Why Didnt Robin Williams Voice Genie Again
The Longrunning Feud Betwixt Disney and Robin Williams That Grew Out of 'Aladdin'
A few weeks agone, Lindsay Ellis released a fascinating YouTube video on the origins of celebrity voice piece of work in animated films, which tin largely be traced back to Robin Williams' part in Aladdin, at least in the way that celebrities are used at present in animated films. At the center of that story, still, is how Disney f**cked over Robin Williams. Much of the account tin can also be gleaned in this 2014 BoingBoing piece, or the original 50.A. Times article from 1993.
The gist of the dispute is this: The writers behind Aladdin basically wrote the moving-picture show with Williams in listen as the genie, and William agreed to do the picture for scale (a meager $75,000) on the condition that Disney would not excessively marketplace the grapheme, because Robin Williams did not want to be in the business of selling toys and other merchandise, a tradition that dated dorsum to his Mork & Mindy days (he put the kibosh on Mork action figures). Naturally, Disney being Disney, it quickly reneged on that deal and sold Genie toys at Burger Rex, amidst many other merchandising opportunities.
"Nosotros had a deal," the role player said on the NBC evidence. "The i thing I said was I volition do the vox. I'chiliad doing it basically because I want to be part of this animation tradition. I desire something for my children. I deal is, I just don't want to sell anything—as in Burger Rex, every bit in toys, as in stuff."
Disney CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg didn't bide by the agreement in other ways, too. To wit:
Just afterwards "Aladdin" opened, Williams was driving through downtown Los Angeles and was shocked to come across that many of the city's bus shelters featured huge blue posters of the Genie. No other characters from "Aladdin" were featured in these enormous public advertisements. Just the Genie.When Williams called Katzenberg to complain nearly the jitney shelter posters, Jeffrey apologized profusely. "Obviously, in that location must have been some sort of mix-up," the then-Disney Studio caput said. "I'll have them removed immediately."
So all 300 of the LA surface area "Aladdin" motorcoach shelter posters were recalled and destroyed. Information technology was but later on that Williams learned that thousands of these huge blue Genie posters had been created and had been installed in bus shelters all over the country, where they remained upwardly for the entire fourth dimension "Aladdin" was in theaters. Only the big blue Genie bus shelter posters that were in areas where Williams was probable to encounter them had been removed.
In her video, Ellis suggests that Disney felt piffling obligation to alive up to their end of the bargain, considering Williams had besides agreed to do voice work on a competing animated pic, Ferngully, which Williams had signed on earlier Aladdin had ever come along. Katzenberg tried to get Williams to pull out of Ferngully, but Williams refused, so Disney attempted to sabotage Ferngully.
There was a lot of acrimony regarding Disney's determination to go back on Williams bargain, and Robin voiced his displeasure, vowing never to do some other Disney film again and telling film critic Gene Shalit, "You lot realize now when yous work for Disney why the mouse has simply four fingers—considering he can't pick up a check." Disney characterized information technology as "sour grapes," suggesting that Williams was just pissed that he agreed to make a movie that made over $500 million at the box office for scale. Nevertheless, Disney tried to patch things up with Williams by sending him an original Picasso painting, valued at $5 1000000.
It didn't work, in function, because Williams lost it because Katzenberg also used Robin to promote Aladdin during awards flavour. In fact, when Williams ultimately won the Gilded Globe, he thanked Jeffrey "Katzenbug" and asked during the ceremony if "the special achievement honour" he received was a "coupon I can turn in to get a existent laurels?"
In any respect, Williams refused to lend his vocalisation to the next ii Aladdin video sequels (he was replaced by Dan Castellaneta). He did, however, determine to return to Disney for the last sequel, Aladdin and the Male monarch of Thieves, but only after Jeffrey Katzenberg left Disney and was replaced by Joe Roth, with whom Williams had a proficient relationship. Even however, Williams wouldn't agree until Joe Roth held a press conference in 1996 publicly apologizing to Williams on behalf of Disney.
The ii companies had a fruitful relationship for a few years, but later Disney botched Bicentennial Man in 1999 and Joe Roth left, the relationship between the studio and the actor soured once more. He made merely ane more film for Disney, Old Dogs, and that was more than a decade after. (All the same, Williams was inducted into the Disney Hall of Fame).
There is an interesting addendum to the feud, which — in some minor way — may be how Williams got back at Disney: Apparently, in that location was enough footage left on the cutting room flooring from 1991's Aladdin to make some other installment of the franchise. However, Robin Williams' will specifically would not let it.
A erstwhile Disney executive revealed that enough of the player'due south lines from the original 1991 recording sessions wound up on the cutting-room flooring for the visitor to use them and make a 4th installment of the "Aladdin" franchise, according to the Times of London.Unfortunately, Disney had to ditch the plans when they discovered Williams' volition prevents them from using his name, taped performances or voice recordings for 25 years after his decease.
Chef's kiss!
In the meantime, if you want to know the full origins of the celeb voiceover phenomenon, hither's Ellis' terrific video on the subject field.
Meanwhile, here are an array of those Robin Williams outtakes from Aladdin.
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