“Don’t use my voice to sell merchandise”: Unlike Tom Cruise, Robin Williams’ Innocence Was Exploited by Disney That Made Late Comedian Furious Despite His Request

Tom Cruise and Robin Williams are both highly successful actors who had some of the most impressive careers. Cruise is one of the biggest actors in Hollywood while Williams left an impression so strong that even now fans cannot forget just how wonderful of an actor he really was. He has starred in some of the most iconic movies and fans as well as his colleagues loved him for it.

The late Robin Williams

The actor had done not only roles as an actor but also as a voice actor. His most renowned voice-acting role also happened to be that of the Genie in Aladdin. The role is much remembered not only because of how famous the movie became but also because of the amount of praise the actor got for his skills behind the mic.

Robin Williams’ Disney Mishap

Robin Williams had not one but two roles written directly for him. From the Genie in Aladdin to Batty the Bat in FernGully: The Last Rainforest. Both the movies were heavily inspired by his work and Disney wanted him badly to be included in their projects. Keeping this in mind, a few animations of Genie were made mimicking the standups done by Williams. The actor was heavily impressed by it and signed a deal with Disney. However, he had his own conditions. These conditions were somewhat similar to what Tom Cruise also believes, who is strict when it comes to his face and voice being used in advertisements and video games as well as merchandise.

Robin Williams voice acting for Aladdin

“Don’t use my voice to sell merchandise.”

He made a condition that when it came to advertising, only 25% of his material could be used. He wanted to ensure that he did not become the face of Disney. He did not want to be part of any merchandizing either. He made sure that his voice couldn’t be used in any such means either. Disney then allegedly started developing insecurity and fear about what if Williams decided to opt out of FernGully with the comparison of him working on Aladdin instead.

Disney Bought Its Way Out Of Mishaps

Disney could not under any circumstance have Robin Williams choose one project over the other. To make sure that didn’t happen, Disney quite literally bought the animation studio where FernGully was being filmed. Once the movie switched studios, Disney bought that too. They tried their best to make sure that there was no competition for Aladdin. 

Robin Williams

When Anastasia was set to release, Disney decided to re-release The Little Mermaid to divert the audience’s attention. Williams started to notice just what Disney was doing and was not willing to stand by it. Jeffery Katzenberg and the actor did have some arguments over it and Katzenberg’s retaliation had been to quite literally bend the contract Williams had signed.

When Williams asked to be advertised on only 25% of the marketing, Disney took that literally, adding him to every ad but making his Genie take only 25% of the space. This was not necessarily illegal but more like bending the law to get their way. Disney fired back by allegedly doing exactly what the actor asked them not to do. Not only did they use his voice, altering it to their advantage but made toys and merchandise as well.

Actions Have Consequences

Jeffery Katzenberg tried apologizing to Robin Williams, so much so that even bought him a Picasso painting. However, money can’t buy everything. Williams was sure what had happened was not right at all. The most extreme measures were taken just to make sure something he was passionate about was never released. Not only that but they broke his trust, doing the exact opposite of what he wanted.

Robin Williams voiced the character of Genie in Aladdin (1992).

Katzenberg was later fired, being replaced by Joe Roth who publically apologized for what had happened. The actor returned to play Genie after that but was in turn paid a massive amount for his role.