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'Aladdin' debuts new full trailer, featuring Will Smith's singing genie


Disney has debuted the first full trailer for its live-action remake of the 1992 animated musical Aladdin, with Will Smith’s controversial performance as the genie taking centre stage.

Early marketing images for the film were heavily scrutinised on social media and criticised for the fact Will Smith’s magical wish-granter was not blue.

Read more: Revelations from the set of Disney’s Dumbo

The internet’s anger was not lessened by the release of the first teaser trailer either, in which the 50-year-old actor’s CGI-enhanced genie was savaged by fans.

Beloved comic actor Robin Williams portrayed the voice of the genie in the original animation.

The new full-length trailer for Aladdin, which is being directed by Snatch and Sherlock Holmes veteran Guy Ritchie, features Smith’s genie heavily in both his blue and non-blue states.

Will Smith as the genie in the trailer for Disney’s live-action remake of ‘Aladdin’
Will Smith as the genie in the trailer for Disney’s live-action remake of ‘Aladdin’

It’s a trailer filled with more action sequences than previous clips have shown, spotlighting the relationship between the title character (newcomer Mena Massoud) and Princess Jasmine, played by Power Rangers star Naomi Scott.

There are also first glimpses of some of the memorable songs from the original movie, including A Whole New World and Friend Like Me, with the latter track allowing Smith to flex his genie pipes.

Fans, however, are still sceptical that the new film will live up to its animated predecessor, with several complaining on social media that the movie looks “cheap”.

It wasn’t all negativity, though, with some fans taking to Twitter in order to suggest they have been won over by the new trailer.

Read more: Does Aladdin have a genie problem?

One fan said they “can’t resist” the classic songs and another speculated that Aladdin could become their favourite Disney live-action movie.

Aladdin is part of a packed Disney slate of live-action remakes in 2019 that also includes new versions of Dumbo, directed by Tim Burton, and The Lion King, with Jon Favreau at the helm.

Read more: Which remakes does Disney have in development?

The cast also includes Marwan Kenzari as the villainous Jafar and Frank Welker as the voice of Aladdin’s pet monkey Abu, reprising his role from the original animation.

The film is set to be released into UK cinemas on 24 May, 2019.