Aladdin (also known as Aladdin: The Series or Disney's Aladdin: The Series) is an American animated television series based on the 1992 animated feature film of the same name and produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It aired from September 5, 1994, to November 25, 1995, concluding exactly three years to the day from the release of the original film. Despite the animated television series premiering four months before the first sequel, the direct-to-video film The Return of Jafar, it takes place afterward. The second and final animated sequel was the 1996 direct-to-video film, Aladdin and the King of Thieves.
The series was produced by Alan Zaslove and Tad Stones, who were known for their work on ' and Darkwing Duck. Many of the films' stars provided the voices of their TV counterparts, with the exceptions of Dan Castellaneta, filling in for Robin Williams, as The Genie (like in The Return of Jafar), until Williams later returned to reprise his role in Aladdin and the King of Thieves, and Val Bettin as the Sultan (who replaced Douglas Seale after the original film).
The series originally aired as a preview on Disney Channel in early 1994, and in September of that year it began airing concurrently on the syndicated The Disney Afternoon block and on Saturday mornings on CBS (prior to Disney's purchase of rival ABC). Disney Channel reran the series from 1997 until 2000. The show was shown on Toon Disney from April 1998 until December 2008.
The series is set in the fictional sultanate of Agrabah. It takes place one year after the original film, and is set after the second film. Aladdin, now engaged to Princess Jasmine, embarks on numerous adventures with his companions, both within and outside of Agrabah. These adventures often include solving mysteries, finding treasures, and encountering various enemies, such as Abis Mal (an incompetent thief), Mechanicles (a mad Greek inventor), Mozenrath (a young evil power-hungry sorcerer), and Mirage (an evil cat-like enchantress).
A total of 86 episodes were produced, making this series one of the few exceptions to Disney's then-limit of 65 episodes. The direct-to-video film Aladdin and the King of Thieves serves as the series finale. It was followed by a guest appearance on November 24, 1998, in "Hercules and the Arabian Night", an episode of '.
The animated television series was animated by Walt Disney Television Animation (Australia) Pty. Limited, Walt Disney Animation Japan, Inc., Toon City Animation, Inc., in Manila, Philippines, Kennedy Cartoons in Manila, Philippines and Kennedy Cartoons in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Guimarares Productions in São Paulo, Brasil, Moving Images International (working with Toon City on the show's episodes) in Manila, Philippines, Animal-ya (also known as Animal House), Tama Productions, Wang Film Productions Co., Ltd., Sunwoo Animation Co., Ltd., Jaime Diaz Producciones S.A., and Pacific Rim Productions, Inc. The additional production facilities for Walt Disney Animation (Japan) Inc.-animated episodes are Tama Production, Jade Animation, Light Foot, Nakumara Productions, Studios CATS, Studios Fuga, Studios Robin, Takahashi Productions, and Unlimited Energee.
Nine VHS cassettes and two double-feature LaserDiscs containing eighteen episodes of the series were released in the United States and Canada (including four VHS cassettes of the Princess Collection: Jasmine's Enchanted Tales set, which contain eight episodes).
Princess Collection - Jasmine's Enchanted Tales
Twelve VHS cassettes containing 24 episodes of the series were released in Australia and New Zealand. The series' home video releases from North American and Europe were also available on VHS, LaserDisc and Video CD in Asia, the Middle East, South Africa, and South America.
The series has not been fully released on DVD, but on March 14, 2005, three episodes of the series were released on the Jasmine's Enchanted Tales: Journey of a Princess DVD release. Also, four episodes were released as part of the Disney Princess DVD titles, all of which were also available on VHS.