The Genie-us Diamond Edition of “Aladdin” [Blu-Ray + DVD Review]

Twenty-three years after the release of Aladdin (1992), the diamond edition marks the film’s first time on Blu-ray and Digital HD. While the film is still the same  beloved masterpiece, the film includes new special features making the new version “genie-us”. The edition is arguably a beautiful tribute to Robin Williams, the comedic genius who brought Genie to life and inspired many as the one man cast of thousands.

The DVD’s special features include:

• 4 deleted songs – “Proud of Your Boy” the original demo recording, “You Can Count on Me” sung by Aladdin, “Humiliate the Boy” sung by Jafar, and “Why Me?” sung by Jafar.  Ron Clements, Ed Gombert, and John Musker discuss the reasons the songs were cut from the final version of the film.

• 2 deleted scenes – “Aladdin & Jasmine’s First Meeting,” and “Aladdin in The Lap of Luxury” show the ways the film evolved – for example, did you know Aladdin had a mom?

The Blu-Ray is loaded with even more bonus features:

• The Genie Outtakes –Perhaps the most emotional and touching of all the new bonus content, “The Genie Outtakes” is a 9 minute tribute to the iconic Robin Williams. Have tissues handy, if watching all the different outtakes of the one man cast of thousands doesn’t bring tears to your eyes, then Ron Clements (director), John Musker (director), and Eric Goldberg (supervising animator of the Genie) will. The three talk about everything from writing the character with Robin Williams in mind to the day they heard that Robin Williams had passed away.

• Aladdin: Creating Broadway Magic –A look at the journey of the Aladdin Broadway production and how they turned their weaknesses into strengths.

• Unboxing Aladdin – Joey Bragg, from Disney Channel’s Liv & Maddie, presents an unboxing of objects related to the film.

• Genie 101 – Scott Weiner, the voice of Aladdin, presents all Genie impressions explaining who they reference. The impressions included: Ed Sullivan, Groucho Marx, Jack Nicholson, and many, many more.

• Ron & John: You Ain’t Never Had A Friend Like Me – Ron Clements and John Musker discuss their friendship, including the first time they heard of each other at Cal Arts.

• Classic Bonus Features – Music videos, Disney song selection, Inside The Genie’s Lamp: Guided Tour,  The Genie World Tour, A Diamond In The Rough: The Making of Aladdin, Alan Menken: Musical Renaissance, The Art of Aladdin: Art Review with Filmmakers’ Commentary, and audio commentaries, and the features on the DVD.

The Diamond Edition is a must have for fans of Disney. The bonus features offer previously unreleased content that will tug at your heartstrings all over again. And if you need more of a reason to look forward to the release, watch our video (which is not included in the Diamond Edition) of Lea Salonga and Brad Kane singing “A Whole New World” with Alan Menken on the piano and other special guests.

Aladdin is available on Blu-Ray and DVD on October 13, 2015.