Disney’s run of re-creating their classic animated films into live-action pieces has found it’s way to the Arabian desert. Aladdin closely follows the 1992 original of the street rat Aladdin finding the magic lamp that holds the all-powerful Genie. The film dealt with heavy criticism surrounding some of the casting decisions, but more importantly, how Will Smith looked as the big, blue Genie. Luckily, there’s nothing to fear as the recreation of Aladdin captures the magic once again with stunning visuals, amazing musical performances, and of course, Will Smith.
For the most part, the 2019 counterpart follows the original story frame-by-frame. The beginning of the film is a bit of a quick montage of the early events of Jafar failing to retrieve to magic lamp the first time with the Cave of Wonders, and also expedites the first meeting of Aladdin and Princess Jasmine. While the footage is being shown, we get an early taste of Will Smith’s vocals, as he’s singing Arabian Nights to his children on a ship. It felt like his entire presence in the movie was not wanted with so many people worried that this would dishonor Robin Williams, which is understandable. However, I wish those same individuals would have more faith in the Disney property and Will Smith as a fellow actor, comedian, and general human being, to not only ensure they did not disgrace Williams but to further shine upon his legacy. Smith did an amazing job of showcasing a new take on Genie, while doing his absolute best to deliver the same level of entertainment as Williams.
It’s noticeable early on the strong chemistry between Aladdin and Jasmine. Actors Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott were excellent in their respective roles, bringing our beloved characters to life. Instead of simply not being allowed outside the palace walls, Disney enhanced Jasmine’s story to be a more political take. Her mother was murdered outside the palace, so the Sultan doesn’t allow his daughter to venture the streets of Agrabah. Jasmine wishes to become Sultan to help the impoverish nation, but the laws state only a man can rule, which leads into her father trying to force a prince on her to marry. This change in her story helps establish a more solid character development, opposed to having her just want to find true love. It was clear in the original animated film that Jasmine cared about the people of Agrabah, but the most she ever did was give the two orphaned kids an apple. Her wanting to become Sultan is a more “I’ll fix the whole system” type of plan we can admire and support. Aladdin, on the other hand, is the same cheeky, smart, quite nimble street rat we love. Both Scott and Massoud were great choices for these roles, but I cannot rave enough about Massoud’s performance as Aladdin. He truly brought the animated character to life with the witty remarks, extreme determination to impress Jasmine, and the film highlighted his remarkable parkour abilities.
The change in Jasmine’s story is not the only subtle difference Disney made. In an attempt to not steal too much of Aladdin’s spotlight, there’s another person out there looking for love. After being imprisoned for ten thousand years, Genie is out single and ready to mingle. Played by Nasim Pedrad, Dalia is Jasmine’s handmaid and the one who caught Genie’s eye. Unlike the original, when Genie tells Aladdin that he wishes to be free, he adds that he wishes to be free *and* human. Adding this little side romance arch to Genie’s character was unnecessary given the larger scope of the story, but felt perfect nonetheless. That addition helped establish a clearer distinction between the ’92 Genie and this one, helping me enjoy Smith’s performance even more.
It’s interesting that the casting choices people had issue with didn’t faze me in the slightest, but the one I don’t recall many talking about did. Marwan Kenzari was exceptional as Jafar, but it still bugs me a bit that we didn’t have a more grotesque, sniveling, creepy old man. Instead, our eyes are blessed with a handsome, clever Czar who reveals to Aladdin at one point that he too used to be a street rat. That was a nice little tidbit of background information about Jafar that we never knew about, and again, Kenzari played the part very well. I just wish he was a little more disgusting to look at, or at least give us the weird, slimy-looking goatee! Other than Handsome Jafar, there was a slight change in the Sultan’s character as well. Rather than the bumbling, naive, mind of a child Sultan of the animated film we’re unfortunately given a more coherent, adult-minded ruler. I really wanted to see a grown man try to fit a square piece into a triangle opening, but alas, the Sultan is actually an intelligent person. Navid Negahban played the new and improved ruler of Agrabah with excellence and his newfound intelligence played well off the added story of Jasmine wanting to become the next Sultan.
The more live-action remakes Disney pumps out, the more overall criticism they and the company are going to receive. It’s extremely difficult for people to find appreciation in something new that they believe is trying to replace something else they already know and love. I’ll be honest, early in Aladdin I was comparing the film with the ’92 animation, not on purpose, but because it’s very easy to do naturally. The small changes these live-action films have though create a big enough contrast and difference to their animated counterparts that allows these newer films to stand alone. Aladdin is a retelling of the original story, but it’s not meant to be a replacement. Just an enhancement. And it’s okay to enjoy both, neither, or just one. It’s time for everyone to move past the idea that these films could ever replace the animated ones, that will never happen. Instead, let’s appreciate and revel in the accomplishment of being able to re-imagine this classic tale into a new format. Aladdin presents amazing musical performances that had me wanting to dance and sing in the theater. That feeling of pure joy is palpable throughout the entire film. Aladdin is a beautiful, funny, exciting iteration of the ’92 classic that anyone would love. It truly is a whole new world.
Final Score: 9/10
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