On October 9, Friday after nearly a quarter of a century since the release of Aladdin, the actor and actress who played Aladdin and Jasmine were reunited in Good Morning America, as they performed the classic song "A Whole New World."
To celebrate the film's Blu-ray release on October 12, composer Alan Menken performed on piano accompanying Brad Kane (Aladdin) and Lea Salonga (Jasmin) as they sang the classic in Good Morning America (GGMA). The film's creator meanwhile, looked on as the performance took place.
In 1993, Kane and Salonga won the Best Original Song for it. They first sang the classic Disney ballad at the 65th Academy Awards. Kane glad to have pulled off the performance on live television after 22 years, embraced Salonga excitedly exclaiming "we did it!"
"It's such a special song, and it's such a beautiful experience, you want to keep it special," Kane told MTV News in August. He said he has only performed "A Whole New World" twice, once with Salonga during the initial recording of the song and second, for his wife on their wedding day.
With regards to the songwriting process of the classic, Menken explained "When Tim Rice came on to writing with me on Aladdin, I quickly put together this song and 'One Jump Ahead' and quickly flew over to London." In addition he said, "we knew this was going to be the magic carpet ride song...and so we just wanted that very romantic feeling of a flight over the city."
When they finished the performance, Kane declared in a quote similar to that of Robin Williams' character Genie in the film, "23 years gives you such a crick in the neck!".
The tragic passing of Robin Williams last year marked the loss of a modern comedic legend. Williams created so many memorable characters over the years that picking favorites is no easy feat.
Now, new outtakes have been released showcasing one of Williams' most iconic character, Genie from Aladdin.
