- A new trailer for Disney’s live-action “Aladdin” had people talking about Will Smith’s CGI Genie, but they may have missed the introduction of the magic carpet.
- While some aren’t digging the look of Smith’s character, many can agree the carpet is the MVP of the trailer.
Disney released a new trailer for its live-action “Aladdin” during the 2019 Grammys Sunday night. Most of the attention revolved around knee-jerk reactions to Will Smith’s CGI Genie, overshadowing the reveal of, what might just be, the best character in this live-action movie.
When Aladdin was in the Cave of Wonders waiting for the Genie to appear, you could spot the magic carpet just to the left of the man from Agrabah.
Here’s a cleaner and closer look at the carpet in all his shy, awkward glory.
In case you don't recall, Aladdin spots the magic, flying carpet while trying to find a magic lamp in a cave for Jafar. Aladdin and the carpet become pretty good pals with the loyal rug transporting him all over Agrabah and taking him on that memorable carpet ride with Princess Jasmine in the 1992 animated picture.
While fans were left scratching their heads over the Genie's new look, they quickly started agreeing on one thing: The magic carpet stole the show in the otherwise questionable trailer.
The carpet may even wind up the MVP of the entire movie.
Many pointed out online that the only character Disney may have appeared to have nailed was the inanimate object.
Hitting the snooze button on Will Smith Genie. I wanna see Magic Carpet and Abu, damn it.
— ✪ 5-ISH (art!) 🔞 (@5_ish) February 11, 2019
Rewatched this with sound. It’s even worse than it looks. Music sounds off. Jafar doesn’t even sound intimidating or scary. Genie should’ve been full CGI with only Will’s voice. What was Jasmine wearing? I think only the Magic Carpet looked right. Shelf this Disney. Start over.
— TAJI. (@InfiniteRaiders) February 11, 2019
I’m more interested in more magic carpet pic.twitter.com/C8JiIFSWyl
— Dan @Katsucon (@Dan_Lexie) February 11, 2019
Young Jafar?!? 🤦🏻♂️
OK Aladdin. 🤔
Meh Jasmine. 🤷🏻♂️
Juzes Crust... a blue Will Smith Genie. 🥵
At least Magic Carpet looks nice 😅Expecting the worst, hoping for the best I guess...
— Michael Benjamin Roa (@Mikki_Roa) February 11, 2019
Everyone’s focused on the weird genie but look at the Magic Carpet, it’s perfect, getting Dr Strange cloak vibes, which is what the cloak was originally based on. pic.twitter.com/ZR0Bk8uEHc
— Lewis (@GonzoStranger) February 11, 2019
If you want to have more of an idea of how the carpet may interact on screen, you may not need to look much further than some recent Marvel movies. In 2017, "Doctor Strange" director Scott Derrickson told INSIDER that while Stephen Strange's fan-favorite cloak wasn't directly influenced by Aladdin's magic carpet, he said there were similarities between the two.
"The idea of the magic carpet was definitely the closest thing you can look to for what [the cloak] is," Derrickson said. "At the end, it's got a personality, it protects and has opinions about things and attitudes about things. And it's a little bit wildly unpredictable."
"I never thought of 'Aladdin' and I don't think 'Aladdin' really ever came up until we were in post-production and then we realized that that's what we had," Derrickson added.
No complaints here. If the magic carpet resembles anything like Strange's playful cape, I think he's set to be a breakout in the film, regardless of what people may think of the CGI Genie.
"Aladdin" is in theaters Friday, May 24, 2019, and is being directed by Guy Ritchie. You can watch the latest trailer here.
