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helsaguy · 5 years

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Best Disney Live Action to date.

This is my opinion and mine alone. You have your own. Watch out for spoilers if you haven't seen the movie yet.

What a ride. What a surprise. What a delight this movie actually is. The first promotional content did nothing, or very little to excite me about this movie. I was really gonna watch it just to see Will Smith’s work. Then good reviews started to pop out and those truly gave me hope. I still kept my expectations relatively low. But now I was excited to watch it. The idea was to watch the movie on Saturday, but stuff came up and couldn't be. Anyways, two great things happened about watching it on Sunday: First I got to watch it with more family members. I’m so happy they didn't miss this movie, you just can’t miss it. And second, I got to watch it in its original language! I'm sure the dub would have been good, but I really needed to hear the actors’ voices, the dialogues and more than anything the songs in their original language. It’s important to me.

I had my doubts about almost everyone in the cast. But in the end, if anyone made a mistake (which mistakes can totally happen and maybe they happened) I think they were so minor that I didn’t care if there was something off. The whole movie is just so good. I couldn’t care less about any mistake or off thing that could have been going on.

What I’m about to write may be weird. I felt that every character was very different to its animated counterpart. The story was pretty much the same, and of course the characters are the same (except for a couple of funny and good additions) yet they felt different to me. They felt very down-to-earth, very grounded, very fleshed out, very real. Which I think that's the whole point of these live action movies; or at least I think it should be that way.

So far I enjoyed and liked all the live actions I've seen (Maleficent, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book). But so far only Aladdin although being fair, Maleficent has it's own category has added content that served perfectly to enrich the movie and its characters. I see it that way anyway. It left me wanting to see more of them. I wanna see this gang again. Heck, I wanna watch the movie again. I really think it should have a sequel. More than anything I think this live action has established enough content to continue with another movie.

On a side note. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite animated Disney movie and if the live action doesn't make a sequel, I'm honestly not complaining. Here I am, perfectly well without a live action Beauty and the Beast sequel. And about Maleficent. I never thought it would have a sequel, and when I heard there would be one I was like: Ok. Maleficent is a whole other take on the Sleeping Beauty movie. A pretty interesting take if you ask me. And I’m curious to see how the sequel turns out. I loved Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent and I don’t mind seeing more of that. I think it'll be worth it.

About how I felt these characters were different to their animated counterparts. I think the most obvious is the Sultan. But man what a great change. I think every character was very likeable. Every good character that is. And the Sultan is so likable as a ruler and as a father. Of course he is a little flawed in those regards, but he grows and learns accordingly. I think everyone can or should understand where he’s coming from. It isn’t hard to understand his position. I'm not very comfortable comparing the live action to the animation. And I hope I won't do it (or do it much) writing further. But I think I dare say I liked this version of the Sultan better than the animated one. I just really cared more about him as a character and as a person. He even got a little action in the confrontation with Jafar and the dancing at the end of the movie. Way to go Sultan! He is a caring and loving father to Jasmine and father-daughter relationships are kind of my Achilles heel on Disney movies (Belle and Maurice, Ariel and Triton). Quite frankly, I never really cared for this father-daughter relationship with the animated movie, I'm guilty of that. But the live action version of these characters are a whole other story. The Sultan was overall a far more competent character and I loved it.

Oh boy I had so many doubts with Naomi Scott as Jasmine. But seeing her first interactions with Aladdin at the market place and at Aladdin’s street rat home, I was so charmed by her acting and charisma. Not to mention her beautiful hair and those beautiful, beatiful brown eyes of hers. Jasmine got quite the changes too, and I think most were very well done. This Jasmine is truly a ruler and leader in the making. Ready to be the first Sultana (that’s the proper term) of the land. She lacks some experience, of course, but she has all the tools she needs. I was impressed with all the knowledge this girl has at her disposal. Although, she's a Princess, of course she knows her studies. While the animated Jasmine feels rebellious “not wanting to be a Princess” and seems to ponder too much on the freedom she’s missing; live action Jasmine shows great conviction on wanting to help and better her people, her country and kingdom. She doesn't know much of Agrabah's outsides but once she gets out there and sees the market place full of people working and coexisting, she sees the community that lives under the Sultan's care and understands that those people are what make Agrabah so precious. Even from her balcony Jasmine gets to see her people's lives and how much they deserve to live happily and without fear of wars and losing loved ones (like she and the Sultan lost Jasmine's mother). Agrabah was done so lively that it’s easy to see why Jasmine wants so badly to be the next one on taking care of the kingdom and its people. She wants to make them happy and prosperous. Again, she is very likable. And most importantly, if some think these changes are to push some agenda (I thought that at first), well, if they are at least they don't feel forced. I think all these changes added a lot of depth and character to the character. To me they made Jasmine richer and a better role model.

Again someone that surprised me. Mena Massoud’s Aladdin turned out to be quite refreshing to me. In all honesty I wish I could explain better why I think this Aladdin differs from the animated one, but I lack the words. What I value the most of this interpretation is the simplicity and humility in character. He is more aware of himself. And while he does say the line “When you don’t have anything, you have to act as if you own everything.”, this guy doesn't feel pretentious at all. He is still very much down-to-earth and it shows greatly when he becomes Prince Ali. At least for the first part. I loved how awkward and/or insecure he is as Prince Ali during the Prince Ali musical number and when meeting the Sultan and Princess Jasmine. That scene is truly hilarious, with all the right jokes and all the right faux pas. Then there's the moment when the Prince gig gets to his head and is so believable how he gets lost in that lie and that facade, that it made me feel bad for him. In a pitiful way. Whereas in the animated movie I felt Aladdin was being a jerk to Genie and it made me think he deserved to be left alone. I definitely sympathize better with this Aladdin. Great chemistry between him and Jasmine from start to finish. Also I think it was very adorable to have Jasmine pretend to be the Princess' servant when she meets Aladdin for the first time. It made the blooming relationship more endearing and natural. Very appreciated. The animated movie honestly only makes me care about the Genie, but this live action truly made me care about every character. The good ones that is.

I still think Marwan Kenzari’s voice doesn’t fit Jafar at all. But this Jafar is still a good villain. I think he felt more cold blooded to me. He had a little background that benefited the character, not like they tried to do with Gaston on the Beauty and the Beast live action. And this depth not only made Jafar a little more interesting, it helped Aladdin's character as well. Jafar's past as a thief not only gives reason for his ambitions and goals, it’s also a good example of what our hero Aladdin could have become if he kept on the abusive/ambitious path of power. I think that provided quite the scare in thinking that if Jafar went through this manipulative, power hungry way; that could very well happen to Aladdin. This Jafar lacks the animated one’s theatrics but I still consider him a descent villain.

Very much like Robin Williams’ Genie is the heart and soul of the animated classic. Will Smith’s Genie is the heart and soul of this live action. Hands down my favorite character in the whole movie. Robin (R.I.P.) must be very proud with everything Will did. He was so charismatic, sympathetic, funny, charming, such a lovable character I swear to God. No one will ever convince me that this Genie wasn't perfect in every way, shape, or form. I loved how at the party in the palace he kept telling Ali to not ruin it for him. He's been trapped inside a lamp for thousands of years and he really wanted to enjoy a good party. The character with the most heart in the film and with powerful lessons to teach. Two of those will stay with me forever. The first, and I believe the intentional one, is that no matter how much riches you possess; no money, or jewels, or power will ever satisfy you nor make you happy. I wish more people in the world would see and understand that... And second, and this is I think more my interpretation than the movie's intention, to be human is what makes someone truly free. Although "being human" is such a vast term. I hope you understand what I mean. Anyways, what a freaking powerful message. This Genie wishes freedom. But that freedom isn't just to not be his master's slave or the lamp's slave. This Genie wishes to be human; he doesn't want to be an all powerful being for all eternity. And something happened in this movie that helped in a very sweet way to make this Genie even more human.

And that is Dalia. What a revelation this character is. Best addition to a live action adaptation ever. To be honest when I first heard of the character I really thought this live action would be ruined from the start. Who was this Dalia? Why Jasmine needed a handmaiden? Why was she white? Truth is Dalia is a much needed character. Also Nasim Pedrad who portrays Dalia was born on Iran to Iranian parents, and that made me more comfortable about her as a character in this movie. Dalia is a much welcomed addition to the colorful cast. Her character feels organic in this well known tale. She's not only Jasmine’s handmaiden but is also a true friend and her loyal confidant. And not to offend my favorite tiger, but the Princess really needed some human friend to talk to. Sure Dalia is a servant, but never once she complains about her place; even if it shows that on the inside she would like to enjoy more of the outside world as well as the Princess and have a life of her own. Dalia is quite insightful, she knows the Princess very well, she's very funny, and charming. We get to see how much and how well she cares for Jasmine and quickly becomes an endearing character. That scene where she pretends to be the Princess in favor of Jasmine being able to play the handmaiden character with Aladdin a little longer was incredibly funny. Not just she makes Jasmine a more well round character, she helps the Genie as well with their little romance. Such good content with these two. One of my favorite scenes was when the Genie wanted to ask Dalia out on an evening stroll and he, much like Prince Ali meeting the Princess, got all awkward and even mentions that Aladdin's behavior is contagious. Obviously he knows how to treat women right, with delicacy and respect. But also he's been imprisoned for so long that it isn't hard to see how he would be a bit clumsy when trying to court a girl he really felt infatuated with. Their interactions are just really sweet and charming.

The best part happens when Aladdin wishes for Genie's freedom and he does become human. And it is because of the lamp's very specific instructions that I believe a message for this movie is how being human makes us free beings. When making a wish Genie can't stress enough to Aladdin that he has to be very specific with his words, there's a lot of grey areas in wishes and he must wish carefully. Aladdin's third wish is of course to set Genie free, but he mentions nothing about making the Genie human. Still, the moment Aladdin wishes for Genie to be free he is turned human. And that's a very powerful message, even more so these days. It is the lessons this movie shows through Genie that truly capture the heart of the movie. Another example is when human Genie at the end of the movie asks for another chance to court Dalia. The affection is very much returned by the handmaiden and while she says that she is new at this dating stuff, she says that she accepts and that she wants to get married, have kids, and a boat. And all of that actually happens. And this is one more powerful message that I chose to interprete this movie tried to tell: even without being an all powerful being, humans are able to make their dreams/wishes come true. Genie and Dalia do get married, they have two kids a boy and a girl like she wanted, and they get a small boat like he wanted. Humans can make their wishes come true even without some magical help and that's Disney at it's best.

Let’s talk a little about the “sidekicks”. I enjoyed Abu being less caricaturistic. I know people adore Abu’s personality in the animation. But I think since this Aladdin was more serene in attitude, this Abu accompanied him very well. I adored Rajah. I'm very happy he showed up as much as he did. I honestly thought he wouldn't have as much screen time. I love his protectiveness over Jasmine most of all, but I also appreciate his good judge of character. Carpet was perfect. I think he suffered no change at all from the animated movie. So full of personality. I liked very much how during conversations the Genie would include Carpet and Abu into the chat. It made the monkey and carpet feel all the more real. Also, it hurt to see Carpet all torn when he was trying to escape giant Iago. And speaking of Iago. One of my favorite villainous sidekicks in Disney movies. This Iago is so not like the animated one. But that isn’t a bad thing. This bird looked creepy, and while it lacked all of Gilbert Gottfried’s personality, it made up in competence. This Iago is as cold blooded as his master, quite the spy, and a very effective giant boss fight. Thank you so much for keeping him a talking parrot. Very pleased with Alan Tudyk‘s work. And even if Iago's role is minor in the live action, he still serves very well his purpose.

Let's wrap this up with the music! Overall I loved it. Sure there are weak moments, but I think that didn't damage the movie at all. The film was just oh so entertaining on its own. Jasmine's new song Speechless is quite good. But the reprise was a little poorly executed visually-wise. I also think it sounds too pop-ish for it's own good. One Jump Ahead was weak in comparison to the original. The singing was pretty good, the music well "updated", but Aladdin was too relaxed walking here and there instead of running for his life. I liked a lot that Jasmine was part of the scene though. And congratulations to the woman with the "Still I think he's rather tasty" line, what a voice, and she was gorgeous. A Whole New World is very much the same and that's good. Both actors did great singing, Naomi's voice is incredible and Mena really surprised me as a good singer. That song doesn't need to be touched and they didn't touch it. Some may complain that Carpet didn't take Aladdin and Jasmine around the world, but I don't think it was needed. This Jasmine cared too much for her land that it was very sweet of Aladdin and Carpet to take Jasmine around Agrabah. She even admitted that Prince Ali knows more of Agrabah in the "few days" he's been to the kingdom than she has known all her life. It was fitting in my opinion to keep the ride to Agrabah. What was leaked of the Prince Ali performance doesn't make the whole thing justice. Sure it isn't as big scaled as the animated one, but is still a good show. And Oh My God WILL SMITH DID THE IN DRAG GAG!!!!!! I completely thought they wouldn't do it and Jesus Christ I laughed so hard, and was so happy they did it!!! He looked great, it was so funny. That alone made the song a success to me I swear. I couldn't ask for more. A Friend Like Me is another hit. A lot of detail, energy, I think the special effects were great. My favorite song from the animated movie and one of my top favorites in this live action. I think the new adaptation that takes the cake is Arabian Nights. Loved the longer lyrics, the visuals, and Will Smith being the one to sing it. We have Will Smith portraying a fisherman at the start of the movie. Then two adorable children ask their father to tell a story, and they prefer he sings the story. At first the fisherman says no singing since it's been a long day, but he soon indulge his kids and begins singing the opening number. The camera goes over Agrabah, we get glimpses of the characters in the tale. The Sultan in the palace, the Princess by he fountain with her tiger, a somber figure before the Cave of Wonders. We hear of the diamond in the rough requirement and go back to Agrabah. The way everything is presented feels so fairy tale like. And the opening number gets even better when right at the end we get the hint and confirmation that the fisherman and the kids are actually Genie and his and Dalia's kids. In all honesty I thought Will Smith was playing a whole different character with he fisherman. And even though we see the fisherman's wife from he back on the boat nd we hear her voice, I couldn't guess it was them till the end of the movie. Needless to say that revelation was fantastic.

I apologize for any typos. I know there's stuff I didn't write about like the couple of dance numbers going on, but they were great. I loved how gorgeous Jasmine looked at the palace's party. Her dancing was mesmerizing too. Hooray for the Jasmine and Aladdin wedding at the end! I made this long enough and whatever topic you wanna talk about, hit my ask box anytime.

Best Disney live action to date everyone. Highly recommend.

#aladdin #disney #aladdin 2019 #live action #aladdin live action #dfg tag

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writingdisney · 7 years

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The Disnefied Genie of Aladdin

The Arabian Nights, also known as 1001 nights, is a collection of hundreds of stories and tales that have been passed down through generations of certain cultures, especially middle-eastern societies. Many of these tales have survived through the years, including the tale that we know of today as Aladdin. Aladdin was the son of a poor tailor, a thief, and an all around mischievous young boy. Aladdin’s father died, and an African magician who claimed to be Aladdin’s uncle told him to follow his ways and Aladdin would be led to power. Aladdin did so, and found himself in a cave with a lamp and a powerful ring, each bearing a genie inside. Aladdin was supposed to die in the cave, but found this magic lamp and rubbed it to clean it and restore it to its original beauty, when suddenly a genie appeared. The genie was powerful and frightening, and this genie had no intentions of getting to know Aladdin on any level other than a master to servant level. The genie declared his loyalty to whomever the lamp belonged to, which in this case was Aladdin; therefore, Aladdin could wish anything he wanted. Aladdin first wished to please the Sultan so that he could ask for the Sultan’s daughter to be his wife; however, the vizier who served the Sultan wanted the princess to marry his own son, so he established procedures Aladdin would have to go through to get the daughter of the Sultan to marry him. Aladdin met the needs that were set before him and soon had the princess as his wife. He built a mighty palace for her in which he also kept the lamp.

Soon, the African magician heard of it all and was surprised to find that Aladdin was not dead. While Aladdin was out on an expedition over several days, the magician tricked the princess into trading the old lamp for a new, polished one, and because the lamp was now in the magician’s hands, the genie was now controlled by the magician. The magician then took the palace, the princess, and the lamp to the middle of the desert through a wish. Aladdin now had to rely on the genie of the ring to take him to the palace, where he killed the magician and won back the palace and his wife. He then wished the palace to be back where he had it built, next to the Sultan’s palace, and it was done, but the story did not end here. Aladdin was then confronted by the magician’s brother, masked as a holy woman, but Aladdin was not fooled. He then killed the magician’s brother and all was well.

As in most cases, old folk tales have endured the changes of creative minds throughout the course of history. Walt Disney was one of these creative minds. Disney takes these tales, once old folk tales, which became works of literature, and eventually transforms them into films with its own flavor and insight to the stories. Walt Disney’s legacy still prevails today, and we see his influence still changing tales such as Aladdin. Aladdin is a story of a poor tailor’s son who ends up with a princess, originally from the Arabian Nights. The original tale and the Disney version are mostly alike, give or take a few instances, but one common theme was changed in the Disney Version: the genie. The Genie’s personality, appearance, and involvement in the story line were all affected when Disney thought of its own version of the story.

This tale was Disnefied and thus gives us the movie Aladdin that we know today. In the original version, the genie is not as comical or involved. He also is not friendly, and Aladdin does not have relationship with the Genie. The Genie is also quite frightening. Disney utilizes the genie as a comic relief. In an image of an earlier version of the story, the genie is much larger than Aladdin and this seems to serve the purpose of intimidation. The genie has sharp, piercing teeth which just adds to the intimidation, making the genie seem more like a predator than a servant to Aladdin. Disney changed this by getting one of the most comical men to play the role of the genie.

Disney could not have chosen a better voice for this character. They chose Robin Williams, who is one of the most comical, enjoyable, and entertaining actors I have ever had the pleasure to watch or hear on film. He appealed to almost all generations: he appealed to the old because he was an older man who they could relate to, but that did not keep him from being appealing to the younger generation as well. Robin Williams was an all around funny guy who kids enjoyed hearing and watching. He had friendly features that kids could enjoy and that adults could appreciate. Robin Williams as a man is seen in the genie. Robin Williams is not the genie: the genie is Robin Williams.

In addition to adding a comical aspect, Disney’s version of the genie was much more involved in the storyline. In the original 1001 Nights version of the tale, the genie was only present in the story when Aladdin was asking for something. “ What wouldst thou with me? I am the Slave of the Ring, and will obey thee in all things.” (Arabian Nights) Disney gave the genie a more engaged and crucial role. The genie was not just a servant to Aladdin: he became his best friend and go-to guy. For example, Aladdin confesses his thoughts and feelings to the genie, showing a sort of best friend relationship between Aladdin and the genie, and less of a master and servant relationship. The Genie is Aladdin’s right hand person, making him a crucial role in the Disney version.

In the Disney version, the genie had a true interest in Aladdin’s well being and security. As I stated before, in the 1001 nights version of the story, the genie was disconnected from Aladdin and had no interest in Aladdin’s well being. The genie served the purpose of being a servant to whomever had control of the lamp, but the Disnefied version depicted the genie as bonding and building a relationship with Aladdin. In the scene when the sorcerer rubs the lamp, the genie comes out expecting to see Aladdin, his best friend, and is disappointed when he sees it is not Aladdin he is greeted by. This shows that a bond was built between the genie and Aladdin, which never happened in the original version of Aladdin in the 1001 Nights.

Disney put its own touch on this old tale of Aladdin by re-creating the character of the genie through giving him a more critical role, a less intimidating demeanor, giving him emotions, and giving him the ability to bond with Aladdin and really become his companion. Disney, through these actions, created a storyline for kids to love and enjoy, and in doing so, also move the hearts and emotions of adults. Disney has not failed to put that “Disney Touch” we all know of on the story of Aladdin.

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