Despite the suspicions that it might be no more than a money grab, the Diamond Edition release of Disney's Aladdin does actually seem to promise on the special edition billing. Not only does it include a tribute to the late, great Robin Williams, but it also features a lot of unseen footage and voice performance material from Williams that didn't make it into the film. And on top of that the directors have just confirmed a long-held fan theory on the publicity trail for the film. Speaking to E! News, directors Ron Clements and John Musker confirmed that the musical stall-holder who introduces the film is - as suspected by fans for years - the Genie himself in disguise: "That's true," said Clements. "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." Finally, validation! The pair also confirmed that the original version of the film had been set in Baghdad, Iraq:
"We kept it Baghdad in our first treatment, and then the Gulf War happened€”the first Gulf War. Roy Disney said, 'This can't be in Baghdad.' So, I took letters and did a jumbled anagram and came up with Agrabah. We came up with a few alternates. But no, we never thought it was post-apocalyptic, futuristic or in some other time."
