Aladdin

Aladdin
November 25, 1992
Disney
Children's, Comedy, Romance, Musical
VHS
B

I had fallen off the Disney bandwagon by the time their late '80s/ early '90s comeback came along.  Seeing most of these movies years later, I was not overly impressed.  But this one stood out.  It's funny, sweet, action-packed, and has strong voice performances, with Robin Williams's genie of course the stand-out, although I'm fond of Gilbert Gottfried as the evil parrot Iago.  The movie is also borderline racist and there are parts where things start to drag out.  The main characters aren't terribly sympathetic, although they do have much more personality than your average Disney "prince" and princess.  But for the most part it's a fun ride.

When Williams killed himself, this was one of the movies people thought of most.  Although we don't see him, we hear him, that very versatile voice playing so many roles within one.  His two show-stopping numbers remain amazing (and more worthy of an Oscar than "I Can Show You the World"), but it's not all laughs.  There's pathos, too, which was always there inside Williams, although we tried not to see it.  But, yes, it's still possible to watch this as a kids' movie that adults will delight in, too.  And, yes, the anachronisms and Disney references are very '90s.

Linda Larkin (Joanne in Zapped Again!) voices Princess Jasmine.  Hal Smith does the voice of Jafar's Horse.  Frank Welker, who specializes in animal voices, here does Abu (the monkey) Rajah (the tiger), and the cat-like Cave of Wonders.  Ron Clements and John Musker would also collaborate on The Princess and the Frog.

Hot to Trot

Believe me, there are worse comedy teams.

Hot to Trot
August 26, 1988
Warner Bros.
Comedy, Fantasy
VHS
B-

This goofy take on Mr. Ed and Francis the Talking Mule (with a stock brokerage, because it's the '80s) provided the first starring role for the sometimes irritating and sometimes endearing Bobcat Goldthwait, then 26.  The voice of the horse is provided by John Candy, who of course has some of the best lines and sounds like he might be ad-libbing some of them.  There are moments of great silly comedy, although by the time Bobcat has become the most implausible big-screen jockey since Harpo Marx, things are wearing a bit thin, and there are a few too many ethnic and other stereotypes (especially Hispanic).  If nothing else, you'll have fun with the cast, including Dabney Coleman as the villain (yeah, big surprise) and 80-year-old Burgess Meredith as Candy's equine father.  Buck Henry plays Goldthwait's father in a flashback.

Peter Hobbs, who plays the veterinarian, was Dr. Dean in Sleeper and the Doctor at St. Ambrose Hospital in 9 to 5 (yes, this is a reunion for him and Coleman).  Jocko Marcellino of Sha-Na-Na appears as Marvin.  Donald Hotton, the minister here, was Mr. Wicher in Soul Man.  Barbara Whinnery, who played Sister Sara in Hamburger, is Denise here.

James Hong who's "Boss" here, would be Frank, Sr. in Too Much Sun.  Kevin Furlong would play a jockey again in Wag the Dog.

There's also a fairly early role, as a dentist, for 33-year-old Gilbert Gottfried.  (He'd start hosting USA Up All Night on cable the next year.)  And 35-year-old Mary Gross (post-SNL) appears briefly as Ms. French.

Note, this movie has an incredible amount of profanity for a PG-rated movie.