Show Synopsis:
The Grand Vizier to the Sultan, Jafar, is struggling to find the ?diamond in the rough? who will be able to remove the magical oil lamp from the Cave of Wonders. Princess Jasmine goes out into the streets of Agrabah incognito to experience the ?real world? and meets the street rat Aladdin, who is immediately attracted to her. Aladdin is arrested for his history of thievery, and Jafar takes him to the Cave of Wonders to retrieve the lamp, after telling Jasmine that Aladdin has been executed. Aladdin manages to retrieve the lamp with the help of his monkey Abu and a magical flying carpet in the cave. Jafar tries to obtain the lamp at the expense of Aladdin?s life, but Abu saves it, and Aladdin unleashes the Genie, who will grant him three wishes. The Genie transforms Aladdin into ?Prince Ali of Ababwa? and he goes to Agrabah to seek Jasmine?s hand in marriage, which is Jafar?s latest tactic to gain power and wealth. Jasmine realizes that Aladdin and ?Prince Ali? are the same person, but still believes that he is really a prince. After a romantic night with Jasmine, Aladdin is captured and thrown into the ocean, and rescued by the Genie. Jafar realizes that Prince Ali is Aladdin and obtains the lamp so that he can be the new master of the Genie. He enslaves the Sultan and Jasmine and exposes Aladdin to be a street rat. Aladdin fights with Jafar and tricks him into wishing himself into being a Genie, not realizing that he will be stuck in a lamp for all eternity. The Genie throws Jafar?s lamp far away, and Aladdin uses his final wish to free the Genie from his servitude, even though it means he will remain a street rat, and therefore ineligible to marry Jasmine. The Sultan changes the law so that Jasmine can marry whomever she chooses.

Character:
Aladdin, a young Arabian man who lives on the streets; has a pure heart despite his past of burglary.
Jasmine, a beautiful teenage Arabian princess who longs to discover life outside her palace walls; stubborn and clever.  She wants to prove to her father that she can make her own decisions and follow her own heart.

Song Context:
Aladdin surprises and astonishes Jasmine with his magic flying carpet and takes her on a magical night time ride to woo her.

Fun Facts:
1. This 1992 animated Disney film was based on a Middle Eastern folk tale from The Book of One Thousand and One Arabian Nights. 
2. This song won composer Alan Menken an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1993. 
3. This was the first song that Menken wrote with lyricist Tim Rice after his friend and collaborator Howard Ashman passed away from AIDS during production of Aladdin. In an interview with HitFix, Menken said that winning the Oscar for this song was ?a major shock?First of all, [his longtime lyricist partner] Howard [Ashman] had passed away and I was very, very afraid that I wouldn?t be able to duplicate the success that I?d had with him. With ?A Whole New World,? I was able to step out and do it on my own [with] Tim Rice. It was a big transition in my life. Also, it was a No. 1 single, Grammy song of the year. It was a crazy juggernaut. It just became a huge, huge thing.?