Do we like them?

Do we like Genie?

A character from Aladdin (1992)

Our score: 9 out of 10. Yes, we'd back him. He's loud, loyal and endlessly generous, and he's the best friend a street kid could find in a lamp. The only thing he wants is his own freedom.

Genie is a spirit who has lived in a magic lamp for thousands of years, with what he calls an "itty bitty living space" and phenomenal cosmic power. Whoever holds the lamp gets three wishes. There are rules, though. He can't kill anyone, make anyone fall in love, or bring back the dead. Robin Williams voiced him in the 1992 animated film and improvised much of his rapid-fire patter, which made Genie the film's breakout star. Will Smith played him in the 2019 live-action remake.

Genie is a showman with a big heart. He turns street thief Aladdin into a dashing prince, sings the parade number, and keeps trying to nudge Aladdin toward honesty. Beneath the gags he is lonely and tired of being owned, and he wants one thing for himself: to be free.

He scores 9 because almost everything he does is generous and funny, and he is loyal even when it costs him. He loses a point because his cleverness and power sometimes make him a bit too eager to please, and he is never fully in charge of his own choices.

The story tests his friendship when Aladdin is tempted to put off the promise to free him. Genie is hurt but forgives him. When the villain Jafar seizes the lamp, Genie has to obey the new master against his will. In the end he gets his freedom, and he earns it.