Actors
WAMG Interview: Brad Kane – The Singing Voice of Disney’s ALADDIN
We Are Movie Geeks recently had the opportunity to sit down with Brad Kane. Brad is a singer, writer, and producer who provided the singing voice for the classic 1992 Disney musical ALADDIN, which will be released on Blu-ray October 13th. (Trailer)
Brad was in St. Louis promoting the Diamond Edition Blu-ray and we asked him some questions about ALADDIN, Robin Williams, his role on the TV show Black Sails, and what it was like performing at the Academy Awards.
Interview conducted by Tom Stockman October 6th, 2015
We Are Movie Geeks: Were you involved in any of the extras on the ALADDIN Blu-ray?
Brad Kane: No, I think most of the extras involved Robin Williams and the way he used his voice and props and things. I think Ron Clements, the director, was involved in some of the extras as well, but not me.
We Are Movie Geeks: Have you been to St. Louis before?
Brad Kane: No, never. But we’re going to Pappy’s Smokehouse today for lunch.
We Are Movie Geeks: Better get there early. There could be a long wait.
Brad Kane: So your site is called We Are Movie Geeks? Are you a movie geek?
We Are Movie Geeks: Oh I certainly am.
Brad Kane: What do you do with the site?
We Are Movie Geeks: I write some reviews and do a lot of interviews and write about local movie events. There’s always some cool movie stuff going on around town. I host the midnight movies every weekend at the local art house.
Brad Kane: Cool. What’s showing this weekend?
We Are Movie Geeks: FLASH GORDON with Sam Jones.
Brad Kane: Oh I love it. 1980!
We Are Movie Geeks: Yes, next weekend they’re showing WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS which came out earlier this year.
Brad Kane: Oh yeah with Jemaine Clement. I love that movie. When I recorded ALADDIN in 1991, I was more of a movie geek that I was a musical guy. I had gone to NYU film school. At the time I said yes to taking ALADDIN I just thought it was a cartoon. I didn’t know it was going to be this run of Disney classics. So I said yes to that job but I was reticent to do it. My heroes at the time were directors like Fellini, and the Coen brothers and guys like that. A couple of years later I was at the Oscars. I got to sing a song at the Oscars and I was sitting in the green room and I heard this man with a thick Italian accent asked me to pass him a kruller and I turned around and it was Frederico Fellini. This was just a few months before he passed away.
We Are Movie Geeks: That’s too cool. What was it like performing at the Oscars?
Brad Kane: It was exciting. I probably shouldn’t say this, but we were told to lip-synch the song. We recorded the song the night before and then we lip-synched at the Oscars because of the complexity of the choreography. I had to walk backwards across the stage leading the girl with me. They didn’t think I could chew bubblegum and pat my head at the same time so I was leading her around and lip-synching the song at the same time and making sure we didn’t fall down.
We Are Movie Geeks: I’m sure I saw that because I never miss the Oscars. Was Robin Williams on stage as well?
Brad Kane: No he wasn’t on stage. None of his songs were nominated. A Whole New World, the song that I sang, was nominated and ultimately won.
We Are Movie Geeks: Congratulations.
Brad Kane: I didn’t get an Oscar! That went to Alan Menken, the guy who wrote it. But it was exciting to be there and to perform it.
We Are Movie Geeks: You sang some songs in some of the direct-to-video ALADDIN sequels, correct?
Brad Kane: Yes those were originally meant to be an Aladdin TV show. They had music in them as well, which I recorded but then they decided to break them up and make them direct-to-video sequels.
We Are Movie Geeks: Was there much of a difference with your job for the sequels?
Brad Kane: No not really. The songs were good but they weren’t Alan Menken songs. That was the main difference. It wasn’t Disney classic quality. They were made for television. They were delightful though.
We Are Movie Geeks: I’m sure they were lower budget and made a bit quicker. Talk a little bit about Alan Menken. What was his process like?
Brad Kane: His process was making sure that the intention of the song goes forward every time. I remember when he showed me a sketch of Aladdin right before I was going to sing a song called One Jump Ahead which is the opening song that Aladdin sings when he is on the run from the guards. He pointed something out to me in a Aladdin’s eye that the animators had drawn. He told me to capture the gleam in Aladdin’s eye with my voice. He wanted to make sure that the intention of what was in the image was captured in the voice. He was just meticulous about things like that. His music is the soundtrack of all of our lives.
We Are Movie Geeks: What do you think of the Broadway musical that was made of Aladdin?
Brad Kane: I think it’s a lot of fun.
We Are Movie Geeks: Where did you grow up?
Brad Kane: Born and raised in New York City. Went to NYU. So half of my life I lived in New York City and the other half in Los Angeles.
We Are Movie Geeks: Did you see a lot of movies when you were a kid?
Brad Kane: I saw every movie when I was a kid. Movies that you probably have heard of because you are a movie geek, but most people have not.
We Are Movie Geeks: I imagine living in New York City there are a lot of cool venues to see movies – places like the film forum and such.
Brad Kane: Oh yeah, I grew up in the Golden age of the grindhouse. I saw them all. I saw the kung fu movies and crazy low-budget movies like SLITHIS and EXTRO when they first came out and I loved them.
We Are Movie Geeks: Yeah, in the Midwest here we had drive-ins which were kind of the equivalent of the grindhouses. The movies at that that played at the grindhouse in New York made their way to the drive-ins here. Have you met a lot of movie stars?
Brad Kane: Sure, I’ve met my share. If you live in LA, you’re in line with them at the coffee shop. LA is a one-industry town just like if you live in Washington DC, you’re in line with senators and congressmen.
We Are Movie Geeks: Ever meet Clint Eastwood?
Brad Kane: Actually the year I was at the Oscars was the year that UNFORGIVEN won so I saw him there but never formally met him.
We Are Movie Geeks: I remember Eastwood at the Oscars that night. Remember he was sitting with his mother and they kept calling it the ‘year of the woman’? So when he won he said “since it’s the year of the woman, I’d like to salute all the whores of Big Whiskey!”
Brad Kane: That’s hilarious. I don’t remember that.
We Are Movie Geeks: Who are some of the favorite people that you have worked with?
Brad Kane: Well I really like the people that I’ve worked with on Black Sails. Have you seen that?
We Are Movie Geeks: I’ve heard of the show and people tell me I would like it but I have not seen it.
Brad Kane: It’s a show on Starz that I write and produce. There’s a guy on it named Toby Stephens. He’s actually Maggie Smith’s son. I think Toby is a breakout star. He plays Captain Flint on Black Sails. It’s a Treasure Island prequel, all pirate stuff.
We Are Movie Geeks: Did you work with Robin Williams?
Brad Kane: No, almost no one worked with Robin Williams. He came in on his own and did his own thing. The guy who did the speaking voice of Aladdin, Scott Weinger, got to work with him one day but I did not get to meet him because we didn’t sing any songs together.
We Are Movie Geeks: Did you ever record the song Proud of Your Boy, that was cut from the film?
Brad Kane: Yes, I did record that song. It wasn’t in the movie but they actually had me audition for the movie with that song so that was the first song I actually saying from ALADDIN, but they cut it before we started recording for the movie.
We Are Movie Geeks: You were in STARSHIP TROOPERS?
Brad Kane: Yes I was, I had one line. That was 19 years ago. I had no idea that Paul Verhoeven was making this subversive, satirical peace. I just thought it was this big bloody action film but it really foretold the Iraq war in some ways.
We Are Movie Geeks: The arachind war!
Brad Kane: Exactly.
We Are Movie Geeks: The special-effects seemed so state of the art it’s time but you watch it today and it looks like a video game.
Brad Kane: Oh sure, anything ages. Look at FANTASTIC VOYAGE from the 60s. You could make that on a Mac today.
We Are Movie Geeks: What was Verhoeven like?
Brad Kane: He was great. Very sweet, not very serious. I remember how excited I was to meet Michael Ironside because I was a huge fan of the movie SCANNERS. So he was kind of a legend to me and it was so exciting meeting him on the set of that movie. My part was with him. He asks me a question; I am one of the kids in the high school. He asked me what citizenship means to me and I gave him my line and that was a big thrill for me. I was just glad he didn’t make my head explode.
We Are Movie Geeks: Are you still working on Black Sails?
Brad Kane: Yes I’ve been working on Black Sails for the past four years. I’m a writer and executive producer. I also wrote a movie that will be produced in 2017 but I can’t talk about it right now unfortunately.
We Are Movie Geeks: Do you have a family?
Brad Kane: I do, I have a wife and a 20 month old daughter who is just starting to realize that daddy is Aladdin.
We Are Movie Geeks: I have trouble getting my kids to bond with Disney films. They’re at an age where Pixar is to them what Disney was to me.
Brad Kane: I hear ya!
Well, good luck with Black Sails and all of your future projects I hope you enjoy the rest of your visit to St. Louis.
Brad Kane: Thanks a lot. It’s been great talking to you
Here’s a great clip of Brad Kane discussing his experiences recording the memorable songs that we all know and love from ALADDIN:
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