I just revisited the old worn-out VHS copy I watched over 20 years ago as a kid, and it was watching that very tape as a kid that something hit me. When Alladin escapes from the cave he has a monologue about what a waste of his life it would have been if he'd have died in the cave. It wasn't long after that I put the pieces together and figured out that I was was (some day) going to die too. Even though no characters are actually killed on screen in this cartoon, there is a lot of talk about death, dying, and being dead... so as a 4-5 year old kid it had me uniquely depressed.
However, that said, the animation is good for Anime of the time, about on the same level as Voltron or Robotech... okay maybe a little better than that. The voice acting is so-so, but the real star of the show is the music. The opening number over the beginning credits (though in Japanese) is really exciting and I guarantee it'll be stuck in your head for years. The story is a lot simpler and moves faster than the Disney version, and manages to cram in a lot more in terms of interesting villains and monsters. Such monsters include reanimated stone snakes, a giant vulture, and some golems. It's all actually quite imaginative and well-realized, but I wish more attention was paid to Alladin and Badral's relationship... it just seems that the two fall in love immediately upon meeting each other.
Also, not once does anybody ever ask Alladin, until recently a penniless thief, HOW he built a palace in one night and where he got that dowry parade from. One last quibble - Alladin's friends are held hostage by the caliph when the princess is kidnapped, but are never seen or mentioned again afterward. Did too much time go by and they got executed? As much as the movie scarred my life and as imperfect as it is, it will always hold a place in my heart.
