ALADDIN

Origins Of The Project

The story of "Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp" quite possibility the best known story ever written, has come to be regarded as part of "The Thousand and One Nights" or "Arabian Nights", a collection of fewer than 200 folk tales derived from the Indian, Persian and Arab cultures with origins dating back to 850 A.D. In actuality it appeared for the first time between 1704 and 1717 in a 12-volume translation by Antoine Galland, a gifted French storyteller and professor of Arabic who not only translated the tales but adapted them to suit the tastes of his French readers. Galland also invented plots and drew material together to form some of his own tales. The story of Aladdin is said to have been told to him by a Syrian friend and scholar. The tale of Aladdin was further popularized by British author and adventurer Richard Burton.

The idea of adapting the Aladdin story as a Disney animated musical was first proposed by Howard Ashman in 1988 at the time that he and Alan Menken were still working on "The Little Mermaid" and before work had begun on "Beauty and the Beast".

Ashman wrote an initial treatment for the project and collaborated on six songs with Menken. When Musker and Clements finished their assignment directing "The Little Mermaid", they turned their attention to writing a first draft of the "Aladdin" script.

Screenwriters Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio ("Little Monsters", "Princess of Mars") came on board in the spring of 1991 to write and collaborate on additional drafts of the script. As the story developed, characters and events changed dramatically from the original and three of the songs written with Howard Ashman are included in the final film.

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