As a teen, I remember watching the animated musical film Aladdin by Disney as it graced the screen back in 1992. It was based on Arabic folktale from One Thousand and One Nights. In my opinion, Robin Williams really made the film as Genie.
Fast forward 27 years to 2019. Gosh, I feel old. Aladdin, the musical fantasy film, has been released as a live-action adaptation. It was released a few days ago to rent or own for fans young and old alike to enjoy and relive the magic at home.
Will Smith was the first to sign onto the cast as Genie. He is joined by Joaquin Phoenix, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Mena Massoud, Nasim Pedrad, Numan Acar, and Billy Magnussen. The voices of Frank Welker and Alan Tudyk are also to be noted in the film.
If you are not familiar with the story, Aladdin, who lives on the streets of Agrabah, meets a beautiful woman one day who says her name is Dalia, Princess Jasmine’s loyal handmaiden. He later finds that Dalia is actually the princess.
Jafar, an evil sorcerer, recruits Aladdin on a mission to capture a magic lamp for him by going into the Cave of Wonders. Jafar wants the magic lamp to overthrow the Sultan and feels Aladdin will be a good candidate with needing to be a “diamond in the rough” to be allowed entrance into the Cave of Wonders.
Aladdin manages to escape the Cave of Wonders and keeps his grasp on the magic lamp. A magic carpet helps him and his trusty sidekick, a monkey named Abu, barely escape. Aladdin discovers that the magic lamp is occupied by Genie, who is to grant him three wishes as his job but becomes his friend. With Aladdin falling in love with Jasmine, he wants to be a suitable suiter for her with only princes being considered as her equal by her father, the Sultan. Aladdin thinks these wishes from Genie may be his only way to win Jasmine’s hand.
Last weekend we got to pull out the outdoor movie screen and watched Aladdin as a family. Only my husband and I at that point had seen the original film. My kids loved it! Our dog (pictured below) joined in on the fun too.
Aladdin is available for you to rent or own and enjoy as a great family movie night feature.
