Remaking any movie is a tricky proposition; remaking a beloved classic like Aladdin, one of the most popular movies from the Disney Renaissance era, is something else entirely. Fortunately, the first teaser poster for next year's live-action Aladdin hits all the right notes and is total nostalgic magic. Take a look.
Shining, shimmering, splendid. This is a positively gorgeous poster, with a minimalistic design that is detailed and colorful. The magic emanating off the lamp accompanied by a warning to choose wisely, advice that Aladdin himself will need in this film. You want to talk about the power of nostalgia, the love for the original film is so great and the knowledge of what the lamp is so ubiquitous, that you don't even need the title of the movie on this poster.
I also really like that for the first teaser poster Disney chose not to show any of the cast. New faces for Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie will take getting used to, but the lamp tells us everything we need to know while hiding the whole new world that awaits us in this film.
Disney clearly knows the love that is out there for the original 1992 film and leaned into that by giving this poster some major nostalgic magic. If you thought it was just seeing a magic lamp alongside a Disney logo was giving you warm fuzzy feelings, it goes much further than that. This teaser poster for Aladdin is actually very similar to the poster for the original film. Check it out.
Everyone knows if you come across a magic lamp, the first thing you need to work out with the genie is what his policy is on wishing for more wishes. If one of your three or infinite wishes was for the poster for Aladdin to maintain the spirit of the original and take you back to your childhood, consider that wish granted.
As you can see, Disney has expertly pinpointed memories you may have not even known you had with this new poster. What's cool about it is that it isn't an exact copy just with a fancier magic lamp for the live-action remake. It also gives things a bit of a twist.
The lamp is flipped this time, facing the other direction, just as Guy Ritchie's film will flip from animation to live-action. The message on the original poster also teases the power of wishes inspiring hope and wonder. The text accompanying the new poster is more cautionary, speaking to those who have seen the original film and know the importance of choosing carefully when making a wish.
As far as who will be granting those wishes in the film, that would be Will Smith. The actor has the unenviable position of playing the Genie, a role immortalized by the late Robin Williams. We know that Will Smith's Genie will be live action and not a CGI character, but he apparently will retain his signature color. The actor revealed as much on Instagram to coincide with the new poster, saying:
LEMME OUT!! Can't wait for y'all to see Me BLUE! :-)
I have no idea how a live-action blue Will Smith genie will look, but in theory I think fans will be happy that Genie will still be blue. Hopefully this teaser poster indicates a teaser trailer for Aladdin isn't too far off and we can get a look at the genie soon. Let him out!
Aladdin opens in theaters on May 24, 2019. Check out our guide for all of the upcoming Disney live-action remakes, and for all of the big movies hitting next year, take a look at the 2019 release schedule.
