Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (1982): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1982, Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp is a fantasy, adventure and animation film directed by Yoshikatsu Kasai, running about 65 minutes.

What it’s about. This film stays very faithful to the original down to the smallest details, save for the kangaroo-rat that suddenly appears twenty minutes into the movie and subsequently follows Aladdin around, serving no purpose in the story but fulfilling the role of token animal mascot. The story takes some illogical and confusing jumps at the point where Aladdin begins to court the princess, and the extravagant animation that had characterised Toei films of the 60s, when Toei had the best animators around, had become a thing of the past long before this point; but this is still an above-average film, in large part because of the screenplay that stays so faithful to the original. The character designs are slightly more western-looking than one is accustomed to seeing in anime.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.6/10, Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp page.

If you liked it. Fans of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp tend to enjoy The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Green Mile, Spirited Away and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.