If you had three wishes, how would you use them? This weekend Disney movie lovers will be able to see how Aladdin used his three wishes and if they vary from 1992 . How does this live remake compare to the original?Let's talk about it with no spoilers.
The original animated film aired in 1992 and like most Disney movies, we cried when love prevailed. This time will be no difference but not surprisingly there will be lots of laughter. Despite the the controversy of Will Smith, playing the blue Genie originally played by Robin Williams, he delivered.
The movie starts off with a “human” Will Smith telling a story and quickly moves to the city of Agrabah where we are introduced to the lovable street rat Aladdin (Mena Massoud). Aladdin and his kleptomaniac friend, Abu zip through the city with lots of mischief. We meet Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott) after Aladdin and Abu come to her rescue and the love story begins.
Aladdin and Jasmine both have bigger plans for their lives but aren't sure how to get there. Jasmine has to convince her dad, Sultan (Navid Negahban) that she is up for the challenge while Aladdin is basically clueless. As a common thief, he was blindsided by false promises from Jafar (Marwan Kenzari) of a better life if he just helps him. Jafar lead him to the Cave of Wonders in search of an oil lamp. One rub of the lamp and we are introduced to the Genie (Will Smith).
Now the Fun Begins
If you are a dance in your seat kind of person then get ready but keep your singing low as not disturb your neighbor:) There is lots of singing much like in the original movie but seeing it live just adds a new level of excitement. The diversity of the Middle East is seen throughout the film from the beautiful garbs of clothings worn to the picturesque views of the desert. Disney screened actors from London to Egypt to Abu Dhabi to India in an effort to find people culturally connected to the storyline.
What They Wore
If you recall in the original, Aladdin is bare chested and Jasmine wears crop tops. the live remake has them wearing a slightly different look. Aladdin still wears his vest but there is a shirt underneath while Jasmine has a few changes but all basically had her body covered. The outfits were colorful and accessorized with appropriate jewelry. At one point in the movie, I was distracted by the garments as I pointed out the ones that I would wear.
Aladdin's 3 Wishes
I will let you see the movie to determine what the three wishes were but the way he used his last wish would make any mother proud. In the end we learned the importance of being true to yourself. Here are my three wishes for the movie.
1. Use voiceovers for some of the singing parts. I knew Will Smith could not sing but I hoped his co-stars would be able to wow me.
2. Let the movie unfold more. Who are Jafar and Dalia?
3. My third wish is the same as Aladdin. Let me know if you think it was a good choice.
Aladdin” is written by John August and Ritchie based on Disney’s “Aladdin.” The film stars Will Smith as the Genie; Mena Massoud as Aladdin; Naomi Scott as Jasmine; Marwan Kenzari as Jafar; Navid Negahban as the Sultan; Nasim Pedrad as Dalia and Billy Magnussen as Prince Anders.
Explore a whole new world when Aladdin premieres in theaters everywhere May 24th, 2019!
