This film stays very faithful to the original down to the smallest details, save for the kangaroo-rat that suddenly appears twenty minutes into the movie and subsequently follows Aladdin around, serving no purpose in the story but fulfilling the role of token animal mascot. The story takes some illogical and confusing jumps at the point where Aladdin begins to court the princess, and the extravagant animation that had characterised Toei films of the 60s, when Toei had the best animators around, had become a thing of the past long before this point; but this is still an above-average film, in large part because of the screenplay that stays so faithful to the original. The character designs are slightly more western-looking than one is accustomed to seeing in anime.
Writing
Surprisingly faithful to original Arabian Nights text.
Production
Toei's faded grandeur—ghost of 1960s animation excellence.
Director
Yoshikatsu Kasai
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Toei Animation's 'World Masterpiece Theater' competitor—this was their attempt to keep classic literature adaptations alive while budgets collapsed.
The westernized character designs reflect 1980s Japanese anime's awkward pivot toward international co-production appeal, abandoning traditional anime aesthetics for broader marketability.
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