The Return of Jafar (sometimes marketed as Aladdin: The Return of Jafar on re-release) is a 1994 American direct-to-video animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Television. It is the first sequel to Disney's 1992 animated feature film Aladdin, and serves as the pilot to the Aladdin animated series (being an origin story of how the series began as it premiered before this film). Released on May 20, 1994 in North America, it was the second Disney animated feature film sequel after The Rescuers Down Under (1990) and the first Disney direct-to-video animated feature film, and marked the first American direct-to-video animated feature film. Gilbert Gottfried, Jonathan Freeman, Scott Weinger, Frank Welker, Brad Kane, and Linda Larkin reprise their roles from the first film, with Jason Alexander, Val Bettin, Liz Callaway, and Dan Castellaneta joining in the cast.