Honestly, if you close your eyes and think of a parrot, you don’t hear a bird. You hear a "busted Cuisinart." That’s how the New York Times once described the voice of Iago, the loud-mouthed, sarcastic, and eternally stressed-out parrot on Aladdin voice.
It’s one of those rare moments in cinema history where a voice actor didn't just play a character—they fundamentally rewrote it. Before 1992, Disney's idea of a villain’s sidekick was a lot more... British. They wanted Iago to be a sophisticated, calm, and "mellifluous" bird. Basically the straight man to a goofy Jafar.
Then came Gilbert Gottfried.
Everything changed. The directors, John Musker and Ron Clements, saw Gottfried’s tiny but hysterical role as a foul-mouthed accountant in Beverly Hills Cop II and realized they had it all backward. Jafar needed to be the cold, calculating one. The bird? The bird needed to be a screaming neurotic from Brooklyn.
The Man Behind the Squawk: Gilbert Gottfried’s Legacy
Gilbert Gottfried was already a "comedian's comedian" long before he stepped into the recording booth for Disney. He was known for an abrasive, shrill stage persona that felt like it was designed to test the limits of human eardrums. Yet, it worked perfectly for a feathered henchman who was constantly being stepped on or fed moldy crackers.
One of the wildest things about the parrot on Aladdin voice is how much of it was improvised. Disney usually keeps their scripts under tight lock and key, but with Gottfried (and Robin Williams as the Genie), they just let the tape roll.
Gottfried once mentioned in a Reddit AMA that the directors frequently had to stop him mid-rant and remind him, "Gilbert, this is a family film." Some of those "locked away" recordings are probably the stuff of legend in the Disney vaults. Even so, his frantic energy pushed the animators to change the bird's physical design. Animator Will Finn actually gave Iago thick eyebrows and visible teeth just so the bird would look more like Gilbert.
Why the 2019 Remake Sounded So Different
When Disney announced the live-action Aladdin in 2019, fans immediately asked the same question: Is Gilbert coming back?
He wasn't.
Instead, the role went to Alan Tudyk. Now, Tudyk is a voice-acting chameleon—the guy played a literal chicken in Moana and a killer robot in Star Wars. But for the 2019 parrot on Aladdin voice, the direction was completely different. Guy Ritchie wanted a more "realistic" world. A bird that sounds like a 60-year-old man from Coney Island doesn't exactly scream "realism."
Tudyk’s version was much more bird-like. He chirped. He repeated lines like a real parrot would. It was technically impressive, but for many who grew up in the 90s, it felt like something was missing. Gottfried himself wasn't exactly thrilled about being left out; he spent a good chunk of time on social media retweeting fans who were "shaking their fists" at the recast.
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The Secret Impact of Iago’s Voice
Beyond the jokes, that specific voice had a massive impact on people’s lives. Take the story of Owen Suskind, for example.
Owen had regressive autism and stopped speaking for years. His family eventually discovered that he was still "in there" by communicating through Disney characters. His father, Ron Suskind, grabbed an Iago puppet and did his best Gilbert Gottfried impression.
"How does it feel to be you?" the father asked in that trademark squawk.
Owen answered. It was the first conversation they’d had in years. There’s something about the raw, unfiltered emotion in that parrot on Aladdin voice that broke through a wall nothing else could.
Who Else Has Voiced Iago?
While Gottfried is the definitive voice, a few others have stepped into the feathers over the years:
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- Alan Tudyk: The 2019 live-action version.
- Don Darryl Rivera: The actor who originated the role in the Broadway musical. He actually met Gottfried backstage, where the comedian signed his old 1992 VHS copy of the movie.
- Barrett Leddy: Voiced Iago in the 2023 Lego Disney Princess special.
- Piotr Michael: Took over for the Once Upon a Studio short after Gottfried’s passing in 2022.
What You Can Do Now
If you want to truly appreciate the craft behind the parrot on Aladdin voice, don't just watch the movie. Go find the "Voices" featurette from the original 1992 Diamond Edition release. Seeing Gottfried’s actual face while that sound comes out of his mouth is a trip.
You can also check out the documentary Life, Animated to see the real-world power that a "silly" cartoon voice can have on a family. It’s a reminder that while Iago was a villain's sidekick, the voice behind him was something much more human.
Keep an eye on Disney+ for any new animated shorts; while we won't get new recordings from Gilbert, the way the studio handles his legacy in upcoming projects like Kingdom Hearts updates or "nostalgia" shorts will tell us a lot about how they plan to honor the most iconic bird in animation history.