Disney was smart to not spend $5 million on a Super Bowl trailer revealing Will Smith as the Blue Genie from Aladdin in the new live-action version. All they had to do was quietly release it the next Sunday night and they knew that everyone would be talking about it the next morning.
This isn’t the first footage that we’ve seen from the film. It’s not even the first time we’ve seen Smith in a shot from the film, but it is the first time we’ve seen him go full genie. Now the question is, how will people react to it? Personally, I’m not sure how to feel. It’s not that I dislike Smith as the Genie, it’s just that seeing that blue cloud turn around and not have it be Robin Williams makes me a little sad. That isn’t Disney or Will Smith’s fault. To be honest, I’ve got to see more than one line of him performing before I can tell you I like it. For now, I will just say that I’m still getting used to it.
A thrilling and vibrant live-action adaptation of Disney’s animated classic, “Aladdin” is the exciting tale of the charming street rat Aladdin, the courageous and self-determined Princess Jasmine and the Genie who may be the key to their future. Directed by Guy Ritchie, who brings his singular flair for fast-paced, visceral action to the fictitious port city of Agrabah, “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; Billy Magnussen as Prince Anders; and Numan Acar as Hakim.
“Aladdin” is produced by Dan Lin, p.g.a., and Jonathan Eirich, p.g.a., with Marc Platt and Kevin De La Noy serving as executive producers. Eight-time Academy Award®-winning composer Alan Menken provides the score, which includes new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Oscar®-winning lyricists Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and includes two new songs written by Menken and Oscar and Tony Award®-winning songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.