I still remember the first commercial I saw for the animated Aladdin, back in 1992. There was a quote from one critic along the lines of “It would take a miracle to surpass Beauty and the Beast. That miracle is Aladdin.” I was immediately nettled. Ever since I had fallen in love with The Little Mermaid three years previous, I was really into these new Disney animated movies coming out. I didn’t like the quote though, because I thought it was just what critics say to get people to see a movie they’re paid to like. Ugh. My 17-yr old self went to the movie theater fully ready to dislike Aladdin for the ridiculous and often wrong one-upmanship this critic seemed to be engaging in. I was wrong! I loved Aladdin even more than Beauty and the Beast. To this day I consider the four-film spread from The Little Mermaid through The Lion King to be a second golden age of Disney animated films, and Aladdin shines as brightly as any.
I saw the new Aladdin movie just a couple of weeks ago, and I felt I had to compare it to the original and give some commentary on the Disney plan to remake a bunch of their animated films as live action. I will tell you my bias right away–I’ve been against this whole thing. In general I don’t see the point of telling the same story with the same songs in live action. Why would I want to see Disney copying itself when I could see the original, which is already a classic? How many classics have ever been remade and been good? In my view it’s just a way to make money without having to create anything original.
To my mind any remake either needs to be superior to the original, or just as good but different enough to stand on its own merits–being live instead of animated is insufficient. Guy Ritchie directed the new Aladdin. He made his name directing a couple of heist pictures such as the excellent Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, but he also made trash like Madonna’s film Swept Away. He’s kind of an odd choice for a movie like Aladdin.
My chief complaint about this new film is that it gives us very few original moments. Most of the good moments in this film are because the original did them well, and they are copying it. When Disney gives you $180+ million to work with like they did with this film, Disney can do more than copy. The “Prince Ali” song is a good example of this. It was very good in the live version, but they were standing on the shoulders of the writers and animators of the original song, which was also excellent. It’s the song that is great, not Ritchie’s ability to use a ton of money in doing a close version of the original. Menken and Ashman/Rice are the heroes here, and the animators; they originally wrote and drew “Prince Ali.” Having said that there are a couple of moments in the new Aladdin that stand on their own, which I will come to. Let’s compare specific elements in some more detail.
Characters:
The Genie. Let’s be honest, the Genie is the main character in the movies, he’s not a sidekick. I’ve liked Will Smith and followed his career longer than most folks who will read this post. I remember watching him on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1990, and have followed him ever since. Will Smith is terrific, but he’s no Robin Williams. The ad-libs, the impersonations, the grabbing of Aladdin’s lips at one point to pantomime “Genie, I set you free” in the original version–it’s unequivocal! The reason the Genie is the main character is because Robin made him the main character. Original Genie was better.
Aladdin. I think this is something of a wash–I liked Scott Weinger who voiced the animated Aladdin, and I liked Mena Massoud playing the live action Aladdin about the same. You and I might debate we liked one a bit more than the other, and that’s fine, but I don’t think either blows the other out of the water. Tie.
Jafar. Every good Disney movie needs a good villain. The original Jafar was a great villain, and I thought Jonathan Freeman did a wonderful job voicing him. I don’t think Marwan Kenzari’s performance was that great, and I also have a problem with his age. The animated Jafar was drawn in his late 40s/early 50s, which makes sense given his high position and power. Kenzari is in his 30’s, which is just too young, and he seems two-dimensional, less fleshed out compared to the animated Jafar. The fact that Iago was greatly reduced contributed to this. Original Jafar was better.
Jasmine. Linda Larkin played the original Jasmine and did a very good job. Naomi Scott, however, is so good she almost steals the movie from everyone else. She gives what I consider to be a star-making performance, especially singing her song “Speechless.” I can’t say enough about that song, which comes toward the end of the film. It affected me on an emotional level, to my complete surprise and delight. She is amazing in this movie, and I plan on following her career because of what she does here. The character of Jasmine is also more fleshed out, and three-dimensional. The Jasmine in the 1992 film was trapped by her circumstances and culture, and the new one is too, but she does try harder. New Jasmine is better.
Iago. Gilbert Gottfried did a terrific job with him in the original movie; he’s one of best henchmen in the history of Disney! In the live version he’s more of an afterthought, and barely qualifies as a character at all–there really is no comparison here. Original Iago was better.
Abu and the Magic Carpet. There is just so much more personality in both of these characters in the animated film, don’t you agree? This is an area in which animation does things better than live action. These characters were wonderfully anthropomorphized when they were cartoons, and while enjoyable in live action are noticeably reduced. Original Abu and Carpet were better.
The Sultan. Douglas Seale voiced the original Sultan, and gave a delightful performance, with a few moments that he really made his own. Kicking Jafar’s staff and inadvertently knocking Iago off it to fly around his palace on the carpet was funny and charming, for example. He was also a very loving father. Again, for no good reason in 2019, he seems like just a place holder. Original Sultan was better.
Dalia. Dalia, Jasmine’s handmaid, only exists in the 2019 version. Nasim Pedrad I think does a good job with what she’s given, and helps flesh out what kind of life Jasmine has and how she is with other people. That she is the love interest for the Genie is unexpected, but not necessarily unwelcome.
Sets:
Overall the set pieces are terrific in both versions. There is a sense in the live action that we’re not really in ancient Persia, though, but rather the Disney version of it. Take a close look at the costumes, they look like costumes instead of clothing. This is a bit nitpicky of me, but I am still mentioning it. It could have been better.
The Cave of Wonder suffers compared to the animated version. The massive treasure trove of gold and jewels just jumps out at the audience, and I was far more impressed with the temptation involved than in the live version.
There’s a bit at the end of the animated film when Jafar has the lamp and he makes a wish to “rule on high, as Sultan!” The Genie grows to colossal proportions, rips up the entire palace and places it on what looks like a mountain. It’s great. It’s absent in the live version, and I missed it because I liked some of his more spectacular powers. This may be due to the cost of doing the effect, another limitation of live action.
Songs:
Songs are an important part of any Disney animated film. Here’s a bit of trivia: those who only saw the 1992 Aladdin at home may not realize a lyric change in the first song “Arabian Nights” from the theater, where I saw it as a teenager. The lyric you are likely used to is “where it’s flat and immense and the heat is intense.” If you pay attention you can clearly notice this was dubbed over the original lyric of the song: “where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face.” The original lyric makes more sense of the next line which is “it’s barbaric but hey it’s home.” This was changed again when Will Smith changed it to “where you wander among every culture and tongue.” Evidently the original lyric was changed because some folks were highly offended, and Disney caved.
Most of the songs are faithfully recreated in the live version. We are missing Jafar’s reprise of “Prince Ali” at the end (I liked the reprise), but we do get “Speechless”, which I loved. I didn’t really care for the modern dancing in the film, but a lot of people did like it. Overall my thoughts about the music are summarized by my earlier comments about “Prince Ali.”
Plot:
The plot is largely unchanged, even though the film is 30 minutes longer. We do get a different ending for the Genie. I think both endings for the Genie are equally valid, speaking overall. One significant change is Jasmine’s desire to succeed her father and actually be the next Sultan, which I think is ridiculous. While I’m glad we see her character generally benefit from an update, this is going too far. Women can’t be sultans today in the middle East, let alone 1000 years ago, and it’s very much tied to a religion she herself would believe in! If her father were dumb enough to try make her Sultan, the people of her own nation would hate it and she’d be assassinated within a year. It’s ironic that the animated film was more historically accurate than the new one! I suppose girls up through adolescence will like it, but a more informed adult audience simply has to say “well whatever, it’s a Disney movie.”
Overall:
As I said to begin with, while this movie is overall pretty enjoyable it is not enjoyable on its own merits. I wanted an experience that honored the essence of the original but gave me a new experience, and I didn’t get it. The is a continuing issue I have with Disney. Disney at its best is able to make timeless classics that can be enjoyed for decades. At their worst they are a bloated, money-grubbing corporation, which is why they make endless sequels and live versions of animated projects instead of making new original content. I think in 20 years the original Aladdin will be still be watched and considered a classic, while the live version will be largely forgotten.
