--- description: This character was the Genie in disguise title: Disney Directors Just Confirmed This Popular 'Aladdin' Fan Theory image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt143c3f658662d8b4/698868ad3c1639059845a447/aladdin-poster.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Disney Directors Just Confirmed This Popular _Aladdin_ Fan Theory  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 16, 2015 7:19 PM CUT  Disney  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 16, 2015 7:19 PM CUT Over two decades after _Aladdin_ premiered, one of the movie’s most popular fan theories has been [given the official stamp of approval. ](http://www.eonline.com/news/706200/disney-myths-debunked-by-ron-clements-and-john-musker-directors-of-the-little-mermaid-aladdin-and-hercules "undefined") Ron Clements and John Musker, the directors of _Aladdin_, _Hercules_ and _The Little Mermaid_, confirmed to E! News that the Peddler in the the movie, who opens the film with his famous “Welcome to Agrabah” monologue, is actually the Genie. “I saw something that speculates that the peddler at the beginning of _Aladdin_ is the Genie. That’s true!” Clements told E!. “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.” It’s not often that fans have their far-flung theories confirmed, so this one—based on how both the Genie and the peddler have four fingers and Robin Williams’ voice—was definitely a victory for diehard _Aladdin_ watchers. The directing pair also shot down a few rumors: that Aladdin was set in a post-apocalyptic future, that Ariel in _The Little Mermaid_ explored the wreckage from Elsa and Anna’s parents shipwreck in _Frozen,_ and that Hercules witnessed Aladdin and Jasmine’s magic carpet ride from afar. \[[E!](http://www.eonline.com/news/706200/disney-myths-debunked-by-ron-clements-and-john-musker-directors-of-the-little-mermaid-aladdin-and-hercules "undefined")\] ### See Exclusive Pictures from the Upcoming _Peanuts_ Animated Film  Charlie Brown (center) with Marcie (left), Peppermint Patty and Linus (right) in The Peanuts Movie. 20th Century Fox/Peanuts Worldwide LLC  Lucy, Snoopy and Woodstock in The Peanuts Movie. 20th Century Fox/Peanuts Worldwide LLC  Snoopy and Fifi in The Peanuts Movie. 20th Century Fox/Peanuts Worldwide LLC  Charlie Brown and Linus in The Peanuts Movie. 20th Century Fox/Peanuts Worldwide LLC  Schroeder and Lucy in The Peanuts Movie. 20th Century Fox/Peanuts Worldwide LLC  Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Woodstock in The Peanuts Movie. 20th Century Fox/Peanuts Worldwide LLC  Charlie Brown in The Peanuts Movie. 20th Century Fox/Peanuts Worldwide LLC ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4076872/disney-aladdin-fan-theory-genie/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4076872/disney-aladdin-fan-theory-genie/"},"headline":"Disney Directors Just Confirmed This Popular Aladdin Fan Theory","datePublished":"2015-10-16T19:19:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:01:14.428Z","description":"It could change how you watch the movie","url":"https://time.com/4076872/disney-aladdin-fan-theory-genie/","keywords":["movies"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt143c3f658662d8b4/698868ad3c1639059845a447/aladdin-poster.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julia Zorthian","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt143c3f658662d8b4/698868ad3c1639059845a447/aladdin-poster.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Aladdin Disney","caption":"Aladdin Disney","creditText":"Disney","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4076872/disney-aladdin-fan-theory-genie/","name":"Disney Directors Just Confirmed This Popular Aladdin Fan Theory"}}]}] ```