Jafar, a sorcerer and the royal vizier of the Middle Eastern city of Agrabah, seeks a magic lamp hidden within the Cave of Wonders that only “the diamond in the rough” can retrieve. Meanwhile, Princess Jasmine is unsatisfied with her sheltered life in the palace, so she escapes and encounters a young street urchin named Aladdin, and his pet monkey, Abu. As a bond between Aladdin and Jasmine develops, Jafar has the palace guards capture and imprison Aladdin, who learns Jasmine’s identity. Jasmine demands that Jafar release Aladdin, but he instead says that Aladdin has already been beheaded.

Jafar, disguised as an elderly beggar, frees Aladdin and Abu and orders them to retrieve the lamp from the cave. The cave’s guardian grants Aladdin entry, but warns him to touch only the lamp. Aladdin finds both the lamp and a flying magic carpet inside, but Abu grabs a large jewel and triggers a cave-in. They flee to the entrance and give the lamp to Jafar, who throws the pair into the cave. While trapped underground, Abu reveals to Aladdin that he stole the lamp back. Aladdin rubs the lamp, from which the Genie emerges. The Genie grants Aladdin three wishes, although Aladdin tricks him into freeing them from the cave without using a wish. Upon learning the Genie’s desire to be released from servitude, Aladdin promises to use his last wish to free him. To woo Jasmine, Aladdin uses his first wish to become a prince.

At the suggestion of his parrot sidekick, Iago, Jafar plans to marry Jasmine and then kill both her and her father, the Sultan. Meanwhile, Aladdin arrives in Agrabah as Prince Ali, but Jasmine is uninterested in his advances. That night, Aladdin takes Jasmine on a romantic ride on the carpet. After she deduces that Aladdin is the boy she had met earlier, he lies that he sometimes dresses as a commoner to escape palace life. Aladdin brings Jasmine home, but Jafar has the guards capture him and throw him into the sea, where the Genie uses Aladdin’s second wish to rescue him. Returning to the palace, Aladdin reveals Jafar’s plot to Jasmine and the Sultan, but Jafar realizes Aladdin’s identity and escapes from the guards.

With everything seemingly resolved, the Genie requests his freedom; Aladdin declines, worried that he needs the Genie’s facade to stay with Jasmine. The frustrated Genie retreats into his lamp, which is later stolen by Iago and brought to Jafar. Now the Genie’s master, Jafar uses his first two wishes to become sultan, then a powerful sorcerer, and sends Aladdin to a frozen wasteland. Using the magic carpet, Aladdin escapes and returns to Agrabah, where he fights Jafar for the lamp. Aladdin taunts Jafar for being less powerful than the Genie, tricking him into using his last wish to become a genie himself. This causes Jafar to become trapped in his new lamp, taking Iago with him. The Genie throws Jafar’s lamp into the Cave of Wonders.

The Genie encourages Aladdin to use his third wish to regain his royal title and legally marry Jasmine. Aladdin instead decides to keep his promise, wishing the Genie free. The Sultan allows Jasmine to marry whomever she chooses, and she gladly chooses Aladdin. The Genie bids the group a fond farewell and leaves to explore the world, while Aladdin and Jasmine start their new life together.