Most critics greet Aladdin warmly, with praise concentrated on Robin Williams’s Genie, the songs and the animation. Williams’s rapid comic invention gives the film much of its energy, while the animators turn his changing voices and routines into lively visual comedy. The musical numbers are another shared pleasure, alongside the action sequences and the expressive magic carpet. The favourable reviews find plenty for adults in the irreverent humour without losing sight of the adventure’s appeal to children.
The spread is wide, however, and the Genie is also a point of contention. The AV Club enjoys Williams’s performance but finds it overwhelming at times. The Times sees speed and exuberance without enough cohesion or emotional force. Slant Magazine offers the sharpest rejection, objecting both to the Genie’s dominance and to the whitewashed Arab setting and ethnic stereotypes. These dissenters question more than the odd dated joke.