Aladdin (2019) (3 Viewers)

[Jake Lipson]

Another new photo of Naomi Scott (Jasmine) and our first look at Navid Negahban as the Sultan:

https://movieweb.com/aladdin-2019-princess-jasmine-photo-naomi-scott/

Speaking of Naomi Scott, here from YouTube is a single she released earlier this year. It's so pop-oriented that it's difficult to tell how she'll sound as Jasmine because Jasmine is going to require a different style.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Alan Menken did an interview with a newspaper in Phoenix, where the touring production of the Aladdin Broadway musical is about to open. But, of course, they asked about the live-action film, too. Here are his quotes specifically about that.

Q: What’s the status of the live-action film?

A: I wrote some new songs with Benj Pasek and Justin Paul as my lyricists and also rewrote some of the songs from the original. It’s done. It’s just a matter of doing our scoring. We got the score in a few weeks in London, and then a lot of post work (before) it’s coming out May 24. These adaptations are almost like spokes in a wheel, as opposed to being a continuous evolution. Each one is a different telling. So we have one song in particular that’s new to the movie called “Speechless,” which we’re all really excited about. It’s a song for Jasmine.

Q: How was it working with Pasek and Paul? Were they a little star-struck?

A: Well, we certainly had fun with me telling them behind-the-scenes stories. We had a lot of laughs. They’re very dear, and they’re incredible talents. I had known about them since they were in college. My daughter went to the University of Michigan and was telling me, “Oh, there’s this team called Pasek and Paul, and they’re really good.” When it was suggested that they collaborate with me on these songs, I said, “Hey, that’s great.” (And they told me) “Also, on the ‘Mermaid’ musical you’ll be working with Lin-Manuel Miranda” — who I also knew of when he was a little boy in New York, through my sister, who was a musical-theater actress, and her daughter went to the same school as Lin. So it’s a whole generation of young talent that I’ve known about as they were coming up, the other one is Bobby Lopez, watching each of them come of age and make an impact on musical theater.

The whole interview at the link is worth a read.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/ent...n-remaking-aladdin-pasek-and-paul/2668465002/

 

[Jake Lipson]

A new TV spot aired during The Grammys.



I'm more pumped for this movie than anybody else I know. But to me, the Genie looks terrible. I'm hoping it works in the context of the movie, but I actually preferred the photos of Will Smith from Entertainment Weekly where he was featured as a human. Those were like the Broadway design for the Genie, and I know that works because the Broadway show makes it work. This CGI version of him looks....frankly, terrifying in all the wrong ways.

Visually, the rest of the clip looks great, I think. But...yeah. Yikes.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I think he just blue himself.

Holy crap does this look like a train wreck. Cinderella, The Jungle Book, and Beauty and the Beast were soulless cash grabs, but at least they were competently made films with expert craftsmanship. This looks like the public domain straight-to-Redbox live action adaptation of Aladdin, not the Disney authorized and produced live action version.

 

[Jake Lipson]

This looks like the public domain straight-to-Redbox live action adaptation of Aladdin, not the Disney authorized and produced live action version.

I liked Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book more than you did, and I really desperately want Aladdin to be good because the original is my favorite movie of all time. But I've got to agree with you on this. I'm not sure what they are thinking with the Genie being depicted in this way. He looks like an alien that Will Smith would fight in Men in Black, with CGI that dates to the '90s when Smith was in that movie.

This clip, to me, is proof that what works in 2D animation won't always work in live-action (or CGI for that matter.) The Broadway production of Aladdin totally reconceived the Genie and did so brilliantly to work within the context of a live stage setting. Instead of reconceiving it again and doing it in a way that works for this movie, which is what they should have done, it feels like the live-action film team said, "Well, he's gotta be blue, and he's gotta look the same, so I guess CGI?", but the end result just looks creepy and weird. I think the visual design of the rest of what we've seen so far is beautiful -- but the Genie is going to dominate the conversation, per usual. The hopeful side of me says, well, he's only in this for a few seconds, and maybe it will work better when we're seeing the full performance within context of the complete movie. But as far as first impressions go, this one was bad. I want to love this so badly, but they're making it hard.

Even what he's saying doesn't make sense. Why would Aladdin know who the Genie is? Within the world of the movie, genies are rare. There's a reason Jafar has been searching for years to find the Cave of Wonders. Certainly someone of the lower class wouldn't be aware of the existence of magic because it's not common. Therefore, it's unreasonable for the Genie to expect Aladdin to know who he is or how the wishes work.

On another note, Jafar seems pretty young from that clip of him. Part of what makes him a terrifying villain is that he's a much older man trying to get with Jasmine. It won't be as creepy if they're closer in age. Again, we'll see how it goes in context of the whole movie, but that's just what leapt out at me as a first impression.

 

[Tino]

Cinderella, The Jungle Book, and Beauty and the Beast were soulless cash grabs

Wow. That’s harsh.

I enjoyed all three.

 

[Sam Favate]

I think the clip looks good. As for Smith's Genie, in the first film you had Robin Williams doing his thing, and now it's going to Will Smith's thing. For better or worse, Smith's common movie persona will be Genie.

 

[JQuintana]

If they start filling the movie with any rap crap, I'm out. I also agree the look of Genie is bad bad,

 

[Jake Lipson]

For better or worse, Smith's common movie persona will be Genie.

From that clip, it's not Smith's persona I have the problem with so much as the actual design of the character that I think looks creepy.

 

[tempest21]

From that clip, it's not Smith's persona I have the problem with so much as the actual design of the character that I think looks creepy.

Amen! While I didn't find Will Smith's dialogue funny, it just looked too creepy seeing the actual image of Genie. I was laughing. Not because it was funny. But, because of how awful Will Smith looked as the Genie. I just don't see this being a hit for Disney. The original animated classic was a huge hit among fans because Robin Williams had enormous box office potential but also, I believe, because William's face wasn't plastered as the Genie. I expected to see a CGI Genie without Smith's face.

If Will Smith is expecting for this movie to re-ignite his flailing career, then, he's betting on the wrong horse.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Tough crowd!

 

[Malcolm R]

His appearance didn't bother me much, though I was expecting something more than just "blue Will Smith". It was kind of underwhelming.

 

[TonyD]

His appearance didn't bother me much, though I was expecting something more than just "blue Will Smith". It was kind of underwhelming.

Me too. He looked a little chubby too.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Although the Genie's look in the new TV spot is worrisome to me, I still want to love this film. The animated film is my favorite movie of all time, so I really want the remake to be awesome and I'm trying to remain optimistic.

On that note, I noticed that Disney is going to be working with Dark Horse to publish a graphic novel related to the new film called "Four Tales of Agrabah." It seems like it is going to be a prequel or side story or something, rather than a straight-up adaptation of the movie. The synopsis says:

Travel through the vibrant city of Agrabah in four interconnected tales connected to Disney's all new live-action film. Follow a day in the lives of Aladdin, Jasmine, and Genie, and discover what friends Abu, Raja, and Magic Carpet are up to. Writer Corinna Bechko (Angel Season 11, Once Upon a Time), brings the individuality and spirit of Aladdin and friends to the forefront in this fun-filled anthology.

Release date is April 30, which is a while before the movie on May 24.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1506712673/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Since this is only $10.99 and I'm curious, I pre-ordered it.

Edit: Here's a Hollywood Reporter story on the graphic novel which I found. Apparently they're doing one for Dumbo as well. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/aladdin-dumbo-graphic-novels-coming-dark-horse-1173306.

The Oregon-based publisher [Dark Horse] will release Disney Dumbo: Friends in High Places, an anthology of stories based on the upcoming Tim Burton adaptation of the animated classic, in March. It will then be followed by Disney Aladdin in late April. Like the Dumbo release, it will be a collection of stories written by one sole writer; John Jackson Miller for Dumbo and Corinna Bechko for Aladdin. Artists on the projects include Giovanni Rigano, Alberto Zanon, Paolo Antista, Michela Bovo and Pablo Vite. Each title will be a 72-page paperback, available for $10.99.

Amazon also has a listing for "The Art and Making of Aladdin" by Emily Zelmer which is about the new live-action film. That one comes out on May 21 and retails for $45. Since that is more of a major investment, I'm not planning to buy it before I see the movie, but would definitely consider it provided that I like the movie and that they discount the price a bit.

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Making-A...aladdin&qid=1549928734&s=books&sr=1-2-catcorr

And here is a pre-order for the "Aladdin Live-Action Novelization" coming April 9. I think I'll pass on this one, as it is likely to give away every detail of the new film in a way that a side-story graphic novel won't. The Disney novelizations are usually targeted to very young readers too. But I remember getting a ton of these while I was growing up, so it's good that today's kids will have this option if they want it:

https://www.amazon.com/Aladdin-Acti...disney+aladdin&qid=1549929855&s=books&sr=1-16

And there's the Disney Aladdin Deluxe Replica Journal written by Rachael Upton. I'm not sure what this one is, but it's coming on April 16 and is listed as being for ages 6-8. I probably don't need this one.

https://www.amazon.com/Disney-Aladd...disney+aladdin&qid=1549930075&s=books&sr=1-16

It's interesting that all of these books are up for order now, but no pre-order is yet available for the new soundtrack, which is the merchandise item for the remake that I want the most, since there are new songs.

 

[JimmyO]

Jake, are you ready for Will Smith's new rap version of "A Whole New World?"

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I liked Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book more than you did, and I really desperately want Aladdin to be good because the original is my favorite movie of all time. But I've got to agree with you on this.

I actually enjoyed the live action Beauty and the Beast quite a bit. I just meant that Disney's motivation for making these isn't artistic and meaningful; its motivation is soulless and corporate. They are products coming off of the assembly line, on a schedule that creates value for shareholders.

That product can be good product or it can be bad product. I think Beauty and the Beast was good product. I'm very much afraid that this Aladdin will be bad product.

I'm not sure what they are thinking with the Genie being depicted in this way. He looks like an alien that Will Smith would fight in Men in Black, with CGI that dates to the '90s when Smith was in that movie.

It's worse than that; it looks like Will Smith with a bad 1960s "Star Trek" makeup job. They could have achieved that by filming Will Smith against green screen and then using coloring tools to swap out his skin tone for smurf blue.

If you're going to go with CG, show us something you can't achieve by any means other than CG.

It's not just the Genie, though; when the cave is collapsing around Aladdin, look how cheap and fake the environment looks.

 

[Sam Favate]

Oh, boy.

Alan Horn, Disney Studios chief, gave an interview with the Hollywood Reporter. He talks about a lot of things (good interview, check it out) and mentions how he feels the media isn't always fair to big budget movies. He mentioned Solo, and in the same breath, mentions Aladdin.

the thing about these big movies is they get a lot of attention, whether positive or negative. So when they don't work, like Solo, the media says it's a failure. I think it was a pretty good movie. It didn't resonate as much as we'd hoped it would, but the press writes it up in a more negative way than I would. These are very high-profile movies. If Aladdin, which I happen to think is a terrific film, doesn't work somehow, that's big news and much bigger news than if a movie somewhere else, like The Kid Who Would Be King [at Fox,] doesn't work.

Sure, he could just be throwing out an example, but mentioning it with a movie that despite what one might think of it (I liked Solo) was a financial disappointment, is not a good idea. As studio chief, he should be aware of the chatter surrounding Aladdin (and Will Smith's look) and should have avoided this gaffe.

FWIW, he also mentions James Gunn in passing. (He's the one who fired Gunn.) Earlier, he mentions things they cannot have in a Disney movie, like smoking. If they're holding Disney films to that high a standard, you can see how, in his mind, he feels he was right to fire Gunn. (I still disagree.)

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/n...er-streaming-pixar-post-john-lasseter-1187054

 

[Jake Lipson]

Sure, he could just be throwing out an example, but mentioning it with a movie that despite what one might think of it (I liked Solo) was a financial disappointment, is not a good idea. As studio chief, he should be aware of the chatter surrounding Aladdin (and Will Smith's look) and should have avoided this gaffe.

Thank you @Sam Favate for posting this article. That was a great read.

I hope Horn just sees the mention of Aladdin as a hypothetical, but I agree that's a weird thing to call out. The other obvious connection between Solo and Aladdin is that they are both being released on Memorial Day, so the comparison is there.

If Aladdin opens bigger than Solo, that's a win for Disney because they improved the weekend over last year. If it actually opens lower, that's a big problem. We'll see how it goes.

It's been a long time since Disney had a genuine hit that launched on Memorial Day -- Pirates 3? -- and they've had lots of bombs there. Prince of Persia, Tomorrowland, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Solo. And yet they continue to use the Memorial Day slot.

We know Disney believes in using the same slots over and over again when they have hits there (like using early May/late April for Marvel, December for Star Wars, etc.) So, why are they continuing to use the same date when they have a pattern of bombs there? Do they put the films they think won't do as well at Memorial Day? Or do they actually genuinely think these movies are going to be huge openers on Memorial Day and keep getting surprised when they don't do as well as they want?

 

[Sam Favate]

We know Disney believes in using the same slots over and over again when they have hits there (like using early May/late April for Marvel, December for Star Wars, etc.) So, why are they continuing to use the same date when they have a pattern of bombs there? Do they put the films they think won't do as well at Memorial Day? Or do they actually genuinely think these movies are going to be huge openers on Memorial Day and keep getting surprised when they don't do as well as they want?

Time was when Memorial Day was the beginning of the summer movie season. Everyone wanted to open on Memorial Day, which the original Star Wars did back in 1977 and they wanted to copy that success. In 1979, they even made a big deal out of the fact that Alien was opening on the same day Star Wars had two years earlier. Memorial Day Weekend became the Big Event Movie weekend.

Then movies started creeping up, opening earlier in May. By 2002, Spider-Man opened May 3 and blew everything else away (it was the biggest hit of that year). Since then, the de facto start of the summer season was the first weekend in May. (This year and last it's been the end of April, but that's special circumstances because of the spoilerific nature of the Avengers movies and when they open in international markets.) Now, I feel like movies are opening in early May and throughout May for at least 10-12 years, so by Memorial Day Weekend, I've probably seen 3 new movies. I'm ready for a long weekend that maybe doesn't involve movies. Last year, people flocked to Avengers, putting it well on its way to $1 billion+ in box office, and Deadpool 2, which opened big and made about $750 million. By Memorial Day, people were relaxing. "Star Wars?" they said, "Didn't we just see a Star Wars movie? I'm going to Bobby's picnic on Sunday."

Alan Horn is plenty old enough to remember when Memorial Day was the biggest thing of the year. He still acts like it.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Alan Horn is plenty old enough to remember when Memorial Day was the biggest thing of the year. He still acts like it.

Yes, but maybe she houldn't, when Disney is essentially providing its own competition by putting Avengers there, which will still very much be in play by Memorial Day. As you noted, the landscape has changed, and Disney is one of the companies that had a hand in changing it by using early May for Marvel every year. It's foolish to pretend that Memorial Day weekend has the same cachet it once did when recent evidence, and their recent films placed there, have told a very different story.

This year, the mid-May titles (where Deadpool 2 succeeded last year) are Detective Pikachu on May 10 (which, incidentally, also has Ryan Renyolds) and John Wick 3 on May 17. Those don't seem to me like they will take as big of a bite out of Aladdin as Deadpool did out of Solo because they don't seem to overlap quite as much in terms of the target audience. Well, maybe Detective Pikachu if kids like it, although that's going to be a blind spot for me since I hate Pokemon and would never willingly go to anything associated with it. But we'll see what happens.