Disney have not one, not two but three live-action remakes of their classic animated movies coming out in 2019. Namely, March’s Dumbo, May’s Aladdin and July’s The Lion King. All of them are amongst the House of Mouse’s most beloved properties, so fans are hoping that these new takes won’t miss what made the originals so special.
When it comes to Aladdin in particular, it seems as if the studio has started test screening it already and the reactions are so far encouraging… to an extent. Twitter user Daniel R says his sources tell him that the movie’s “pretty okay,” while ViewerAnon backed this up by saying they’ve “heard it’s swell but not super memorable.” Skyler Shuler, meanwhile, also commented that Aladdin had received a “positive screening.”
https://twitter.com/ViewerAnon/status/1055370229910462464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1055370229910462464&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.express.co.uk%2Fentertainment%2Ffilms%2F1036329%2FAladdin-live-action-remake-first-reactions-Disney-test-screening-Will-Smith-Guy-Richie
Aladdin had a positive test screening, Dumbo looks heartwarming, Jon Favreau’s adaptation of The Jungle Book was so good that my expectations for The Lion King are set pretty high. https://t.co/wAUHeYncCu
— Skyler Shuler (@SkylerShuler) July 22, 2018
On the one hand, it sounds like folks definitely enjoyed the new Aladdin, though we were kind of hoping for it to be more than just “okay” and “swell.” Previous remakes such as The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast have gone down a treat with critics and fans alike, so the hype for the next three live-action reboots is very high indeed. Still, these are just a few reactions from an early screening and the reception to the film could easily change over time.
After all, the first teaser trailer arrived earlier this month and went down pretty well, promising a movie that’s visually faithful to the original animation, as well as giving us our first look at Mena Massoud as the titular street rat turned prince. We’ll have to wait until the full-length trailer to see the rest of the cast in action, but Will Smith as the Genie in particular will have a lot to live up to in taking over one of the late Robin Williams’ most beloved roles.
Aladdin will look to show viewers a whole new world when the film hits cinemas on May 24th.