The world lost one of its greatest comedians earlier this week when Robin Williams died at the age of 63 on Monday. Many of us have fond memories of the talented actor, but given his wide collection of work, we each may identify with different roles that he played. Since the tragic news of Williams’ death stunned people around the globe, fans have been wanting to re-watch Aladdin, but the film was never available on Blu-ray in North America and is currently locked away in Disney’s “vault,” meaning you can’t go out and purchase the film. As a way to appease the fans and celebrate Williams’ legacy, Disney has announced that the film will play several times across its networks this weekend!
While Williams appeared in several Disney projects, there might be no better representation of the actor in the studio’s catalog than in Aladdin. When it was released in 1992, the animated film became the biggest hit of the year, grossing over $200 million in the U.S. and Canada, while taking in over $500 million worldwide. The film remains one of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ most beloved projects, mostly due to the great music and animation, and of course, the iconic turn by Robin Williams as Genie.
One of the reasons why the death of actors hits us so hard is because when we view their work on the big screen and on the TV in our homes, we invite them into our lives and it feels like we know these characters that they play. So this weekend, enjoy Aladdin again, and be reminded how Williams will continue to live on as long as we treasure what he gave us.