Disney's Aladdin(2019)

[Henry88]

[Dai]

There's something annoyingly cocky about that teaser. Disney are so confident in the popularity of their 90s animated movies that this teaser doesn't even try to sell itself on its own merits; it just leans on its association to the animated version, like the live-action Beauty and the Beast did. It's frustrating to see Disney settling back into an ultra-conservative phase after they produced some new genuine classics like Tangled and Frozen, and a respectable effort in The Princess and the Frog.

[klen7]

I think one of the things that made Aladdin such a hit was having Robin Williams at the height of his career as the genie - this was back before animated feature routinely used celebrities for voices. So classics like Beauty and the Beast, and some of these other live action remakes haven't had to contend with that factor. I have a hard time imagining them finding a genie that will win the hearts of the fans of the original film.

[Benjamin Haines]

[klen7]

^ Very interesting

[jellydonut25]

Will Smith really might be the only person who could even give Genie a legitimate attempt that gives the movie a chance...


...but Genie is such an iconic role and so defined by Williams, I have a hard time seeing this one succeeding. Granted, I'll be wrong. Nostalgia goggles cloud everything and people will be there, but this isn't one I particularly want to see.

The Disney Live Action thing has been a mixed bag for me...this one...I doubt I'll see theatrically. I'm more curious about Dumbo, as that's not an animated film I feel much particular attraction to. Mulan, because I think we're more ready as a society for a badass female minority heroine. I'd be more on board with Hercules, because I feel like a movie with that tone and willingness to embrace the fantasy of Hercules might be cool (as opposed to the recent "here's the REAL Hercules story" movies). Lilo and Stitch could be fun. Emperor's New Groove...

...y'know, things that seem less defined by one particular iconic element that would be really hard to recapture.



All THAT said: That teaser is garbage. It's basically just an announcement.

[mr.negativity]

[canofhumdingers]

Man... I mean, to be honest, I can’t think of a better current actor to cast in the role. But... that photo... al I can see is this:




EDIT

I mean, geez,just look at thelook in Will Smith’s eyes. You can *see* him thinking, “why on earth did I agree to do this...?”

[Baltan II]

Interesting tidbit from Instagram (I think) was that this is when Genie is in disguise as a human, not how he'll look the rest of the time, and that he will be blue.

[jellydonut25]

I think it looks fine. And by 'it' I of course mean Jasmine cuz SHE FOINE!!!! AMIRITE!?!?!?!?!

Gross alpha-male sexism aside, nothing seems "WRONG" about that pic to me. These EW spreads are quite often not color-corrected and are oddly photoshopped and stuff and not the way things look in the movie, so the general overall aesthetic seems fine.

[O.Supreme]

I've certainly not been immune to nerd rage in the past, about IP I am strongly attached to, but for once its nice to be on the outside looking in. Having no particular strong ties to this film, or Sonic, the past few days have been quite interesting.

[Henry88]

this just does not look good.

[lhb412]

This looks baaaad.

Guy Ritchie directed that Man From U.N.C.L.E. movie from a few years ago. I saw a bit of that on the TV the other day and it seemed... pretty good?

[Henry88]

[mr.negativity]

After 'Aladdin,' Should Disney Consider a Live-Action Universe?

[william newell]

I can't help but wonder how much Disney's insistence that their films only play on the biggest(and more expensive)screens in the theater had on the box office totals. I know when I was at the movies on Saturday, this was on every IMAX and Dolby screen, which was the first time I'd ever noticed that. Usually at least ONE screen was reserved for another film. Now, to be honest, it's not like I go to the movies that often, but still, this had to have some effect...or maybe, once again, just to be honest, I'm not overly fond of Disney's relatively recent trend of remaking animated classics into live action(I find it about as pointless as George Lucas's constant fiddling around with the original Star Wars trilogy back in the day)and I would love to see that trend crash and burn.

[lhb412]

I think we all underestimated just how much people want fun Will Smith back.

[Benjamin Haines]

Has anyone else here seen this yet? It's really delightful. It's about an 80% scene-for-scene remake of the 1992 animated film. They couldn't have put together a better cast. Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Jasmine, Will Smith as the Genie, and Nasim Pedrad as the new character Dalia are all fantastic. I was skeptical of Marwan Kenzari as Jafar because he really doesn't look or sound like his animated counterpart but he made the role his own and did a great job with it.

The movie is funny, the visuals are stylish, and they knocked the musical numbers out of the park. I've never owned the original animated movie but I saw it several times growing up and I've always liked it. I found this new take to be a worthy live-action counterpart.

[XvGojira]

[Benjamin Haines]

^ Yes, the prevalence of Wash in modern cinema is never a bad thing! He didn't have nearly as many lines in the role of Iago as did Gilbert Gottfried, though.