10 Movie Character Backstories Revealed Years Later
6. The Peddler Was The Genie All Along - Aladdin
The Peddler is a minor yet incredibly memorable character who appears at the start of Disney's animated Aladdin to effectively introduce the story. For literally decades, fans both young and old have theorised that the character was actually the Genie (Robin Williams) in disguise.
Above all else, the theory was supported by both characters being voiced by Robin Williams, and just how much sense it made for the story to be kicked off by the Genie himself.
In 2015, some 23 years after the film's release, its directors Ron Clements and John Musker confirmed to E! News that The Peddler has in fact been the Genie all along. Clements said:
"I saw something that speculates that the peddler at the beginning of Aladdin is the Genie. That’s true! That was the whole intention, originally. We even had that at the end of the movie, where he would reveal himself to be the Genie, and of course Robin did the voice of the peddler. Just through story changes and some editing, we lost the reveal at the end. So, that’s an urban legend that actually is true."
Better still, an animatic of the film's original ending even found its way online in 2017, which confirms beyond any doubt that the Peddler was indeed the Genie.