Disney made their name assembling the largest back catalogue of animated classics in cinematic history. While there have been ups and downs, the Mouse House has largely retained the monopoly on animation for the best part of a century. In recent years however, Disney have found huge success outside the realms of Lightsabers, Infinity Stones, and toy space rangers, with live action remakes of their animated treasures.
While this success has varied critically over the last decade, their box office power is undeniable. From Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland to Bill Condon’s Beauty and the Beast, Disney have rejuvenated these stories and breathed new life into them for modern audiences. Some have deviated more heavily than others from their source material, which has long been a huge talking point among moviegoers. Now, after this years controversial Dumbo, further attention has been turned towards the next live action remake on the docket, Aladdin. THN was in attendance for the films London press conference earlier this month.
Credit: Ben Read
Adapting such a beloved property for live action was met with a mixed response to say the least. The original 1992 film was not only one of Disney’s more visually distinct productions, but it also produced one of the greatest animated performances of all time. This however, has not affected the spirits of the cast. In fact, the panel was bristling with energy and enthusiasm. As expected, a huge portion of this positivity came from the films biggest star, Mr. Will Smith. Embracing the obviously close relationship between the cast and crew, Guy Ritchie regularly interjected during Smith’s responses to remind us that there are no short answers when it comes to the iconic actor. This humourous and playful dynamic seems to have worn off on the film, which certainly bodes well for its public reception upon release later this week.
Smith made his name in the ’90s as the Fresh Prince, before moving into A-list Hollywood territory with Independence Day and Men in Black. In recent years Smith’s career has taken him down a slightly more serious and gritty path, with layered performances in Suicide Squad and Bright (among others). In Aladdin, Smith was presented with a unique opportunity to hark back to his early days in the industry, with a lighter role that also incorporated his rapping abilities. This ‘spectacular’ opportunity, was clearly not lost on Smith as he shared his gratitude:
‘The singing, dancing, drama, comedy, action and adventure, is everything that I’ve cultivated as a performer for the last thirty years. To be able to do all that in one film, and for a big chunk of it, was fantastic’
Part of the appeal of Disney’s live action remakes is the obvious nostalgia factor than comes with them. Given the huge sentimental attachment to the original film, and the groundbreaking performance from the late Robin Williams, Aladdin was an incredibly risky venture from the start. After all, the children raised on fond memories of countless VHS rewatches, will now be visiting multiplexes with their own Disney-addicted offspring. This was something that the cast were aware of. Smith in particular, had the most difficult job of following in Williams’ footsteps, and clearly didn’t underestimate the magnitude of the task:
‘I was terrified. It’s like getting a call and them saying ‘Hey Will, we’re thinking of remaking The Godfather with you in the Al Pacino role!’ Robin didn’t leave much room for improvement in the Genie. The first thing I thought was that it would be live action, and it would look and feel different. Then i discovered that Robin Williams revolutionised what you could do in animation. He created this omnipresent Genie, who had been backwards and forwards in time. He had the full scope and breadth of human experience to draw from for comedy.
Smith went on to describe his performance as an homage, with the incorporation of hip hop to inject his own personal take into the material. A clever, intriguing and well-thought out plan from one of the most talented artists on the planet. This was undoubtedly the sole reason for Disney’s keen interest in signing the A-lister for the role. In a cast mostly consisting of relative newcomers, Smith was essential in selling such a controversial product to mainstream audiences, and also delivering a convincing reinterpretation of such an iconic character.
Of course, casting also came with its own issues due to the natural demands of a narrative set in the middle east. Before cameras started rolling, authentic casting was a huge talking point among press and the online community. Naturally, equality and appropriate casting in regards to race was something also discussed by Ritchie:
‘The approach was to create an Agrabar which we believed was representative of a multicultural middle eastern part of the world. It was partly fantasy, but there was an organic tone that just seemed natural. The cast reflects that’
Despite some minor negativity during the films production, its looking increasingly like Ritchie and the cast have managed to succeed with something truly special. As arguably the most challenging property to translate to live action, it appears that decisions both behind and in front of the camera have been made correctly. It will be difficult to please all audiences, as is to be expected with any release regardless of its baggage, but Aladdin has all the ingredients for a thrilling summer blockbuster.
A whole new world, indeed.
Aladdin is released in UK cinemas on Wednesday 22nd May.
