Western Animation / Aladdin and the King of Thieves

Aladdin and the King of Thieves is the final installment in Disney's Aladdin series, following on from Aladdin: The Series. It was originally released Direct to Video on August 13, 1996.

Aladdin and Jasmine are finally about to get married. Everyone is overjoyed, but Aladdin is saddened by the fact that none of his family can be present, as his mother died when he was young and his father left the family. At the same time, the Forty Thieves is plotting to raid the ceremony and steal all the valuables. The thieves are fought off, after which the heroes discover that they were after a specific artifact — a staff containing an oracle spirit who will truthfully answer a single question. Aladdin discovers that his father has long been trapped in the world of the Forty Thieves, and goes on a quest to rescue him.

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Aladdin and the King of Thieves provides examples of:

#-H

• Actor Allusion:
  • In an attempt to cheer up Jasmine, Genie takes on the role of an elderly British nanny.
  • When Sa'luk is turned into a gold statue, he's frozen with both his hands raised in the air. This mimics the typical pose of Lumiere, another Disney character voiced by Jerry Orbach.
• Actually Pretty Funny:
  • Aladdin actually smiles when Genie tries to throw a bachelor party for him and gently refuses. Later, he's amused when Genie starts talking about the wedding flowers and completely misses the entire crowd of guests standing in front of him.
  • Genie cheers up Jasmine by creating a lot of matrimonial magic, including the Marx brothers and talking about new colors, including literal salmon. She chuckles and says, "I don't think so" when he dresses up as an Elvis impersonator and turns the main hall into a Las Vegas chapel.
• Aesop Amnesia: Razoul, between this movie and the TV series. The series had several episodes that dealt with Razoul and Aladdin slowly overcoming their previous animosity and Razoul coming to accept the idea of Aladdin as the future Sultan, including "Mudder's Day", "The Return of Malcho" and "Destiny on Fire". This movie has Razoul back to hating Aladdin and resenting the idea of a street rat marrying the princess.
• Alas, Poor Villain: Aladdin finds Sa'luk's death - that is transforming his entire self into solid gold after touching the Hand of Midas - rather gruesome.
• All Asians Know Martial Arts: One of the Forty thieves is a Mongolian who does kung fu moves.
• Ancestral Weapon: Aladdin owns a blade that belonged to Cassim. He uses it to prove who he is to Cassim, and then he uses it in his Duel to the Death against Sa'luk.
• And This Is for...: "That was for ruining my wedding!" when Jasmine punches out one of the thieves.
• And the Adventure Continues: In the end, Aladdin and Jasmine go off on their honeymoon while Cassim and Iago are seen Riding into the Sunset. Before both parties separate, they give an enthusiastic wave to each other.
• Animation Bump: Particularly the opening and climax, which comes very close to rivaling the original in animation quality, and is several levels above that seen in The Return of Jafar and the series.
• Anti-Villain: Cassim, Aladdin's father and King of the Forty Thieves. He has been stealing valuables for near on 20 years and obsessed with finding an ancient treasure, but he did it so he could provide for his wife and son. When he couldn't find his family anymore after returning, he became trapped in the criminal world as he couldn't leave the gang without getting killed and it was all he had left. He abandons his quest at the end and attends Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding, albeit from the shadows.
• Armor-Piercing Question: When Iago gets back to the palace and warns the others of what Sa'luk has done, Aladdin is uninterested in helping Cassim, though he is soon made to reconsider that.
  Genie: Al, I know your dad made a lot of bad choices, but that doesn't mean you have to.
  Jasmine: He is your father. How can you do anything else?
• Artistic License – History: One of the highlighted thieves in Cassim's band is a Mongol... who is also a master of kung fu! Obviously this isn't impossible, but there wasn't much room for hand-to-hand martial arts in military training under Genghis Khan and his successors, as you would expect from an army that did most of its fighting (even its swordplay) on horseback. Portraying the Mongol as an archer would have been more accurate, but long-range tactics don't seem to suit the Forty Thieves' style. The Hand of Midas is an artifact inspired by Greek mythology, interestingly, there is a very popular amulet in Arabia called Hausa or Hand of Fatima.
• Ascended Fridge Horror: In a Freeze-Frame Bonus, Aladdin gives his father a shocked look on seeing the Batman Gambit Cassim pulls to save Aladdin from Sa'Luk; tossing the Hand of Midas to Sa'Luk, knowing that Sa'Luk would catch it with his bare hands. Which means Aladdin figured out that Cassim willingly committed murder to save his son.
• Badass Crew: The Forty Thieves. In the words of the palace guards, "They fight like demons!" "Worse than demons.....these are The Forty Thieves!"
• Bait-and-Switch Comment: The Genie does this twice.
  • This exchange when Genie learns Aladdin's father is the King of Thieves, it looks as if Genie is going to antagonize Cassim, but then just asks him what he wants to eat at the wedding.
    Genie: (menacingly) If you're Al's dad, and the King of Thieves, I just wanna know one thing... (morphs into a waiter) Will you be having the chicken or the sea bass?
  • Later, Aladdin confides in Genie that the Oracle saying that Cassim was "trapped in the world" of the Forty Thieves was true, just not the way he thought. Instead, Cassim is Trapped in Villainy, and Aladdin calls himself stupid for trying to change Cassim. Genie assures Aladdin that trying to show his father a better life wasn't stupid. But leaving Cassim alone with Iago, who is The Corrupter and even more greedy than Cassim is? That was stupid.
• Batman Gambit: Cassim disposes of Sa'Luk by throwing the Hand of Midas to him, banking on the fact that Sa'Luk would catch the solid gold hand rather than the handle. That is indeed what happens, which gets Sa'Luk turned into a gold statue and out of the heroes' way.
• Battle Amongst the Flames: Aladdin's duel with Sa'luk winds up becoming this when Aladdin gets backed up into a brazier that gets tipped over, giving the scene a hellish light.
• Big Bad: Cassim is in this role for the first part of the movie as the leader of the Forty Thieves, but after Aladdin introduces himself to his father he becomes more noble, and his authority is gradually usurped by Sa'luk who becomes the main bad guy.
• Big Entrance: The Thieves' arrival at the first wedding attempt is heralded by a stampede.
• Birds of a Feather: Iago and Cassim. Not only have both of them been vulnerable to bad influences (Jafar and the Forty Thieves respectively) that have left them "not so good" but they both truly care about Aladdin. They end up leaving Agrabah to travel the world together at the end of the movie with both of them having a companion that they can trust.
• Bittersweet Ending: After countless trials and tribulations, Aladdin and Jasmine are finally married, ready to retire as adventurers and focus on ruling Agrabah. Iago leaves his friends in Agrabah to go with Cassim on adventures, since he doesn't want to be confined to the palace with the newlyweds. Cassim, now freed from the Forty Thieves, has a companion he can trust in Iago. However, in spite of all of that, Aladdin and Cassim aren't likely to see each other again, given how Cassim is a wanted fugitive in the city that his son is going to rule. It's implied the Sultan commuted Cassim's sentence to exile from Agrabah rather than a life sentence in jail. But in any case, the peace made between Aladdin and Cassim may very well be the last time they ever cross paths again.
• Blade Brake: During his fight with Sa'luk, Aladdin is thrown over the side of a cliff, and uses his father's knife to coast to a small ledge. Sa'luk gives chase using his Wolverine Claws.
• Bloodless Carnage: Sa'luk slashes Aladdin's arm with his Wolverine Claws during their duel, but due to the latter wearing sleeves in this scene, the injury is not visible ^note The scene was originally animated with a bloodstain on Aladdin's sleeve, but this was edited out before release.
• Body Horror: Sa'luk is transformed, while screaming loudly, into a solid gold statue.
• Book Ends:
  • King of Thieves ends just like the first movie started, with the Peddler singing "Arabian Nights" (though a variant thereof), while saying that the story is over and bidding the viewer farewell "until another Arabian night".
  • Aladdin opens up its story with a robed man and a bird on horseback. King of Thieves likewise ends the story with similar imagery but with a more chivalrous look. Instead of Iago and Jafar riding out to meet a ruffian, Cassim and Iago are riding off to have more adventures.
• Bouquet Toss: The Triumphant Reprise of Arabian nights starts with Jasmine doing this. The Genie shows up to catch it, in multiple lady forms, but Razoul ends up with the bouquet. He's pleasantly surprised.
• Brick Joke:
  • "Will you be having the chicken or the sea bass?" Genie asks this once he learns about Aladdin's father owning a dagger, then pulls a Bait-and-Switch to ask Cassim this in person when he shows up to Agrabah.
  • Genie using Carpet as a tissue after Trying Not to Cry (and failing at it) at the wedding. When Aladdin and Jasmine finally get married at the end, it looks like it’s gonna happen again, only for Carpet to grab and handkerchief at the last second and hold it out to Genie.
  • In reference to the first movie, Abu's got a sword to defend himself, but instead of running, he tosses it up to bring a chandelier down on some of the 40 thieves.
  • Less joking, but during the wedding invasion, Sa'luk says that "Cassim said nothing about facing the powers of a genie!" before he leads the other thieves in escaping. Later, it's confirmed that Cassim didn't know about Genie, as he reacts with surprise when he finds out Aladdin knows one who was fixing up the palace for him.
• Cave Mouth: Much like the Cave of Wonders from the original, there's a huge turtle whose mouth is like a cave.
• Character Name and the Noun Phrase: The plot is Aladdin and his conflict with the Forty Thieves.
• Chekhov's Gun: Cassim's Never Hurt an Innocent creed ends up being used against him; Sa'Luk reminds the remaining thieves that, loyal or not, Cassim made them all "go soft" and they should return to their nasty roots.
• Comically Missing the Point:
  • When Aladdin says he needs something before the wedding, Genie winks at him and sets up the hideout for a bachelor party, handing out mugs to Abu and Iago. Aladdin smiles and says that's not what he meant.
  • After Cassim convinces the thieves to let Aladdin face their initiation challenge, Sa'Luk volunteers to be the one to "test" him. Iago doesn't realise that they're actually talking about a Duel to the Death.
  Iago: A test, huh? Well that's not so bad. Maybe it'll be multiple choice.
• Company Cross References: Among Genie's impersonations are several characters from other Disney films, such as Tinkerbell, Pocahontas, and Pumbaa.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Several characters from the animated series appear in the crowd at Aladdin and Jasmine's final wedding: Sadira, Prince Uncouthma, King Mamoud and Captain Merc being the most visible at the very front of the crowd.
  • One of the Forty Thieves looks like a member of Abis Mal's gang. It could be the same person.
• Contrived Coincidence: Aladdin angsts over his Disappeared Dad not being able to come to his wedding, having not mentioned either of his parents before this point to any of the other characters (which Genie acknowledges). That same day, the wedding is raided by the Forty Thieves, who just happen to be led by Aladdin's father.
• Couldn't Find a Tissue: Genie is crying Tears of Joy at Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding, and blows his nose into the Magic Carpet. Subsequently the wedding is interrupted, but at the end of the movie, Aladdin and Jasmine finally get married for real: as they do, the tearful Genie once again prepares to blow his nose into Carpet, but Carpet hands him a handkerchief just in time.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Sa'luk fights all seven remaining thieves single-handedly and wipes the floor with them mid-song in "Are You In or Out?".
• Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Subverted; even though Aladdin is sympathetic to Cassim wanting to support his wife and child, he calls him out for leaving in the first place.
• Darker and Edgier: With a truly despicable villain, very intense Fight Scenes, and easily one of the most disturbing deaths in a Disney movie, King Of Thieves is much darker in tone than Return Of Jafar, and arguably even darker than the first film at times. It also has very explicit commentary relating to organized crime, with surprisingly strong parallels to the modern western variety.
• Death by Materialism: The villain dies as a result of his own greed. Cassim throws Sa'luk the Hand of Midas in the climax to protect Aladdin from him. Too late does Sa'luk realize that touching it will turn him too into gold.
• Didn't See That Coming: None of the Forty Thieves knew about Genie, which is why they decide to end their attack on the wedding once they see what they're up against.
• Didn't Think This Through: Pointed out by Iago when Aladdin thinks that he, Iago, Abu, and Carpet have the Forty Thieves trapped. Iago goes "We?!" and counters that they're outnumbered and the Forty Thieves are the bad guys. He's proven right when the Forty Thieves swiftly capture them after Aladdin reveals himself in a bid to rescue Cassim.
• Digital Destruction: All home video releases from 2005 onward have the top and bottom cropped off to horizontally fill a 16X9 TV (specifically, a 1.85:1 ratio on the 2005 DVD, which still has smaller black bars on top and bottom, and a 1.78:1 ratio on the 2016 Blu-ray and DVD, which don't have such bars).
• Disappeared Dad: Cassim. Trends into Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You, as he left with the intention of securing a fortune for his wife and son. He refused to return empty-handed and by the time he did, he couldn't find his loved ones. He "disappeared" for good because as far as he knew, he had no family left. Even so, Aladdin calls him out for leaving in the first place.
• Disney Villain Death: Subverted to start with, as Sa'Luk survives after Aladdin causes him to fall off a cliff. Sa'Luk's actual death later in the film plays with this trope, as he's killed by being turned into a gold statue by the Hand of Midas, with the statue falling from the platform and sinking into the water below.
• Duel to the Death: As part of the Forty Thieves' initiation challenge, new recruits must fight and kill one of the thieves, then take their place in the group.
• Drowning Pit: Genie gets "carried away" in Aladdin's words when tickling the turtle. Cassim goes Oh, Crap! when the ground shakes and they get knocked down; he reminds Aladdin that if the turtle is irritated, it dives as a vanishing isle. They have to get to higher ground when the treasure room starts flooding. Fortunately, it slows down long enough for Aladdin to get the Hand of Midas safely, and for Cassim to test it out. They make it out just a little damp.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: It took three movies and an entire animated series for Aladdin and Jasmine to finally tie the knot. Even then, just before it happened, Aladdin had to learn his father was alive, make peace with him, go on one last adventure, and defeat the legendary Forty Thieves to do it. But with all of that done, Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding manages to go off without a hitch, they're finally married, and the street peddler who began the entire franchise in the Agrabah market says "that's the end" of the story.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • Mentioned by Cassim. He says that he added an edict that the Forty Thieves should Never Hurt an Innocent, reducing their crimes to petty theft and burglary. Sa'Luk hated this apparently, calling Cassim "soft" for this. Cassim also refuses to abide by the code to kill "trespassers" when they're family, using a loophole to buy Aladdin some time.
  • The remaining Seven Thieves look worried for Sa'Luk when Aladdin manages to knock him down at the beginning of their fight. They also seem relieved to see him alive, if shocked that he survived falling off a cliff. It's only when he claims that Cassim sold them out that they drop the civility.
• Evil Virtues: The Forty Thieves outside Sa'luk have one notable virtue — Loyalty. Even when Sa'luk convinces the remaining Seven Thieves to betray Cassim, they are still loyal to each other. So Cassim adjusts his sales pitch with the Villain Song "Are You In or Out?" by reminding the Thieves how much better things were when Cassim wasn't there.
• Exact Words: The Oracle said Cassim was "trapped in the world of the Forty Thieves." Aladdin took that to mean he was their prisoner. But the truth was more figurative; it was more like he was Trapped in Villainy, and by his own greed. Later on, Aladdin confesses to Genie that the Oracle was right, just not in the way he had first believed.
• Eyebrow Waggle: Aladdin does one at Jasmine at the end of Aladdin and the King of Thieves when they fly off on the magic carpet to their honeymoon.
• Face Palm: Aladdin and Iago both start rubbing their temples when Genie shows off his "Code Red" sequence. They also look entirely unsurprised.
• Fade Around the Eyes: Sa'luk does it at the end of his Villain Song, "Are You In or Out?" At the end of the song, a fiery background appears out of nowhere around his face, and when the fire goes out, everything goes black except for his eyes and teeth, which then fade away.
• Failed a Spot Check: Cassim's pre-planning of the Wedding job. Despite how famous Al and company have become at this point, the King of Thieves somehow overlooked that they'd potentially be going up against a team of heroes that included, among other things, a freed Genie. A pissed Sa'Luk lampshades this failure.
• Falling Chandelier of Doom: Thanks to Abu, several bad guys are chunked in the head by a chandelier.
• Family-Unfriendly Death: Sa'Luk gets transformed into pure gold by inadvertently touching the Hand of Midas, and sinks to the bottom of the treasure room.
• Fat Bastard: Zigzagged with the fat member of the Forty Thieves. He does have a somewhat ruthless stare and take part in their general robberies but he's also notably one of the first members of the group to fight Sa'Luk when he tries to rally the others during "Are You In Or Out" and is the last of those thieves to come around to Sa'Luk's thinking (and, with the possible exception of the Mongolian thief, the only one to do so without any Card-Carrying Villain dialogue).
• Finale Movie: The film serves as the conclusion to Disney's take on Aladdin by having him meet his father, finally marry Jasmine, and stetle down with her to end their story on a high note. The street peddler even provides some Book Ends to end the tale, adding "that's the end!" to make sure the audience knows that Aladdin's story is over.
• Five-Second Foreshadowing: When Aladdin jumps across the chasm to retrieve the Hand Of Midas, Cassim carefully warns him not to touch the golden hand itself. We find out why in this same scene as Sa'Luk is painfully transformed into a golden statue.
• Foreshadowing: When Cassim is explaining the story of The Hand of Midas to Aladdin, he shows him the proof of its existence; a ship which is resting in an underground lake within the lair, that had been touched by the Hand and turned to solid gold. Aladdin angrily points out that in being turned to gold by the Hand, the ship had been sunk. During the climax, when Cassim realizes that his pursuit of the Hand wasn't worth leaving his family, he calls the spell on the Hand of Midas a curse and throws it to the sea. This causes it to strike the boat the remaining members of the Forty Thieves were on, leaving them to marvel as the boat turns to gold before their eyes... and then sinks from beneath them.
• Frame-Up: Played with. Sa'Luk frames Cassim for the raid that captures most of the Forty Thieves, even though it was Sa'Luk himself that sold them out. However, in a subversion, the frame-up doesn't work. The remaining Thieves are still loyal to Cassim and know how much Sa'Luk hates him, so they think Sa'Luk is scapegoating Cassim as a power grab now that the Thieves' backs are against the wall. Seeing that this angle doesn't work, Sa'Luk adjusts his sales pitch to convince the Thieves how much better their lives were before Cassim showed up, and that works.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus:
  • If you meticulously pause "Welcome to the Forty Thieves" scene carefully, you can count precisely 39 thieves with Aladdin as the 40th. Makes sense after seeing his initiation required him to kill one of the previous members.
  • During the initiation fight, Sa'Luk slashes Aladdin's arm with his Wolverine Claws. The next shot◊ is cast in dark shadow as Aladdin is clutching his arm, with a dark spot resembling blood being seen where the injury was.
  • When Sa'Luk catches the Hand Of Midas, there are several small golden twinkles around his body before he's actually transformed into a statue.
• Friend-or-Idol Decision: Cassim finds and takes the Hand of Midas with help from Aladdin, but his treacherous former underling Sa'luk crashes the party and threatens to kill Aladdin unless Cassim hands it over. Cassim could very well escape with the Hand and leave Aladdin to his fate, but he throws the Hand to Sa'luk, knowing full well that he would be Taken for Granite. The end result is that neither he nor Sa'luk can claim the Hand, but it saves his son's life.
• Gang Initiation Fight: The thieves have a ceremony called The Challenge, where the applicant has to fight one of their members to the death and take their place. In order to save his son's life after he discovers their hideout, Cassim suggests Aladdin partake in it, prompting Sa'Luk to volunteer as his opponent.
• Good Is Not Soft: Cassim is "not too good" a guy, but he is honorable and has compassion for others, which means Sa'luk regularly derides him as weak and pathetic. During the climax, Cassim brings about Sa'luk's demise in order to protect Aladdin and gives an unflinching stare the entire time.
• Grand Finale: This movie chronologically serves as the ending for the Aladdin franchise at Disney. Aladdin would make one more appearance on a crossover episode of the Hercules series after the events of this film, but the ending song of this movie confirms "that's the end" as sung by the street peddler who introduced the original movie. The way he waves goodbye to Aladdin and Jasmine indicates that as far as he's concerned, the story is over.
• Happily Married: At the end, Aladdin and Jasmine finally have a successful wedding. Iago joins Cassim in Walking the Earth because he doesn't want to be around for "newlywed lovey dovey" stuff.
• Hard Truth Aesop:
  • Sometimes, people can't change who they've turned out to be, no matter how much they may want to. Even it's for the sake of a loved one. They might not be the person you want them to be, but that doesn't mean they don't love you all the same.
  • You need to know when it's time to give up. Being a Determinator to achieve your goals sounds like a good thing in a vacuum, but never quitting, even against all evidence that it's not going to work and that it's just causing misery to everyone around you, is just going to cause more pain in the end. And even if you somehow manage to get what you want, you may find yourself wondering if it was worth all that trouble.
• Hey, Catch!: In the climax Sa'luk threatens to kill Aladdin in front of Cassim if he doesn't hand over the Hand of Midas. Cassim throws the magical object in Sa'luk's direction, who catches it with his bare hands—and is immediately turned into a gold statue.
• He Knows Too Much: Regardless of the fact that Aladdin is Cassim's son, Sa'luk quickly declares that Al is still an intruder. Though being Cassim's son no doubt makes him more determined.
  Sa'Luk: Blood or mud, the boy is an intruder, and we have rules about intruders. He has found our secret lair. He has seen too much. He must die. They must ALL die!
  Iago: DIE?! He's your son! I'm his friend! CAST A VOTE FOR MERCY HERE!
• Hoist Hero over Head: Sal'uk does this to Aladdin before tossing him off the cliff during the Challenge.
• Hollywood Density: Averted. When the Hand Of Midas turns objects into gold, they become just as heavy as solid gold would be in reality.
• Honor Before Reason: After breaking Cassim out of prison at Agrabah and getting discovered in the process, Aladdin has the chance to run away with Cassim. But reminded of his father abandoning him and refusing to put Jasmine through the same, he willingly returns to Agrabah, deciding to accept the consequences of his actions.
• Hope Spot: Sa'Luk tries to turn the remaining Seven Thieves against Cassim by claiming he betrayed them to the palace guards. The remaining thieves refuse to believe it because "the King of Thieves is loyal to the end" and try to fight him for the first part of his Villain Song. Then Sa'Luk beats them to a pulp and reminds them that before Cassim came along they were more ruthless. All the thieves remember they have fun being evil and violent, and plan a mutiny.

I-N

• Idiot Ball:
  • Cassim grabs it by trying to steal the Oracle during the private wedding ceremony. He knows his son and in-laws are expecting him, and he could always try another time, or simply ask Aladdin if he can ask the Oracle a question. Oh, and it turns out the guards set a trap to catch him red-handed.
  • When Aladdin's beating himself up over thinking he could change Cassim and his greed, Genie reassures him that trying to show his father a better life wasn't stupid. Leaving Cassim alone with Iago, on the other hand? Now that was stupid.
• I Have No Son!: After Cassim and Aladdin's bitter falling out.
  Cassim: I would never cut my men out the deal. They're my family, my only family.
• Impact Silhouette: Inverted when the thieves start an elephant stampede at the wedding. Wreckage ensues, so Genie grows to giant size and braces his hands and feet against the ceiling to hold it up. Not long after that, the entire roof has collapsed except for a Genie-shaped overhang.
  Genie: [looks at his silhouette] I guess there's really no point to this now.
• Implacable Man: Sa'Luk is thrown off a cliff into the sea by Aladdin and attacked by big toothy sharks. He walks back to the shore, having knocked out the shark with his bare hands.
• Infernal Background: At the end of "Are You In or Out?", flames appear behind Sa'luk and some of his minions, which leads to a Fade Around the Eyes when the flames go out at the end of the song.
• Irony: To prevent the ceremonies from being stormed, Genie creates a complex security system and response team to handle the forty thieves. Cassim, with Aladdin having vouched for him, tries to steal the Oracle by simply walking in during the festivities.
• It Only Works Once: The Oracle states that she is bound by the "rule of one"; one question, one answer. She knows everything and will answer one question to any person who asks, but only one. After answering, the Oracle will not answer any other question from that person ever again. (much to Iago's frustration when he hears about an "ultimate treasure").
  Iago: With all the other great stuff in here, why go for this thing?
  Oracle: (appearing) Your question is mine to answer! The King of Thieves sought my sight to find the Ultimate Treasure.
  Iago: Okay, you know all, so tell all. Where is the treasure? You know, the ultimate one?
  Oracle: I am bound by the rule of one. One question, one answer.
  Iago: I only want one answer! Where is the Ultimate Treasure?!
  Oracle: You have already asked your question.
  Iago: You mean before? Oh, that wasn't a question! That was, uh... thinking out loud!
• I Want Grandkids: Implied. During Genie's song, Cassim starts to smile when Genie points out that when Aladdin and Jasmine have kids, Cassin will be a grandfather and can "bounce the babies on your knees".
• Jerkass Has a Point: Aladdin is crushed when Razoul reveals that Cassim tried to steal the Oracle again during the second wedding. Aladdin only says he thought his father had changed. And of course, he can't do a thing to save his dad, since Cassim blatantly broke the law. Razoul may take great pleasure in Aladdin's misery, but none of the characters can argue with his logic.
• Justified Criminal: The movie reveals Aladdin's father Cassim to have originally been one of these. When Aladdin was a young boy, Cassim left him and his mother behind in Agrabah, joining the Forty Thieves and pursuing the mythical Hand of Midas to ensure that his family could live in comfort. When Cassim returned several years later he discovered that his wife had died and Aladdin was nowhere to be found, leaving him with only his Kingship over a group of outlaws.
• "Just Joking" Justification: After Genie makes a crack about Aladdin not being essential to the wedding, he has to resort to one. The joke isn't even that bad, it goes:
  Genie: [as Chico Marx] Hey, that'sa no good! What this wedding needs is a theme! [as Groucho Marx] Needs a groom too, but let's work with what we have!
  Jasmine: Genie!
  Genie: It's a joke! [deadpan] I do that.
• Kicking Ass in All Her Finery: Jasmine decks one of the Forty Thieves will wearing her white and gold wedding dress.
• Knight of Cerebus: Sa'Luk may not have any supernatural powers like Jafar, but he is definitely almost as threatening. After surviving an apparent Disney Villain Death he kills a shark onscreen and the film takes a much darker turn when he sets his plot in motion. His death is also nightmarish, being turned into gold.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: Cassim doesn't. Chasing down the Hand of Midas has caused Cassim to lose his wife and son, all for the sake of a treasure. Even if it is a theoretically infinite treasure, it's utterly consumed his entire life. And even when Cassim finds his son Aladdin once again, he just can't help himself but try and go after the Hand of Midas, even to his own detriment and the detriment of the relationship with his son. Cassim's development throughout the movie is learning to accept that the Hand of Midas, and thus all the money he could ever want, simply isn't worth the trouble.
• Letting the Air out of the Band: At the end of The Teaser, the Genie shoots some magic into the air while the music builds up, only for this trope to happen when the magic ends up creating a crappy neon Aladdin logo that disappointingly frizzles out. The Genie then turns to the audience and says, "Aww. Some of you don't believe." Cue the real title screen of the film.
• Like Father, Unlike Son: Aladdin and Cassim quickly realize they have nothing in common, Cassim enjoying the life of a thief and Aladdin only doing it out of necessity and glad to be done with it. Their differing personalities cause their falling out.
• Limited Wardrobe: Averted.
  • Both Aladdin and Jasmine are shown in outfits other than "ratty street rat" clothes and the blue princess outfit. Aladdin appears in his first scene wearing clothing similar to his street rat design, though there are no torn patches, coat is lined with gold fabric, and he's actually wearing shoes. For most of the film he wears more fashionable and regal clothing, and in fact tears off a sleeve to wrap the Hand of Midas so he wouldn't make direct contact.
  • Even the Sultan has a different outfit in this movie (or at least a differently-colored one), and while Abu spends most of the time in his classic outfit, he dresses slightly fancier for the wedding. Only the Genie, Carpet and Iago don't get any kind of wardrobe update for this movie... and Iago and the Carpet don't wear clothes anyway, while the Genie of course can't go more than a few minutes without changing his look for a scene or two.
• Little "No": Sa'luk when he sees the Hand of Midas is turning him into gold.
• Long-Lost Relative: Aladdin and Cassim never really knew what happened to each other. The only way Aladdin finds out his father is even still alive is because the oracle inadvertently lets it slip.
• Luke, You Are My Father: Aladdin to Cassim. The Oracle shows Aladdin what his father looks like and where to find him. Cassim is convinced by Aladdin carrying a weapon he once owned and left to his young son.
• MacGuffin: The Hand of Midas is the goal of the Forty Thieves. It is why they attacked the wedding and finding it informs the climax.
• Mad Eye: The Knife-using thief's left eye is much larger than the right, and at least two of the other thieves are scared of him.
• The Magic Touch: Anything touched by the hand of Midas turns to gold, but its bronze handle is safe. Cassim knew that and so he uses his cloak to catch it indirectly, which turned his cloak to gold. Sa'luk knew this too, but he didn't realize he caught the hand by the gold part till it was too late.
• Metaphorically True: The Oracle told Aladdin that his father Cassim is "trapped within the world [of the Forty Thieves]". But Cassim isn't a prisoner of the Forty Thieves; he's their leader. What's keeping him trapped there is his own greed. Later, when Aladdin confides in Genie about what he's thinking, Aladdin admits that the Oracle was right, just not in the way he expected.
• Midas Touch: The Hand of Midas can turn anything into gold. It turns Sa'Luk into gold when Cassim tosses it to him. Cassim also sinks the ruins by turning them to gold, and he has to leave behind his turned-to-gold cape to escape.
• Mood Whiplash: The Genie, when confronting Cassim:
  Genie: [dead serious] If you're Al's dad, and the King of Thieves, I just want to know one thing. [...] [turning into a maître d'] Will you be hav­ing the chicken or the sea bass?
• Motor Mouth: Genie is talking a mile a minute in "Party in Agrabah". He's voiced once again by Robin Williams, natch.
• The Mourning After: It's shown that Cassim still deeply misses Aladdin's mother. No doubt he regrets not being there when she died.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Aladdin's father and King of the Forty Thieves is named Cassim after Ali Baba's doomed brother in the original story. "Ali Ababwa", Aladdin's alias from the original film, is Ali Baba's name with an extra "a" and "w" added in. Still in the original film, the lyric of "Friend Like Me" says "Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves".
  • The way Cassim smuggles the Forty Thieves into Agrabah (inside large baskets, with each camel in the train carrying two baskets) is akin to one of the chief robber's plans to ambush Ali Baba in the original fairy tale.
• Never Hurt an Innocent: Cassim reveals that he added this to the code of the Forty Thieves after becoming their leader. Which displeases Sa'luk; he doesn't like this kind of "weakness".
• Never Trust a Trailer: This VHS trailer makes you think that Sa'Luk is the King of Thieves.
• No Name Given: All of the thieves besides Cassim and Sa'Luk aren't given any names.
• No One Could Survive That!: Sa'luk is presumed dead when Aladdin knocks him off a cliff in their duel. As soon as the Forty Thieves are done welcoming Al to the team, the movie cuts to Sa'luk surfacing and killing a shark as he makes his way ashore.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Aladdin and his father Cassim.
  Cassim: You don't understand. You don't know what it's like to have nothing, to stare up at the palace and know you deserve more, to be called "street rat."
  Aladdin: Yes, I do.

O-Z

• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Despite being curbstomped by the Forty Thieves in their first fight, Razoul and the Royal Guards proceed to storm their hideout and capture thirty-one of them with no casualties in Round 2. The battle itself is never shown.
• Open Sesame: Naturally comes up when the Forty Thieves return to their lair. Razoul at one point goes Comically Missing the Point and recites, "Open, Caraway!"
• Orange/Blue Contrast: Used in the duel between Aladdin and Sa'luk after a brazier is tipped over, with the background in orange and the combatants in blue shadow.
• Orphan's Plot Trinket: Aladdin turns out to have one of these in the third film, his dagger — he thoughtfully mentions it just before it becomes plot-relevant.
• Out of Focus: Jasmine has very little to do in the movie, especially during the second act. Though this does make sense, as the movie is mostly about Aladdin and his father.
• Papa Wolf: Cassim is very protective of his son. While they have been separated for years, he still risks his life and tries everything in his power to keep Aladdin safe.
• Parental Bonus:
  • When Aladdin says he needs something before the wedding, Genie instantly redecorates the hideout for a bachelor party and shows up as a busty stripper. Genie passes out Frothy Mugs of Water to everyone, but quickly takes back Carpet's, claiming, "Not you, you're the designated flyer."
  • "I thought the earth wasn't supposed to move until the honeymoon!" This line was removed when aired on Disney Channel/Disney XD.
  • Aladdin's "Ooh, I'm gonna get some tonight!"◊ expression right before he and Jasmine lay down on Carpet while kissing after departing their wedding. The scene does cut away from them after this too.
• Parting the Sea: The Forty Thieves' lair is hidden in an offshore rock formation, with the magic words "Open Sesame" opening the entrance and creating a pathway through the bay to cross to it. When Aladdin and the others followed the thieves, Carpet had to race down the pathway as the bay was re-collapsing.
• Pet the Dog: At the end when Aladdin and Jasmine finally marry, Razoul catches the bouquet, indicating that he's finally learning to accept the former Street Rat.
• Properly Paranoid: The remaining thieves initially disbelieve Sa'luk when he said that Cassim ratted them out, knowing that he never accepted Cassim's leadership.
• Pulling the Rug Out: A rare invoked case given the character in question is a rug. As the 40 Thieves ambush Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding, Carpet pulls out from under two thieves knocking them over. He then mimes a victory pose.
• Pun: Genie loves these.
  "And your name is?"
  "I'm Thor."
  "You're Thor?"
  "Well it hurtth."
• Quirky Miniboss Squad: The seven thieves who side with Sa'luk. A Fat Idiot adept at weaponizing his own Kevlard, a Kung Fu Mongol warrior, a green-skinned rope charmer, a Dual Wielding Blade Enthusiast, and a trio of acrobatic triplets.
  • Sa'luk tricks Cassim's remaining followers into thinking that Cassim ratted them out to the royal guards.
• Recurring Traveller: The merchant from the first movie reappears at the end. Now he's selling tapestries of the newlywed royal couple.
• Red Alert: Parodied (of course) — Genie calls a Code Red when he finds out that the King of Thieves has just strolled onto castle grounds and brings in The Cavalry, but calls it off when Aladdin introduces the King of Thieves as his father. Al, meanwhile, reacts to the Code Red with a look that says "Oh, here we go..." having Seen It All when it comes to Genie's antics.
• Save the Villain: When Sa'Luk loses his footing during their fight on the cliff edge, Aladdin tries to grab him as he falls, but fails. Sa'luk proves to be Not Quite Dead and later returns to menace the protagonists further.
• Schmuck Bait: The hand of Midas is designed this way. The handle is much smaller than the golden hand part, so most people would be foolish enough to touch it directly and turn their bodies into gold. Cassim warns Aladdin about this, so Aladdin is very careful to first grab the metal handle and then wrap the golden part in a piece of his shirtsleeve. Meanwhile, Cassim uses his cape to catch the hand and not get affected. Unfortunately for Sa'Luk, he grabs it with his bare hands. Cue one shiny statue as he screams Rapid-Fire "No!", before freezing into gold forever.
• Shout-Out:
  • A large chunk of the plot bears a striking resemblance to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Aladdin's father is even voiced by Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) doing a rather good Sean Connery impersonation.
  • Robin Williams goes nuts doing impersonations and shout outs. He starts off with Tinkerbell ("In color!") and then goes through Woody Allen, Carmen Miranda, Marx Brothers, Mrs. Doubtfire, Rocky (and Don King), Rambo, Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, Pocahontas, Shaquille O'Neal, Forrest Gump, Pumbaa (lampshaded when he says "Whoa, talk about having an out-of-movie experience!"), and ends the entire thing with Mickey Mouse from Steamboat Willie. And when he shows wedding dresses to Jasmine, he suggests Minnie Mouse, The Little Mermaid and... Jessica Rabbit. He also shifted into Pluto to sniff out Cassim.
  • After the attack on the wedding, Genie upgraded the palace security with ED-209.
  • During Father and Son, the Genie pilots a spaceship resembling the one from The Jetsons, parachutes past The Giving Tree, and ends out the song with a reference to The Brady Bunch.
• Slipped the Ropes: Iago does this after he and Cassim had been captured by the Forty Thieves. It takes him time that Cassim has to stall for.
• Stag Party: Genie tries to throw a bachelor party for Aladdin. The guy shapeshifts into a stripper and pops out of a cake, while snatching what's obviously supposed to be beer from the Carpet and calling him the "designated flyer".
• Standard Hero Reward: After two sequels and an animated series, plus more heroics than one could count, Aladdin finally marries Jasmine and settles down.
• Stepping-Stone Sword: After Blade Braking down the cliff, Aladdin's knife remains embedded in the stone. Al wins the fight with Sa'luk by grabbing it and swinging, kicking Sa'luk into the ocean.
• Stock Sound Effects: The sharks which Sa'luk fights and kills reuse some growling and snarling noises of the hyenas from The Lion King (1994)
• Story-Breaker Power: The Forty Thieves are formidable but are still normal humans, making them no match for Genie. During the attack on the wedding Genie was occupied trying to prevent the entire building from collapsing, but once that was no longer an issue (the roof collapsed gradually until only the outline of Genie's body was left) he got involved with the fight and quickly sent them running. Sa'luk even berates Cassim for not knowing they would be fighting a Genie. Similarly, in the climax on the Turtle Island Genie was tasked with getting the turtle to shake and distract Sa'Luk, leaving the other characters to fight off what remained of the Forty Thieves.
• Sympathy for the Devil: After failing to save him, Aladdin is visibly disturbed as he watches Sa'Luk fall from the cliff. After Sa'Luk catches the Hand of Midas with his bare hand, Aladdin watches with dread as Sa'Luk is painfully turned to gold. He visibly winces during it.
• Sympathetic Villain, Despicable Villain: Cassim is the initial King of the Forty Thieves, but he is Trapped in Villainy and is redeemed by his son Aladdin, eventually choosing to give up the Midas Hand when put into a Friend-or-Idol Decision. However, his Starscream Sa'luk lacks these humanizing traits and is nothing more than a violent thug who happily betrays his fellow thieves to take over the remains of the gang.
• Taken for Granite: The Hand of Midas is said to make no distinction between turning whatever it touches to gold. That includes living beings. Sa'luk's fate is to be turned into solid gold, once Cassim pulls a Batman Gambit and throws it to Sa'luk.
• Taught by Experience: During their previous duel, Aladdin quickly realised that Sa'Luk was fully intending to kill him and was a lot physically stronger than him as well. When rescuing Cassim in the climax, Aladdin ambushes Sa'Luk and knocks him unconscious before he can retaliate.
• Tempting Fate: "Without Jafar and all his malice. Everybody's happy!" "What could possibly go wrong?" Cut to the Forty Thieves' part of the song.
• That Was Objectionable: Done by the Genie during Aladdin's trial (over breaking his father and Iago out of prison).
  Genie: I object, Your Honour. I object to that outrageous statement, and I object to a tertiary character having any lines during my courtroom scene. (Hands him a suitcase and blasts him out of sight) Take this to a higher court, my good man!
• Too Dumb to Live: When Cassim throws the Hand of Midas to him, Sa'luk grabs the golden Hand itself instead of its handle. Sa'Luk unquestionably knows that the Hand turns anything it touches to solid gold, but he doesn't realise until it's too late that this includes living beings as well.
• Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth: The Genie goes Eat Me with the turtle to cause a distraction, allowing Aladdin to rescue his father from Sa'Luk. At first, it's Gone Horribly Right, where he motivates the Turtle to dive instead and nearly drowning everyone. Then as Aladdin and the gang get on the carpet, the turtle rises and opens its mouth, allowing Genie to escape. Poor reptile.
• Took a Level in Badass: Jasmine in the first movie got her butt kicked whenever she tried fighting the guards or Jafar. In the first sequel, Jafar manipulated her and Aladdin like a fiddle. Here, she does a lot more: first by punching out the thieves that crashed her wedding, and then actively taking them on as a Combat Pragmatist on the Vanishing Isle.
• Tranquil Fury: The Sultan's reaction after Aladdin returns to Agrabah and surrenders himself into custody for freeing Cassim. For all his past childlike naievte and behavior, the Sultan's genuinely angry with his future son-in-law.
• Trapped in Villainy: Cassim. The Oracle cites him as being trapped in the world of the Forty Thieves. While Aladdin takes this to mean that he's their prisoner, it's only Metaphorically True. Cassim's greed for the Hand of Midas is what's keeping him there.
• Truck Driver's Gear Change: Boy howdy is it full of 'em!
  • "Party in Agrabah" goes from D minor to E♭ minor to E minor to F minor to F♯ minor and finally to G minor. The reprise starts in C minor and ends in F minor.
  • "Welcome to the Forty Thieves" starts in D minor and ends in E minor.
  • "Father and Son" starts in G major and ends in A major.
  • "Are You In or Out?" starts in A minor and ends in B♭ minor.
• Trying Not to Cry: Genie at the wedding. He fails miserably at it, even blowing his nose in the magic carpet.
  Genie: It’s all… so magical. I’m not gonna cry, I’m not… (promptly bursts into tears)
• Turtle Island: The Vanishing Isle, which holds the location of the Hand Of Midas, the treasure that Cassim has been looking for all his life, is on the back of a giant stone turtle. That's why it is never in the same place twice.
• Unpleasant Parent Reveal: Aladdin finds out that his missing dad who left years ago to find the Hand of Midas, is the King of Thieves. Cassim never could find it and was too ashamed to return home empty handed, until he finally returned and couldn't find his family (Aladdin's mother having died, leaving him to survive on the streets).
• Villain Song: "Are You In or Out?" and, to a lesser extent, "Welcome to the Forty Thieves" describe the rules of the villain's organization and describes their motivations.
• Wedding Finale: The film starts with Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding being crashed by the Forty Thieves, who were specifically after an artifact that was being given as a wedding present. At the end of the movie, they do the ceremony over again (mostly offscreen), and this time, it goes off without a hitch.
• Wedding Smashers: The Forty Thieves crash Aladin and Jasmine's wedding in order to steal a wedding gift.
• Welcoming Song:
  • In "There's A Party Here In Agrabah", the Genie welcomes people to the palace to witness the marriage ceremony of Aladdin and Jasmine.
  • In "Welcome to the Forty Thieves", the forty thieves congratulate Aladdin on becoming their newest member after his father takes him to their hide-out.
• We Need a Distraction: Twice. First, during the Forty Thieves' invasion of the wedding, Cassim instructs Sa'luk and the others to distract the guards, which they do. Later, during the battle of the Vanishing Isle, Aladdin says the trope name outright to Genie, who manages to get into the giant turtle's mouth and starts tickling it, making it shake and slowing Sa'luk and Cassim's progress. It goes Gone Horribly Right when the turtle starts to dive.
• What Happened to the Mouse?:
  • It's not clear what became of the Oracle. It's last seen showing the way to the Vanishing Isle and just disappears afterwards. We can assume the staff used to summon it sunk to the bottom of the ocean.
  • Whether or not Sa'Luk's henchmen drown or are simply left to swim to shore empty-handed when their ship turns to gold and sinks is unclear.
• Why Are You Looking at Me Like That?: Aladdin stares at Sa'Luk in horror after the latter grabs the Hand of Midas. Sa'Luk asks him why, right before looking down himself and realising that the Hand Of Midas is turning him into a gold statue. Too late for him to do anything about it, though.
  Sa'Luk: What are you staring at?!
• With Us or Against Us: "Are You In or Out?" is a Villain Song in which Sa'luk convinces the remaining members of the Forty Thieves to denounce Cassim as their leader and follow him instead. At first, the Thieves attempt to fight Sa'luk, but they quickly change their minds when Sa'luk reminds them of how feared across the world they used to be.
• Wolverine Claws: Sa'luk's preferred weapon is a set of brass knuckles with fairly short, hooked blades.
• Wrap It Up: This film ties up loose ends for the continuity of the Aladdin trilogy at large, but particularly the TV series.
• You Kill It, You Bought It: One of the Forty Thieves' rules is that if you manage to kill one of their members, you can take that member's place.
  Cassim: The Code of The Forty Thieves is very clear on this point... You're in.

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Well, Salaam worthy friend,

Come back soon! That's the end!

'Til another Arabian night!