by Tyler Ryder
Disney’s trend of adopting their animated films to live action is continuing, with fan favorite “Aladdin.”
Scheduled to release on May 24th, 2019, “Aladdin” is a live action retelling of the original movie directed by Guy Ritchie, who also directed the 2009 Sherlock Holmes film, as well as its sequel. The film stars Will Smith as the genie, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine, Marwan Kenzari as Jafar, and Mena Massoud as the titular character. The film is rated PG, and has a score of 6.5 out of 10 stars on IMDb despite being not currently available. The original movie has a rating of 8 stars out of 10 on IMDb.
Released in 1992, “Aladdin” is about a street urchin of the same name and his pet monkey, Abu. The pair’s adventure takes place in the fictional city of Agrabah, near the real Jordan River. Throughout the movie, the pair manages to meet and charm a princess, summon a genie, and defeat the villain, Jafar. “Aladdin” has two sequels, an animated series, and a broadway adaptation. The film is based somewhat loosely on the famed One Thousand and One Nights folktale.
The original features six songs with complete lyrics, as well as several other instrumental pieces. It’s unclear how many of the original six songs will make into the remake, but a trailer for the film was released featuring Will Smith, as the genie, singing “Prince Ali.” For a comparison, here’s the original. The original soundtrack received quite a few awards. The composer, Alan Menken received the Golden Globe award for Best Original Score, as well as the Academy Award for Best Original Score. It was also the first Disney song to win a Grammy Award for Song of the Year. The album sold 3 million copies in the US alone.