Disney will dazzle you with 'Aladdin on Ice'

Copyright 1995 The Seattle Times Company

"Disney's Aladdin on Ice," which CBS shows at 8 p.m. tomorrow on KSTW-TV, is the kind of special that has to be seen to be believed: part cartoon, part ice show, part Las Vegas revue, part travelogue - and all Disney. Talk about recycling! Disney has done everything that can possibly be done with the Aladdin tale and this newest version will probably be just as popular as the other versions.

The program was shot in Cairo, not only because vistas of Egyptian scenery could be easily integrated into the finished product but also because the touring "Walt Disney's World on Ice" version of "Aladdin" was playing in Cairo (it opened at the KeyArena yesterday and continues through Sunday). Skating champs Kurt Browning and Kristi Yamaguchi portray Aladdin and Princess Jasmine; the soundtrack supplies the music and voices for lip-synching, and the program jumps seamlessly between shots in Cairo, scenes on the ice rink and footage from the "Aladdin" animated cartoon.

It's all so cleverly devised and edited, so swiftly performed, so perfectly conceived and deftly put together you have to admire the Disney organization. And even if you don't want to hear those familiar "Aladdin" songs again, the new element here is the Yamaguchi-Browning duo, and they're devilishly good.

"Aladdin on Ice" is serving notice that some day the Disney organization will rule the entertainment world - and we'll all probably sing along with it.