Disney Fans Divided Over Will Smith's 'Prince Ali' Remake In 'Aladdin'
Published
| Last updated
Featured Image Credit: Disney
Disney treated fans to another sneak peek of the Aladdin live-action remake with Will Smith's take on the iconic 'Prince Ali' song, but the clip has divided fans.
Smith has taken on the role of Genie from the late Robin Williams, who became synonymous with the character, although his portrayal has already been met with a mixed response from die-hard Disney fans.
While rate chart Robin's rendition of 'Prince Ali' in the 1992 animation as the most memorable scene of the movie, a handful of viewers thought Will's version fell 'flat' in comparison, despite all the mesmerising colours, singing and dancing.
Many also believe that this latest preview at the remake highlights the limitations of live-action over animation.
"How could they make Prince Ali so BORING," shared one on Twitter, "It's one of the best musical numbers in any Disney movie."
"Oof, I love Will Smith but his rendition of 'Prince Ali' lacks a lot of life and energy," another wrote. "It's hard to compare to the greatness of Robin Williams, I know. But even though the Aladdin live musicals weren't great, the performances that always made it was the Genie".
And why was the song so slow? Prince Ali was one of my favorite songs from Aladdin. It was high energy and exciting. This new version put me to sleep. Will Smith shoulda rapped it to make it more interesting.
- KimShee (@MissPheenix) May 14, 2019
Just saw a clip from the new Aladdin movie with Will Smith singing "Prince Ali"; I'm not feeling it. The limitations of live action vs. Animation are on display. The mise en scene feels scaled down in every way from the energy of the performance to the claustrophobic set.
- La Renarde En Rose:rose: (@threetails) May 14, 2019
Others even had attempted to solve their own issues with the song:
Just saw the clip of Will Smith performing Prince Ali from the new Aladdin movie and was appalled at how slow and unenthusiastic it was. So I sped it up. This is much better. #Aladdin pic.twitter.com/LuVpt28Kzi
- Levi Atkins (@LeviAtkinz) May 14, 2019
However, plenty were quick to defend the actor's portrayal, telling those complaining to give Will "a chance".
"NEWS FLASH Will Smith's Prince Ali version is not as flashy because this is a live-action, NOT a cartoon. Give Will's Genie a chance! Geesh," tweeted one.
Another declared: "Y'all complain about EVERYTHING. Will smith's version of "Prince Ali" is so good. Shut up."
I don't understand the complaints about Will Smiths version of "Prince Ali". Yeah it's not as energetic and wacky as the animated version, but the song still sounds amazing and it's visually entertaining.
- Jon (@Johnny_Boii77) May 14, 2019
Not gonna lie... I love both the original and this version of Prince Ali! So excited to watch this! :blue_heart::sparkles: pic.twitter.com/D6NPEAd9uA
- Update: Magic (@UpdateMagic) May 14, 2019
While fans already have complaints about Will's Genie it seems like the actor's already prepared himself for criticism.
"Whenever you're doing things that are iconic, it's always terrifying," he told Entertainment Weekly in December. "The question is always: Where was there meat left on the bone? Robin didn't leave a lot of meat on the bone with the character."
Let's just give the guy a chance.
Topics: TV Entertainment, Will Smith
.png)
.png)
