Disney’s first full-length trailer for the film has given audiences a proper look at Aladdin’s world. It’s starting to resemble the fun, snappy tale of adventure that fans know and love. The genie, especially, seems to have more punch, pizazz, yahoo, and how! — while Mena Massoud’s Aladdin gets to show off some of his wry street-rat wiles.
Granted, it’s still just a trailer, so it only works so well as a barometer for the film as a whole. But it suggests that the movie is trying to mitigate Aladdin’s weighty cultural baggage. And that’s an important step.
For one thing, the tale of Aladdin itself is born from a hodgepodge of cultural influences characterized by a European colonial view of Asia. Aladdin had no known source before French writer Antoine Galland stuck it into his 18th-century translation of 1001 Nights. Claiming to have heard it first hand from a Syrian storyteller who may or may not have existed. The original “Aladdin” story was set not in the Arabic world, but in China, and was gradually transformed into a Middle Eastern tale by European and American storytellers — especially in Hollywood.
“Aladdin,” directed by Guy Ritchie, stars Navid Negahban as the Sultan. Frank Welker will return to voice Abu. Jafar will be played by Marwen Kenzar. Naomi Scott plays Princess Jasmine and Mena Massoud plays Aladdin.
It also appears that the film will feature some of the original movie’s iconic songs like “A Whole New World,”. Which won the Grammy Award for song of the year, the first Disney song to ever win that category. The song also won an Oscar.
