Unless you’ve been stuck in a coma or living like a hermit for the last couple of years, most everyone is aware of the fact that Disney has been on a tear recently, turning their animated classics, into live action features. The latest on their docket is Aladdin. Over the last couple months there’s been a couple small teasers that have cropped up. Yet, in each of them, we’ve only gotten small peeks at what Guy Ritchie’s take (yes, you read that right) has in store for people. Mostly anticipation has surrounded just how the film would present Will Smith taking on the blue hue of the genie, previously brought to life by the late Robin Williams. Now we know exactly what that’ll look like. Take a gander at this.
That certainly looks and feels like Aladdin, so maybe this can be written off as a win. Yes, it is another series of snippets, but shows off more of the world and characters. Jaffar, his staff and Iago are perfect. The magic carpet’s tassels hang just like you’d hope. As Smith’s genie? Well, he only says one line and they keep the original design, so it’s difficult to discern just how animated the performance it may be. Smith is usually an actor full of charisma and charm and there’s a fair amount of belief that he can pull this off. Lets just say a weird quality to all this we can’t quite put our finger on yet.
It feels strange that just a couple months out from release Disney still seems unsure as how to market Aladdin. They’ve done a better job selling The Lion King and that comes out just two months after this! Either something strange is going on with Ritchie’s film or the studio is convinced that name recognition alone will move tickets. It could be the latter, as their last couple of re-makes have out each other at the box office. So, who’s to argue with success.
What we’re most curious about though, is your opinion, dear reader. Are you a fan of this teaser? Do you plan on seeing this film, regardless of what the marketing does? Or are you waiting to see what reviews say? What film, out of the already announced slate of live action updates, are you most excited for? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comment section. Get ready to see a whole new world (we’re sorry) when Aladdin parades into theaters on May 24, 2019.
