Listening to my son laugh out loud as he watched Aladdin for the very first time was heartwarming and nostalgic, because it reminded me of the times I sat with my father, likely amused by the same moments. The film debuted in 1992, and like most Disney films, there is a timelessness about the characters and the story that resonates with my own children today in 2015.
That The Genie gives humor and color and life to this film is indisputable. Robin Williams was a brilliant comedian/actor and interestingly enough, his role in the film marked the beginning of a shift in animation film towards the use of celebrity voice actors. Animator, film director and voice actor Eric Goldberg is notable for animating The Genie and during a recent press conference, I sat down with Goldberg to talk about his very first project at Walt Disney Animation Studios and even managed to practice my drawing skills!
Bringing The Genie to life began long before Goldberg put his pencil the paper. The script for Aladdin was written with Robin Williams in mind even before the late actor was asked to consider the role. Goldberg was the first animator brought in to work on the film and was asked to animate the genie over one of the actor’s old stand-up comedy routines as a pitch idea. The specific scene animated detailed Williams’ discussion about schizophrenia and the result was the Genie growing another head to argue with himself and Williams’ commitment to sign on for the project. During Williams time recording the voice of the Genie, he provided many celebrity impressions which were re-adapted into the fabric of his character.
As far as the look of The Genie, Goldberg drew inspiration from American caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, specifically the character’s curvy lines. Goldberg received one of his most cherished compliments when told that his work on The Genie “looks like it was drawn by one hand.”
If you’ve ever wondered how characters obtain their color, you might be interested to learn that blue is generally used for good characters as opposed to red (and darker colors) which is used for bad characters. This explains why Jafar dominate colors are red and black.
Goldberg has had the privilege of working on several notable films as Supervising Animator including The Princess and the Frog, Hercules, Fantasia 2000, Winnie the Pooh, and Get a Horse! As I assume is the cast with many artists, Goldberg is “very critical of his past work,” but believes that his criticism keeps him fresh. “If I ever stopped learning, I would hang up the pencil.”
To be a good animator, I imagine you’d have to know the character you’re working on intricately. Goldberg has foraged a connection with each of those characters, but The Genie holds a special place in his heart both as his first Disney project and the time he spent with Williams.
His favorite scene from the film features the Genie dancing with his hands. American jazz singer Cap Calloway was the inspiration for the scene and the moment when the entire filmmaking team knew that the film would resonate with audiences.
The release of Aladdin: Diamond Edition on Blu-ray will include a host of special, never-before-seen content. Goldberg’s work included putting together outtakes of Williams work as The Genie. During this time, he spent hours listening to recordings of Williams and used that time to relive those moments with the late actor. “He [Williams] had a very fertile mind and could take one simple line and do it over and over, each time using a different voice/character.” Those outtakes are just a snippet of Williams’ brilliance.
Own Aladdin: Diamond Edition on Blue-ray, DVD, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere October 13th, 2015.
Images: Laura Franklin, Disney
Laura is a busy mom of 5 (from 5th grade to college-aged) living in the Washington DC metro area. Laura has been blogging at Better in Bulk since 2007 about everything from food and parenting to entertainment and travel to anything else that might be of interest to busy moms like her.
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