Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (1939)

Working in the story department of Surprise Pictures, Olive Oyl writes a script based on the story of Aladdin, casting Popeye as the thief and herself as the Princess.

Director:

Dave Fleischer

Stars:

Margie Hines, Jack Mercer, Carl Meyer

Cast

Uncredited cast:
Margie Hines	...	Olive Oyl (voice) (uncredited)
Jack Mercer	...	Popeye (voice) (uncredited)
Carl Meyer	...	Evil Wazzir (voice) (uncredited)

Storyline

The story of Aladdin is portrayed by Popeye and Olive Oyl here. It all begins when an evil sorcerer coaxes Aladdin (Popeye) to a dangerous cave to retrieve the magic lamp. When he retrieves the lamp, the sorcerer tries to trap Aladdin in the cave, but drops the lamp in first. When the lamp is rubbed, a magic genie pops out and grants Aladdin a wish of being a prince to fall in love with the beautiful princess (Olive Oyl). But now the evil sorcerer has kidnapped the princess and sends evil monsters after Aladdin, but with the help of his spinach power, he can put the trouble right.

---

Plot Keywords:

popeye | genie | crossover | arabian | dragon | 

---

Taglines:

A Double-Length Max Fleischer Cartoon in TECHNICOLOR! (original poster)

---

Genres:

Animation | Short | Action | Comedy | Family

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 April 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Popeye Meets Aladin

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fleischer Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

22 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The third (and final) of the Technicolor two-reel "Popeye Specials."

---

Quotes

[as his face turns several different colors while wooing the Princess]
Popeye/Aladdin: I never made love in Technicolor before.

---

Connections

Version of Aladdin (1992)

---

Soundtracks

"What Can I Do for You"
Words and Music by Edward Heyman and Sammy Timberg
Performed by Jack Mercer

User Reviews

In My Opinion, the Single Best Popeye Cartoon

I agree with others here that this is the best of the three Arabian Night Shorts that were produced (the others being Popeye Meets Sinbad and Popeye Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves). It's fast-paced and Popeye, as usual, mutters some great lines under his breath ("I've never made love in Technicolor before"). Popeye is never thought of as a funny cartoon character, but he really is extremely funny ("Can you show me the entrance to the exit?").

There are also quite a few similarities to Disney's Aladdin, which would be made over 50 years later: the villain looks a bit like Jafar, the Genie is blue and a fun character, and the way Aladdin looks once disguised as a prince looks exactly like the Prince Ali sequence.

Some Popeye fans will be upset to not see Bluto or Wimpy, but at least it's great to see Popeye have a new villain for once. And finally, at just over 20 minutes, this is the longest Popeye cartoon that I know of.

A classic!