Disney's Aladdin: 5 takeaways from the brand new trailer

From Will Smith's Genie to a scene showing a frozen crevasse, we've got some questions

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We have a few questions, Walt Disney.

The movie studio has just released its brand-new, extended trailer of Aladdin, and it's given us the first look at several previously unseen characters, while seeming to also contradict a few points about ones they had already introduced us to.

The two minute and 15 second trailer is a follow-up to the short, one minute snippet which dropped in early February at the Grammy Awards. The much-anticipated, live-action film is being directed by Guy Ritchie and will be released on May 24.

Here are our five takeaways from the extended trailer.

1. Is the Genie actually blue?

Will Smith's Genie doesn't always have blue skin. Screen grab / Walt Disney Studios YouTube
Will Smith's Genie doesn't always have blue skin. Screen grab / Walt Disney Studios YouTube

Colour us confused here Walt, because in the first trailer we got a blue Genie, and in this one we have shots of both a cobalt Will Smith, and one of him sporting his normal pallor.

The Genie's first outing as a CGI, sapphire-coloured magical being, in the February trailer, was largely met with derision by fans, who quickly voiced their displeasure on social media.

It seemed the likeness to Robin Williams's original blue-hued apparition (who was actually a cartoon, so perhaps the pallor was allowed only in animation form) had divided loyal fans already.

Unless that constructive criticism was actually taken on board in the last month and there's been some impressive last minute editing, we figure he is still probably blue – but perhaps takes on human form for at least part of the film.

And, considering fans were just as outraged when Smith wasn't blue when he appeared on a cover of Entertainment Weekly last year, we can't wait to see how fans deal with this maelstrom. 

2. Our first taste of the singing

The famous 'A Whole New World' scene is teased. Screen grab / Walt Disney Studios YouTube
The famous 'A Whole New World' scene is teased. Screen grab / Walt Disney Studios YouTube

The moment everyone has been waiting for: a first listen of the staple of karaoke booths the world over, A Whole New World.

The duet was originally recorded by Filipina singer and actress Lea Salonga and American singer Brad Kane and became a Disney fan favourite, right up there with Colours of the Wind and I'll Make A Man Out of You. 

This time, it's Mena Massoud (Aladdin) and Naomi Scott (Princess Jasmine) who lend their vocals to the much beloved song as the loved-up couple take a ride across the skies on a flying carpet.

As far as we can tell, it's pretty close to the original – no misplaced riffs or unwanted remixes to be heard.

We also hear a quick snippet of the Genie singing too, so Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff fans rejoice – Smith will be lending his singing chops to this film.

3. We see more of Princess Jasmine 

Naomi Scott plays Princess Jasmine in the live-action remake. Screen grab / Walt Disney Studios YouTube
Naomi Scott plays Princess Jasmine in the live-action remake. Screen grab / Walt Disney Studios YouTube

We got our first glimpse of Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine in the first trailer, but this appears to be the first time we've seen her in her low-key garb.

The opening shots of this recent trailer show Aladdin darting through the streets of Agraba, before coming across Princess Jasmine down an alleyway. It appears, much like the animated version, that it's love at first sight.

4. Our first look at 'fit' Jafar

Marwan Kenzari star as villain Jafar. Screen grab / Walt Disney Studios YouTube
Marwan Kenzari star as villain Jafar. Screen grab / Walt Disney Studios YouTube

Fans were aflutter when the casting of Marwan Kenzari as Jafar was announced – and people didn't seem sure whether to decry the fact that Jafar was a handsome 36-year-old Dutch-Tunisian actor rather than "a tall, dark, sinister, ugly man", as described by the Genie in the original film, or get excited at the idea of that same notion.

What followed was a chorus across social media asking if we were about to get a 'fit', or 'handsome' take on the film's villain.

Well, this trailer has given us our first look at Kenzari in the role, and fans seem equally as divided as they were when the casting was announced.

5. Why the ice?

Why is Aladdin flipping through ice? Screen grab / Walt Disney Studios YouTube
Why is Aladdin flipping through ice? Screen grab / Walt Disney Studios YouTube

As far as we're aware, there isn't any glaciers in the near vicinity of Agraba – but one of the final scenes of the trailer involves Aladdin backflipping through a frozen crevasse.

Unless the timeline of this movie somehow makes overlaps into the Ice Age, there's some seriously impressive travelling that flying carpet can do.