Characters / Aladdin – Allies

Aladdin franchise character index
Protagonists | Agrabah Royalty and Associates | Other Residents of Agrabah | Allies | Antagonists | TV series | Aladdin and the King of Thieves

Introduced in the first film

The Genie

Voiced by: Robin Williams (first movie, King of Thieves), Dan Castellaneta (Return of Jafar, The Series, Kingdom Hearts series), Jim Meskimen (Kingdom Hearts coded, Kinect: Disneyland Adventures) ^{Other voice actors}Swedish: Dan Ekborg; European French: Richard Darbois; Canadian French: Mario Desmarais (speaking) and Vincent Potel (singing); Latin American Spanish: Ruben Trujillo; Italian: Gigi Proietti (films) and Roberto Pedicini (TV series); Finnish: Vesa-Matti Loiri; Brazilian Portuguese: Márcio Simões; Hebrew: Toviah Tsafir
"Master! I don't think you quite realize what you've got here. So why don't you just ruminate...whilst I illuminate the possibilities!"

A powerful magical being who has been sealed away inside a lamp for ten thousand years or more, the Genie is the anchor point around which the first movie turns. Granted his freedom by a grateful Aladdin, he returns to be by Aladdin's side out of gratitude to the one master who has ever shown him kindness.

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• Abnormal Limb Rotation Range: A rare example where it also falls under Losing Your Head. He's quite capable of pulling off his limbs and/or head to rotate them.
• Adaptational Comic Relief: In the original story, the Genie of the Lamp granted wishes, but wasn't a funny or even individualized character; here, Genie has a larger-than-life personality and is always making gags.
• Always Someone Better: To Jafar in the first movie. Even after Jafar becomes the most powerful sorcerer in the world, Aladdin points out that the Genie is still more powerful than him because "he gave him all his power and can take it away". This is reversed in the sequel, when Jafar is a powerful genie and is delighted enough to make a whole song taunting Genie, "You're Only Second Rate".
• Amazing Technicolor Population: Genies in general seem to come in all colors, and he himself is blue.
• Ambiguously Jewish: He uses a lot of Yiddish phrases, his voice actor was often referred to as an "honorary Jew", and his supervising animator Eric Goldberg has gone on record saying he always imagined him as Jewish. There's more reason behind this than simple Rule of Funny: Goldberg worked with the writers to add Jewish coding in order to send the message that Jews and Arabs can and should get along.
• And I Must Scream: Spent ten thousand years trapped inside that tiny little lamp before Aladdin released him. Downplayed in that it doesn't seem to have affected him very much.
• And You Were There: The Peddler at the start of the movie is also voiced by Williams. The directors confirmed in 2015 that they're the same character, and the Broadway show outright has Genie replace him.
• Angel Face, Demon Face: He starts the movie as a playful, googly, shapeshifting whackjob. But when his lamp came into the possession of Jafar, his coloration and body shape changed to the "evil Djinn" stylistic (Only temporarily, because this is a Disney movie, and the Genie had to be recognizable for marketing purposes.)
  Genie: Sorry kid, I got a new master, now.
• The Artifact: He loses his golden bracelets in the first movie after he is freed, implying they were connected to his imprisonment. Yet, he goes back to wearing them in all subsequent appearances. Most likely, these are now non-binding and purely aesthetic and worn because they make the character more recognizable (Genie lampshades this in the series, explaining that the only thing he's still a slave to is fashion).
• Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: A character reflecting Robin Williams's stream of consciousness, which goes from Jack Nicholson to vintage cars, true love and speaking animals in less than a minute.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Genie decides to willingly be with Aladdin because of how the latter was the nicest and most selfless of all the masters he's had. Not to mention that Aladdin used his final wish to free Genie instead of becoming a prince again.
• Benevolent Genie:
  • Even though Genie clearly hates that he has to help Jafar take over Agrabah once Jafar steals his lamp, Genie still never tries to give anything less than what Jafar wants; the thought of being a Jackass Genie or using Exact Words doesn't even occur to him.
  • When Aladdin has been thrown in a river and falls unconscious, Genie is bound by the rules to be unable to just help Al escape unless Al says "Genie, I want you to save my life." Genie uses Loophole Abuse to interpret Aladdin's head bobbing as a nod, and then saves his life.
• Beware the Nice Ones: He's very well-meaning and laidback, but threaten his friends and he'll rip out your spine.
• Beware the Silly Ones: Yeah, he's a goofball. He also has more magic than most human sorcerers can ever hope to amass even as a free genie, has quite a temper, has a protective streak, and, oh yeah, it's implied he isn't bound by that "no-killing rule" anymore. There's a reason the threat of his rage can singlehandedly quash a raging battle between two opposing sides.
• The Big Guy: While he can become any size he wants, his "default" size is larger than any other character and he has "semi-phenomenal nearly cosmic power" which is greater than anyone in the main cast.
• Blessed with Suck: Has phenomenal cosmic powers, but is bound by his lamp and whomever holds it (not to mention the itty-bitty living space).
• Blowing a Raspberry: Genie does this from within his lamp, tongue out of the spout, after feeling betrayed that Aladdin tells him he can't wish him free.
• Blue Is Heroic: Nearly his entire design is blue and he's a heroic genie.
• Boisterous Bruiser: Very fun-loving and energetic.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Genie does this so many times it would be impossible to list them all, but one of them would be addressing the audience in "The King of Thieves" by "Oh, some of you don't believe" and changing the title card to its proper form.
• Breakout Character: Easily one of the most recognizable characters of Disney, thanks to his first VA.
• Brought Down to Badass: He loses a lot of his "phenomenal cosmic powers" after being set free at the end of the first movie, though he still finds it preferable to having to live in a lamp since it's an itty-bitty living space. He still has a lot of magical abilities left to him, classified as "semi-phenomenal, nearly cosmic", and often proves essential in solving whatever disaster is plaguing Agrabah. When he returns in Return of Jafar, Genie outright says that his powers aren't what they used to be, but he's still got some magic in him.
• Brought Down to Normal: In one episode of the TV series, he gives his powers to Iago to show him how hard it is to be a genie.
• Camp Straight: Genie is shown to be very flamboyant as he cross dresses frequently and loves to plan out weddings, including the wedding between Aladdin and Jasmine. However, he has fallen in love with a female genie in the series. He even states in the film that while he's fond of Aladdin, he's not romantically fond of him, in that way (one of Robin Williams' many, many unused ad-libs had him state he would've given him mouth-to-mouth after saving him from drowning, but he didn't feel that attracted to him).
• Chained by Fashion: It's not obvious at first, but those bracers of his are actually manacles, symbolizing his imprisonment/servitude. When Jafar is turned into a Genie he gets chained by the same manacles, and when Genie is freed his manacles come off. Come Aladdin: The Series though, they're back and are pretty much The Artifact. He does mention in the series that the only thing he's a slave to is fashion, implying he thinks they look good.
• Chewing the Scenery: Robin Williams is on top of his game in the first and third movies. Dan Castellaneta is not far behind him.
• Claustrophobia: He does not enjoy living inside a lamp and wishes to be set free... which Aladdin does.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Justified by a combination of centuries inside the lamp at a time, and the fact that Genie is simply not human.
• Combat Medic: He can heal and fight.
• Composite Character: The Robin Williams Genie is a combination of the Magic Ring and Magic Lamp Genies from the original story.
• Deadpan Snarker: Robin Williams' performance is noticeably sardonic.
• Deconstructed Character Archetype: Being a Benevolent Genie is not a good thing when you're serving an Evil Sorcerer like Jafar. He doesn't want to help Jafar, but he's too much of a Nice Guy to try granting his wishes in a way that doesn't benefit or outright harms him, and can only apologize to Aladdin before planting the royal palace on top of a mountain as Jafar demanded.
• Didn't See That Coming: After Jafar orders him to make Jasmine fall in love with him, he's about to tell Jafar that he can't do that when Jasmine suddenly starts acting seductive and enamored. His jaw very nearly hits the floor as a result and he spends a few confused moments staring at his finger, before spotting Aladdin.
• Did You Just Scam Cthulhu?: He tricks the antagonists (two all-powerful wizards, mind you) in an episode of the TV series called "The Game". He seems to be taking lessons from Al.
• A Dog Named "Dog": A genie named Genie. If he does have a proper name, it's never so much as hinted at. Lampshaded by Eden in the TV series with "How original."
• Establishing Character Moment: Just like how "One Jump Ahead" is Aladdin's, "Friend Like Me" is the Genie's. The Genie introduces himself to Aladdin via an extremely elaborate and trippy musical number which demonstrates his power, his bombastic nature, and his willingness to help his new master.
• Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He's just "Genie" to everyone. What his given name is (if he even has one) is never so much as hinted at.
• Fantastic Racism: In the series, Genie possesses a knee-jerk furious reaction to the presence or even the implications of being near imps, even commenting on their odor. Considering the only imps we see (Nefir and his minions) are a bunch of philandering con-artists that sow chaos for profit, it is very likely that this hatred is understandable and quite rational.
  • He's also terrified of the Mukhtars, a race of creatures which hunt and kill Genies.
• Flanderization:
  • His hyperactive tendencies in King of Thieves. He's seen jumping around, transforming, and making puns and references all the time, much more than in the first two movies.
  • An odd case of this being due to different actors. Williams's Genie is a screwball, but also has a sensitive and reasonable side, sometimes acting as a sort of father figure to Aladdin (particularly in King of Thieves). When Castellaneta plays Genie, this almost completely vanishes, and his hyperactive goofiness is played up much more.
• Fog Feet: Has these off and on due to shape-shifting. They are off when he is brought down to normal, and he's usually little more than a wisp of blue smoke beneath his waist.
• Forgot About His Powers: In the series, and the sequel films, although this is actually justified as a case of Brought Down to Badass. As stated early in The Return of Jafar, whilst being set free did remove him of the restrictions he was under as a Genie of the Lamp, it also stole away a significant amount of his power, leaving him with "semi-phenomenal, nearly cosmic" magic, reducing him to about the level of a particularly talented magician. This fact is reiterated several times in the series. On a meta-level, this keeps him from utterly annihilating all attempts to induce drama or coherent plots to the series.
• Four-Fingered Hands: He (in all of his forms) has four fingers while the rest of the human cast has five. His fingers are chubbier as a result, and they actually make him look more gentle. Except for when counting on his fingers, then he has as many as needed.
• Fourth-Wall Observer: The Genie's supernatural abilities permit him to break the fourth wall, as well as parody real-life people and popular culture completely outside of the boundaries of the fictional universe in which he is contained.
• Fun Personified: Even in serious or tense moments, he's still goofing around, making references to pop culture, and abusing Toon Physics to the nth degree. When Genie drops this entirely, the situation has gotten quite serious.
• Genie in a Bottle: Until the end of the first film, he is bound to his lamp. Freeing the Genie comes with a reduction in his powers. In the series, it remains an effective way to trap him.
• The Genie Knows Jack Nicholson: Trope Namer. He makes odd pop culture references that would be way out of the time period. The other characters might look momentarily confused, but they just go with it. The directors gave a Hand Wave that he time-traveled and saw the future whenever possible, since he had nothing else to do in his lamp for ten thousand years.
• Genius Ditz: He's goofy and scatterbrained but he also has a wise, reasonable side, he's very savvy, and is one of the most powerful characters in the Disney universe.
• Gentle Giant: Much bigger than the other characters, and very nice and compassionate.
• Glowing Eyes of Doom: Initially puts on a sinister front when Jafar seizes control of the lamp away from Aladdin, though Genie quickly drops it and apologies to the youth, since he's ironically powerless to disobey.
• Great Gazoo: Comes with being a genie. He's borderline omnipotent and as wacky as possible.
• I Just Want to Be Free: His wish is freedom. And thanks to Aladdin, he gets it.
• Immune to Mind Control: In the animated series episode, "I Never Mechanism I Didn't Like", we learn that since he's a magical being, he's unaffected by "parlor tricks" such as hypnosis.
• Incoming Ham: If the big explosions that come out of the lamp and his cry don't sell it for you, then his first line will. "TEN THOUSAND YEEEEEARS will give you SUCH a CRICK in the NECK!!"
• Ink-Suit Actor: Genie's persona and personality is based on Robin Williams himself. He is very flamboyant, sweet, constantly funny but serious when he needs to be, charismatic, and kind-hearted.
• Jaw Drop: Provides the page image. He does it twice; after he realizes Al tricked him into getting out of the Cave of Wonders without using a wish, and when Jasmine appears to fall in love with Jafar instantly, despite being something Genie can't do.
• Large Ham: Originally played by the one and only Robin Williams and hilariously so. Especially when he's singing, he's very loud, theatrical, and flamboyant.
• Leitmotif: The "To Be Free" theme. In his more humorous moments he's also accompanied by the refrain from "Friend Like Me."
• Let's Get Dangerous!: Especially against Jafar in the second movie. When the Genie is free to unleash his power, he can actually get pretty scary.
• Let's See YOU Do Better!: He does this three times in the TV series.
  • Invoked in "The Game". He is tired of losing to Carpet whenever they play a game. Two Reality Warper wizards, a brother and sister named Ding and Oopo, appear and offer to help. So Genie, Carpet and the rest of the gang are split into two teams and put through a series of increasingly dangerous games. When it finally reaches the point that Abu and Iago's lives are put on the line, he does this as a way of tricking the two wizards into letting him and his friends go free.
    Ding: Aw, Oopo, your team is in about the same shape as mine. (tsks) Sad.
    Genie: LIKE YOU COULD DO ANY BETTER!
    Ding: But of course we could!
    Oopo: If we wanted to!
    Genie: (crosses his arms and grins at them) Prove it.
    Oopo: (taken aback) Hm, well... an interesting idea!
    Ding: It's just… never been done!
    Genie: Oh, I get it! You two have never actually played a game yourselves… BECAUSE YOU CAN'T!
    Oopo: Ha! Rubbish!
    Ding: We can so!
    Genie: Can't!
    Ding and Oopo: CAN!
    Genie: Yeah, right!
  • In "Power to the Parrot", after helping deal with a giant worm monster, Iago gets into an argument with him over not being sensible enough with his powers. That's when he decides to make a deal with Iago; he'll give him all of his powers for one day and they'll see who's better at it. At first, Iago does seem to do the job pretty well, such as granting Abu the Midas Touch, giving large amounts of treasure and food to the city, and even providing a river and rain. This quickly backfires, however, as Abu realizes that due to his "infinite treasure touch" he can't eat anything, the numerous treasures have thrown the city's economy out of whack, and the rain overflowed the river, flooding Agrabah. And to top it all off, the excess food has begun to rot, which draws back the worm monster from before. Iago begs Genie to take his powers back and fix everything, and he obliges.
  • In "Mission: Imp-Possible", he begrudgingly teams up with Nefir to find a cure for Aladdin, who's been given a sleeping poison. Said cure is the golden silk of the Worm of Panacea. But when Nefir tries to steal all the golden silk for himself, he unwittingly frees Mothias, a giant Imp-eating moth. Genie attempts to trap Mothias in a web of the golden silk, but fails at it. When Nefir boasts that he could do a better job, Genie takes him up on that.
    Genie: Wait a minute. You're an Imp, you could build it!
    Nefir: I don't do manual labor, I supervise.
    Genie: What was that you said earlier about moths hunting Imps?
    Iago: (smugly) Yes. "A delicacy", as I recall. Yum yum.
    Nefir: (nervously takes the ball of golden silk) Why don't you distract him while I build the web, heh heh?
    Iago: I'll supervise.
• Literal Genie: When Jafar wishes to "rule on high as Sultan", Genie not only makes him Sultan, but picks up Agrabah Palace and places it on a mountaintop.
• Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places: He references having spent a million years looking for a girl like Jasmine. At least he succeeds in the series.
• Magic A Is Magic A: While his masters all get Three Wishes, there's a few things Genie explicitly cannot do, whether he's bound to his lamp or free. He can't kill anyone (so don't ask). He can't make anybody fall in love with anybody else. He can't bring people Back from the Dead; It's not a pretty picture. Also, "ix-nay on the wishing for more wishes"; you get three wishes, and that's it.
• Man of a Thousand Voices: When voiced by Williams (of course) and by the Swedish Dan Ekborg. Even under Castellaneta, he still takes on multiple personalities and roles.
• Maurice Chevalier Accent: He plays a French waiter and typical Frenchmen near a romantic dinner, while using the accent.
• Medium Awareness: Being a supernatural entity with godlike powers, this makes sense. At one point he even tries to prod Aladdin into wishing for his freedom by reading the script!
• Me's a Crowd: He can create numerous copies of himself in an instant.
• Morality Pet: To Aladdin. Although Aladdin was already a nice guy way before they met and had a strong moral code despite his thieving and lying ways, he still had some trouble truly changing his criminal behavior, usually seeing the error of his ways only when Genie called him out on it. For example, while Aladdin, under his "Prince Ali" alias, initially ignores Genie's advice to drop his pompous bravado around Jasmine and just be himself, because of his self-esteem issues, he ends up doing exactly that and it's only then that Aladdin manages to earn Jasmine's affection — by listening to his friend. Even then, though, Aladdin desperately continues lying to her about what his true identity is, and he was even initially prepared, if a little reluctantly, to indefinitely maintain his princely facade out of fear that he'd risk losing everything if the truth was revealed. However, it's when this desire to keep up the ruse poses the threat of potentially burning bridges with Genie ("After all, you've lied to everyone else. Hey, I was beginning to feel left out.") that Aladdin finally realizes he's been acting selfishly and decides he should tell Jasmine the truth.
• Morphic Resonance: No matter what form he's in, they maintain certain key defining features of Genie's real form whether it's his blue skin or his top knot and swirly beard, barring a few exceptions like when he posed as Aladdin in The Return of Jafar.
• My Master, Right or Wrong: Despite being a good guy, he has no choice but to follow the orders of the one who holds his lamp.
• Nice Guy: Genie is a sweet, friendly, cheerful and loyal friend to Aladdin. He also keeps encouraging Aladdin to be honest with Jasmine.
• The Nicknamer: He gives the nickname "Rug Man" to the magic carpet. He also calls Aladdin "Al" or "little buddy", sometimes calls Jasmine "Jaz", and calls Abu "Monkey Boy" occasionally.
• No Name Given: His real name is unknown. Throughout all three movies and the series, there's never even a hint as to what his real name is. The series shows that genies can have names when the group meets a Genie named Eden, but this one is only ever referred to as "Genie" or "the Genie". A common fan theory is that, after ten thousand years of being locked in an itty-bitty living space, he just forgot what his name was.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When Genie drops his Fun Personified personality, things have gotten serious.
  • In the original movie, when Aladdin begs Genie to stop acting on Jafar's wishes, all Genie can say is "Sorry, kid; I've got a new master now" in a very melancholy tone. Until Jafar is defeated, Genie is noticeably somber and dower, only brightening up when it looks like Jafar is losing.
  • In Return of Jafar, after he rescues Aladdin from almost being beheaded, the rest of the group is trying to figure out how to stop Jafar. That's when Genie, gravely serious, reveals Jafar's Achilles' Heel; "His Lamp. You destroy Jafar's Lamp, you destroy Jafar."
  • King of Thieves shows that Genie can drop his fun-loving personality for serious moments of praise, too. When Aladdin worries about what his father would say if he were there, Genie replies "Al, little buddy... if your father were here, he'd be as proud of you as I am" with an affectionate smile on his face.
• Our Genies Are Different: For the most part, Genie was consistent with how the 20th century Western world viewed genies, although he had a few new twists. He was one of the first genies to want to be set free, and the first genie that could not kill.
• Perpetually Protean: Transforms constantly, usually to impersonate various real life celebrities but also changing his size and shape in other ways - from objects to animals to other humans; sometimes this is for specific practical purposes, but usually just for the sake of a gag (he's played by Robin Williams after all). He tamps down on it for the more serious scenes, though.
• Plucky Comic Relief: Despite being a very important character, the Genie serves as a comic relief element in each of his appearances. Justified since his voice actor in Return Of Jafar is famous for portraying Homer Simpson.
• Pom-Pom Girl: Takes on a pom squad appearance during the fight between Aladdin and Jafar despite technically being male. And when Jafar tells him to cut it out, we get this:
  Cheerleader!Genie: Jafar, Jafar, he's our man. If he can't do it, GREAT!!!
• Powerful and Helpless: For all of his phenomenal cosmic power, he's bound to serve whoever possesses his lamp. When Jafar steals it, Genie can do nothing but watch as Jafar wishes to be the most powerful mortal on the planet and apologize while sending Aladdin to the ends of the Earth.
• Primary-Color Champion: His skin and pants are both blue, he wears a red sash, and also has golden wrist bracelets.
• Reality Warper: He has "phenomenal cosmic powers" that are beyond that of any human sorcerer, but Genie does explicitly state three limitations: he cannot kill (directly), make someone fall in love, or bring the dead back to life (though he implies that he can bring people Back from the Dead... but he won't: Came Back Wrong is implied.) He also cannot allow "substitutions, exchanges, or refunds" on wishes. Which means that he cannot undo any wish he grants.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives a short one to Aladdin when the latter, initially, backs out of his promise to free him, noting that he can't uphold the masquerade of being Prince Ali without the Genie nor become a Sultan without Genie's help.
  The Genie: Fine. I understand. After all, you've lied to everyone else. Hey, I was beginning to feel left out. Now if you excuse me, Master.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Carpet is his long-time buddy and fellow magical creature in the main cast so Genie is the red to Carpet's blue. He's energetic and boisterous, while Carpet is The Quiet One.
• Sad Clown: In the first film, his over-the-top antics and corny jokes cover up the fact that he's trapped, miserable, and lonely. He notably gets less flamboyant and a bit more grounded (though still a joker) as his friendship with Aladdin grows stronger. However, once he is released from the lamp, he remains as goofy as ever.
• Sealed Good in a Can: He was stuck in his lamp in the Cave of Wonders for ten thousand years before Aladdin found him.
• Semi-Divine: After being freed, he has gone from having "phenomenal cosmic powers" to "semi-phenomenal nearly-cosmic powers".
• Servile Snarker: When Jafar becomes his master, while he serves him because of the rules, he's pretty clear he doesn't like it. Exhibit A: "Jafar, Jafar, he's our man, if he can't do it GREAT!"
• Shipper on Deck: Pro Aladdin/Jasmine, to the point where he is willing to give up his freedom to see them together:
  Genie: Al, no problem. You've still got one wish left. Just say the word and you're a prince again.
  Aladdin: But Genie, what about your freedom?
  Genie: Hey, it's only an eternity of servitude. This is love. Al, you're not gonna find another girl like her in a million years. Believe me, I know. I've looked.
• Showing Off Your Powers: The Genie absolutely loves this trope. His opening number "Friend Like Me" is him bombastically showing off his powers to prove his value to Aladdin. He then get's tricked into giving Alladin a free wish when Al provokes him to show off some more.
• Sore Loser: A running gag is when he plays against Carpet in anything, and would lose every single time, much to Genie's annoyance.
• Stepford Smiler: Kind of. Genie dances around, cracks jokes, and seems to have a lot of fun granting wishes...but Aladdin pokes around a little bit and discovers that Genie is actually miserable and desires freedom from his life of servitude more than anything else in the world.
• Story-Breaker Power: A free genie with phenomenal cosmic powers would make story conflict difficult. Because of this, his powers were nerfed upon being freed from the lamp. In the series as well, there was often someone who could match him (like another genie) or some kind of Mage Killer etc.
• Tenor Boy: Thanks to Dan Castellaneta and Jim Meskimen.
• Thou Shalt Not Kill: Enforced by the rules of the lamp; he cannot grant a wish to commit murder.
• Three Wishes: And only three. One of the rules of being a genie is that you can't wish for more wishes.
  Genie: And ix-nay on the wishing for more wishes. That's it, three. Uno, dos, tres. No substitutions, exchanges, or refunds.
• Took a Level in Dumbass: He seems to be a bit slower on the uptake in the series than he did in the movies.
• Top-Heavy Guy: He has an extremely big upper body and much smaller lower half, though the fact that his lower half is usually a ghost-like tail distracts from it. It's much more noticeable when he's pretending to be human, or in the animated series where he uses legs more often.
• The Trickster: Slightly less so than Aladdin. He'll grant wishes, but he'll put on a show first.
• Time Abyss: At least 10,000 years old, and references having looked for love for a (possibly metaphorical) million years.
• Tranquil Fury: Despite his general behavior, Genie is uncharacteristically cold and soft-spoken when Aladdin tries to go back on his promise to free him.
• Undying Loyalty: Deconstructed at first, then played straight—Genies are all but forced to be loyal to whoever's in possession of their lamp and cannot disobey them, as shown when Jafar steals the lamp. After Aladdin wishes for Genie's freedom, he retains his loyalty to Aladdin, but this time it's by choice.
• The Unfettered: He literally becomes this at the end of the first movie; wishing him free negates his problems with only being able to use his magic when a master commands it, and with having his life bound to his lamp. Implicitly, it also removes the restrictions on how he can use his magic, meaning that once freed, Genie can technically kill people. Fortunately, he's far too nice a guy to do something like that.
• Voluntary Shapeshifter: His most commonly used power, and there's never any established limits on it. He can morph into all kinds of things, including Steamboat Willie.
• Walking the Earth: On top of seeing the world at the end of the film, it's implied he becomes The Peddler (though his design, knowledge of events, and voice actor).
• Weaksauce Weakness:
  • Genie is powerless if placed into a container (like a jar) with a lid or stopper of some kind, and no gaps whatsoever.
  • If his lamp is whatever reason destroyed, then so will he be... though he loses this weakness once he is freed from the lamp.
  • Also, guava juice results in genies catching their equivalent of a cold, which makes them lose control of their powers.
• Wholesome Crossdresser: Frequently wears women's clothing, and not just as part of a disguise.
• Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: He's really afraid of Mukhtars, who are the natural enemies of all genies.
• The Worf Effect:
  • He gets hit with this in The Return of Jafar, to showcase how much being freed from the lamp has weakened him. During the "You're Only Second Rate" number, Jafar, who Genie gave his power to and logically could not have been more powerful than Genie before he was free, shrugs off everything Genie throws at him, toys with him, and then captures him with ease.
  • Genie is trumped on a regular basis in the series, defeated by just about every magical foe he's faced. It could be said that his reality-warping powers are as strong as ever, but he has a great deal less control over them, which lowers his threat level against those who have less power but better control. This demonstrates how dangerous said magical foe is. Anything that Genie can zap away wouldn't fill an episode.
  • This is averted during King of Thieves. The 40 Thieves run away as soon as Genie moves against them, and Genie spends much of the movie's remaining length keeping Jasmine company at the palace.
• Yiddish as a Second Language: Particularly when he's voiced by Robin Williams, who, according to Supervising Animator Eric Goldberg, would throw yiddishisms in with his improv. When he explains to Aladdin the rules of what a genie can and can't do, he does this.
  Genie: Rule Number Two! I can't make anybody fall in love with anybody else. (kisses Aladdin on the cheek, then pinches the other) You little punim, there!
• You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious: After being introduced to Aladdin, he almost always addresses him as Al. The one time he actually uses the name "Aladdin" is when Aladdin is about to drown.
• You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry!: In "The Way We War", after it seems Aladdin has been killed during a war between Agrabah and Odiferous that was orchestrated by Nefir, Genie doesn't take it well, and the mere threat of his rage results in a ceasefire between the two kingdoms.
  Genie: You people and your stupid war! You've pushed me too far! You don't want to see what happens when you push a genie TOO FAR!

Abu

Voiced by: Frank Welker, Tommy Tallarico (Sega Genesis voice samples)

Aladdin's oldest friend, a highly intelligent monkey with a strong streak of kleptomania and a natural gift for thievery.

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• Adaptation Species Change: Is replaced with three humans in the stage musical.
• Animal Gender-Bender: His elephant form lacks tusks, although it's mostly the females of Indian elephants that lack tusks (though some males also lack tusks).
• Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Never misses a chance to swipe a ruby or anything of value; it's this weakness for thievery that nearly dooms him and Aladdin inside the Cave of Wonders.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: It's revealed in "Seems Like Old Crimes" that the reason behind Abu's friendship and loyalty to Aladdin is because when they were in a gang of robbers, Aladdin was the only one to treat Abu with equal respect and kindness.
• Big Eater: He chows into things that are nearly as big as he is.
• Blowing a Raspberry: Abu does this taunting gesture to the head of the guards during the chase scene.
• Butt-Monkey: Although not as badly as Iago, he does tend to get hurt or humiliated for drama (and, to a lesser extent, comedy).
• Dark and Troubled Past: Abu was once part of a traveling circus of thieves and the members would treat him badly.
• Decomposite Character: The stage musical splits him into Aladdin's three friends, Babkak, Omar and Kassim.
• Empathy Pet: To Aladdin for the thieving. He also points out his Love at First Sight with Jasmine.
• Even the Dog Is Ashamed: Or monkey (or monkey transformed into an elephant). He's clearly disappointed when Aladdin breaks his promise to free the genie.
• Forced Transformation:
  • Is subjected to the most bodily transformations thanks to Genie. Although after the initial shock he takes to being an elephant pretty well.
  • Jafar turns him into a wind-up toy.
• Freudian Excuse: "Seems Like Old Crimes" explains that Abu was trained by a trio of thieves. It's implied that he's constantly stealing because the trio never let him have a piece of the take (and stole what Aladdin had given to him).
• Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: He wears an open vest and a fez.
• Idiot Ball: He's normally a clever monkey, but his greed causes him to make stupid mistakes, such as grabbing the ruby while Aladdin searches for the lamp caused the Cave of Wonders to collapse in on itself.
• Intelligible Unintelligible: Only Iago seems to fully understand what he's saying all the time. Aladdin can just understand him through expressions and body language.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Much more selfish and greedy than the other main characters (not including Iago), and can get frustrated rather quickly. However, he's kindhearted, loyal and willing to risk his life to save Aladdin and his friends.
  • Also shown very clearly in the first movie when Aladdin gives up his half of bread to the starving children. Though Abu glares and takes a huge bite of bread with a very clear look that he'd eat it in front of the kids with no hesitation after all they went through for that one loaf...he doesn't. He simply swallows his bite as his conscience gets the better of him and hands it over to the kids, showing early on that he is selfish...but far beyond being heartless.
• The Lancer: Aladdin's sidekick, literal partner in crime, and more fond of stealing than generous giving.
• Lethally Stupid: He's normally very intelligent, but his love of money supersedes his common sense in the Cave of Wonders when he grabs a giant ruby that is obvious Schmuck Bait, despite being told to "Touch nothing but the lamp!" by the Cave itself. This causes the Cave to try to burn Aladdin, Carpet, and himself alive.
• Lovable Rogue: Like Aladdin. He's a thief and a kleptomaniac, but also funny, likable and a good friend to Aladdin.
• Master of Unlocking: He has a set of lockpicks hidden away in his vest. He uses them to free Aladdin from jail.
• Meaningful Name:
  • "Abu" is an epithet for men in Arabic and Abu is a male monkey.
  • Abu is Ancient Egyptian for elephant. In the first movie and "Web of Fear", he gets turned into an elephant.
• The Millstone: In the Cave of Wonders, he grabs a huge ruby out of a monkey idol's paws, initiating the destruction of the cave.
• Mischief-Making Monkey: His thieving habits cause a lot of trouble.
• Misplaced Wildlife: A new world monkey in the Middle East?
• Money Fetish: He's just about as greedy as Iago is (hence why he fell for the Schmuck Bait ruby in the Cave of Wonders that nearly got him killed), which is why they're surprisingly close, even if they act like they hate each other. In the cartoon series, he and Iago often egg each other on in the pursuit of treasure from their adventuring.
• Naughty Is Good: He's quite mischievous and sneaky, despite being one of the good guys.
• Never Bareheaded: Also much like Aladdin, he wears a fez all the time.
• Only Friend: For most of his early life, Aladdin's only trusted companion was Abu. Aladdin even explicitly says so in the song "One Jump Ahead".
• Parrot Pet Position: Can often be seen perched on Aladdin's shoulder.
• Pet the Dog: For all his greed, he joins Aladdin in sharing the bread they stole with street urchins.
• Pragmatic Hero: Noticeably more selfish than Aladdin, and continues to be exceedingly sneaky even into the sequels. Monkeys don't share well.
• Prehensile Tail: He's a cartoon monkey. Of course he can use his tail to manipulate and carry stuff.
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: What would you expect of a Disney Non-Human Sidekick? Just look at him! He's adorable.
• Silent Snarker: From time to time. Just look at his expression in the above pic! It oozes sarcasm.
• The Sneaky Guy: He's very good at sneaking around, even more so than Aladdin thanks to his smaller size, and he often uses this to help the others.
• Spanner in the Works: In the first movie, after Jafar betrays Aladdin and tries to kill him, Abu attacks him and secretly steals the lamp^note Ironically, if Jafar had honored his end of the bargain, he would have likely got his hands on the lamp a fair bit earlier than he did. Aladdin even later notes this in the TV series.
• Speech-Impaired Animal: Though he can make noise, he can't speak. Although at one point he does clearly utter "Aladdin, wake up!" - along with other familiar semi-uttered expressions such as 'Why you!' or 'O brother!' Iago can apparently fully make out what Abu says, while Aladdin and Genie also understand him to a degree.
• Thieving Pet: He'll steal anything not nailed down. This really gets him in trouble in the Cave of Wonders.
• Too Dumb to Live: He's normally very intelligent and has independent stealing skills, but the Cave of Wonders clearly said "Touch nothing but the lamp!" It really wasn't clever of him to go for the giant ruby in the Cave that might as well be signposted saying "I am an obvious trap". He and Aladdin obviously don't actually die, but if not for Carpet...
• Troublesome Pet: Abu, being a greedy Mischief-Making Monkey who gets easily distracted by shiny objects, frequently gets his owner Aladdin into trouble by stealing stuff even if Aladdin himself doesn't need it. For instance:
  • In the first animated film, right after Aladdin narrowly gets Princess Jasmine out of trouble with an angry fruit vendor who was going to cut off her hand for taking an apple without paying for it, Abu bows respectfully to the vendor — and spills three apples that he stuffed into his little vest earlier, forcing the heroes to run for it. Later on in the film, he gets Aladdin in trouble again by trying to steal a gigantic ruby that he sees in the Cave of Wonders, despite the Cave making it clear that the Lamp is the only treasure they're allowed to touch. Because of this, the Cave flips its lid and traps both Abu and Aladdin inside itself, after nearly drowning them in lava.
  • In the live-action remake, Abu adds a new blunder to his list, when he impulsively steals Jasmine's bracelet (a Tragic Keepsake from the Princess' late mother), causing her to blame Aladdin for it, and briefly souring her on him. Luckily, he does manage to clear it up to her later... right before Jafar kidnaps both of them into finding the Lamp for him.
• The Unintelligible: A little harder to notice. Most of the time it just sounds like monkey noises. But there are times when you can make out the human language. Like "Ahhraadeeen" or "eaahh shwuaah".
• Undying Loyalty: He's been with Aladdin longer than anyone and has followed him in danger without hesitation every time.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Iago. They can get along and even save each other, but the contrasting personalities at times leads to conflicts.

Iago

Voiced by: Gilbert Gottfried, Tommy Tallarico (Sega Genesis voice samples), Barrett Leddy (LEGO Disney Princess: The Castle Quest), Piotr Michael (Once Upon a Studio) ^{Other voice actors}Swedish: Anders Öjebo; European French: Eric Metayer (first and third movies, most episodes of the TV series, and House of Mouse) and Philippe Videcoq (second movie and a few episodes of the TV series); Canadian French: Marc Bellier; Latin American Spanish: Ruben Trujillo; Hebrew: Ohad Shachar

"Oh, there's a big surprise! I'm about to have a heart attack and die from not surprised!"

Originally Jafar's loyal and often abused scarlet macaw sidekick, Iago was sealed away with Jafar inside of the lamp at the end of the first film. Instrumental in freeing the both of them from the sandy wastes of the desert, he abandons Jafar and sets out to find his own path in life, ultimately reforming and becoming a devoted (yet opportunistic) friend to Aladdin and company.

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• Adaptation Species Change: In the Broadway Run, he is made into a human servant rather than a bird puppet.
• Affectionate Nickname: Called "Giblet" by Queen Thundra.
• Anti-Hero: After his Heel–Face Turn, Iago retains his Jerkass personality and some of his negative traits from the first movie (namely his greed and sarcasm), but he always comes through for his friends when needed.
• Attractive Bent-Gender: When Iago is disguised as a flamingo and mimicking Princess Jasmine's voice, a nearby male flamingo gives him the bedroom eyes. Iago's disguise sure is paper thin: just a fake beak and some stilts.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Switches sides when Aladdin and friends treat him enormously better than Jafar ever did. This was out of pragmatism at first, but his Heel–Face Turn eventually becomes genuine over the course of Return of Jafar. Even then, Iago ends up as more of an Anti-Hero, since he's still a greedy jerk from time to time, just not as intensely or as self-servingly.
• Becoming the Mask: Over the course of the series, Iago comes to not only have a stronger moral streak, but to actually enjoy adventuring. Which would explain why he decides to leave Agrabah and adventure with Cassim at the end of The King of Thieves instead of just enjoying the life of luxury that a presumably more settled-down Aladdin and Jasmine would offer.
• Being Evil Sucks:
  • Iago comes to realize this in the first sequel. His Heel–Face Turn was initially fake, wanting to get into the good graces of Aladdin and company out of a desire to re-establish himself in Agrabah. But once he's made aware that Good Feels Good — or at least, feels a lot better than evil ever did — Iago genuinely tries to reform himself.
  • In the TV series episode "Poor Iago", he becomes extremely greedy (even more than usual) only for him to receive all sorts of nasty punishments because of his behavior. This causes him to have an epiphany and he attempts to completely reform his ways, becoming kind-hearted and generous.
• Being Good Sucks: This winds up backfiring on him as well. He ultimately decides it's best to just stick with a balance and not be too much of a jerk, but don't be too nice either.
• Berserk Button: Don't tell say the words "Polly want a cracker" anywhere near him. In the first movie, the Sultan was constantly feeding him "moldy, disgusting crackers". He decided to return the favor when Jafar rose to power. In the second movie, Jafar reminds him that without him he would have still been in the bazaar spouting that same line, which was the last straw and prompted Iago to say Screw This, I'm Outta Here and rebel against Jafar. And in the third movie, just as Cassim was going to repeat that line, Iago said he'd "let [Cassim] have it on principle" if he finished the line.
• Beware the Silly Ones: He may be a cranky loudmouthed talking bird and started off as Jafar's sidekick, but he's also the one who gave Jafar the plan to marry Jasmine, become Sultan, and kill Jasmine and the Sultan afterwards and was quite happy to follow through with it.Even after joining the protagonists, he's the one who kills Jafar in the end by destroying his lamp.
• Big Damn Heroes: He ends up being the one to kill Jafar in The Return of Jafar, and in the series, his brazen confidence left over from his time as a villain has come in useful to the heroes by being more morally loose to get what he wants.
• Big Ol' Eyebrows: He sports a pair of bushy, black eyebrows.
• Breakout Character: He rivals Genie with popularity. Enough that he reforms in The Return of Jafar and has episodes dedicated to him in the series.
• But Now I Must Go: After the third movie, Iago chooses to leave the palace after Aladdin's marriage to Jasmine and travel the world with Cassim.
• Butt-Monkey: Throughout the entire franchise. He truly was the writers' designated Butt Monkey (their mantra was "When in doubt, hurt the bird"), but what keeps him from being a Designated Monkey is that he often brings it on himself from being a greedy manipulative Jerkass, albeit one with a heart of gold at times since his Heel–Face Turn.
• Changed My Mind, Kid: In The Return of Jafar. He opts to bail just before the final confrontation with Jafar. Just when things are looking bleak for our heroes, Iago comes charging into the fight and manages to snatch Jafar's genie lamp. Despite being injured by a magical blast, Iago is able to shove the lamp into a pool of lava, destroying Jafar and saving the day.
• Character Development: The original movie is all about Aladdin's character development, but for the franchise as a whole Iago is definitely the character who changes and develops the most. He starts out as a villain, then he changes sides purely out of self-interest before he starts growing a conscience and ending up pulling a genuine Heel–Face Turn. His development doesn't stop after he's become a good guy, though; while he remains greedy and selfish, and often slips into the role of Token Evil Teammate, over the course of the sequel movies and series, he Takes Several Levels In Kindness and even in Badass, going from Dirty Coward to Lovable Coward and finally to Cowardly Lion. By the end of Aladdin and the King of Thieves, he's gone from the one who doesn't want to go out on adventures, to the one who doesn't want to stop going out on adventures.
• The Chew Toy: The movie writers' mantra: "When in doubt, hurt the bird". He frequently ends up blasted by Jafar's magic, attacked by a villain of the week, and has his greedy traits constantly come back to bite him in the butt.
• Cowardly Lion: From the end of the second movie, onwards. He'll squawk and complain and would rather stay far away from any sort of danger. When the chips are down, however, he'll do the right thing; especially if he gets something out of it.
• Deadpan Snarker: He's generally not deadpan (though he does have his moments), but he's definitely sarcastic.
• Defector from Decadence: Severs his ties with Jafar once realizing staying with him doesn't bode well for his future.
• Determinator: Arguably more vulnerable than the rest of the characters, but makes up for it in guile and gumption.
• Didn't Want an Adventure: Iago complains often of the dangerous situations Aladdin and crew drag him on. However, when given the chance to stay home and be safe, he finds that he would rather be out on adventures.
• Dirty Coward: For much of the second movie, he spent a lot of time looking out for himself almost exclusively although unlike many of the examples here, he can be courageous and selfless. He grows out of this at the end.
• Did You Just Romance Cthulhu?: His relationship with Thundra. She's a powerful nature goddess, Iago just a regular bird.
• Does Not Like Spam: Despite what the Sultan may think, Iago actually hates crackers.
• The Door Slams You: Both he and Jafar get this going into the last chorus of "Prince Ali" in the original film, when Jafar shuts the door on the parade only for them to kick it in and slam him and Iago into the wall.
• The Drag-Along: In the series he is the quintessential embodiment of this trope. He's more concerned with living in the lap of luxury and staying out of danger, and, as a Card Carrying Coward, is none too happy with being dragged along on some grand adventure every other day (which is understandable, since he's a bit of a pain magnet).
• The Dragon: In the first movie. He is Jafar's parrot who makes trouble for the heroes in stealing their possessions, deceiving them with fake voices, and acting as a sort of sentry before the final conflict.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: In the second film, after he kills Jafar by destroying his lamp, Iago became shocked when Aladdin declines the Sultan's offer to be his royal vizier, then not so subtly hints "doesn't anybody want to ask what the brave parrot wants?"
• Establishing Character Moment: In the film's opening, Iago starts off acting like a stereotypical parrot, repeating things Jafar says. He eventually turns to Jafar and asks where he found Gazeem, clearly unimpressed.
• "Eureka!" Moment: As Jafar and Iago lament the loss of the lamp, Iago gripes that they'll be stuck in their current position of lack of power forever. Jafar corrects Iago in that once Jasmine marries, she'll get rid of them both. This inspires Iago to suggest that Jafar marry Jasmine to take the throne.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
  • Iago comes to care for the whole group, but the person he favors most seems to be Jasmine, not because she trusts him, but because she is the person whose trust he has to work for.
  • He also cares a great deal about Abu and Genie.
    Iago [relieved]: Abu, you're okay. [beat] And you're lucky, too, you stupid, stupid monkey!
• Evil Counterpart: To Abu, especially in the first film. Both bad-tempered, greedy, cheeky sidekicks but Iago is more ruthless and (used to) work for Jafar.
• Evil Redhead: At first, he's Jafar's red-feathered, villainous accomplice. He makes a Heel–Face Turn in the sequel.
• Familiar: Word of God states that he's this for Jafar; one of the concepts behind Iago's character is that Jafar transferred some of his emotions to Iago so that he would be free of distractions and better at conjuring magic. Of course, Iago is too small to actually suppress those emotions himself so you've got yourself a feathered Gilbert Gottfried.
• Feathered Fiend: In the first movie he was just as cruel as Jafar. Even in the series, he's still the nastiest member of the group, which the group is more than willing to exploit if they need someone who can be unreservedly spiteful or vicious. Aladdin might be too nice a guy to sic a magic-devouring monster on an Evil Sorcerer — but he's got no qualms about letting Iago do it for him.
  Jafar: I love the way your foul little mind works!
• Feather Fingers: He's got some dexterous wings, holding crackers or tearing out his own feathers with them.
• Fiery Redhead: Technically, he has red feathers, but he's got attitude.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Zigzagged. He elicits a lot of complaints and teasing from the others in the group for his flaws and his trouble-making, but they still trust and care for him, and he reciprocates as best he can given his personality.
• Funny Animal Anatomy: His feet have two toes in front and one behind, unlike real parrots which have two behind.
• Good is Not Nice: Eventually. He starts out as a genuinely bad guy like Jafar in the first movie (he certainly wasn't a Minion with an F in Evil like some Disney villain's sidekicks). He develops the "good" part of the trope in the sequel after befriending the heroes but still retains his abrasive and obnoxious mannerisms he had when he was a villain.
• Greed: Iago's main vice; even after his Heel–Face Turn. Of all the characters he's the one far most obsessed with riches and treasure; he's never satisfied with what he has and always wants more... which is probably the main reason why when he does get his hand on some riches he seldom gets to keep it. He particularly seems to like caviar, manicures and vibrating chairs.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: Since the first movie Iago is a hot-tempered and easily angered character in contrast to his boss Jafar who is more calm and collected for the most part (at least before he gets hammy towards the end). Jafar and Iago were originally supposed to have switched personalities, since Jafar was initially scripted as a hot-tempered character and Iago as the cool-headed one.
• Heel–Face Revolving Door: Switching sides three times in The Return of Jafar, and then conspiring with Cassim in King of Thieves.
• Heel–Face Turn: He spent the entirety of the first film on Jafar's side. The beginning of the second film, The Return of Jafar, sees Iago escape from Jafar's lamp and slowly turn face over the course of the movie, even offing Jafar for good by kicking his lamp into magma. Not that Iago's all that heroic, but his conscience does get the better of him on a number of occasions.
• Hidden Depths: There's actually a braver and more noble side to Iago. He just chooses to pretend it isn't there as much as he can, because it always gets him into trouble. Also, he's surprisingly informed on magic and arcana. He has acting and improvisation skills to back up his mimicry, as well.
• Indispensable Scoundrel: He takes on this role in Aladdin: The Series when he joins the protagonists after Jafar's death. He still has his Jerkass personality and the others find him annoying, but they also rely on him for his knowledge of the arcane and sometimes make use of his crafty, cynical ways of getting things done in ways they won't.
• Informed Species: Is supposed to be a scarlet macaw, but looks more like a red lory or a (female) eclectus parrot.
• The Imp: Small, loud, motor-mouthed and less than moral, as well as having a propensity to stir up trouble, intentionally and otherwise.
• Ink-Suit Actor: Frequently described as "a feathered Gilbert Gottfried". Lampshaded in the TV-series, where Chaos pulls a prank on Iago by replacing his head that of a human's, which, in-universe, resembles that of Gilbert Gottfried's.
  Iago: It's a curse! Look at my eyes! They're so beady and squinty! I have turned into some kind of mutant!
• Jerkass Has a Point: Iago may be egotistical, greedy, cowardly and whiny to the point of being an annoying jerk, but given that he's often dragged against his will around the world to face very powerful supernatural beings, it's not without reason. He also sometimes provides sensible explanations to problems, like when he was the first one to realize that Harud's "Curse of Clumsiness" was just a mind trick.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: As his character develops, he becomes a good guy, but is still usually out for himself alone and greedy to a fault.
• Karmic Butt-Monkey: He is a greedy jerk who brings many of his misfortunes on himself, even after his Heel–Face Turn.
• Language Fluency Denial: He can talk intelligently but pretends he can't around everyone but Jafar.
• Large Ham: An absolute loudmouth, which comes with being voiced by Gilbert Gottfried. Example from the TV Show:
  Iago: I SAID... WE! CAN'T! TOUCH! ANYTHING! ''EEEEEEEEEEEEELSE!'' LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK!
• Laser-Guided Karma: Inflicts this upon the Sultan, who kept force-feeding him apparently low-quality crackers, by shoving a bunch into his mouth after Jafar enslaves him.
• Lazy Bum: Post-reformation. Its pretty clear he'd rather be lying around and enjoy the luxuries of the palace rather than going out on adventures.
• Manipulative Bastard: A master of this (like his namesake). In particular, the series has him frequently convincing Abu to use his kleptomaniac tendencies for his own means. It can also help his friends out of a jam or have certain villains defeat themselves. For example, he fakes switching sides with his crush Thundra's rival Malcho, after the villain steals Thundra's magic amulet, before making him perform a spell that backfired on him once. Malcho suffers the same fate and loses the amulet in the process.
• Man of a Thousand Voices: He does several impressions in the first film, and they are dead on accurate. This also becomes vital to thwarting Mozenrath's scheme to unleash a wind jackal on Agrabah by imitating Mozenrath's voice and ordering it to banish itself.
• Meaningful Name: He's named after the notorious villain from Othello; while not as evil, he has certain parallels; he is greedy and manipulative, and seeks power (which he specifies as 'palace perks') and wealth, he is incredibly clever, but lacks more specific goals. He also repeatedly admits to his flaws, which is an honesty that plays a part in why anybody trusts him at all. This reference was lampshaded in the episode "The Vapor Chase", where he mentions he has a twin brother named Othello. Additionally, Iago means, "The Supplanter".
• The Millstone: In the TV series, a lot of the problems Aladdin and the gang go through wind up being the result of Iago's greed, ego, and/or cowardice. However, there are also several times where he still winds up contributing greatly to the group as well in spite of these vices.
• Misplaced Wildlife: He's a South American parrot in the Middle East. Jafar found him in the bazaar and taught him how to talk.
• Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: The primary reason for his Heel–Face Turn: he's tired of constantly being abused and pushed around by Jafar.
• Money Fetish: Unabashedly the greediest member of the series and always eager for cash. He handles all of the wedding presents in The King of Thieves, believing that he'll get to keep one if he acts pleasant enough. And also, he tries to ask about where the Ultimate Treasure is (beore the Oracle says that It Only Works Once, much to Iago's chagrin).
• Mouthy Bird: He has a beak that acts like lips and allows him to make several different facial expressions.
• Mr. Exposition: He shares this role with Genie in the series, often waxing forth on facts relating to various magical conundrums and obstacles they encounter. Generally, if it relates to Black Magic or Evil Sorcerers, Iago will be the one explaining things, courtesy of his time as Jafar's familiar.
• The Napoleon: He usually takes this role when he works with Abu and Genie.
• No Indoor Voice: What did you expect from Gilbert Gottfried?
• NOT!: Iago uses it to describe the sultan. "Oh, excellent judge [of character], sure... NOT!"
• Not-So-Harmless Villain: In the first movie. He comes off as a comically obnoxious loudmouth, and the constant abuse he goes through certainly doesn't help him seem threatening, but he has a devious side. For example, after the lamp is apparently lost, he's the one to suggest Jafar marry Jasmine and have her and her father killed so that he can become sultan. Later on, he successfully steals the lamp from Aladdin.
• Odd Name Out: He's the only character in the film series whose name is not Arabic in origin.
• Parrot Pet Position: Often takes this spot on Jafar. And likewise on Aladdin after his Heel–Face Turn, when the spot's not occupied by Abu.
• Polly Wants a Microphone:
  • Interestingly, for most of the original movie, Iago pretends to be a regular parrot when in the presence of characters other than Jafar. He drops this after the protagonists turn on Jafar, though, and no-one in-universe seems particularly surprised by his fluent speech.
  • In the second movie, Jafar claims that "If it weren't for me, you'd still be in a cage at the bazaar squawking 'Polly want a cracker'", which is sometimes taken to mean that Iago was a normal parrot whom Jafar made articulate with some sort of magic. On the other hand, no one seems to find it surprising that Iago is articulate.
• Reformed, but Not Tamed: While no longer evil, he still retains a rather unpleasant disposition.
• Sadist: Has a sadistic humor that Jafar enjoys, like his Evil Laugh at the idea of dropping Jasmine and her father off a cliff, something he and Jafar really intended to do. When Jafar temporarily takes over the kingdom, he watches the heroes in pain with a smug smile, encouraging Jafar. Still unbelievable how this bird manages to have a Heel–Face Turn.
• Sarcastic Devotee: He is this to both Jafar and later Aladdin.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Attempted at the end of the first movie, but it doesn't work out, as Jafar pulls him into his lamp with him. He's far more successful in The Return of Jafar.
• Sixth Ranger: With doses of The Lancer.
• Small Name, Big Ego: He's arrogant and egotistical, despite the fact he has no magical powers, political status or combat skills.
• Snarky Nonhuman Sidekick: To Jafar initially, but also after his Heel–Face Turn in the sequels and television series. Later leaves Aladdin and becomes Cassim's sidekick.
• Stationary Wings: The fact that he can express with his wings in mid-air makes you think he's floating.
• Stock Animal Diet: Subverted. He hates crackers, and only eats them because the Sultan unwittingly forces him to.
• Taken for Granite: Gets slowly turned to stone in the episode "The Day The Bird Stood Still".
• Talking Animal: Unlike Abu and Rajah, Iago is fully voiced. Fitting, since he's a parrot and justified by the fact that Jafar uplifted him with magic. It's strongly implied that his talking was not one of his natural traits, but the result of modifications made by Jafar (according to Jafar in The Return of Jafar, the only thing Iago could say prior to Jafar getting his hands on him was indeed squacks of "Polly Want A Cracker.") The 2019 live-action movie portrays him as a regular parrot with limited speech.
• Talking in Your Sleep: Does this a little in the series. In "The Vapor Chase" it goes hand in hand with a Catapult Nightmare: "You got the wrong guy! You want my evil twin brother, Othello!"
• Then Let Me Be Evil: In "Poor Iago", Iago decides to reform from his past greedy ways after he suffers a series of misfortunes in his latest quest for wealth, but he ultimately ends up suffering a new series of misfortunes when he tries to be generous. He ultimately concludes that if greed and poverty are going to get him killed, he chooses to be greedy because at least it's more profitable.
• Through a Face Full of Fur: His face turns pinkish-purple/purplish-pink after telling a seemingly maniacal Jafar to get a grip and he does, by strangling him.
• Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Tiny Guy to Thundra's Huge Girl.
• Token Evil Teammate: After his Heel–Face Turn. He's not quite as malicious as he was in the first film, but he's a lot more ruthless and vice-driven than anyone else. On occasion, he made subtle attempts to steal the Sultan's jewels and gold.
• Took a Level in Badass: Starting with the final act of the second movie onwards, being more braver and willing to stand up for his friends.
• Toothy Bird: Iago, who frequently displays teeth when he's griping, which, given that this is Iago, is most of the time. The animators did this specifically to make Iago resemble Gilbert Gottfried.
• Toxic Friend Influence: He is this to Cassim in King of Thieves. For most of the film, Cassim is torn between his love of his son and his obsession with finding the "Ultimate Treasure", which Iago also covets. Iago fuels Cassim's Greed, which leads to both of them getting arrested when they break into the royal treasury to steal the Oracle. Even the Genie (humorously) points out that Cassim's Heel–Face Turn would have happened much sooner and easier if not for Iago.
• Uplifted Animal: The sequel implies (and Word of God confirms) that Iago's sentience and other abnormal qualities can be traced back to Jafar's magic.
• Vile Villain, Laughable Lackey: Jafar was a serious Evil Sorcerer, but his sidekick Iago was a comical character. Being voiced by Gilbert Gottfried helped in that regard.
• Villainous Friendship: Although Iago does take a few blows along the way, he and Jafar seem to have a genuine friendship throughout Aladdin. At the very least, their relationship isn't the typical "Evil Master surrounded by his dumb minions whom he berates all the time", like Scar or the Horned King. (Barring a few scenes, of course.) They generally chat pleasantly with one another, Jafar actually takes advice from him at one point (and gives him credit for his idea), and even after he conquers Agrabah he keeps Iago at his side to enjoy in the spoils as well. But Iago's Heel–Face Turn in the sequel confirms that whatever friendship they may have had at one point is now gone as Iago ends up killing Jafar to save the day.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Tends toward this: in the first movie, he has a relationship like this with Jafar until their falling out in the sequel. He is like this with the rest of the team in the series, though he gets especially close (and insulting) to Abu and Genie. Aladdin also, probably at least right behind them. He doesn't fight with Aladdin but he does talk down to him.
• Voice Changeling: His specialty. We hear him perfectly mimicking the voices of Jasmine and Jafar. Justified because he's a parrot.
• Wild Card: Throughout all three movies and the series, Iago is about as reliable morality-wise as a chocolate teapot. ^note In fact rather less so, as a chocolate teapot is not capable of good or evil, whereas Iago is capable of both or neither depending on his mood. He spends much of Aladdin: The Series stealing treasures from his 'friends', manipulating people's good natures, and abandoning fights that turn ugly. However he doesn't like his friends getting hurt, and has had some surprisingly brave moments. Jafar makes note of it in Aladdin: The Return of Jafar:
  Jafar: Iago... you betrayed me and allied yourself with my enemies! Then you turned on them as soon at it was in your best interests. That's what I love about you. You're so perfectly... predictable. A villain through and through!
  • And his conscience moment...
    Iago: Hey, I did my good deed! I don't owe you a thing! You hear me?! [beat] Not a thing...
• Would Hit a Girl: He is the one who suggests Jafar to kill Jasmine along with her father, after Jafar forcefully marries her to inherit the throne.
• Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: His eyes are yellow and he's quite the shady character even after his Heel–Face Turn.
• Yiddish as a Second Language: In a special feature animation on the DVD, Iago travels into the Genie's surprisingly spacious lamp and is baffled at how it's from the same Genie who "was always kvetching about his itty-bitty living space." The host even draws attention to the word.
  Voice of the Lamp: "Ka-vetching?"
  Iago: It's a bird expression...

The Magic Carpet

An enchanted carpet that has been trapped in the Cave of Wonders for an untold time, this magical rug is capable of flight and is a sentient being in its own right. He and the Genie are old friends, in part due to spending so long in the Cave together, and Aladdin trusts him with his life and the lives of his friends.

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• Ace Pilot: Being a flying carpet, he’s naturally this. In “A Sultan Worth His Salt”, Carpet was unable to fly due to getting a rip on himself, but he was able to fly a Pegasus.
• Adaptational Late Appearance: Doesn't appear in the Cave Of Wonders in the stage musical. The genie gives it to Aladdin as part of his Prince Ali persona and it only appears during "A Whole New World".
• Adaptation Species Change: In the original story, Aladdin escapes the Cave with help from a weaker genie that's trapped inside a ring. Earlier scripts went with this but they thought having two genies was overcomplicated and replaced one with a non-speakong flying carpet.
• Always Someone Better: Carpet initially feels rejected in "Love at First Sprite" when the titular sprites can take Aladdin, Jasmine and Sultan flying without him, but after the Sprites nearly drop the palace on Agrabah Carpet is able to save his friends and outfly the Sprites to the extent that he and Aladdin trick two groups into crashing into each other.
• Animate Inanimate Object: He's a sentient (and flying) carpet. Despite having no mouth, Carpet was able to give Jasmine a hand kiss. In the series, he's shown that he can fall asleep (unfortunately in mid-flight at the time).
  Jasmine: But rugs don't sleep!
  Aladdin: They don't usually fly, either, but this one's doing both!
• Animation Bump: Inverted. Carpet's elaborate design is only seen in the original movie and Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams. In Aladdin: The Return of Jafar, Aladdin: The Series, and Aladdin and the King of Thieves, his design is simplified to a few solid shapes so that he can be animated more cheaply.
• Bash Brothers: He and Genie work particularly well together and have known each other for a very long time.
• Big Damn Heroes: Often catches the heroes mid-air.
• Conspicuously Light Patch: Inverted. In the first movie, Carpet is drawn to look like a background object due to computer graphics, which makes his first appearance a surprise when he comes to life after being stepped on by Abu and Aladdin.
• Even the Dog Is Ashamed: "Even the Carpet's Disgusted That You Lied to Jasmine and Broke Your Promise to the Genie"
• Face Palm: Manages to do this without a face or a palm. It uses its corner tassels as makeshift "hands".
• Freeze-Frame Bonus: The carpet's intricate design◊ - if you can see the entire design you will see that it is meant to represent factors from the entire story, including the face of the snake sceptre, the lamps in the center also being stylized in heart shapes, the swords, and the genies around the edge.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: A helpful and useful Non-Human Sidekick, Carpet has saved the team numerous times, and is implied to be smarter than even the Genie.
• Just Whistle: When Aladdin sees the Genie under Jafar's command lifting the palace, he whistles to summon the carpet in a futile effort to stop him.
• Leitmotif: You can hear a soft variation of it when they first meet Carpet, followed by a bombastic version during the escape from the cave. It returns as Aladdin and Abu escape the ends of the earth later on.
• Magic Carpet: He's a carpet that can rapidly transport people who sit on top of it.
• No Biological Sex: Being an inanimate object, Carpet has no gender. But he's referred to by the others with male pronouns, so we're going with that. There was also that time in the series he got lead away by a pink flying carpet.
• Oh, Crap!: He has an epic one when he sees Abu going for the giant ruby just as Aladdin is about to retrieve the lamp.
• Only Sane Man: Of the entire cast, Carpet is often the one who keeps his cool where others can let their emotions or personal issues (Aladdin's self-confidence, Abu's kleptomania, Iago's greed, Genie's more limited powers, etc.) get the better of them; Genie once observed that Carpet has "a good head on [his] shoulders... if [he] had either".
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: The blue oni to Genie's red oni. He's The Quiet One while Genie is boisterous and energetic.
• The Reliable One: Big time. He's just a carpet, but a heroic, intelligent carpet who is always there whenever Aladdin and the others need him.
• Running Gag:
  • Genie challenges Carpet to various games, and always loses. In one episode they are interrupted in a game of Poker but you can see Carpet with four Aces.
  • When Genie plays against Carpet and Iago a few times, he always comes last.
• Shipper on Deck: Aladdin and Jasmine's First Kiss happened thanks to him. Also, in the scene right before that one, he strikes a "Awww!" pose right after he saw them cuddling on a rooftop.
• The Silent Bob: Justified; he's a carpet. He can't talk!
• Silent Snarker: Several times, like in the scene with Aladdin and Jasmine after the "A Whole New World" song. See also Face Palm.
• Smarter Than You Look: He has shown to possess a human level of intelligence, due to his Hypercompetent Sidekick role - and he can play all kinds of games requiring clarity of thought, from pool, to chess, to card games (and winning every time).
• Super-Speed: One has to wonder how Aladdin and Abu returned back to Agrabah so quickly after Jafar sent them to the ends of the Earth. Not to mention the world tour with Aladdin and Jasmine in a single night.
• The Speechless: He may be sentient, but he's not chatty. Justified as he has no mouth or even a face.
• That One Player: To Genie. It's a Running Gag throughout the entire series, cartoon and films alike, that he always bests Genie in whatever game they're playing.
• They Killed Kenny Again: In the first two films, he's destroyed at some point—in the first, Jafar unravels him and in the second Jafar turns him into glass and shatters him. Both times, he's restored to normal after Jafar's defeated.
• Weaksauce Weakness: Carpet is easily pinned by rocks and furniture, or tied up. And he may be magic, but his fabric is not, since he can also be torn or burned by non-magical means, and requires special repair from Genie that can take some time.
• Undying Loyalty: He's always at Aladdin's side, no matter how dangerous the situation.

Deleted allies

The Genie of the Ring

The Genie of the Ring

• Narrator All Along: At the end, it's revealed this Genie was the original Peddler.

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