Who could forget Kazaam? After its theatrical release, millennial Disney kids watched it on the channel here and there, but anyone can now watch it on Disney+. The main characters are a tween boy named Max Connor and a 3,000-year-old genie named Kazaam (that's Shaq, in case you forgot).
No matter how big of a fan you are of this New York movie, there are some things you didn't know about it, or just forgot altogether. Twenty-four years after its premiere, here are ten things you should know about Kazaam before you dive into a rewatch.
Adult Storyline
While the genie and the frustrated kid are pretty memorable, there are certain aspects of the story that might slip through the cracks of a flawed memory. You might remember that Max is trying to find his dad, but do you remember who his dad is? A sketchy record producer who is in a dangerous bootlegging scheme. Max has some trouble at school, but the bullies take it to another level. The mom and future step-dad care about Max a lot, but they don't play as big of a role in the plot as the bad guys do. Some 90s kids were into it, but it was an unusual idea for a children's movie.
Francis Capra's Background
Francis Capra, who played Maxwell (Max), was pretty new to acting when he did Kazaam. He was discovered by Chazz Palminteri and Robert De Niro in 1993. Capra is now most known for his role on Veronica Mars, but his real life mirrored his character in Kazaam. Like twelve-year-old Max, Francis never really knew his father. Max begins to build a relationship with his dad at the end of the film, but Capra's father was, sadly, killed in a 2003 shooting.
Well-known Director and Writer
Kazaam was directed by actor and director Paul Glaser, who played Starsky on Starsky & Hutch. Glaser wrote the story for Kazaam, while Christian Ford and Roger Soffer are credited for writing the screenplay, according to IMDb.
Shaq's Involvement
It is no secret that Shaquille O'Neal plays the magical genie, Kazaam. He is responsible for more than that, though. Shaq was one of several executive producers for the film. The movie was his second to act in (his first was 1994's Blue Chips), and Kazaam was his very first to executive produce. The camera loves Shaq, and he has gone on to many other acting and producing jobs.
NOT a DCOM
No matter how many times you remember seeing it on Disney Channel, Kazaam is no Disney Channel Original Movie.
The tone is much more violent than the typical DCOM, and it smacks of 90s kid disrespect. The movie was actually a theatrical release, distributed through Buena Vista Pictures in the US.
Cool Soundtrack
With a quick trip over to Disney+, you'll find that the music for this film seems to be intact. In addition to a meaningful film score from Christopher Tyng, this movie is full of popular music. Soundtracks were already a thing by 1996, and this one is lit. It has Shaq, Jason Weaver, the Backstreet Boys, Usher, and other popular artists of the day.
Poorly Rated
Kazaam is intense, goofy, rude, and emotional all at once. It may come as a surprise that this film has some pretty horrible ratings to this day. It scores a 3.0 out of 10 on IMDb, and it doesn't do any better on Rotten Tomatoes. The Tomatometer reads 6%, and the audience score is 20%. The critics' consensus is brutal: "Crafted from a mix of genre clichés, Kazaam doesn't know what kind of film it wants to be, and Shaq's larger-than-life charisma is stifled by rote filmmaking and an unimaginative story."
Importance of Rap
Kazaam speaks in rhymes many times throughout the movie. He raps alone, with the Kazettes, and with Max. The sparks fly out of his boombox, and the magic happens. Some may not realize or remember that the movie has this much rap, or that there is a cameo from rapper and actress Da Brat.
Sounds Familiar
If the plot of Kazaam sounds like another kid Disney flick you saw in 1996, you're right. Less than one month after Kazaam came out, Disney released the animated direct-to-video sequel for Aladdin, Aladdin and the King of Thieves. As brilliantly pointed out by film critic Roger Ebert, both movies involve a young boy (Maxwell in Kazaam and Aladdin in Aladdin) who never knew his father. In each case, a genie helps the boy find the father, who is bad news. Kazaam has a dad involved in a music pirating scheme, and Aladdin's sequel has a dad who happens to be the King of Thieves.
Mandela Effect
One of the most fascinating things about this movie is the "misremembering" folklore surrounding it. Some folks think that there was a 1994 movie called Shazaam in which Sinbad plays the genie to the troubled children. However, this urban legend has been veritably debunked, and no such movie existed. The confusion comes from the Kazaam movie and from Sinbad dressing up as a genie for Nickelodeon's All That. Perhaps some confused 90s kids also saw the old 60s cartoon about a genie, Shazzan. Plenty of factors to explain this phenomenon.