They'd never done a cartoon feature based on a non-Western folk tale, with a male lead who was more than just a reactive handsome prince -- and with a female lead who chafed at being a princess. This was a Disney first at the time also because the story was told in a largely comical tone, full of contemporary pop-culture references, built around a performance by an A-list star unaccustomed to doing voiceover work.
Of course, they needn't have worried. "Aladdin" went on to become the top-grossing movie of 1992. It spawned the studio's first direct-to-video sequels, a Broadway musical, and a forthcoming 2019 live-action reboot. And with Robin Williams's Genie, it changed the way animated movies were cast.
