Miyazaki wrote this straight. No reinvention, no subversion, just the Arabian Nights tale the way it actually goes, which means you watch Aladdin claw his way up from street rat to sultan through cunning and desperation, not Disney sentiment. The kangaroo-rat is ridiculous and pointless and somehow perfect, a mascot that knows it doesn't belong here. A 1982 anime that respects its source material more than the studio system ever could, built by someone who understood that faithfulness isn't a limitation.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp is a 1982 fantasy adventure film that retells the classic story of Aladdin, and it keeps closely to the original tale in nearly every detail. The main addition is a small kangaroo-rat that turns up partway through and trails after Aladdin as a mascot companion. The story follows Aladdin as he sets out to court a princess. Akira Miyazaki, known for his work on several World Masterpiece Theater series, wrote the screenplay, and the character designs lean more western in appearance than typical anime of the time. Viewers seeking faithful adaptations of beloved classics will find plenty to appreciate here.