| جعفر Jafar |
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 Jafar's wish to become an all-powerful sorcerer is granted by Genie. |
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| First appearance | Aladdin (1992) |
| Last appearance | The Return of Jafar (1994) |
| Created by | John Musker Ron Clements Andreas Deja (animator) |
| Voiced by | Jonathan Freeman |
Jafar (Arabic: جعفر Ja'far) is a fictional character featured as the primary antagonist in the Disney film Aladdin and its sequel, The Return of Jafar. He is an evil sorcerer and the former Grand Vizier of the Sultan of Agrabah. He does not appear in Aladdin and the King of Thieves since he is permanently defeated in the sequel, but he is mentioned by the Genie. Jafar has a pet parrot named Iago in the first film; the bird normally perches on Jafar's shoulders or his staff.
He is voiced by Jonathan Freeman.[1] Patrick Stewart was originally offered the role of Jafar, but scheduling conflicts with Star Trek: The Next Generation forced him to turn down the role. He has said in interviews that this is his biggest regret in his career, and in the top three of biggest regrets of his life.[2]
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Development
Inspirations
Jafar's name may be a derivitive of Jafar or Giafar (Arabic: جعفر) from tales of the Arabian Nights. Giafar was the protagonist of many stories in Arabian Nights, but he was never presented as a villain. The original tale of Aladdin, a Syrian story not originally attached to the Arabian Nights, features two characters who correspond to Disney's Jafar: an unnamed Vizier who is jealous of Aladdin but does not serve as a real villain, and an evil magician from the Maghreb in North Africa who introduces Aladdin to his magical lamp.
Another inspiration to the character is the villain Jaffar, played by Conrad Veidt in The Thief of Bagdad, from which Aladdin borrows several character ideas and plot elements. The Jafar of Disney's Aladdin plays essentially the same part as the character from the 1940s movie, and is drawn with notable similarity to Conrad Veidt's looks.[3]
Design
Animator Andreas Deja decided to design Jafar in a way he was contrasting to the other characters, with many vertical lines against the curvy designs based on Al Hirschfeld.[4] When Deja first met Jonathan Freeman, he was surprised to see the lack of physical similarity to the character - but also included some of Freeman's acting and gesturing into Jafar's animation.[5]
Characteristics
Personality
Jafar is portrayed as an amoral psychopath who will not hesitate to destroy anyone he perceives as a threat to his own sinister designs. Like numerous clinically-diagnosed psychopaths, Jafar wears a metaphorical mask of normalcy throughout the film, establishing himself as a cool-headed schemer and gaining the trust of those around him, despite his rather untrustworthy physical appearance. Even with this mask, Jafar's psychopathic tendencies tend to seep through and become apparent to the viewer, particularly in the opening sequence, where Jafar displays no remorse in sending Gazeem the Thief to his death in the Cave of Wonders, simply proclaiming that "Gazeem was obviously less than worthy" in a rather dry tone of voice. The deleted song "Humiliate the Boy" also establishes Jafar as an emotional sadist, getting a laugh out of seeing "another fellow's dreams turn into nightmares one by one" and treating the Genie in an especially harsh manner. It is not until Jafar gains control of the Genie's lamp that he fully shows his true colors, becoming more short-tempered with his subjects after usurping power from the Sultan. It is this impulsive behavior that leads to his downfall, as he uses his third wish to become an omnipotent genie, unaware of the life inside the lamp that he now has to endure.
Jafar is usually shown to be somewhat comedic and plucky (giving a slight human side to his usual evil, a trait not usually seen in Disney villains), even in his times of evil and cunning, proclaiming "Ewww..." when contemplating decapitation. This, however, doesn't keep Jafar from having a sub-par sense of humor himself, spurting several puns in a row while keeping Aladdin and his friends from getting the lamp during the film's climax ("Your time is up!", "Don't toy with me!", "Things are unraveling fast now, boy!", "Get the point?", "I'm just getting warmed up!") This comical humor does not carry over in the film's direct-to-video sequel, which aimed to make Jafar more sinister and ruthless; however, during the film's climax, after shooting Iago down, Jafar cynically taunts Aladdin with the line, "Good help is so hard to find these days, isn't it, Aladdin?". This also shows when facing Aladdin in "Hercules and the Arabian Night", when he jokingly refers to himself as "another blast from your past."
Physical appearance
Jafar is bald, tall and thin, has broad shoulders, an elastic mouth, haughty eyebrows, and a thin strangely-shaped beard.[1] When he transforms into a cobra he has a black and red color scheme. When he wishes to become an all-powerful genie, he transforms into a massive, red-skinned entity with talons, glowing yellow eyes and an immense, muscular physique, giving him a devil-like appearance.
Wardrobe
He wears flowing robes of black, purple, dark red, and other moody colors. When he is granted true magical abilities, upon wishing to become the world's most powerful sorcerer, his outfit's angular qualities become more exaggerated, his turban and his wardrobe's shoulders growing into elongated spikes. His golden, cobra-headed staff is also granted unnatural life, its mouth opening to spit spells. When he retakes human form after becoming a genie, he recreates his former outfit, only with a greater emphasis on red.
Powers and abilities
He is shown to be intelligent, as his secret chamber is filled with strange devices and stacks of tomes. Instead of casting spells, he relies on previously prepared potions capable of producing magical phenomena; smashing a vial of red liquid onto the floor, for example, in order to create a cloud of smoke to escape from the Sultans' guards. A gigantic hourglass which he keeps in his study also serves as a crystal ball for him, granting him the ability to see the outside world. He is a master of disguise, assuming the appearance of an old beggar man in order to gain Aladdin’s confidence. He operates largely through his underworld connections, such as with the thief, Gazeem, as well as his position of authority within the palace, which places the entire Royal Guard under his command.
After he makes this wish to be the ultimate sorcerer, he is able to perform an assortment of spells, such as manipulating physical bodies, levitating objects, materializing weaponry from thin air, spitting fire, and shapeshifting into a giant cobra. He is also able to revert Aladdin's first wish by the Genie, transforming Aladdin back into a street rat and revealing his true identity to Jasmine.
He wished to become an all-powerful genie at the end of the first film, granting him "phenomenal cosmic power" at the cost of being trapped inside his own genie lamp. In The Return of Jafar he is released from the lamp, but his life is still bound to it. As a genie Jafar has all the powers he had when he was a sorcerer, plus many others, making him significantly more menacing. He is capable of granting wishes, though he prefers to interpret the meaning of the wish in a way that furthers his own goals, such as himself being wished free. The consequence of this great power is, however, that he is still completely bound to the lamp and the laws of the genie. One of the laws that effects Jafar's abilities is that a genie cannot outright kill a person with their power. However, Jafar still is able to create situations that could kill persons without disrespecting these laws. Unlike Genie before he was freed, Jafar is capable of casting large-scale magic that greatly affects the world around him without his current master wishing for him to do so, creating rock spires out of the ground and opening up a lake of magma in an attempt to kill Aladdin during the film's climax. The other law is that should his genie lamp be destroyed Jafar will perish, regardless of his great power.
In Hercules and the Arabian Night, Jafar is no longer a genie, but is still able to perform magic, albeit far weaker than when he was the world's most powerful sorcerer.
Snake-headed staff
Jafar relies heavily on his snake-headed staff which is capable, through its enchanted ruby eyes, of hypnotizing people. Though the staff is destroyed by Aladdin when he reveals Jafar's treachery to the Sultan, a more powerful version is created after he wishes to become a sorcerer. When he is briefly revived in Hercules and the Arabian Night, he is completely dependent on the staff to keep himself alive.
Appearances
Aladdin
In the first film, Jafar tries to find Genie's lamp in order to take over Agrabah. After stealing it from Aladdin, he first wishes to become the sultan, and then the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Jafar tries to win Jasmine's affections by offering to make her Queen of Agrabah, but a disgusted Jasmine refuses. Frustrated, Jafar decides to use his third wish to force Jasmine to fall in love with him. The Genie tells Jafar that he cannot make someone fall in love. After battling Aladdin using a series of bad puns, Jafar transforms himself into a giant cobra in an attempt to kill Aladdin after wrapping his coils around the boy, Jafar began squeezing the life out of him, Aladdin slyly fools him into using his third and final wish to become an all-powerful genie in an attempt to rule the whole universe. The power-hungry Jafar is convinced that becoming a genie is the only way to have unlimited power (since Genie was the one who gave Jafar his power in the first place, thus making Jafar the second most powerful being after Genie), and he falls for Aladdin's trap. Now transformed into a genie with unlimited powers but no free will, Jafar becomes trapped in his own lamp along with Iago.
The Return of Jafar
In The Return of Jafar, the now-genie Jafar is released by Abis Mal, and, after cunningly making Abis-Mal waste his first two wishes, threatens Abis into helping him. His plan includes holding Jasmine, Abu, the Sultan, and the Carpet hostage (as well as confining Genie in a power orb to prevent him from foiling his plan) and framing Aladdin for the Sultan's "death," which would cause him to face death at the hands of the palace guards. Luckily, a reformed Iago frees Genie from the orb, giving him enough time to save Aladdin and his friends. When Jafar discovers this, he opens up a volcanic fissure into the earth in an attempt to destroy Aladdin and the others. Just as Iago grabs the lamp and attempts to give it to Aladdin to put an end to it, Jafar shoots the bird down with a fireball. Having heard from Genie that destroying the lamp holding a genie inside will destroy the genie itself, an injured Iago manages to kick the lamp into the lava, melting it. With a scream of anger, fear, and pain, Jafar fades to a skeletal form and violently implodes into a cloud of dust, having died away for good.
Video Games
In a video game called Nasira's Revenge it is revealed that Jafar has a fraternal twin sister named Nasira who tries bringing her brother back to life. Jafar's sister is very similar both in appearance and actions to Maleficent.
Kingdom Hearts series
Jafar debuted in Kingdom Hearts as one of the members of Maleficent's inner circle. Here, he plans to use the Heartless and take over Agrabah. Operating as one of the villains led by Maleficent, Jafar is attempting to located both Jasmine (as she is one of the Princess' of Heart) and Agrabah's Keyhole. Sora, Donald, and Goofy first encounter Jafar in an alley in Agrabah where he sends a small group of Heartless to claim Sora's Keyblade (all of which are easily defeated). Jafar eventually manages to steal the Genie's lamp from Aladdin and kidnap Jasmine. The group tracks him to the Cave of Wonders where they briefly glimpse Maleficent and engage Jafar in battle. Jafar attacks the team with lighting blasts from his staff, a blizzard he creates in the center of the room, and will also light his staff on fire and attempt to strike a character. Upon his defeat he fakes death but returns and uses his final wish to become a Genie and battles the team again only to be defeated and sealed away in the lamp. Jafar is briefly referenced in Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days, wherein Pete attempts to find Jafar's lamp only to give up after a fight with Roxas and Xion. In Kingdom Hearts II, Jafar's lamp is found by the Peddler, making him a target for Pete as he reveals his intent to make Jafar into a Heartless under his control. Once Pete is driven off, the lamp is placed within the palace. However, Jafar is later released by the Peddler and he threatens Iago into helping him get Sora and his friends on a wild goose chase to their death while he captures Jasmine. But after the heroes arrive, with Iago taking a hit meant for Aladdin, Sora defeats Jafar, causing him to implode with his lamp dissolving soon after.
Jafar appears in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories with the Heartless to take over a facsimile of Agrabah created from Sora's memories.
In the manga he is shown to be rather fearful of Maleficent knowing that his sorcery pales in comparison to her dark magic. Upon becoming a genie though he announces he no longer fears her before being sealed away.
Jafar's Japanese voice actor in all these games is Akira Takarada. He is voiced by Jonathan Freeman in the English version of the games.
Other appearances
Although he never appears in the Aladdin television series made after the movie, Jafar is mentioned.
In an episode of Hercules: The Animated Series called "Hercules and the Arabian Night" Jafar makes another attempt at revenge, and is temporarily resurrected by Hercules's arch-enemy, Hades. He has lost his status as an all-powerful immortal genie after dying, but Hades gives him a new cobra staff that makes him flesh and blood as long as he holds it, and the two villains team up to get rid of Aladdin and Hercules.
Jafar also appears at the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts as a meetable character.
In the Disney's Hollywood Studios version of Fantasmic! Nighttime Show Spectacular, Jafar is one of the villains The Queen evokes to fight Mickey Mouse and ruin his imagination. He turns in to his incarnation of the snake, as he does in the first film.
Jafar appears with Ursula the Sea Witch, Oogie Boogie and Maleficent in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom halloween-themed fireworks program HalloWishes at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.
Jafar is featured in several episodes of Disney's House of Mouse. He also appears briefly in Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse, and acts as the leader of the Disney Villains in Mickey's House of Villains.
Jafar appears in the manga Kilala Princess.
Parodies
Jafar briefly appears in a cutaway gag in the Family Guy episode "Lois Kills Stewie" in a fictional film mentioned by Stewie called "Aladdin 4: Jafar May Need Glasses", referencing the sub-par nature of straight to video Disney films.
See also
References
- ^ a b "Jafar Character History". Disney Archives. http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/villains/jafar/jafar.html.
- ^ "IMDb trivia". http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103639/trivia. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
- ^ "Foster on Film - Fantasy: The Thief of Bagdad". http://www.fosteronfilm.com/fantasy/thiefbagdad.htm.
- ^ "Aladdin animator used subtlety to design strong villain". The Tech. 1992-11-20. http://tech.mit.edu/V112/N64/aladdin.64a.html.
- ^ Aladdin Platinum Edition, Disc 2: Diamond in the Rough: The Making of Aladdin.
External links
- Jafar at the Internet Movie Database
- Jafar at Disney Archives
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