Aladdin / Tropes E to L

Aladdin Trope Examples
A - D | E - L | M - R | S - Z

---

E

• Empathic Weapon: The Genie. With Aladdin as his master, he's the closest to his true form, but under Jafar's leash he becomes more muscular and imposing (which is clearly against his will), with his skin tone shifting to purple to match.
• Enter Stage Window:
  • Aladdin jumps in and out of windows fairly often, especially in the "One Jump Ahead" sequence. People are so used to it that they don't break rhythm.
  • Aladdin flies up onto the balcony of Jasmine's bedroom with his magic carpet. The oddest thing is, Jasmine isn't even wondering how he got up there—she's too pissed off at the moment to care. When Aladdin goes to leave by jumping back off the balcony, she freaks out sufficiently.
• Establishing Character Moment:
  • The entire "One Jump Ahead" sequence is one for Aladdin. He dodges the palace guards with cunning and trickery, one jump ahead of them. Along with his subsequent display of kindness to two children by giving up the bread he'd just worked so hard to get away with.
  • It's also one for Abu, who is shown to be (unlike Aladdin) willing to steal jewelry as well as food.
  • Jasmine gets one when she steals food for a hungry child, which is the exact same thing Aladdin had done earlier.
  • Genie's first 15 seconds tell you everything you'd need to know about the duality of his character. He comes up with all his majesty of a Skyward Scream, and then, this is the first thing out of his mouth.
    Genie: TEN THOUSAND YEEAAARRSSS will give you SUCH a crick in the neck!
• Everyone Has Standards: Even Iago, who came up with the idea for Jafar marrying Jasmine in the first place, was squicked out by Jafar and Jasmine actually kissing. Justified in that it was a only a plan B to get the power after they thought the lamp to be lost forever. Iago didn't expect Jafar to really fall in love with Jasmine.
  • A rare "heroic" example, Aladdin, by his own admission, "steals only what he can't afford"(everything) then proceeds to chide Abu when the latter steals jewelry, so yeah, he might have to steal to eat, but he tries to only take what he needs.
• "Eureka!" Moment: Putting the squeeze on Aladdin, Jafar boasts that he's the most powerful being on Earth and calls him nothing without Genie. This prompts Aladdin to realize he can play to Jafar's ego by saying he's still second best compared to Genie.
• Exact Words:
  • "Touch nothing but the lamp." Abu doesn't take the hint.
  • Aladdin manages to trick the Genie into getting them out of the now-destroyed Cave of Wonders without actually "wishing" for the Genie to do so. Aladdin even points this out when Genie claims he's down a wish. Genie admits defeat, but warns Aladdin not to try and get any more "freebies."
  • Averted with Aladdin's first wish. Although he wishes to be made into a prince, Genie doesn't actually make Aladdin a prince of anything, he merely (and temporarily) gives Aladdin enough of the trappings of a prince to pass himself off as one. This becomes a plot point when Aladdin realizes that no one will believe he is royalty without Genie around, and so goes back on his promise to set Genie free.
  • A behind-the-scenes example. According to the DVD commentary, the team was struggling with how to end the "Friend Like Me" number. Part of the problem was then–Disney President Jeffrey Katzenberg, who wanted the audience to applaud after each musical number. Eric Goldberg (who animated the Genie) thus came up with the 'Applause' sign on the Genie's back. It worked and became one of the film's best gags.
• Exposition Diagram: A Type 2 when the Genie advises Aladdin to "Tell her the... TRUTH!"

F

• Facepalm: The carpet does one when Aladdin falls for Jasmine's trap question and reveals his true identity.
• Failed a Spot Check: The most likely explanation for why Aladdin would leave Abu on a ledge with a statue holding a huge gemstone (given what he knows about Abu's weakness for gemstones) is that Aladdin didn't see that statue.
• Falling-in-Love Montage: "A Whole New Woooorld..."
• Family-Unfriendly Death: Gazeem gets swallowed by the Cave of Wonders when he tries to escape, and is apparently buried alive.
• Fanservice: When Jasmine is put in her slave outfit.
• Fanservice Extra: Besides Jasmine, there's the harem Aladdin falls into during "One Jump Ahead", the harem girls in "Friend Like Me", the girls in "Prince Ali" not to mention a few peasant women in that same song... let's just say there's a lot of pretty, shapely girls in sheer, low-cut fabric.
• Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Agrabah is a cultural blend of Moroccan, Persian, Turkish and Indian influences.
• Fatal Reward: Jafar's plan for Aladdin after he gets him the lamp: stab him, leave him for dead and take the lamp back to Agrabah. Luckily it fails.
• Feedback Rule: In his introductory scene the Genie poses as an entertainer with a mic which gives off a feedback.
• Felony Misdemeanor:
  • Aladdin steals one loaf of bread and gets a squadron of imperial guards out for his blood. It's generally implied that he's done it lots of times—often enough to become a familiar face to the Head Guard Razoul.
    Aladdin: All this for a loaf of bread?
  • The fruit vendor nearly cuts off Jasmine's hand for stealing an apple. That she didn't even steal for herself. An example of Truth in Television for the period the film takes place in.
  • The Cave of Wonders becomes dangerous when Abu grabs the giant ruby, as they had been instructed not to touch anything inside other than the lamp. The cave then destroys itself with them still trapped within as punishment.
• Filming for Easy Dub: The Cave of Wonders granting Aladdin permission to enter is staged so the Cave is not seen saying "Proceed" as the crew couldn't get the Cave Mouth to form the syllables of the word in a visually satisfying way.
• Finish Dialogue in Unison: When Aladdin and Jasmine are in his hideout, they talk about their troubles and conclude in unison that they both feel "trapped".
• Fireworks of Love: Happens not once, but twice:
  • Downplayed in the first instance, when Aladdin (as Prince Ali) and Jasmine are watching fireworks in China (presumably for Chinese New Year), clearly caught up in the magic of the moment. Subverted when Jasmine catches Aladdin in a lie about being the boy from the marketplace, while Aladdin digs himself deeper by claiming he really is a prince, and was in disguise as a peasant like she was at the time.
  • Played straight at the end, where a now-honest Aladdin and Jasmine go back to China on the Flying Carpet and kiss to a reprise of "A Whole New World".
• First Kiss: Aladdin's and Jasmine's first kiss on the balcony indicates their growing love for each other.
  • Doubles as The Big Damn Kiss, according to the directors on the DVD's commentary : "One of the hottest we animated".
• Fisher King: The good sultan makes Agrabah a sunny place of wonder, Jafar a dark and dreary city of horror. Justified somewhat in that Jafar is a sorcerer and can control the weather.
• Flat "What": Jafar's reaction when Iago first suggests he marry Jasmine, out of thinking that Iago calls him a "chump husband".
• Flight of Romance: The magic carpet ride has Aladdin and Jasmine bond while going around the world.
• Flowers of Romance: Aladdin casually gives Jasmine a flower during their magic carpet ride around the world, which she appreciates. This continues into Aladdin: The Return of Jafar, where he gives her a glass flower that he stole from a band of greedy thieves.
• Foil: Aladdin and Jafar are almost total reverses of each other. Aladdin is a young, athletic "street rat", Jafar is an elderly scholar in a comfortable position. While Aladdin has spent most of his life living hand-to-mouth, when faced with the absurd power Genie offers he agonizes over what to do. When Jafar gets that same power after years of patient scheming, his self-control evaporates and he wishes for instant gratification, leading to his defeat.
• Food Slap: Princess Jasmine throws a glass of wine in Jafar's face.
• Forbidden Fruit: "Touch nothing but the lamp!"
• Force Feeding: Iago force-feeds the Sultan crackers in revenge for giving him crackers that Iago thought were disgusting for years.
• Foreign-Looking Font: The title and the sign that says "Crazy Hakim's Discount Fertilizer". All other writing is random squiggles that look vaguely like what Arabic looks like to people who can't read Arabic.
• Foreshadowing: Aladdin and Abu ride a non-magical carpet during the song "One Jump Ahead". Later on Aladdin rides a magic carpet several times.
• Forgot About His Powers: When Jafar wished to be a genie, Genie seemed scared and apprehensive. If he remembered that all genies are bound to a life of servitude - his problem throughout the movie - he would've caught on to Aladdin's plan sooner.
• Forgot I Could Change the Rules: In the beginning of the movie, the Sultan is concerned about the rapidly-approaching time limit for Jasmine to marry a prince. While he makes it clear he wants her to be married so she'll be cared for once he's gone, it takes the entire movie and the realization that Aladdin is a good suitor despite not being royalty for it to occur to the Sultan that he can change the law at all, whereupon he immediately decrees that the princess can marry whoever she deems worthy.
• Forgotten Framing Device: The film opens with a merchant who tells the tale of the lamp (and Aladdin). It doesn't go back to him at the end. (He eventually reappears at the end of Aladdin and the King of Thieves, the final installment of the franchise, having implicitly been telling not only the story of this movie, but the movies and TV series that followed it.)
• Fourth-Date Marriage: Jasmine and Aladdin (or close enough, Fourth Date Engagement - the sequels and The Animated Series indicate that they actually don't get married for quite a while afterward).
• Freeing the Genie: With his last wish, Aladdin frees Genie from being bound to the lamp at the end. Genie is immensely grateful, and heads out into the world.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus: Tons of them.
• Friendlessness Insult: We have this exchange between Aladdin and Prince Achmed when the former stops the latter from whipping some children who got in his way.
  Aladdin: Look at that, Abu. It's not every day you see a horse with two rear ends.
  Prince Achmed: You are a worthless street rat. You were born a street rat, you'll die a street rat, and only your fleas will mourn you!
• From Bad to Worse: Jafar turns up and declares himself Sultan. Then Aladdin realizes that the lamp is missing. Then he turns around to see a giant, pupil-less Genie pick up the palace and place it high above the city. Then Jafar wishes to be the most powerful sorcerer in the world, spirits Aladdin into a tower, shoots it to the other side of the world, and turns around to laugh maniacally at the sight of Jasmine and the Sultan cringing in his shadow. And all this happens about ten minutes before the giant snake...
  • What happens next is a downplayed example. As Aladdin is squeezed to death, he defiantly reminds Jafar that the Genie is much more powerful than he ever will be; he gave Jafar his sorcerer powers, and he can take them away just as easily. Cue Jafar wishing to be an all-powerful genie...
  Genie: (sigh) Alright, your wish is my command. Way to go, Al.
  • However, this is exactly what Aladdin was banking on: now that Jafar has been transformed into an evil genie, he also gets his own lamp and every rule that goes with the gig. Cue a horrified Jafar being sucked into his new lamp, pulling Iago in with him.
• Frustrating Lie: When Aladdin tries to pretend to be a prince to impress Jasmine, Genie is annoyed by this and keeps insisting that Aladdin tell the truth.
• Full Moon Silhouette: Aladdin and Jasmine pass in front of◊ a giant full moon during their Flight of Romance.
• Funny Background Event:
  • Technically from this video of the Disneyland Stage adaptation, but just after Aladdin meets Jasmine and say "These streets can be dangerous", an electric wheelchair stuffed with goods drives by.
  • While Abu is harassing the melon stand owner, the scene is so distracting it's very easy to miss Aladdin taking his own melon... in the foreground.
  • When Jasmine says "We will never bow to you!", her father can be seen stopped in mid-bow.
• Furry Reminder: Iago the parrot can actually speak instead of just copying people, but he keeps it a secret from all but Jafar, his evil owner, so when other people are present, he squawks and copies people.

G

• The Genie Knows Jack Nicholson: The Genie is this to the max, obviously. His accurate impressions of movie stars (such as, notably, Jack Nicholson) provided ample Parental Bonuses, and like Merlin in The Sword in the Stone, he exhibits ample working knowledge of twentieth-century zeitgeist and technology. In the sequels and television series that followed, he frequently alluded to several other Disney franchises and impersonated their characters, including Pumbaa from The Lion King (1994) and Pinocchio.
  • Worth noting is that Aladdin lampshades the Genie's tendency to do this in the cartoon series. "What's the genie doing?" "Dreaming about references to some form of entertainment that hasn't been invented yet." It's occasionally mentioned that Genie sometimes time-travels in his spare time, which explains how he knows about pop culture icons from the future. There is one episode of the show that explicitly shows him in another time, with Napoleon. There's also a fairly popular fan theory that the movie actually takes place in the distant future, which also explains it handily.
• Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Iago to Jafar.
  Iago: [as Jafar is laughing maniacally] Oh, great. He's cracked. He's gone nuts. Jafar! Jafar! Get a grip!!!
  [Jafar grabs him by the throat]
  Iago: [in a choked rasp] ...good grip.
• A God Am I: Jafar develops a god complex after he becomes an all-powerful genie. He even claims the universe was "[his] to command" with his newfound genie powers.
• Go-Go Enslavement: Even though Jasmine's casual outfit is almost as Stripperific as her slave outfit.
• Good Colors, Evil Colors: Blue is good, red is evil. The filmmakers even admitted it.
• Good Eyes, Evil Eyes: Genie under Jafar’s rule has Glowing Eyes of Doom, and Genie Jafar has yellow eyes.
• Good Hair, Evil Hair: Both Genie and Jafar are bearded, but the former's is a goofy beard and the latter is a clear Beard of Evil, with goatee and twisted point.
• Goofy Print Underwear:
  • Jasmine's suitor at the beginning. Odd, since Rajah still has a piece of heart fabric in his mouth as though it's from the underwear, when in fact it should be from the pants that he bit a hole in.
  • Also one of the guards during "One Jump Ahead — not hearts, but white polka dots on pink background.
• Grapes of Luxury: We see Iago feast on grapes after his master Jafar has taken over the kingdom.
• Gratuitous German: When Genie turns into a U-boat, he speaks some German-sounding gibberish.
• Gravity Is a Harsh Seamstress: Aladdin does a variation sliding down a single clothesline. He even has an anachronistic bra on during the slide.
• The Great Serpent: In the movie's climax, Jafar turns himself into a massive cobra.
  Aladdin: Are you too afraid to fight me yourself, you cowardly snake?
  Jafar: A snake, am I? Perhaps you would like to see how sssssssnakelike I can be!
• Guile Hero: Aladdin. Able to use small tricks, charm, psychological manipulation, deception and agility to fool both the royal guards and Jafar.
  • Funnily enough, Princess Jasmine herself proves to be this. While not on the same level as Aladdin, several times she's shown to quickly adapt to a situation to put people off guard or distract them as shown with her interactions with the shopkeeper and Jafar himself later. In many ways, this is part of why Aladdin falls for her since both are a lot alike.

H

• Hairball Humor: When Genie gathers everyone for a group hug, he asks if he can kiss Abu, and immediately coughs out a hairball once he does.
• Hairpin Lockpick: Abu uses one to free Aladdin from his shackles in the dungeon.
• Half-Baked Niceness:
  • Aladdin, who wished to become a prince, goes on to entertain Jasmine. He attempts to compliment her, with Genie turning into a bee and giving him suggestions. Genie then accidentally says "punctual", which Aladdin ends up using, causing Jasmine to get appropriately confused. Genie apologizes, and Aladdin follows up with a better compliment after.
  • Jafar wishes for Jasmine to fall in love with him, but doesn't realize Genie is unable to grant this type of request. Using this, Jasmine attempts to play along to distract him and gives him extremely basic compliments, like liking his eyebrows and describing his beard as "twisted".
• Hammerspace:
  • Where Abu puts the lamp after he nabs it from Jafar.
  • Also, where Jasmine puts the short-sword Aladdin hands her when they first meet.
  • Even earlier during the jailbreak scene, Abu manages to pull a set of lockpicks from his jacket. They are never used, brought up, or seen ever again.
• Hammy Herald: The Genie's introduction of Prince Ali, complete with song!
• Hamster-Wheel Power: Lacking a lightning-storm to generate power, Jafar's spying device is charged up by Iago running on a horizontal gear. A chore which Iago is not happy about.
• Hand Puppet Mockery: When Jafar subjugates Genie to do his bidding, and wishes to become a sorcerer, he becomes a giant cobra later to fight Aladdin in the Agrabah palace. Aladdin goads Jafar into using his final wish to become an all-powerful genie, where Genie tries convincing Jafar to pull back on the idea, lest he becomes unstoppable. In a bit of bathos, Genie turns his hand into a snake-like sock hand puppet:
  Genie: The boy is crazy! He's a little punch-drunk! One too many hits with the snake!
• Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?: After saving Aladdin from drowning...
  Genie: I'm gettin' kinda fond of ya, Al. Not that I wanna pick out curtains or anything.
• Heir-In-Law:
  • This is the basis of Jafar's plan. By using his magic on the Sultan, he plans to secure a marriage to Princess Jasmine and gain the throne through her.
    Iago: You marry the princess, all right? And then, then you become the sultan! [...] And then, we drop papa-in-law and the little woman off a cliff.
  • This was the whole reasons the other princes were courting her. They weren't interested in her, they were interested in becoming the sultan.
• Held Gaze: Aladdin and Jasmine share one early on in the movie with a sunset behind them, leading to an Almost Kiss.
• Heroic Seductress: Jasmine had her moment by keeping Jafar distracted long enough for Al to get the lamp back. It backfired since Al was (rightly) too squicked out upon seeing her kiss Jafar to keep moving toward the lamp, losing a few crucial seconds.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: Aladdin's Fatal Flaw: After a lifetime of being reviled as a "worthless street rat", he is convinced that he really is, and that Jasmine couldn't possibly love him. "I must have sounded so stupid to her!" "NO WAY! If Jasmine ever found out I was just some crummy street rat, she'd laugh at me."
• Hey, You!: Jafar usually refers to Aladdin as simply "the boy," "boy," or "street rat,"
  Jafar: Things are unraveling fast now, boy.
• Hidden Depths: Not so much hidden from the audience, but Jasmine gets viewed by everyone else during over half the movie as a princess to marry, which royally ticks her off as she wants someone to love her for her and she them in return. She turns out to have a quick, cunning mind and a sly, snarking personality that Aladdin actually connects to. Likely this is the reason she falls in love with him and pays his deception no mind after Jafar's defeat, for feeling comfortable being herself around him without simply being "a prize to be won".
• Historical In-Joke: The crack in the Sphinx's nose happens during the flyby in "A Whole New World".
• Hold Your Hippogriffs: Several examples, including "Genie, wake up and smell the hummus," and "How about that, Mr. Doubting Mustafa!"
• Hollywood Costuming: While Orientalism comes in play, there are subtle hints of 1990s styles in much of Aladdin and Jasmine's wardrobes, with Aladdin wearing a shirtless vest and Jasmine in a crop top, respectively worn atop their baggy pants.
• Honest John's Dealership: The merchant at the beginning. Try the Dead Sea Tupperware!
• Honesty Aesop: Genie tries to get Aladdin to drop his princely getup and woo Jasmine by being himself.
• Hope Spot: The thief at the beginning enters the forbidden cave... and for a second nothing happens. He relaxes. Then the cave "eats" him.
• Hurricane of Puns: Jafar during his final battle with the heroes.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: Genie. It's not that Aladdin is incompetent; he just can't hope to compete with a guy who has "phenomenal cosmic powers!"
• Hypno Ray: Jafar's magical cobra head staff.
• Hypnotic Eyes: Jafar's cobra-headed cane which induces this effect in the Sultan.
• Hypnotize the Captive: Jafar wishes for the Genie to make Jasmine fall in love with him, which would give him a beautiful, willing consort and be a nasty revenge on Jasmine for having to serve her and her father all his life. Genie doesn't have that power, but Jasmine pretends it worked to distract Jafar.

I

• I Can Explain:
  • Just after his treasonous plot against the Sultan has been revealed, Jafar tries saying "All this can be explained." Exactly how is a mystery for the ages.
  • Aladdin says this to Jasmine verbatim after Jafar reveals his true identity. Though, this is a strange case because he already HAD explained it to her when Jasmine confronts him in his Prince Ali alias at the end of "A Whole New World." It should be noted that he says something along this line in that scene as well. One might argue that he lied the first time, but why Jasmine would believe Jafar over Aladdin despite the latter providing no additional evidence is a question for the ages.
• "I Can't Look!" Gesture: When Jafar banishes Aladdin to "the ends of the earth" with the power he wished for, Genie turns his face away in devastation.
• I Gave My Word: Aladdin promised to free the Genie with his third wish. What makes him the hero is that he actually kept his promise. Especially considering he kept his promise despite being unsure whether or not he would be able to marry Jasmine.
• The Igor: When Genie explains the rules to Aladdin, he references the "mad scientist's assistant" character archetype by briefly turning into a hideous, green hunchback and speaking in a Peter Lorre impression, specifically (and appropriately) while explaining the rule that Aladdin can't wish him to resurrect the dead.
• I Have This Friend: Aladdin credits certain things he's feeling regarding Jasmine and her situation to Abu.
  Aladdin: Abu says that—uh—that's not fair.
  Abu: What?
  Jasmine: Oh, did he?
  Aladdin: Yeah, of course.
  Jasmine: And does Abu have anything else to say?
  Aladdin: Well, uh, he wishes there was something he could do to help.
  Abu: Oh, boy!
  Jasmine: Hmm, tell him that's very sweet.
• I Have You Now, My Pretty: Jafar trying to make Jasmine marry him.
• I Just Want to Be Free:
  • The Genie.
  • Both Jasmine and Aladdin describe themselves as being "trapped". You could argue that Jafar also wants to be free of his service to the Sultan.
• I'm Going to Disney World!:
  • Implied rather than spoken for obvious reasons.
    Genie: Aladdin! You just won the heart of a princess. What are you gonna do next?
  • After being freed, Genie declares he's gonna see the world and shape-shifts into a Hawaiian shirt-wearing tourist wearing a Goofy hat.
• I Miss Mom: The deleted song "Proud of Your Boy", reinstated in the Screen-to-Stage Adaptation.
• Immediate Self-Contradiction: Aladdin's line "... and I don't have fleas" is followed by him scratching his head.
• The Imp: Iago
• Impossible Hourglass Figure: Jasmine. Not to Be Confused with the part where Jafar traps her in an hourglass.
• Improvised Parachute. Aladdin and Abu use a rug as one during the song "One Jump Ahead".
• Inconvenient Summons: Aladdin rubs the lamp while Genie is apparently in the shower.
• Inevitably Broken Rule: When allowed into the Cave of Wonders, Aladdin was given one rule; Touch nothing but the lamp. But just as Aladdin gets the lamp, Abu gives in to temptation and takes a large ruby. The Cave of Wonders fills with fire and magma to try and kill the duo for touching the forbidden treasure.
• Indy Ploy: Aladdin might just give Indiana Jones himself a run for his money with his amazing escape from a lake of boiling lava—it's even got a few wisecracks included.
• Ink-Suit Actor:
  • The Genie and Iago.
  • Scott Weinger and Linda Larkin as Aladdin and Jasmine respectively. Even after more than two decades, the resemblance is incredibly striking!
  • Jonathan Freeman looks nothing physically like Jafar (being slightly chubby and muscular) but he used some gesturing of the same maniacal expressions for the character..
    Andreas Deja, supervising animator for Jafar: Based on some of the storyboards, I had this very skinny, elegant, bizarre-looking person in mind. And then I heard that Jonathan was at the studio doing some more lines for the movie. So he came into my office, and I almost couldn't put his face with his body together because he's not skinny. He's very friendly and jovial. But Jonathan does have... sort of an oily, insincere quality... which I needed to find out on which mouth shapes I would use. [still frames of Jonathan Freeman using facial expressions and movements for Jafar appear for comparison]
• Instantly Proven Wrong: In the introductory scene with the merchant, he tries to give a sales pitch but is foiled by circumstances.
  Merchant: Look at this. Combination hookah and coffee maker. Also makes Julienne fries. Will not break. [taps item on table] Will not... [item falls apart] It broke.
• Insult Backfire:
  • That's Sultan "vile betrayer," to you!
  • Played with with this exchange, where Aladdin's insult backfires not with Jafar taking it as a compliment, but taking it as inspiration.
    Aladdin: Are you afraid to fight me yourself, you cowardly snake?!
    Jafar: [walks through the fire] A snake, am I? Perhaps you'd like to see how ssssnake-like I can be@
• Internal Reveal: The Sultan realises that Jafar is evil long after the rest of the cast and audience do.
• Interrupted Bath: While drowning, Aladdin rubs the lamp and thus disturbs the Genie as he's having a shower.
  Genie: Never fails. You get in the bath, there's a rub at the lamp.
• Interspecies Friendship:
  • Aladdin and Genie.
  • Aladdin and Abu, Aladdin and the Carpet, Jasmine and Rajah, Jafar and Iago (if you consider them friends...)
• In the Hood: Jasmine's hood, when she's disguised as a peasant.
• Intimidation Demonstration: Abu does this with a sword while being pursued by the guards near the beginning of the movie.
• Ironic Echo: Aladdin does a few.
  • "Do you trust me?" ^note First said by Aladdin to Jasmine when escaping the guards; then Aladdin echoes it when speaking to Jasmine again in his Prince Ali guise, cluing her in on who he really is.
  • "I'm a street rat, remember?" ^note First said by Aladdin to Abu when the latter complains about Jasmine, reminding him that she has to marry a prince; then Aladdin echoes it when speaking to the Genie about his ability to thwart Jafar.
  • "phenomenal cosmic powers! ittybittylivingspace."^note First said by the Genie, lamenting his confinement to the lamp; then echoed by Aladdin after tricking Jafar into wishing to become a genie himself.
  • One of the lyrics in the Genie's song "Friend Like Me" includes the lyric, "Don't ya sit there, slack-jawed, buggy-eyed". Guess what his reaction is to Aladdin tricking him, then to Jafar apparently making Jasmine fall in love with him.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy:
  • Genie is willing to face an eternity of servitude if it means Aladdin and Jasmine get to stay together. And Aladdin is willing to give that up to keep his promise. Both have formed a close relationship and want the other to be happy.
  • Jasmine will let Aladdin lose his chances of courtship to drop the disguise and be himself.
• "I Want" Song: Aladdin sings about wanting people to not see him simply as a street rat.
• I Will Show You X!:
  • When a prince tells a bunch of little kids in the street to get out of his way, he goes to crack his whip at them, but Aladdin intercepts it.
    Aladdin: If I were as rich as you, I could afford some manners.
    Prince Achmed: I'll teach you some manners!
    [Prince Achmed then kicks Aladdin into the mud]
  • Aladdin calls Jafar a "cowardly snake."

J

• Jaw Drop:
  • Genie, when he realizes Aladdin tricked him into providing a free "wish". Then again when Jasmine suddenly gets close and snuggly with Jafar. Jafar, Iago, Abu and Aladdin all get one in this scene.
  • Abu also has this reaction after seeing Jasmine quickly mastering the art of vaulting from roof to roof.
• Jealous Romantic Witness: Aladdin has to watch Jasmine flirt with and ultimately kiss Jafar. He knows that she's only doing it to distract Jafar, so he won't notice Aladdin and Abu sneaking into the room to try to save her; nevertheless, his expression shows how clearly uncomfortable he is with what he's seeing.
• Justified Criminal: Aladdin only steals food because it's what he needs to live and admonishes Abu for trying to steal other valuables such as jewels.

K

• Karma Houdini: The rather jerkass guards who have no trouble throwing a prince (or so they thought) over a cliff for no better reason than the "tall, dark, and sinister ugly Vizier" said so... go on to be jerkass guards in the other movies... Karma, where'd you go?
• King Incognito: Jasmine disguises herself as a commoner to enjoy the city. Later, when she recognizes "Prince Ali" as the street rat Aladdin, he tries to claim that he too was a royal in disguise.
• Kiss of Distraction: In an attempt to keep Jafar from seeing Aladdin going for the lamp, Jasmine starts off by showing some leg, but in order to keep Jafar's attention she is forced to kiss him. She lays a kiss on Jafar with such an intensity that it doubles as a Forceful Kiss. Unfortunately Aladdin is so grossed out by the sight that he pauses and the ploy ends up not working.
• Kitchen Sink Included: After Genie is freed and declares that he’s going to see the world, he pulls out a suitcase and starts packing it with various things, a sink blatantly being among them.
• Kneel Before Zod:
  • Hilarious, in that when Jafar first gives the command, the Sultan immediately begins to bow. But then Jasmine has to go and open her mouth, which only angers Jafar and prompts his second wish into the most powerful sorcerer IN THE WORLD! His first act as an even more powerful sorcerer? Forcing them through magic to kowtow before him. This one is seen as painful.
  • During the "Prince Ali" song, Genie gets the palace guards to kneel by yanking the carpet out from under them.

L

• Lampshade Hanging: Aladdin's "all this for a loaf of bread?" line. Honestly, it seems a little overkill for a bunch of palace guards to go to that extreme for shoplifting... then you consider that during that time period, theft was seen as equivalent to murder.
• Language Fluency Denial: Iago the Parrot can talk intelligently but pretends he can't around everyone but Jafar.
• Laser-Guided Karma:
  • After publicly humiliating Aladdin before going to court Jasmine, Achmed's attacked by Rajah and sent packing. Even better, later on, the street rat he humiliates and insults ends up with the princess he was pursuing.
  • A negative, non-villainous example: The Sultan, during his interactions with Jafar prior to the latter's treachery being exposed, often fed Iago some crackers (something Iago did not enjoy or appreciate). One of Iago's first actions upon Jafar becoming both Sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world is force feeding the former Sultan the same crackers the sultan fed him.
• Latex Perfection: This is how Jafar disguises himself as an old man to lure Aladdin to the Cave of Wonders, complete with his mask giving him bad, crooked teeth. Justified, as Jafar is some form of magician or sorcerer even before his wish to the Genie.
• Lava Adds Awesome: The CG look gives the lava a rather amazing appearance, which makes it look even more dangerous.
• Lava Is Boiling Kool-Aid: In the Cave of Wonders, although it is worth mentioning that the lava is a bright yellow, not crimson red. However, in Real Life, yellow means the lava is especially hot.
• Leitmotif: Most of the main characters have one. Aladdin and Genie's are the refrains from "One Jump Ahead" and "Friend Like Me" respectively, while Jasmine's is (apparently) a few bars from the melody of "A Whole New World". While not based of a song from the movie, Jafar's leitmotif features heavily here, is extended during the scene where he schemes in the throne room, and is everywhere in the final battle.
  • Strains of Jasmine's unused song "To Be Free" are used constantly for both Jasmine and Genie.
• Lethally Stupid: Abu falling for the Schmuck Bait in the Cave of Wonders, despite being told to "Touch nothing but the lamp!" by the Cave itself as a Secret Test of Character. As a result, the Cave tries to burn Aladdin, Carpet, and himself alive.
• Letting the Air out of the Band: The third act starts once Aladdin has won the heart of Jasmine, exposed the traitorous Jafar, and come to realize that now he'll actually be expected to take over as Sultan someday. The Genie thinks it's time for a victory celebration and bursts into a rousing rendition of Stars and Stripes Forever, only to trail off when Aladdin just slumps past him, oblivious.
• Lighter and Softer: Unlike Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King (1994), this film's a comedy, with relatively little gravitas and more wacky characters than usual.
• Literal Metaphor: Upon being released from the lamp, the Genie tells Aladdin to "hang on a second", then picks him up and hangs him in mid-air by his shirt.
• Little "No": Jasmine, after she heard the (fake) news that Aladdin been executed.
• Longing Look: When he's on the roof with Jasmine after the "Whole new world" scene, Aladdin look at her this way instead of watching fireworks. It's because he's distracted that Aladdin forgot the "Prince Ali" charade for a moment and answers Jasmine's question like Aladdin would.
• Loophole Abuse:
  • When stuck in the Cave of Wonders, Aladdin goads the Genie into blasting him and Abu out of there. They stop at a oasis and talk about the wishes. When Genie states he already used up one, Aladdin states he didn't wish to be out of there. The Genie did that all on his own in a show of power. The Genie is forced to consent.
    Genie: Boy, do I feel sheepish. [turns into a sheep] Alright, you ba-aaa-d boy, but no more freebies.
  • It still counts as a wish (since Aladdin and the Genie had both agreed on "no more freebies"), but when Aladdin is drowning, Genie shakes his head back in forth in a nod, takes it as a "yes", and rescues him.
  • In a comic book story, Genie says genies cannot undo the wishes they grant. The "Prince Ali" wish was undone by Jafar using magic granted by Genie and he considers it an "annoying loophole".
• Love at First Sight: On seeing Jasmine in the market-place, Aladdin is immediately smitten. After he rescues her from trouble, Jasmine isn't too far behind. Given the pure emotion of Aladdin and Jasmine's scenes together, the writers/animators actually make this trope work, since it's more of a mutual crush at first sight; after they are initially torn apart, Aladdin spends a chunk of the film trying to win Jasmine's favor again. They have a little bonding time (albeit one night) and the two of them actually tackle issues like trust and self-worth before they officially get together at the end. Compare to earlier Disney movies where the hero and heroine spend a grand total of one scene together, and by their second scene the antagonist has already been vanquished and the two are ready to be married.
• Love Theme: "A Whole New World", Aladdin and Jasmine's song during their Flight of Romance.
• Ludicrous Gift Request: Invoked by the Genie at the end when he tries to prove that he's been freed by asking Aladdin to wish for the Nile. Aladdin does so and he says, "No way", proving that he can refuse wishes and has therefore been freed.

---