The fact that the late Williams was a genius at improvisation is certainly nothing new, but what is an interesting revelation is the fact that his performance in the recording booth for Disney’s animated version of Aladdin as the all-powerful genie has made such a difference in the way these kinds of movies are made.
As Clements told Variety, “John Musker and I wrote the original script with the specific idea that Robin would voice the genie and that he would be a visual as well as vocal shape-shifter. Robin would be encouraged to improvise to his heart’s content.”
On the first day of recording the introduction of the Genie character, he began by reading the lines as written, but then kicked into his unique style. “The original scene was meant to be about three minutes long,” says Clements. "Each take, Robin would add and embellish, so by the 25th and last take, the scene had expanded to about 20 minutes long. Robin kept coming up with more and more ideas, and he was consistently hilarious … His energy was incredible. By the end of that first four-hour session, Robin was dripping with sweat, completely drained.”
Later he added, “Robin changed the way animated films were perceived. His brilliant comedy brought an adult appeal to animation that was new at the time. He was also one of the biggest stars ever to be featured in an animated film at that time.”
And if you track the history of animated features from the arrival of Aladdin onward, the impact of that one performance could be felt in film after film. Just another part of the legacy of Robin Williams.