Disney is causing a riot with their live action remakes of their animation classics. The fuse was lit in 2016, when the Oscar for best special effects went to 'The Jungle Book', then along came Emma Watson's stunning performance in 'Beauty and the Beast', and now we even have a stunning teaser trailer for 'The Lion King', which took half the world by surprise. On that same note of awe, it is clear that in that the 'Aladdin' remake will be nothing less than spectacular, and that Prince Ali Ababua is here to put on a show.
It seems that change is coming to Agrabah; in an interview at the GQ gala, Mena Massoud, the actor bringing everyone's favourite street bandit to life, spoke about the new musical numbers in this Disney remake. In particular, he revealed one most exciting detail: the new songs will come with a message of female empowerment (which nobody can deny is something desperately missing from the 90s classics, as much as we might love them). "We have all the original music in there, plus a couple of new songs [...] They're really empowering, I've got to say. One of them is very empowering for women... I think people are really going to dig it," he said.
The actor also spoke about what it was like working with Will Smith, who will be filling the impossible shoes of Robbin Williams as the Genie of the lamp: "It was amazing, he's one of the most generous and grounded people in the industry. I'm just so lucky to have gotten to work with him as the megastar he is."
A Dream Team
Massoud's words have promised a welcome breath of fresh air for fans of the classic animation. But for those who still have their doubts about the new songs in the remake, all we can say is that 'Aladdin' is counting on the genius penmanship of the musical composers from both 'La La Land' and 'The Greatest Showman'.
With a team like that we cannot wait to see the end result which will hopefully, with a bit of luck and an amazing cast, live up to the high expectations of the fans. 'Aladdin' is coming to cinemas on May 24th 2019, so save the date in your calendars.
