History Main / GenieInABottle

* ''Film/BernardAndTheGenie'' has one played by Creator/LennyHenry, although he was actually trapped in a lamp rather than a bottle as a result of annoying a magician back in his own time (c. 30 AD, going by the fact that he was friends with UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}). Once Bernard rubs the lamp, the genie is very much out of the lamp and able to interact with everyone else, but as far as he's concerned, he is trapped in what to him is the far future. [[spoiler: At the end, Bernard frees him by wishing for him to return to his own time]].

%%ZCE* ''Film/BernardAndTheGenie'':

* Season 2 episode 20 of ''Animation/HappyHeroes'' references this trope by featuring a genie who is [[AnimateInanimateObject literally a bottle]]. Doctor H. comes across him and wishes to be married to his crush Miss Peach, [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor only for the wish to go wrong]]. The name of the episode is also "Genie in a Bottle", in English (its Chinese name is "God of Desire").

* Season 2 episode 20 of ''Animation/HappyHeroes'' references this trope by featuring a genie who is [[AnimateInanimateObject literally a bottle]]. Doctor H. comes across him and wishes to be married to his crush Miss Peach, [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor only for the wish to go wrong]].

The [[MakeAWish wishes]] that ''jinn'' grant have become a kind of RealityWarper that requires a human master. A ''jinni'' may have powers they can use themselves, but nowhere near what they can do if a human says "I wish..." first. This often seems to be a function of the lamp, as a [[FreeingTheGenie freed]] ''jinn'' may not be able to grant wishes even if they want to, or will only be able to grant lesser wishes.

In Middle Eastern folklore, the ''[[OurGeniesAreDifferent jinn]]'' are a species of spiritual with capabilities far surpassing that of humans. Some of the greatest magicians in Arabic lore were able to capture ''jinn'' to their service, and tied them to items such as lamps or rings. ''Jinn'' were not usually ''obligated'' to [[MakeAWish give wishes]] to whoever helped them; if they did, it would be out of gratitude or an incentive to open the bottle. Some ''jinn'' got impatient and settled for just leaving if freed, while others [[IrrationalHatred took revenge on humanity]] by [[MisplacedRetribution killing/tormenting whatever unlucky human released them]].

* In the 2023 comedy film Genie, the titular genie - played by Melissa McCartney - was trapped inside a box due to being cursed by a powerful warlock, only to be freed by the protagonist rubbing said box. Unlike other interpretations of a genie, she is able to give unlimited wishes, but said wishes can't change someone directly, not can it change the past. [[spoiler:Or at least until her freedom is wished for - then, the genie gives the one who freed them three final wishes, plus she admitted that she didn't tell the truth about time travel - just that it's not recommended due to how it could break time if done wrong.]]

In Middle Eastern folklore, most popularized in the West in the ''[[Literature/ArabianNights Tales of One Thousand and One Nights]]'', the ''jinn'' were a species of spiritual beings, somewhere in between angels and mankind, capable of great acts, both good and evil. Some of the greatest magicians in Arabic lore were able to capture ''jinn'' to their service, and tied them to items such as lamps or rings. ''Jinn'' were not usually ''obligated'' to [[MakeAWish give wishes]] to whoever helped them; if they did, it would be out of gratitude or an incentive to open the bottle. Some ''jinn'' got impatient and settled for just leaving if freed, while others [[IrrationalHatred took revenge on humanity]] by [[MisplacedRetribution killing/tormenting whatever unlucky human released them]].

If they were bound to their prison, ''jinn'' were slaves to their owners but did not have any [[RealityWarper reality warping]] powers per se. After all, the "wish" was more like a ''command'', and the ''jinn'' simply used their incredible powers to do their master's bidding. If their master wished for a castle, they built one (with varying levels of efficiency: a powerful djinni may do it in seconds whereas a weaker ''jinn'' may spend years on the task). If they wanted money, the ''jinn'' pulled it [[BagOfHolding out of their own coffers]] (a human's mind being unable to comprehend how much they had). Nevertheless, a ''jinni'' was still allowed to refuse orders if his master asked for something beyond his abilities.

Much of this has been lost in the modern depiction of the Genie in the Bottle. In film and television, they are most often within brass oil lamps, of a type that is no longer used. Most Western ''viewers'' (but not the [[GenreBlindness characters]]), upon seeing this kind of lamp, would immediately associate it with a ''jinni''. Many depictions show them ''living'' in the lamp, rather than being trapped there against their will.

* ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasDorabianNights'' have Doraemon and friends entering the world of Arabian Nights and encountering Sinbad, who lives in his magic palace with his treasures - one of them being a genie in a bottle who can turn kaiju-sized once uncorked and obey his master's bidding.
* Shen Long (Shenron in the dub), the Eternal Dragon from the ''Franchise/DragonBall'' series, could be considered a variation on this. He "resides" in seven orange orbs, the Dragon Balls, that must be collected before he can be summoned, which scatter across the planet after the wish is made and turn to stone for a year before being usable again. Once he appears, he can grant his summoner(s) one wish (Later expanded to two, and eventually three), so long as it does not exceed his own power (a concept which seems to grow more flexible as the series progresses). He is somewhat cranky, particularly to those who take a while to make their wish; it's mostly just talk, however if they take ''too'' long, he has to disperse even if no wish is granted. If the person who created the Dragon Balls dies, then so does the dragon.

** Much later on, Shen Long ceases to exist when Kami re-merges with Piccolo Jr., since the Dragon Balls and Shen Long were created by Kami, not the Namekian he and Piccolo originally were before they split into two. Shen Long is revived again however, when Dende, another Namekian, takes over the position of Kami. When Dende did this, he also expanded the wish limit of the dragon to three, though it gets limited to two wishes per summoning if one of those wishes is to bring people back to life. This “Coming BackFromTheDead costs two wishes” limit is still in effect by the ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'' movie, but seemingly done away with in the ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' anime’s adaptation of the film with no onscreen explanation provided.

* In ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'', Halil uses a deck full of genies and their lamps.
* The main characters in ''Anime/ArabianNightsAdventuresOfSinbad'' bump into two: one inside a lamp and one inside a magic ring.

* ''ComicBook/GoldDigger'' has a few genies, notably Madrid. The spoiled princess of the Djinn, Madrid's attempts to bypass the genie restriction on using magic for oneself led to the destruction of her kingdom. She became an EvilTwin of Gina, the super-genius explorer, when Gina was invited to examine the genies' power source. The mental and physical disguise turned out to be permanent. Over time [[BecomingTheMask her mind, overlaid with Gina's intelligence and moral compass,]] let her realize how she had always screwed herself over with her selfishness. Now human, she's kind of an alternate-universe Gina, exploring new worlds while the real Gina teaches at the university. It should be noted that Genies in ''Gold Digger'' evolved from the Pau, a series of fuzzy ''toys'' from an ancient and advanced civilization with minor reality-warping abilities. Some Pau had multiple arms/forelimbs, while others had their eyes on their bellies. When the genies evolved into their present humanoid forms, they kept those two features.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'' the Djinn are a race of nigh-omnipotent super beings. They were forced into enchanted bottles due to their destructive natures. They are forced to grant three wishes to the wielder of their bottle, but with an added twist being that if the person doesn't use the third wish to put them back in the bottle the Djinn is free to do what ever it wants.

* In ''ComicBook/SoulsearchersAndCompany'', Baraka is a Arabic fire demon (also known as a djinn) who dwells in a bottle. However, he is also a slob and whenever his bottle gets too dirty, he moves into a new one.

* In ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'', Dogbert rubs a lamp to see if there's a genie inside. He persists, and a genie eventually pops out:

* In ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'', Garfield comes across a genie in a cookie jar when he was going to get a cookie. When the genie was going to give him three wishes, the titular fat cat just walks away, muttering "Where's a cookie when you need one?"

* ''Film/BernardAndTheGenie'' (starring Creator/AlanCumming, with Creator/LennyHenry as the Genie) is about this trope. And very funny.
* ''Film/{{Wishmaster}}''. The genie is in a jewel, and while it is explained that genies must grant wishes, they are then allowed to take your soul, and upon granting three wishes for the person who called them, the entire race of genies are free and can take over the world.
* ''Film/TheThiefOfBagdad1940'': which borrows from the ''Literature/ArabianNights'' story "The Fisherman and the Genie".
* ''Film/TheBrassBottle'' is a comedy about this with Burl Ives as the genie. Though she isn't a genie in it, Creator/BarbaraEden, later of ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie'' fame, is also in the cast.
* ''Film/TheOuting'' is a SlasherMovie with a genie from a lamp as its killer.
* In a music-video-within-a-movie in ''Film/HalfBaked'', rapper Sir Smokalot rubs a lamp and summons an attractive female genie who resembles Jeannie from ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie''. When she asks him for his wish, he replies, "[[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch Bitch]]! You know what I want!" It turns out what he wants [[WastefulWishing is to talk to his drug dealer Samson, presumably about some weed]].
* ''Film/{{Kazaam}}'' features Creator/ShaquilleONeal as a genie who, after his lamp is accidentally broken, moves into a nearby boombox. He's capable of granting his master three wishes of their choosing but, as he's a genie not a djinn, he can only grant material things. This is a problem because what Kazaam's master really wants is a loving relationship with his absentee father.
* ''Film/MyDarlingGenie'' is a Creator/ShawBrothers fantasy-comedy film where the titular genie - played by the gorgeous Cherie Chung - lives in an umbrella. She was released when the down-on-his-luck protagonist (played by Creator/DerekYee) accidentally opens her parasol and tags along with him, but trouble occurs when news of her "magic umbrella" makes her target of loan sharks.

* ''Literature/AmericanGods'' has a more traditional kind of ''jinni'', an immortal man made of smokeless fire. He drives a cab for a living, and wears sunglasses so that people don't see the fire in his eyes. He ''does'' grant a wish, though, giving an unhappy passenger the chance to slide into his life. In return for some [[{{Fanservice}} gratuitous]] fiery sex.
* In ''Literature/CastleHangnail'', one of the servants in the Castle is Serenissima, whose father was a genie and whose mother was part-mermaid. She manifests as a cloud of steam and lives in a teakettle instead of an oil lamp. She's employed on the same terms as the other minions, and doesn't owe any special obedience to whoever possesses the teakettle.
* ''Literature/CastleInTheAir'', sequel to ''Literature/HowlsMovingCastle'' (the book, not the movie) has traditional-style ''jinn'' ''and'' a GenieInABottle. The genie is [[spoiler:Wizard Howl under a spell]], is very pissed off at being confined to the bottle, and takes malicious pleasure in granting each wish to the letter in a way that causes as much misery as possible.

* ''VideoGame/ShantaeRiskysRevenge'' [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructs this]]. [[spoiler:The lamp is treated as an ArtifactOfDoom, since it's used to enslave genies. Shantae, being half-genie, isn't enslaved, but has her magic power stripped, personified, and turned against her.]]

* Ninjini was one of the first VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}, who had been trapped in a bottle by a jealous sorceress. Rather than just wait for someone to free her, she trained her skills for a long (''long'') time until she could bust out on her own. She's kept the bottle and can retreat into it for special attacks. And did we mention she's [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot also a ninja?]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Battleborn}}'' provides a ScienceFantasy version of the typical genie in the form of Aurox the larger counterpart of the Shayne and Aurox duo. Referred to as a djinn, Aurox is an [[EldritchAbomination omnidimensional horror]] that resembles a genie if it were a horned demon-like creature made up of floating body parts. The creature is somehow bonded with the 16 year old Shayne at the hip and both have a [[SymbioticPossession friendly relationship with one another]]. [[GuardianEntity Floating above her]] like a Stand from ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', Aurox fights enemies alongside her and even [[HeroicHost grants her abilities]] such as stealth.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Miitopia}}'', there is a mischievous genie that is trapped in a lamp in the (''Egyptian''-themed) Neksdor Kingdom. He tricked the gullible Prince of Neksdor into freeing him so he can wreak havoc in the kingdom. [[spoiler:He gets far nicer thanks to the player, though.]]
* In ''VideoGame/AlQadimTheGeniesCurse'', we don't see any ''literal'' bottles, but the idea of genies being bound to serve masters is important to the plot. The Al-Hazrad family (to which you belong) is wealthy thanks to its genie, and near the start of the game, the fact that said genie nearly drowns the Caliph in a storm causes the Al-Hazrads to be imprisoned (except for you). You know that your family wouldn't have given any such orders, and must therefore [[ClearMyName Clear Their Name]].
* ''VideoGame/TheDarksideDetective'': In one episode, a fisherman finds a lamp with a genie in it. The genie is bound to grant ThreeWishes, after which it will be free; it enlists the game's protagonist to trick the fisherman into using up his wishes as quickly as possible.
* Jaan from ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' typically averts this, since she comes out of a jar instead. She does have an alternate form in ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyoQuest'' named Lamp Jaan who comes out of the classic genie lamp, though.
* In ''VideoGame/Uncharted3DrakesDeception'', the vessel that tainted Ubar's water supplies is stated to contain the evil spirits of the Djinn. All that's shown of it is the container covered in magic seals.

* In ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork3: [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo White]]'' has [=MistMan.EXE=] who's very obviously djinni based.

* In the 2023 comedy film Genie, the titular genie - played by Melissa McCartney - was trapped inside a box due to being cursed by a powerful warlock, only to be freed by the protagonist rubbing said box. Unlike other interpretations of a genie, she is able to give unlimited wishes, but said wishes can't change someone directly, not can it change the past.

-->-- '''The Genie''', Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}''

** "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS2E38TheManInTheBottle The Man in the Bottle]]" has a couple who own a pawn shop coming across a genie, who gives them four wishes. The first wish is to fix broken glass, the second is to have a million dollars, but it's all gone after giving it their friends and a visit from the tax collector. The man uses the third to be ruler of a powerful country and can't be elected out of office, wherein he becomes [[UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler Hitler]]. His final wish is to be returned to normal.
** In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS4E114IDreamOfGenie I Dream of Genie]]", one George P. Hanley purchases a lamp with the intent of giving as a gift to a co-worker. Once he brings it home, however, he discovers that it contains a genie. Most of the episode is spent going over what George imagines would happen if he wished for various things (a beautiful wife, to be president, or to be rich). In the end, [[spoiler:George decides that none of these things would work out for him and wishes to become a genie himself]]. Probably the only case in history of someone ''intentionally'' wishing for this.