Genie (Aladdin)

Genie "You ain't never had a friend like me." Gender: Male Type: Omnipotent Comic Relief Species: Genie Portrayed by: Robin Williams Dan Castellaneta (1994 to 1995) Will Smith (in the live-action 2019 remake of Aladdin) Status: Alive Media of origin: 'Aladdin (1992)'

The Genie is the tritagonist of Disney's 1992 animated feature film, Aladdin. He is a comedic, larger-than-life spirit who has cosmic powers, is indebted to Aladdin, and has granted him three wishes.

Why You Ain’t Never Had a Friend Like Him? (pun intended)

1. Thanks to his incredible performance in the film, he became a breakout character and skyrocketed on the charts.
2. He was played by a wonderful, wonderful man named Robin Williams himself, and his performance is highly entertaining.
   • He's also a great and memorable singer.
3. None of his dialogue was scripted; all of it was completely improvised, which is very impressive of his performer.
4. He's a genie that bends magic on a regular basis, he's missing a marble or two, which makes his relentless over-the-top personality nothing short of amazing. Especially for how wacky, funny, fun-loving, and energetic he is.
   • Even in serious or tense moments, he's still goofing around, making references to pop culture, and abusing cartoonish physics to the nth degree. When he drops this entirely, the situation is incredibly dire.
5. He has a habit of breaking the fourth wall, which later inspired more characters to do the same, some examples being Pinkie Pie and Nepeta Leijon.
6. He has phenomenal cosmic powers that are certainly far beyond that of any human sorcerer, but he does explicitly state three limitations to them: he cannot kill (directly), make someone fall in love, or bring the dead back to life (though he implies that he can bring people back from the dead... but he won't: resurrection going wrong is implied.) He also cannot allow "substitutions, exchanges, or refunds" on wishes. Which means that he cannot undo any wish he grants.
7. Despite being an extremely powerful being, he still contains some realism, as he has limitations.
   • Yeah, he's a goofball. He also has more magic than most human sorcerers can ever hope to amass even as a free genie, has quite a temper, has a protective streak, and, oh yeah, it's implied he isn't bound by that no-killing rule anymore. There's a reason the threat of his rage can singlehandedly quash a raging battle between two opposing sides.
   • In the first film, his over-the-top antics and corny jokes cover up the fact that he's trapped, miserable, and lonely. He notably gets less flamboyant and a bit more grounded (though still a joker) as his friendship with Aladdin grows stronger. However, once he is released from the lamp, he remains as goofy as ever.
8. He's goofy and scatterbrained, but he also has a wise, reasonable side to him. He's very savvy and is one of the most powerful characters in the Disney universe. Especially when he went against Jafar in the second movie when the Genie is free to unleash his power, he can actually get pretty scary and somebody you don't wanna mess with.
9. His songs "Friends Like Me and "Prince Ali" are fun and memorable.
10. Most genies jack up people's wishes, and make them wish they never met them, but not this guy!
    • He is a sweet, friendly, cheerful, and loyal friend to Aladdin. He also keeps encouraging Aladdin to be honest with Jasmine.
    • Genie decides to willingly be with Aladdin because of how the latter was the nicest and most selfless of all the masters he's had. Not to mention that Aladdin used his final wish to free Genie instead of becoming a prince again.
    • He's very well-meaning and laidback, but threaten his friends and he'll rip out your spine.

Bad Qualities

1. He seems to be a bit slower on the uptake in the TV series than he did in the movies, though to be fair his freedom from the lamp at the end of the first film temporarily made him a bit weaker than when he was bound by the lamp (though still powerful); he wouldn't regain his full strength from the original film until the final movie, Aladdin and the King of Thieves.
2. He barely spoke in any episodes of House of Mouse, which is ironic, because he is one of the most memorable Disney characters.

Trivia

• Disney's whole routine of three wishes from genies is older than you think. Aladdin is their fourth attempt. Here are the previous three:
  • Used in the DuckTales episode "Master of the Djinni" with... well, Djinni.
  • Used in the DuckTales special: Treasure of the Lost Lamp with Gene the Genie.
  • Used in the Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers episode "A Lad in a Lamp".
• Despite being a very important character, the Genie serves as a comic relief element in each of his appearances. This is justified since his voice actor in The Return Of Jafar and the TV series is famous for portraying Homer Simpson.

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