The Return of Jafar

The Return of Jafar (later retitled Aladdin: The Return of Jafar) is a direct-to-video sequel to the 1992 film Aladdin, produced by The Walt Disney Company in 1994. The movie was released direct-to-video, and serves as the origin of the Aladdin animated series. Another direct-to-video sequel, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, followed in 1996.

The first Disney direct-to-video animated feature release, it grossed $228 million, the second highest of all time. It is currently available on Special Edition DVD (with "Aladdin:" added to the title), with digitally restored picture and remastered sound.

Plot synopsis
The movie centers on Jafar, the villain from the first movie, trying to gain his revenge against Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, and the Sultan, and become the ruler of Agrabah. Iago and Jafar, having been buried in the desert at the end of the first film, finally manage to return to the surface. Jafar orders Iago to release him, but Iago, tired of being treated badly by Jafar, throws the lamp into a nearby well and returns to Agrabah, hoping to convince Aladdin that he had served Jafar only because of a spell cast on him (though this is untrue). He meets Aladdin and insists that he is innocent, but Aladdin is not fooled and tries to capture him. While chasing Iago, Aladdin has a run-in with some criminals who try to kill him, but he is saved by Iago. After this, Iago gains Aladdin's respect and returns with him to the palace, though at the time, Iago cares nothing for him. When Aladdin returns to the palace, he is greeted by Genie, who has returned from seeing the world. After revealing Iago to the Sultan, Iago is almost killed by the palace guards, but this is prevented by Aladdin, who insists that Iago has good in him. This causes Iago to begin to develop sympathy for Aladdin.

Meanwhile, Jafar is found by a browbeaten thief named Abis Mal who also bears a grudge against Aladdin. As Jafar was transformed into a genie at the end of the first film, he is somewhat handicapped by the incompetence of his new "master". Jafar desires to kill Aladdin and be wished free from his lamp so he can rule Agrabah, but needs Mal's co-operation to do this, as he is bound by the restrictions of the genie. Though Abis Mal is technically his master, it is Jafar who is really in charge, and shows Mal, though he cannot directly kill him, that he could easily find a way to get rid of him if he disobeys him, as Abis Mal is transported under the ocean and almost eaten by a shark after wishing for treasure (which also forces him to make a second wish to take him back to land).

Jafar has Abis Mal take him to the palace, where he manages to scare Iago back to his side. He has Iago take Aladdin and the Sultan to a place where he and Abis Mal are to kidnap the sultan. After Aladdin leaves, Jafar locks all of the others in a cell, imprisoning Genie in a magical orb so that he cannot use his magic against him. He and Abis Mal then meet up with Iago, kidnap the sultan, and quickly return to the palace. When Aladdin returns, he is accused by Jafar disguised as the princess of murdering the sultan, and sentenced to death. Iago, however, who was assigned to guard the others, breaks the Genie's confinment allowing him to save Aladdin and letting him help Aladdin and his friends escape from Jafar's clutches. Genie then tells Aladdin that in order to destoy Jafar, his lamp must be destroyed, and Aladdin sets out to steal it. In the end, Iago helps Aladdin to defeat Jafar by knocking his lamp into molten magma, thereby destroying Jafar. Iago is now truly Aladdin's friend.

Mistakes

 * Toward the beginning of the film, when Aladdin, flying on Carpet, is throwing the treasure he recovered from Abis Mal to the commoners, after he mutters to Abu that the last of it has been thrown, a full bag of loot can still be seen.


 * In one scene, Abu is trying to take the jeweled flower from the vase containing both it and a real flower. After he mistakingly grabs the real flower instead of the jewelled one, the jewelled flower is the one seen missing from the vase. A short time after, both are seen missing.


 * During the scene when Aladdin and Jasmine are in the courtyard, Aladdin is initially wearing his palace garments, but about halfway through (after the interval with Jafar and Abis Mal), he is seen wearing his peasant clothes, and remains in these clothes for the remainder of the film.

Trivia

 * This was the only Aladdin full-length film without the original voice of the Genie, Robin Williams. He was replaced by Dan Castellaneta, who also voiced the Genie in the animated series as well as in Kingdom Hearts. Eventually, Robin Williams returned as the Genie in Aladdin and the King of Thieves.
 * At the end of the fim, Jafar, when his black lamp melts in the magma, dies but Iago, his ex-sidekick, is still alive and returns in the TV series, Aladdin, and the last Aladdin film, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, followed in 1996.
 * Abis Mal made a few reappearances in the Aladdin animated TV series afterwards. Jafar reappeared in only one episode of the animated series based upon the Disney animated feature, Hercules and in Mickey's house of Villians.
 * The plot of this movie is loosely used in Agrabah, one of the worlds in Kingdom Hearts II, only with Abis Mal being replaced by the Peddler from the first film.
 * After the credits have rolled at the end of the film, a scene of animation occurs in which Abis Mal, hanging on a branch in a tree in the courtyard of the Sultan's palace, says to himself: "Does this mean I don't get my third wish?".
 * The movie was received well by most critics, but has often been panned for its animation.