With friends like these, who needs original ideas? Wait, that’s not how it goes. Though, with the Mouse House bent on remaking every animated movie they’ve ever made into a live-action vehicle, we might as well get in on “Aladdin,” right?
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After the tease of teases hit in October, Disney has given audiences a proper look at its lavish “Aladdin” live-action feature, complete with ample footage of Will Smith as the Genie, magic carpet rides with Aladdin (Mena Massoud) and Jasmine (Naomi Scott) and hints at the new music that en-vogue duo Pasek & Paul (“La La Land,” “The Greatest Showman“) has cooked up to mesh with what returning composer/legend Alan Menken has in store.
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Sure, we’re going to get updates on those show-stopping numbers like “Friend Like Me?,” “A Whole New World,” and “Prince Ali,” but what will be curious to see is how director Guy Ritchie strikes the balance between his patented quick-shot, rummage-run, rambling narration style, and the Disneyfied fairy tale musical vibes that defined the original. His “King Arthur” take had its problems but showed promise for the director taking his flair and fusing it into a period adventure. Ritchie’s the definition of hit-and-kinda-miss, so perhaps his first film with the behemoth family-centered studio will be a big hit (well, it’s already destined to be that at the box office).
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Disney is going to have to slow down on these live-action remakes at some point and try to invest in some original I.P. for a change (forgive the pun, but wishful thinking?). But as long as the dollars pour in like treasures from the Cave of Wonders, we’re going to get more and more of these. Perhaps “Aladdin” will have more in common with the pleasant, elegant “Cinderella” revisiting or the fun “Jungle Book” revival and less than with that tedious “Beauty and the Beast” effort from 2017. Carbon copying the original (or misinterpreting what made the original so special) won’t work this time around, so it’ll be on Ritchie and company to give this the update it deserves.
At least seeing deserving actor Marwan Kenzari get his first big role as villainous sorcerer Jafar will be exciting to see. We’ll know soon enough how high this latest Disney remake will soar when the cave opens on May 24, 2019.