8 Awesome Disney Fan Theories You Won't Believe

3. The Merchant At The Start Of Aladdin Is The Genie

Aladdin opens with a merchant talking to the audience trying desperately to flog his wares, including an iconic golden lamp. This has prompted many people to suggest that the whole film is in fact a story made up to make a rusty old piece of rubbish seem worth buying, but there's another theory that makes it even more interesting.

You see, the merchant is played by none other than Robin Williams; on top of defining the Genie, the late actor also ad-libbed a performance as the junk store owner (apparently much of his improv was rather unsuitable for a family film). You could say it's just a funny actor showing his talents -numerous animated characters are voiced by the same person - but what if all of Williams' contribution to the film is actually all one character. The merchant's dress sense is certainly invoking the his design; could this be a free Genie living an ordinary life?

It doesn't really add much to the story itself, but is pretty impressive how this potential resolution to the character's arc was successfully hidden from the audience in plain sight.