Animated sidekicks are nothing new. From Thumper in Bambi to present day Dug in Up. But there seems (to me at least) one type of sidekick that stands out in particular. I've always found this brand of animated second banana a bit more funnier and entertaining then the rest... until I sat down one day and compared just how 'many' of these types there are. And the type of sidekick I speak of: The Bird Sidekick. Feel free to draw similiarites...
Iago: He has his own distinct personality, to be sure, but is possibly the most abused of all the sidekicks in Aladdin and has some of the most wackiest moments. Consider Carpet, the Genie, Abu and Rajah. All shown in certain wacky situation; but who takes the lead in all the injury-prone insults?
During the seventies I recall that this trend began with the bird from The Rescuers. Now why this character was original at the time, I've seen the persona pop up in other movies after it. The Secret of NIMH'S crow, Little Mermaid's Scuttle. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't help drawing comparsions to bird sidekicks who draw away from the main protagonist(s) endeavours.
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