Cartoon a Day: Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp
1934
Directed by Ub Iwerks
Available on: Cartoons that Time Forgot - The Ub Iwerks Collection Vol. 1

"Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp," not to be confused with the famous Popeye two-realer "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp," is another Ub Iwerks cartoon from his post-Disney days.

Iwerks tended to be an innovator and there is a lot to like here with the creative use of color. A lot of the character design is very interesting as well, from the genie to the scrawny villain to the Betty Boopish princess. So one of the weaknesses of this short is the pretty boring design of the main character. He's just not that interesting.

You've got to give Iwerks some credit though, this was an ambitious project for 1934 and it's obvious that a few elements may have even inspired the creators of Disney's feature length "Aladdin" decades later.