Live-Action Aladdin Sequel Under Consideration by Disney

by Emily Johnson Technical Advisor

The live-action adaptation of well-known Disney’s cartoon Aladdin grossed over one billion dollars. This made the movie fifth highest-grossing movie of the year. The movie has Will Smith playing Genie, Mena Massoud playing Aladdin, Naomi Scott playing Jasmine, and Marwan Kenzari in the role of Jafar. Now Dan Lin, the director of the movie, has revealed that Disney is considering a sequel for the film.

Even though the movie was a super hit on the box office, it did not fend off well against the critics. The casts’ performance was praised along with aesthetic and soundtracks of the movie. But Ritchie’s way of handling did not fit well amongst the critics. Ritchie’s direction,and the changes in Jafar’s character was criticized the most. Despite all this criticism, the film did reasonably well on the box-office. With such impressive sales turnout, Disney is keen for a sequel to the film.

In an interview, Dan Lin revealed that people want more from the narrative as evident through Box office’s positive reaction and all the fan letters Disney received. Keeping all this in mind, it is only reasonable that Disney is entertaining thoughts about a sequel for the movie.

It was quite evident from the very beginning that fans were a bit skeptic of the live-action adaptation or any classic remake from Disney for that matter. This skepticism only grew after the first teasers were released. The effects, specifically regarding Genie lefty fans disappointed. The movie, however, turned out better than people had expected. This does not mean that the film itself was extraordinary, as fans entered theaters with low expectations.

Regardless of all this, Disney is a business, and its primary objective is profit earning. A sequel to the movie is reasonable, considering the franchise has so much fan following and potential to work on.

Aladdin: Disney has already tried the Return of Jafar narrative from 1992, so it is highly unlikely that it would be milked by Disney anymore. The King of Thieves narrative is not likely to be adapted either for the sequel. It is important to note that there have been no official announcements from Disney itself regarding the sequel. However, if they do decide to make one, then they must provide it the due it deserves.

While all the classic remakes and adaptations are doing decent business on the box office, it is evident to anyone that The House of Mouse is losing its credibility, in regards to the quality of remakes. What we need is a well thought out remake for the classic cartoons.

Emily Johnson is a Microsoft product expert and has been working in the technology industry since 2002. As a technical expert, she has written technical blogs, manuals, white papers, and reviews for many websites such as office.com/setup.