Robin Williams’ outrageous demands for the ‘Aladdin’ threequel
When Robin Williams performed in the role of the Genie in the classic 1992 Disney animated film Aladdin, he wrote himself into the studio’s rich history. The performance is undoubtedly one of the all-time great Disney efforts, and Williams delivered his unique sense of humour with no small amount of improvisation added for good measure.
Williams only agreed to perform in the animation classic if Disney approved that his voice acting and the Genie character were not used in any of the film’s promotional material, though. After all, he had accepted a paltry $75,000 fee when he was used to charging around $8million for a live-action performance.
“We had a deal,” Williams had said on The Today Show when promoting Mrs. Doubtfire. “The one thing I said was I will do the voice. I’m doing it basically because I want to be part of this animation tradition. I want something for my children. One deal is, I just don’t want to sell anything – as in Burger King, as in toys, as in stuff.”
However, Disney betrayed Williams’ request and used him in the theatrical trailer and marketing material anyway, knowing the worth he would bring to the film’s promotion. This understandably outraged the actor, and he decided to turn down the chance to star in the 1994 sequel The Return of Jafar.
“Not only did they use my voice, but they also took a character I did and overdubbed it to sell stuff,” Williams noted. “That was the one thing I said: ‘I don’t do that.’ That was the one thing where they crossed the line.” Evidently, Disney had wound Williams up the wrong way, marking the beginning of a feud that wouldn’t heal for some time.
Dan Castellaneta of The Simpsons fame was hired to replace him for the sequel and had recorded his lines in full. However, Disney still wanted Williams back in the role though, even despite Castellaneta’s efforts. When they came calling once more for 1996’s King of Thieves, Williams decided to double down and asked for a $1million performance fee and a public apology from a Disney exec, thinking these demands would not be met.
To his surprise, Disney matched the request. He got his exorbitant fee and received a public apology from Joe Roth, who had then been the studio boss at the time. Williams’ demands went to show that he knew his worth and that he understood the importance of only serving the narrative of a film rather than appeasing studio marketing executives. Fair play, Robin.
