The small Bedouin you've seen before in his nondescript Arabian costume peeks around a corner, wiggles his eyes, and then gestures for you to come closer. He is short and has all the lovely mannerisms of a used-car salesman and a carny-pitch man and you recognize him immediately from the beginning of Aladdin. "Hello. It's me again, your beloved narrator, here to set the stage and amuse and delight you."
He puffs himself up with pride. "What you may not know was that I performed the same role in Beauty and the Beast." His voice becomes deeper and he sounds just like that narrator. "The Prince ignored the rose that the old beggar woman offered in exchange for shelter for the night." He grins and becomes higher pitched. "My voice was much more dramatic for that part."
He steps out and bows. "In Aladdin I was the Dead Sea Tupperware salesman. My voice was squeaky and comical, and then in The Return of Jafar I sang the intro. I was great. I should have gotten an academy award for my acting and singing but it went to Wonder Dog. Pooh. What do critics know?"
He grins. "Now here I am once again in my role to bring you up to speed." He rubs his hands together and a small plastic box appears. He opens it and sniffs. "Haa, still fresh. If the ancient scribes had used my Tupperware then their lost books wouldn't be in such dreadful condition, would they?" He holds up a ragged sheet of parchment that disintegrates. "Too bad. I could've given them such a deal too." He declares as he dusts his hands off.
He grins at you and wiggles his eyebrows again. "From this and the delightful scenery of Agrabah all around me, you can gather that this story is set in the world of Aladdin."
He shakes his head sadly. "Sorry, but the dear Street Rat will not make an appearance in this epic. For you see this is a world where Aladdin didn't end up in Agrabah, but somewhere else. Not by his choice, you understand. When you haven't been born yet, then you go where your mother goes and not where you want." He shakes his head sadly. "How cruel."
He leans back against a house wall. "This story answers the question you are now asking. "What happens to all your beloved and hated characters without Aladdin's cheerful antics to entertain them all? Is Jasmine forced to marry a prince she hates? Can Jafar and Iago get the lamp away from the Guardian of the Cave of Wonders without Aladdin? Is there another diamond in the rough? Does Genie still wear white boxers with red polka dots? These and many more questions will be answered. And, no, Genie does not use Prune of the Loom for his boxers."
He says very seriously. "Let's begin with a frustrated young princess who's escaped the palace just as she did in Aladdin, but who is about to become even more frustrated and angry then she was there for here there is no street rat to gallantly save her from the city guard." He lifts his hands and the scene shifts to the market place and an angry shouting mob, berating a lone woman.