I posted a quote from JM Barrie’s Peter Pan earlier, because of course while Genie was an important part of my childhood, Robin Williams’ most significant role to me, as a child, was as Peter Banning/Peter Pan in Hook:
“At first Mrs. Darling did not know, but after thinking back into her childhood she just remembered a Peter Pan who was said to live with the fairies. There were odd stories about him; as that when children died he went part of the way with them, so that they should not be frightened.” – JM Barrie
As a scholar of the original novel, Williams’ performance has always been significant to me even as an adult for numerous reasons. 1) It clued me in at a very young age to the stresses that adults face that they try not to show children, 2) it as a result helped me to better understand my own father, and 3) Williams played the only Peter Pan who ever had an ounce of mercy or love in his heart. That may sound shocking to some, but I say that as someone who knows the original canon and knows the original character for being innocent, but also rather heartless. Williams is the only person who could have ever played this character in that way and make it believable. He is the only Pan who aspired to and became a father.
He had so much to give and put so much into everything he set out to do.
As someone who grew up attached to his work and knowing so many others who did, I like to think that he took us part of the way in life, and we’re better for it.
This is the important thing. Someone stole the Genie’s lamp, but fucker stepped on Abu.
We do establish, here, that yeah, Genie’s not bound to the lamp anymore, but it’s where he lives. He’s kinda attached to it. Taking the lamp didn’t really do anything besides inconvenience him.
And like, I don’t know why they’re not taking Carpet. Or…flying with Carpet. Since that’s faster. Something about all of this makes me read this like they’re just not taking Abis Mal seriously as a threat right now.
I mean, I know he’s a total goofus, Aladdin, but you did almost die the last time you fought with him.
Who knows? Maybe he thinks that if he picks a genie that’s not a jerk it’ll go better for him!
“How old are you?” that face says.
I wonder if Haroud knows about that. Like, I do still honestly believe Abis Mal thinks he does better when someone who’s smarter than him hangs around.
He’s also not wrong.
At all.
But did he ever tell Haroud about Jafar? Something tells me he wouldn’t be “jealous” at all if he had.
…I’m still not sure how he even gets up on horses.
Anyway, right away I’m oddly pleased because the animators I really like appear to be on the job today.
This is the face we get when Mal brags about his great feats of “stealth."
Because remember, Haroud has been here for every episode we’ve seen, too, and Abis Mal? Is a bull in a china shop. Which we learn is the case here, too, because:
"Stealth."
Right.
Production Code Episode 35 – Some Enchanted Genie
I am actually really excited about this episode. Eden’s first appearance and arguably one of the funnier Abis Mal episodes, this has always been one of my favorites. I like Eden as a character and wish they’d done more with her. Her second appearance is kind of “meh” because the jokes were poorly written and the animators were not up to the task of illustrating her energy as it shows here. (And this is all very sad also because it’s a Mozenrath episode and it’s kind of all-around disappointing as an outing.)
But we’re not doing that episode today! Or for a while (because it’s like Moze’s second to last episode EVER). Today we’re doing this one, which is awesome! I haven’t decided what episode will come next, but probably Love at First Sprite. As always, want to back read? See some previous episodes. Have a look at the Master List!
I will also at some point be doing Act 2 of Return to Oz.
And he tries to use it to lead Samir and Genie away from the city. It seems to work.
Of course, by the rules of dance movies, because the imps just got served, it is now “on.” So they must up the ante and resort to whatever stock music from the soundtrack is faster-paced.
And this continues onward as per dance movie rules.
I have to wonder how much of that money the Sultan got back. Because Nefir’s no joke; he probably hid a portion of it. Also how did they get the imps to rebuild the place and not just run away? Genie had to let them go at SOME point for them to rebuild everything. How’d they not make a break for it?
This episode was silly, and it’s one of those that you really don’t want to think too hard about, like I did. Like I said, though, I kind of want to look into the other imp episodes just to see what else is revealed, because I’m not being told enough to make a sound decision.
I still hate Nefir less than Ayam Aghoul, though.
“Some Enchanted Genie” is next. I wanted to pick a sufficiently silly episode so that another Abis Mal outing would seem mature by comparison, and I may have gotten my wish.
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The DVD Fairy 