Nearly everything you need to know about "Disney's Aladdin Jr." at Diamond Head Theatre is right there in the title.

Much like DHT's stellar production of "Beauty and the Beast" last season, this stage version of the hugely popular animated film replicates the screen scenes as closely as it can. There is no "Lion King" leap to create a new stage reality — but no matter, "Aladdin Jr." is an excellent family holiday outing.

Miles Wesley and Adealani Malia, who jointly direct and choreographed the show, are in top form, after their excellent production of "Swing" at DHT last season. They've seen to it that the cast is super-rehearsed, but not mechanical. Pacing is brisk, delivery precise and the characters and emotions hit all the right notes. The 80-minute running time, without intermission, simply slides by.

A walk through Johanna Morriss' set design should be a required field trip for students of technical theater. Her view of Agrabah is a sumptuous layering of details and faux painting, featuring scalloped arches, realistic thickness pieces, and intricate stenciling. Heavy draperies and filmy gauze frame lovely backdrops, and colorful, detailed props are everywhere.

Karen Wolfe's costumes are similarly lavish with fabrics and jewels, and help the Arabian silhouette — which can read as excessive bundled-up — express the characters without smothering them.

Musical director Emmett Yoshioka balances the vocals with the pre-recorded soundtrack. However, in the early choral numbers sound designer Mikel Humerickhouse has cranked up the volume to painful levels and added noticeable reverberation to body microphones that pick up breathing and turn voices tinny and hollow. It can also be confusing when an actor speaking in the audience has his voice projected from the stage.

Despite the sound problems, the young cast (just about everyone is no more than a high school senior) performs admirably. Jaded minds might be suspicious that the casting is a case of gratuitous pandering to Honolulu audiences, who melt at the sight of kids on stage, but rest assured that the "Aladdin Jr." cast shows professional style and quality.

Chris Villasenor brings physical energy to the role of Aladdin, keeping him upbeat. With her lovely singing voice, Vida Mae Fernandez nails Jasmine's character tone. The pair's "A Whole New World" duet captures the yearning for freedom that drives the plot.

But the show really opens up with the appearance of Kyle Malis as the Genie. Taking his cue from Robin Williams' voice in the Disney film, Malis does a better than fair imitation that punches up his scenes and will please adults.

Arlin Busano is remarkably expressive as the nonspeaking magic carpet.

The magic carpet ride's technical effects understandably can't match the movie (the principals sing through a cloud of stage smoke), but anybody still skeptical about the production will be helplessly won over by the show's big number, "Prince Ali" — complete with two horses and an elephant created by props designer Marvin Rea.