ALADDIN

ALADDIN

PEDDLER: Oh I come from a land

From a faraway place

Where the caravan camels roam

Where they cut off your ear /Where it's flat and immense

If they don't like your face /And the heat is intense

It's barbaric, but hey--it's home!

When the wind's at your back

And the sun's from the west

And the sand in the glass is right

Come on down,

Stop on by

Hop a carpet and fly

To another Arabian night!

Arabian nights

Like Arabian days

More often than not

Are hotter than hot

In a lot of good ways

Arabian nights

'Neath Arabian moons

A fool off his guard

Could fall and fall hard

Out there on the dunes.

Ah, Salaam and good evening to you worthy friend.

Please, please, come closer--(Camera zooms in hitting

peddler in face) Too close, a little too close. (Camera

zooms back out to CU)There.Welcome to Agrabah. City of

mystery, of enchantment, and the finest merchandise this

side of the river Jordan, on sale today, come on down!

Heh, heh. Look at this! Yes! Combination hookah and

coffee maker--also makes Julienne fries. Will not break

(taps it on table), will not--(it falls apart)--it

broke. Ooohhh! Look at this! Pulls out Tupperware) I

have never seen one of these intact before. This is the

famous Dead Sea Tupperware. Listen. (Pries it open,

makes raspberry sound.) Ah, still good. (Camera begins

to pan to right. PEDDLER hurries to catch it.) Wait,

don't go! (Stop pan.)I can see that you're only

interested in the exceptionally rare. I think then, you

would be most rewarded to consider...this. (PEDDLER

pulls the MAGIC LAMP out from his sleeve.) Do not be

fooled by its commonplace appearance. Like so many

things, it is not what is outside, but what is inside

that counts. (Another pan, this one slower to left.

Again, PEDDLER rushes to catch up.) This is no ordinary

lamp! It once changed the course of a young man's life.

A young man who liked this lamp was more than what he

seemed. A diamond in the rough. Perhaps you would like

to hear the tale? (PEDDLER pours shiny sand from the

lamp into his hand.) It begins on a dark night (PEDDLER

throws sand into the sky, where it forms a starry

nightscape.) , where a dark man waits, with a dark

purpose.

(Camera tilts down to find JAFAR sitting on his horse and IAGO

on his shoulder. GAZEEM comes riding up to the pair.)

JAFAR: You...are late.

GAZEEM:A thousand apologies, O patient one.

JAFAR: You have it, then?

GAZEEM:I had to slit a few throats to get it. (Pulls out

half of the medallion. JAFAR reaches out for it,

but GAZEEM yanks it back.) Ah, ah, ahhh! The treasure!

(IAGO squawks as he flies by and grabs the medallion.) Ouch!

JAFAR: Trust me, my pungent friend. You'll get what's

coming to you.

IAGO: What's coming to you! Awk!

(JAFAR pulls out the second half of the medallion. He connects

them, and the insect medallion begins to glow. Finally, it

flies out of JAFAR's hand, scaring the horses, and is off

towards the dunes.)

JAFAR: Quickly, follow the trail!

(All ride off, following the glowing speck of light, until

it reaches a large dune. It separates into two and the

halves plunge into the dune. All that remains are two glowing

points of light on the dune. But then the dune begins to rise

up, transforming into a giant lion's head, with the glowing

points serving as the eyes.)

JAFAR: At last, after all my years of searching, the cave

of wonders!

IAGO: Awk! Cave of wonders!

GAZEEM: By Allah!

JAFAR: Now, remember! Bring me the lamp. The rest of the

treasure is yours, but the lamp is mine!

(GAZEEM starts to approach the lion's mouth, which forms the

entrance to the cave. He chuckles as he goes.)

IAGO: Awk, the lamp! Awk, the lamp! (Now that IAGO and

JAFAR are alone, IAGO opens up in normal English.)

Jeez, where'd ya dig this bozo up?

(JAFAR puts his finger to his lips and shushes him. GAZEEM reaches

the cave, but is blown away by the roar of the cave's speaking.)

CAVE: Who disturbs my slumber?

GAZEEM: It is I, Gazeem, a humble thief.