Tradition Comes Through…EW Gives The World An Aladdin First Look
The live action version of Aladdin is in full swing and on its way. Up to this point, Disney hasn’t given anyone much to go on. Sure, they released a teaser trailer a little over 2 months ago but it didn’t show too much.
- A small glimpse of Iago’s and Jafar’s shadow.
- The Cave of Wonders and its treasures.
- And Aladdin reaching for the lamp.
The trailer was accompanied by a mesmerizing rendition of Arabian Nights followed by the ever-popular, Friend Like Me. At the end of the day, however, it did little more than spark interest.
- No Genie
- No Jasmine
- And no Abu.
All that has changed.
In accordance with tradition, Entertainment Weekly has given the world an Aladdin first look at the characters and the world. And it looks fairly faithful to the source material.
Each of Aladdin, Jasmine, and Jafar look like they’ve made a very smooth transition from animation to live action. Abu looks as real and convincing as Caesar from Planet of the Apes. And the Genie, oh the Genie, looks best of all.
Will Smith
Will Smith is a perfectionist actor known to dive in and learn everything he can about his characters. He did it with Ali. He did it with Bennet Omalu. And now he’s doing it with Genie.
Not to discredit the other mentioned roles but this one may be most difficult of all. Remember, it was the late Robin Williams who wrote the book on how the Genie should be played. He was fun, high energy, and his excitement was on par with a puppy meeting its new family for the first time. To say that portraying the Genie is difficult is the understatement of the year.
From the way the Aladdin First Look pictures appear, Will Smith is taking all the required steps in the right direction. He looks like he’s having fun all-the-while giving a world-class performance. This comes as no
Aladdin is the second of Disney’s live-action movies to be released next year. After the so-so reception of Beauty and the Beast, it has a lot riding on its success. I even say this knowing that Dumbo releases a few months before it. Aladdin is a timeless movie and to see it done poorly may make Disney think twice about moving forward with its live-action movies after 2019.
Cheers,
Joel
