderella’s gown appear for the first time. Disney doesn’t always succeed in creating these moments, but when they do, they really do! After her palace is finished, Elsa has one last change to make: she manipulates her powers to create a brand new dress after literally letting her hair down and proclaims an eternal winter from the completed stronghold of ice.
I am a huge fan of Idina Menzel by the way (I’ve listened to RENT and Wicked hundreds of times each), and she absolutely slays this song with her awesome voice. She actually auditioned for the role of Rapunzel in Tangled (2010) and while she didn’t get it, Disney remembered her and looked Idina up when Frozen was in pre-production.
It’s not surprising that Frozen is receiving a sequel and this time I will make sure to watch it in the theater.
That’s all I have for “Let it Go,” the song is so amazing that it really speaks for itself as to how brilliant it is. I hope you enjoy listening to it!
Hercules was Disney’s take on the legendary demi-god of Greek myth. Originally the son of Zeus and a mortal woman, Hercules is now presented as a full god, the son of Zeus and Hera. Unfortunately, his godhood is short-lived, as the jealous Hades (who secretly wants to overthrow Zeus, go figure), having been informed that a grown Hercules would ruin his plans, decides to have the baby god turned mortal and then killed. Thankfully, his (un)reliable henchmen Pain and Panic botch the job and thus Hercules grows up as an awkward mortal with incredible strength.
But before we get to all of that, there’s a short prologue that begins in what appears to be an old museum filled with the relics of Ancient Greece. The narrator should sound familiar: that’s the legendary Charlton Heston in one of his final roles before he retired from acting in 2003.
There are actually nine Muses in Greek mythology, but I’m guessing that the animators wanted to simplify things and cut the number down to five.
With Heston’s voice, the first section of the prologue has a very serious tone until…the Muses (on the Greek vase) interrupt him and inform him that “we’ll take it from here darling.” After that, the entire feel of the prologue changes from serious to…well, a “Disney” feel.
Back when the world was new The planet Earth was down on its luck And everywhere gigantic brutes called Titans ran amok
It was a nasty place There was a mess wherever you stepped Where chaos reigned and earthquakes and volcanoes never slept
And then along came Zeus He hurled his thunderbolt (He zapped) Locked those suckers in a vault (They’re trapped) And on his own stopped chaos in its tracks And that’s the gospel truth The guy was too type “A” to just relax
And that’s the world’s first dish Zeus tamed the globe while still in his youth Though, honey, it may seem impossible That’s the gospel truth On Mt. Olympus life was neat and smooth as sweet vermouth Though, honey, it may seem impossible That’s the gospel truth
“Gospel Truth” serves multiple purposes: It introduces the Muses (who narrate various portions of the film), it summarizes how Zeus came into power (by defeating the Titans and imprisoning them) and finally it describes how all the gods live on Mount Olympus. The picture then shifts from a painted image of Mount Olympus to a “live” image that quickly zooms the audience up to the fantastic dwelling of the Greek gods.
I love this song a lot. Given that this is a film about Ancient Greece, you would not expect to hear songs performed in the “Gospel” style, but it works! It gets a lot of story exposition across without boring the audience. I also love how the song is narrated through art “come to life” that’s done in the style of actual Greek pottery.
Art like this inspired the animators
Trivia Time!
After the dark tone presented in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), the studio practically demanded that the next film be lighter and happier, and so that’s why Hercules is filled with so many comedic moments.
James Woods (the voice of Hades) allegedly enjoyed playing the character so much that he and Disney put a standing arrangement in place where anytime they needed him to voice the character, he would come do it.
Rip Torn (the voice of Zeus) was married to Geraldine Page, who voiced Madame Medusa in The Rescuers (1977).
And that’s my look at the beginning of Disney’s Hercules! Let me know your thoughts about this awesome song in the comments below!
*all images are the property of Walt Disney Studios
Disney villains have come in many different varieties over the years. Some have been downright scary (The Horned King from The Black Cauldron (1985) comes to mind), some have been rather funny (Captain Hook from Peter Pan (1953) is one of those) and then there’s Ursula from The Little Mermaid (1989): she has moments of humor combined with moments of extreme scariness and pure evil. All of which is showcased in her song “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” This song was created by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.
The setup is simple: After seeing her precious grotto destroyed by her father, King Triton, Ariel is persuaded to visit “the sea witch” Ursula, because (according to her eel minions Flotsam and Jetsam), she can give Ariel what she wants: the ability to get to Prince Eric. Extremely bitter for what her father did, Ariel agrees to go (much to the horror of Sebastian and Flounder, who follow along to see what will happen).
Ursula lives far away from the city of Atlantica in a cave/reef that looks reminiscent of dinosaur bones. The sea witch herself is not, as many believe, half octopus. If you count her tentacles, you’ll see she has only six, which would make her half-squid (it was done this way on purpose because six tentacles were easier to animate than eight).
The witch assures Ariel that she can give the little mermaid exactly what she wants…for a price of course. As the song begins, she explains that the only way Ariel can get Prince Eric is to become a human herself.
My dear, sweet child, that’s what I do It’s what I live for To help unfortunate merfolk like yourself Poor souls with no one else to turn to
I admit that in the past I’ve been a nasty They weren’t kidding when they called me, well, a witch But you’ll find that nowadays I’ve mended all my ways Repented, seen the light, and made a switch True? Yes
And I fortunately know a little magic It’s a talent that I always have possessed And here lately, please don’t laugh I use it on behalf Of the miserable, the lonely, and depressed (Pathetic)
Poor unfortunate souls In pain, in need This one longing to be thinner That one wants to get the girl And do I help them? Yes, indeed Those poor unfortunate souls So sad, so true They come flocking to my cauldron Crying, “Spells, Ursula, please!” And I help them Yes I do
I really love “Poor Unfortunate Souls.” Pat Carroll delivers a thrilling performance as the villain-disguised-as-helper to “those poor unfortunate souls.” As Ursula tells it, she USED to be a bad person, but now she’s turned her life around and spends all her time helping less fortunate merfolk by giving them their heart’s desires.
Of course, “once or twice” these poor merpeople couldn’t pay her price so she “had to rake ’em cross the coals” (i.e. she turned them into those seaweed creatures trapped at the entrance of her home) but other than that she’s this great do-gooder. (Actually, I think Ursula can’t possibly have cheated EVERYONE she’s helped, because if everyone who went to see her disappeared, people still wouldn’t be going).
what IS it with Disney villains and the scary eyes!!??
Now it’s happened once or twice Someone couldn’t pay the price And I’m afraid I had to rake ’em ‘cross the coals Yes I’ve had the odd complaint But on the whole I’ve been a saint To those poor unfortunate souls
I’m not asking much, just a token really, a trifle What I want from you is your voice But without my voice, how can I- You’ll have your looks, your pretty face And don’t underestimate the importance of body language, ha!
The men up there don’t like a lot of blabber They think a girl who gossips is a bore Yes on land it’s much preferred for ladies not to say a word And after all dear, what is idle prattle for? Come on, they’re not all that impressed with conversation True gentlemen avoid it when they can
But they dote and swoon and fawn On a lady who’s withdrawn It’s she who holds her tongue who gets a man
Come on you poor unfortunate soul Go ahead Make your choice I’m a very busy woman and I haven’t got all day It won’t cost much Just your voice!
You poor unfortunate soul It’s sad but true If you want to cross the bridge, my sweet You’ve got the pay the toll Take a gulp and take a breath And go ahead and sign the scroll Flotsam, Jetsam, now I’ve got her, boys The boss is on a roll This poor unfortunate soul!
Ariel is very tempted by all of this, and her lingering concerns over never seeing her family again are quickly brushed over by Ursula because in return she says “you’ll have your man.” Of course, there’s still the matter of payment, and Ursula really isn’t asking all that much. All she wants from Ariel is…her voice! Now, that doesn’t sound like too much, but keep in mind part of what made Prince Eric fall in love with Ariel at first sight was that song she was singing to him. Without her voice, how is Eric going to know it’s really her? Ariel is wondering the same thing, but Ursula again brushes this off, saying that all Ariel needs is some “body language” and she’ll be fine, because women aren’t expected to talk on the surface anyways (it’s a total lie, but Ariel doesn’t know that).
Beluga sevruga Come winds of the Caspian Sea Larengix glaucitis Et max laryngitis La voce to me
Now, sing Aa-aa-aah, a-aa-aah Keep singing! Aa-aa-aah, a-aa-aah
Oh yes, there is one other detail. Once Ariel is made human, she will have three days to get Prince Eric to give her “the kiss of true love.” If this happens, the transformation will be permanent, but if not, then Ariel will turn back into a mermaid and belong to Ursula forever! (Talk about killer fine print!)
A contract magically appears, wherein Ariel would grant Ursula her voice “for all eternity.” To Ursula’s delight, Ariel signs the contract and the deal is done! Now comes my favorite part, the transformation! Ursula sings/chants this powerful spell that sends chills down my spine. As she finishes, a pair of ghostly hands appears and she commands Ariel to sing. And as the little mermaid sings, the hands come closer and ease Ariel’s voice out of her and into Ursula’s magical shell. With payment granted, Ariel is seized and given a pair of human legs (all the while Ursula laughs maniacally, because in her mind Ariel is as good as hers, you know she has no intention of letting that “kiss of true love” happen). Of course, now that she’s human, Ariel can’t breathe underwater anymore, so it’s up to Sebastian and Flounder to race her to the surface.
Trivia Time!
Ursula herself was based on the appearance of a drag queen named Divine (1945-1988).
There were originally a few lines inserted to insinuate that Ursula was King Triton’s sister (and therefore Ariel’s aunt) but this was deemed one subplot too many and the lines were removed.
During the recording, Pat Carroll adlibbed a few words throughout the song (I know her use of “pathetic” early on is a definite adlib), and Menken and Ashman liked her rendition so much that they kept it as is.
And that’s “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” definitely my favorite song from The Little Mermaid. I hope you enjoyed reading about it and listening to it 🙂
At the conclusion of the reprise of “Prince Ali”, Aladdin, Abu and the magic carpet were whisked away to the ends of the Earth via a palace tower turned rocket. There, lost in the frozen wilderness, Aladdin finally comes to understand that a lot of this happened because he didn’t tell Jasmine the truth about who he really was. Vowing to set things right, he and Abu free the magic carpet from underneath the tower (which nearly crushes them in the process) and begin the race back to Agrabah.
And speaking of Agrabah, it seems that Jafar has been thoroughly enjoying himself. The elephant throne has been replaced by a cobra. The room itself is filled with huge piles of treasure; Jasmine is wearing a red version of her usual outfit (while chained) and Iago is having the time of his life stuffing the Sultan’s face with crackers (Iago had hated how the Sultan always made him eat crackers).
Now here’s the crazy thing: Jafar literally has anything anyone could possibly want: he’s the Sultan, he’s the most powerful sorcerer EVER, he has more wealth than he could spend in a lifetime, a lovely Princess at his beck and call, but is that enough for him? NOPE! He still has one wish left to use: he wants the Genie to make Jasmine fall in love with him (Jafar). The Genie tries to explain (as he did with Aladdin) that there are certain things a Genie can’t do, but Jafar won’t listen. While the two are arguing, Jasmine spots Aladdin behind a curtain trying to sneak up on the lamp so he can get it back. Knowing a distraction is required, Jasmine puts on the performance of a lifetime and pretends that the Genie really has made her fall in love with him. Jafar is (disgustingly) thrilled and while Jasmine flatters him to the moon, Aladdin sneaks closer and closer, when suddenly a gagged-by-Abu Iago (who has already spotted Aladdin) knocks over a fruit dish! Jafar turns to see where the noise is coming from but Jasmine pulls him back with a kiss! (YUCK!!!) It nearly works too, except Jafar then sees Aladdin reflected in Jasmine’s tiara!!!
Now the final battle begins, and suffice to say, Aladdin is heavily outmatched. Jafar begins to systematically destroy all of is friends: the magic carpet is unwound, Abu is turned into a toy monkey and Jasmine is trapped in a rapidly filling hourglass. It’s a race for Aladdin to get the lamp and free Jasmine, but things are about to get a lot more difficult.
When Jafar continues to hold Aladdin off via his sorcery, the ex-Prince shouts “Aren’t you brave enough to fight me yourself, you cowardly snake!” Aladdin really shouldn’t have used the word snake, because Jafar decides to answer Aladdin with “A snake am I?Perhaps you’ll see how snake-like I can be!” while he turns into a gigantic cobra!! While in this form, Aladdin does get a few strikes in, but it’s not long before Jafar has Aladdin wrapped firmly in his coils.Everything has come to a head: Jasmine is moments away from being buried alive, none of Aladdin’s friends can help him, not even the Genie…or can he? Aladdin has one last gamble and it’s a big one:
Aladdin: The Genie, The genie! The Genie has more power than you’ll ever have!
Jafar: What?
Aladdin: He GAVE you your power, he can TAKE it back! Face it Jafar, you’re STILL just second best!
Based on Jafar’s dialogue about power, Aladdin has figured out that Jafar is obsessed with becoming the most powerful there ever was, he can’t live with the idea that something somewhere is more powerful than he! So, he plays on the fact that the Genie possesses more power than Jafar does: this IS true, but what Aladdin is leaving out is the fact that a Genie’s near omnipotent power is always constrained by a lamp. Completely unaware of this, Jafar uses his final wish: to become an all-powerful Genie! This done, Jafar transforms into a terrifyingly huge red genie, all the power he ever wanted is finally his! But there’s a big catch: a black lamp has appeared, which Aladdin now takes possession of.
Aladdin: Hey Jafar, aren’t you forgetting something?
(Jafar looks down in puzzlement)
Aladdin: You wanted to be a Genie? You got it!
Jafar: (golden wrist bands appear) WHAT??
Aladdin: And everything that goes with it! (the lamp begins to suck Jafar inside as he screams in rage) Phenomenal cosmic powers….itty bitty living space!
With Jafar safely trapped inside the lamp, everything goes back to normal, only there’s still a big dilemma. Jasmine is still very much in love with Aladdin, but the law forbids her to marry anyone who isn’t a prince! However, in the Sultan’s eyes, Aladdin has proved himself to be more than worthy of Jasmine’s hand, so he decides to change the law. From now on, the princess may marry “whomever she deems worthy.” Which means Jasmine and Aladdin can get married after all! All that leaves now is the Genie, who is more than happy to use Aladdin’s final wish to make him a Prince again, but Aladdin has a better idea: he’s going to give the Genie his freedom! The golden bands disappear and the Genie is ecstatic to discover that no one can command him to do anything! The Genie is going to leave and explore the world now that he’s free, but you get the feeling that he’ll be back eventually.
At the end now, the sky explodes in fireworks as Aladdin and Jasmine proclaim their love for each other once more. The two ride off into the night sky, but there’s one last surprise: the moon is revealed to have the Genie’s face and then:
Genie: Made you look!!
And that’s the end!! I hope you enjoyed visiting the world of Aladdin, like I said at the top, I’m going to focus on individual Disney songs and other film music moments for a while.
*all images are the property of Walt Disney Studios
So to recap, after Prince Ali/Aladdin abruptly arrives to court Princess Jasmine, the evil Jafar attempts to have the fake prince murdered so that *he* can marry Jasmine instead and become Sultan. Luckily for our hero, Genie is able to save Aladdin via his second wish and take him back to the palace. After informing the Sultan about the truth: that Jafar a) tried to have Prince Ali killed and b) has been manipulating the Sultan with his cobra staff for years , Jafar is ordered to be arrested, but just before the vizier escapes, he notices the lamp resting in Ali’s turban, which for him can mean only one thing: Ali is Aladdin and HE has the lamp that Jafar has been after this entire time!
As soon as Jafar sees the lamp, you just KNOW he’s going to get his hands on it at some point. The devious parrot Iago is dispatched to get the lamp away from Aladdin. This proves easier than one might think, because at the same time, Aladdin is suffering from a tremendous amount of guilt. The good news is that Princess Jasmine is in love with him and the Sultan approves. The bad news (in Aladdin’s mind) is that once they get married he (Aladdin) will become Sultan, and he doesn’t feel like he’s up to the task, especially if he keeps his promise and uses his last wish to free the Genie. So…Aladdin not-so-gently breaks the news that he won’t be freeing the Genie after all, which upsets everybody.
Aladdin finally decides that he has to tell Jasmine the truth, that he’s not really a Prince. Great decision, too bad it comes just as Iago is out to get the lamp. He mimics Jasmine’s voice to lure Aladdin out of his room and quickly swipes the lamp away. The Genie is less than thrilled to find himself in Jafar’s hands, but he doesn’t have the ability to refuse Jafar’s first wish: to become Sultan!!
Just as this happens, the real Sultan is getting ready to proclaim to all of Agrabah the joyous news: Princess Jasmine has finally chosen a suitor, Prince Ali! Before Aladdin can tell anyone the truth, the sky grows dark and Jafar appears out of nowhere, now clothed in the robes of a Sultan (even Iago has a little Sultan hat!) No one is quite sure how this happened, but Aladdin finally figures it out when he goes to get the lamp and finds it gone! Now comes the second part of Jafar’s first wish (He phrased it as “I wish to rule on high, as Sultan). The only way to rule “on high” is to have a palace HIGH in the air, so…Genie appears to lift the royal palace to a high cliff.
Now that he is Sultan, Jafar expects to receive the proper respect, but both Jasmine and her father refuse. Enraged, Jafar uses his second wish: to be the most powerful sorcerer in the world! With this wish granted, Jafar decides it’s time to tell Jasmine how things really are: enter the reprise of “Prince Ali.”
The all-too-brief song is performed in a mocking style of the original “Prince Ali” and serves to show everyone the truth. While Jasmine is held in a magical beam, she is forced to watch as Jafar magically transforms Aladdin’s princely outfit back into the rags he wore in the marketplace. Abu is changed back into a monkey; Rajah is turned into a tiny kitten and all are held helpless. But before Aladdin can tell Jasmine anything, Jafar continues! This next verse really explains it all:
“So Ali turns out to be merely Aladdin/Just a con, need I go on? Take it from me!
His personality flaws/give me adequate cause/to send him packing on a one-way trip,
Where his prospects take a terminal dip/his assets frozen, the venue chosen is the ends of the Earth, WHOOPEE!!! So long! Ex-Prince Ali!!”
Jafar uses his magic to send Aladdin and Abu flying into a tower (the magic carpet secretly follows) and with all watching (including the unhappy Genie), the tower is sent flying away like a rocket towards “the ends of the Earth.”
I think all that power has gone to Jafar’s head…
Waving Aladdin farewell, Jafar descends into maniacal, psychotic laughter, as his shadow looms over the ex-Sultan and Jasmine. Hearing this song really makes me wish that Jafar had a full-length song of his own (but sadly he does not).
Ok, I WAS going to make this the last Aladdin post, but remembering how this song ends, I realized I just can’t leave things hanging like this, so there will be one more Aladdin post after this one to cover the climax of the film. I also wanted to let you know that I’m going to cut back a little more on the amount of posting I do during the week (it will probably go down to one a day) because I need to focus some more on my dissertation. I promise I’m not going to disappear, just write a little less (for a while anyways).
Enjoy the reprise of “Prince Ali”, and enjoy the weekend!
*all images are the property of Walt Disney Studios
When we first meet him, Aladdin doesn’t appear to be Jafar’s “diamond in the rough” or a future prince for that matter. That’s because when we meet him in “One Jump Ahead”, Aladdin is fleeing the city guards after stealing a loaf of bread for himself and his pet monkey Abu.
The song takes Aladdin and Abu all over the market place of Agrabah. In fact, based on the lyrics in “One Jump Ahead”, Aladdin’s gotten so good at evading and eluding that he doesn’t seem overly concerned about whether or not he’ll get away.
Gotta keep One jump ahead of the breadline One swing ahead of the sword I steal only what I can’t afford And that’s everything!
One jump ahead of the lawmen That’s all, and that’s no joke These guys don’t appreciate I’m broke
Riffraff! Street rat! Scoundrel! Take that!
Just a little snack, guys
Rip him open! Take it back, guys! I can take a hint, Gotta face the facts You’re my only friend, Abu!
Aladdin and Abu try to hide in several places, the most notable being what appears to be a brothel (you know, the room full of pretty girls dressed in bright clothes that sing about “oh it’s just Aladdin again?”)
Who? Oh, it’s sad, Aladdin’s hit the bottom He’s become a one-man rise in crime I’d blame parents except he hasn’t got ’em Gotta eat to live, Gotta steal to eat Tell you all about it when I got the time!
One jump ahead of the slowpokes One skip ahead of my doom Next time gonna use a nom de plume
One jump ahead of the hitmen One hit ahead of the flock I think I’ll take a stroll around the block
At least that’s what someone claims it is on Tumblr, but another possible (maybe) explanation is that it’s a family of pretty girls, they’re all sisters and Aladdin just annoys them? (I really don’t want the brothel explanation to be true, because it weirds me out that Disney would put anything like this in one of their movies!!)
A recurring theme in the song is Aladdin being derided as “rif-raff….street rat…scoundrel…” etc. It’s clear the “respectable” people of Agrabah think very little of a poor kid like Aladdin. This point comes up again in the reprise to this song, after Prince Achmed informs Aladdin “You were born a street rat, you will die a street rat, and only your fleas will mourn you!”
Stop, thief! Vandal! Outrage! Scandal!
Let’s not be too hasty Still I think he’s rather tasty! Gotta eat to live, Gotta steal to eat Otherwise, we’d get along Wrong!
One jump ahead of the hoofbeats (Stop, thief!) One hop ahead of the hump (Street rat!) One trick ahead of disaster (Scoundrel!) They’re quick, but I’m much faster (Take that!) Here goes: Better throw my hand in Wish me happy landin’ All I gotta do is jump!
Meanwhile, Aladdin continues to dodge and evade, but the guards are slowly closing in from all directions, forcing Aladdin and Abu to climb higher and higher, until finally, all they can do is “JUMP!” They get away safely, and the guards end up falling into a stinky pile of camel poo (ewwwwwwww, gross!)
However, after spending all that time and effort to acquire a loaf of bread to eat, Aladdin ends up giving it to two little kids who clearly need more than he does, showing that despite being a thief, Aladdin is a good guy at heart. After being insulted by Prince Achmed, Aladdin begins the long walk home, singing a sad reprise of “One Jump Ahead.” This part always got to me when I was younger (having been teased a great deal), because it talks about how all the people Aladdin knows judge him and put him down, but they wouldn’t if they really KNEW him. I really liked the last line “they’d find out/there’s so much more, to me…”
At the end, we get to see that Aladdin lives in a half ruined building that has a great view of the palace. Aladdin dreams about being rich someday, imagining that when he lives in a palace he “won’t have any problems at all.” Of course the complete opposite happens to be true, as Princess Jasmine knows all too well.
“One Jump Ahead” was one of the songs created by Alan Menken and Tim Rice after Howard Ashman passed away. Originally, this part of the film had a completely different number entitled “Proud of Your Boy”, a song that Aladdin sings to his mother (who is disappointed in how he’s living his life). This song was ultimately cut (but later restored to the Broadway play adaptation of the story) and temporarily replaced by a song entitled “Count on Me” before “One Jump Ahead” was finally selected. The song serves as a good introduction to Aladdin and his mischievous nature, and I enjoy listening to it.
So that’s it for “One Jump Ahead” and would you believe there’s only one song left? All that remains is “Prince Ali (reprise)” and that’ll do it for Aladdin!
There are many romantic songs in the Disney Universe, too many to list all at once. But of all those Disney love songs, “A Whole New World” probably ranks up at the top. And why not? Being whisked away on a magic carpet ride to fly all around the world is a beautiful idea. This song was nominated for and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. It also remains the only Disney song to win Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards.
I can show you the world Shining, shimmering splendid Tell me, princess, now when did You last let your heart decide!
I can open your eyes Take you wonder by wonder Over sideways and under On a magic carpet ride
A whole new world A new fantastic point of view No one to tell us no Or where to go Or say we’re only dreaming
A whole new world A dazzling place I never knew But when I’m way up here It’s crystal clear That now I’m in a whole new world with you
The song (and everything that takes place during it) is how Prince Ali/Aladdin finally thaws his way into Princess Jasmine’s heart. Being used to stuck-up suitors who just viewed her as a “prize to be won”, Prince Ali stuns her by saying that she should be free to make her own choice (regarding who she marries).
Now I’m in a whole new world with you
Unbelievable sights Indescribable feeling Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling Through an endless diamond sky
A whole new world (Don’t you dare close your eyes) A hundred thousand things to see (Hold your breath it gets better) I’m like a shooting star I’ve come so far I can’t go back to where I used to be
A whole new world (Every turn a surprise) With new horizons to pursue (Every moment, red-letter)
I’ll chase them anywhere There’s time to spare Let me share this whole new world with you
A whole new world (A whole new world) That’s where we’ll be (That’s where we’ll be)
A thrilling chase
A wondrous place
For you and me
Aladdin’s idea of inviting Jasmine for a ride is brilliant, but he makes a mistake (the first of several during this sequence). When Jasmine asks if it (the carpet) is safe, Ali/Aladdin says “Sure, do you trust me?” (When Aladdin met Jasmine while she was in disguise in the marketplace, he asked her the exact same thing as they were fleeing the city guards). Jasmine is slightly suspicious, but she agrees to come anyways, leaving a bewildered Rajah far behind.
I have a small story to share about this song. Two summers ago, I went home for a visit and attended an Il Divo concert with my mom (Il Divo is a singing group consisting of operatically trained male singers, look them up, they’re amazing). And during this particular concert tour, they had a guest performer with them: Lea Salonga, aka the singing voice of Princess Jasmine!!! You can imagine my unbridled joy when, in the middle of the concert, a familiar tune started up and Lea Salonga performed “A Whole New World” for us (with various members of Il Divo filling in for Aladdin)!!!! It’s been over twenty years since Aladdin came out, and she still sounds just the way she did in the movie.
The flight starts in Agrabah but quickly moves across the desert, through Egypt (where the Sphinx loses its nose as a result of the carver being startled by the pair flying past), through what appears to be Ancient Greece, and finally China. The song is all about the experiences of life, and how Aladdin can show her the world she’s never gotten to see before. My favorite verse of all comes from Princess Jasmine:
“I’m like a shooting star/I’ve come so far/I can’t go back to where I used to be!”
In essence, this whole experience has changed Jasmine, to the point where she can no longer go back to simply living in the palace, she’s seen too much of the outside world for that.
Ali/Aladdin unwittingly continues to leave little clues as to who he really is. As the pair fly through Greece, Aladdin plucks an apple off a nearby tree and rolls it to her exactly as Aladdin did (again, in the marketplace). This time Jasmine gets a knowing look in her eyes. She’s still not sure exactly HOW it’s happened, but she knows now that Ali has to be Aladdin.
In closing, I love this song, it was very well done (there have been times where I’ve listened to this song on repeat). It’s also a nice quiet interlude because once this song is over, things in the story begin to move very quickly.
*All images are the property of Walt Disney Studios
If people remember any song from Aladdin, it’s usually “A Whole New World” or “Friend Like Me.” The latter is a shining example of pure Disney fun. After being stranded in the dormant Cave of Wonders by the disguised Jafar, Aladdin inadvertently releases the Genie from the lamp. The extremely powerful, blue Genie is voiced by that legendary comedian, the late Robin Williams.
The part of the Genie was actually created for Williams, but the comedian initially was not sold on the idea. To get Williams to agree, the animators took one of Williams’ stand-up routines, and animated the Genie over it, to give Williams an idea of what this would look like. The result had the comedian in stitches and he agreed to the part.
Initially, “Friend Like Me” was going to be a Cab Calloway, big-band style number (and it’s my understanding that the Genie is a Cab Calloway-ish character in the Broadway show), but once Williams signed on, the song was changed into what we see today. According to the animators, some of Aladdin’s early design remains visible in sections of this number. Originally, Aladdin was made to look younger, “more like Michael J. Fox” as the animators put it. But they began to worry that Aladdin wouldn’t look right next to Princess Jasmine so Aladdin’s design was altered to be “more Tom Cruise”. Apparently, some of that first design is still visible, though truthfully I’ve never noticed a difference.
Well, Ali Baba had them forty thieves Scheherezad-ie had a thousand tales But, master, you in luck ’cause up your sleeves You got a brand of magic never fails
You got some power in your corner now Some heavy ammunition in your camp You got some punch, pizzazz, yahoo and how See all you gotta do is rub that lamp And I’ll say
Mister Aladdin, sir What will your pleasure be? Let me take your order Jot it down You ain’t never had a friend like me
Life is your restaurant And I’m your maître d’! C’mon whisper what it is you want You ain’t never had a friend like me
Yes sir, we pride ourselves on service You’re the boss The king, the shah
Say what you wish It’s yours! True dish How about a little more Baklava? Have some of column “A” Try all of column “B” I’m in the mood to help you dude You ain’t never had a friend like me
The entire song is devoted to the Genie describing the powers Aladdin has at his disposal now that he has three wishes and a Genie to command. There are many pop culture references, and a lot of sight gags (with the Genie frequently changing his appearance). I remember loving this song as a kid, I would often pretend to be the Genie, doing that crazy dance and imitating all the different voices (good times!!).
Can your friends do this? Can your friends do that? Can your friends pull this out their little hat? Can your friends go, poof?
Well, looky here Can your friends go, Abracadabra, let ‘er rip And then make the sucker disappear? So don’tcha sit there slack jawed, buggy eyed I’m here to answer all your midday prayers You got me bona fide, certified You got a genie for your chargé d’affaires I got a powerful urge to help you out So whatcha wish? I really wanna know You got a list that’s three miles long, no doubt Well, all you gotta do is rub like so – and oh
Mister Aladdin, sir, have a wish or two or three I’m on the job, you big nabob You ain’t never had a friend, never had a friend You ain’t never had a friend, never had a friend You ain’t never had a friend like me
You ain’t never had a friend like me, hah!
I love the ending of this song when Genie sets up the grand finale, with dancing elephants, swordsmen, piles of gold, dancing girls, and everything inbetween appear in one riotous finish (the dancing monkeys on the giant ruby are a particularly nice touch). Of course, with Genie being Genie, as the song ends, everything is sucked away and we’re left with a simple neon “Applause” sign.
“Friend Like Me” is a good song to listen to if you’re feeling down, because with Robin Williams’ outstanding performance, you’re feeling bright and happy before the first verse is even over. Hope you enjoyed listening to “Friend Like Me”, next time it will be “A Whole New World” 🙂 Enjoy the rest of the day guys, you’re the best!
*all images are the property of Walt Disney Studios
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