Robin Williamss Grandson Is Getting To Know His Grandpa Through 'Aladdin'

Fruit bats; Hollywood stars; princes and presidents; prime ministers; bodiless, holographic answering engines — Robin Williams played a vast array of characters, infusing joyful and frenetic energy into the spirit of each one. People often remember him for his grand, animated presence, and after he died by suicide in 2014 , at 63 years old, he was grieved as one of the world’s most beloved artists. 

Though Williams never got to meet his grandchildren, they’re finally beginning to get acquainted with him. His oldest son Zak, 37, told PEOPLE Magazine that his 1-year-old son, McLaurin Clement — whose nickname is Mickey — recently started getting to know his grandpa.

“His mom [Olivia June] and I have certainly considered how we want to introduce my son’s grandfather, my dad, into his life,” Zak told PEOPLE . “Certainly through his movies and the cartoons that he participated in is a great way. My son, Mickey, points at a cel that we have in his room of my dad that has the genie from Aladdin.”

Watch: While spring cleaning, Robin Williams’s daughter found an old photo of her and her late father. Story continues below.

This is how Mickey is meeting his grandfather for the first time: not as a fruit bat or a Hollywood star or a holographic answering engine, but as a hilarious folkloric spirit who grants wishes when summoned. 

It’s a beautiful way to remember Williams, not only because it’s largely considered his most memorable performance, but also because the character’s spirit is so similar to Williams’s own. 

But the family is taking things slowly. Zak — who is helping to launch a new mental health program , called Inseparable, both as a way to get mental health care access for Americans and to keep the spirit of his father alive — says he wants to be take his time with the introduction.

“We hope that we can celebrate the positive elements and his works and films in a way that there can be appreciation and acknowledgment of him both as an entertainer, but also as a family man, and parent and grandfather to my son,” Zak told PEOPLE . “So, the key thing would be for us to introduce it slowly and meaningfully. Taking an opportunity to share stories and his values in a way that we hope can be appreciated and embodied.”