Like the scientists in Jurassic Park , Disney has finally gone too far.
The image below is our first official look at Will Smith in action as The Genie in Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin. It’s not a good look, folks. He looks blue, alright, and fans wanted that. But he just seems...off. Frankly he looks like a cartoon come to life and it’s bizarre. If this wasn’t based on a well-known property, everyone would be questioning the choice to make Smith blue. It’s something that works as animation but just doesn’t as live-action. You’ve played with fire, Disney. Flew too close to the sun. You should have read about the monkey’s paw.
This unholy image comes to us via this sneak peek of Guy Ritchie’s upcoming remake. Watch and you’ll notice that it’s not just Smith who looks like a bizarre human-cartoon hybrid. The whole movie feels that way. It’s like the uncanny valley of live-action.
It’s really hard to put my finger on what exactly makes this all appear so odd. I’d love to hear everyone else’s opinions. And I may be wrong, it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve misjudged these live-action remakes. They make more money than a mint. But I’m starting to suspect that some of these classic cartoons should stay just that: cartoons. Certain properties do not translate well. It may work with human princesses or talking, singing animals but that doesn’t mean every single Disney classic should make the leap from pen to flesh. The Genie is a character who worked for two reasons: the unbridled, chaotic fun of Robin Williams and the magic of animation. Subtract one of those elements and things are just different. And odd. Very, very odd.