Aladdin 2: The Return Of Jafar / Aladdin 3: Aladdin And The King Of Thieves (DVD)

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Video:
First, the bad news for widescreen fans: "The Return of Jafar" is available only in a 1.33:1 ratio screen size, given that it was made exclusively for TV video back in the days when the extensive use of widescreen televisions was only a dream of the future. So, it was never in widescreen. Now, the other bad news: Regardless of the announcement on the back of the keep case that says "Aladdin and the King of Thieves" is also in 1.33:1, it isn't; in fact, it's in a 1.78:1 screen ratio. Maybe in the intervening two years, Disney decided widescreen wasn't so bad after all. Or maybe the studio just matted the DVD release especially for the occasion. (The IMDb lists them both at 1.33:1, so it appears that Disney chose to lop off the top and bottom of the screen on this second sequel; they should have left well enough alone.)

For Disney animations, however, the transfer quality in the films is more than a tad ragged, especially in "The Return of Jafar." Colors are sometimes bright and sometimes slightly dim, take your choice. Visible, noticeable, grain is present almost constantly in "Jafar," but the situation improves considerably in "King of Thieves." Still and all, in both films everything seems to have a dark veil shrouding it.

Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 English soundtracks don't seem too much different from the 2.0 French and Spanish tracks, except that they're slightly louder and in selected scenes they offer more information in the surrounds. Most of the time the sound is confined to the front center channel, especially in "Jafar," with the front sides and the rear surrounds coming to life only on occasion. In its favor, the sound is quiet and well balanced, and even though "King of Thieves" opens things up more and has a much better bass and dynamic range, don't expect anything like the enhanced home-theater sonics of the original "Aladdin" DVD.

Extras:
Each movie comes on its own disc, with its own extras. "The Return of Jafar" offers you a "Wish At Your Own Risk" game that is so slow I couldn't deal with it for more than a couple of minutes. It appears to be mostly narration. Then there's a DisneyPedia feature, "Wishes Around the World," that provides a geographical history of wish-making in various countries. On a world map you click on the icon of a wishbone in Italy, say, or a cloverleaf in Ireland and get information on local folklore regarding making wishes on the thing. That is followed by a typical Disney song selection, which takes you to the songs in the movie with optional lyrics that pop up on the screen so you can sing along. I can't imagine why. Finally, there are Sneak Peeks at five other Disney animations, including "Bambi"; twenty scene selections; English, French, and Spanish spoken languages; and French and Spanish subtitles, with English captions for the hearing impaired. A chapter-selection paper insert comes with the disc, but it does not identify the songs in the movie.

"Aladdin and the King of Thieves" offers extras similar to those in "The Return of Jafar," maybe a little more. The first item is "Disney's Song Selection," which operates like the one on the "Jafar" disc, with optional lyrics to sing along with. The next item is a "Bag the Bad Guys" game, where you have to find and click on eight of the forty thieves and bring them to justice. After that is a game called the "Loot In The Lair Challenge." You have to retrieve wedding gifts stolen by the thieves and hidden in their maze of caves. These games should be enough to entertain tykes, but adults will want to stay clear. Then, there is "Behind the Microphone," a four-minute look at the voice talent in the film. Here, Williams tells us that he came back for the second sequel "to do something so free, because you don't get this anyplace else." Oh? Then, you'll notice that since this is a longer picture than "The Return of Jafar," you get fewer scene selections, twelve. Go figure. And you get the same Sneak Peeks at other Disney animated features; English, French, and Spanish spoken languages; and French and Spanish subtitles, with English captions for the hearing impaired. Again, there is a chapter insert, but it does not identify the individual songs in the film.

The movies come in their own separate keep cases, the two keep cases packaged together side-by-side as in the cover graphic above right (click for a larger view). This arrangement must be a delight to stores like Tower Records who have to figure out how to place a double-width package into a regular-width counter bin.

Parting Shots:
No doubt the combination of well-known Disney animated characters, some songs, and a two-for-one price tag will be attractive to quite a few kids and their parents. The movies are light, brief, and harmless, at the very least eschewing fart jokes and crude humor. I expect they could have been a lot worse. They should be able to keep the little ones entertained for a time, and the presence of Robin Williams in the second sequel might even charm a few adults. Now, if the money Disney sunk into these two mediocre direct-to-video sequels had gone into a single good theatrical release.... But, oh, well.

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