It isn’t an easy thing to remake a classic. It requires finesse, tact, and a little bit of luck. Fortunately for fans, Disney’s Aladdin was able to achieve this and more.
The film was a huge success and is filled with clever winks and nods to its predecessor as well as to a host of other Disney films. Check out these 10+ hidden details fans missed in Aladdin .
Despite whatever people thought of the initial trailer when it came out, the live-action *Aladdin* movie ended up being a massive success.
People were afraid for the lack of a blue Genie, but for the most part, everything worked out beautifully!
But even though fans loved the movie, there are still a lot of little things about it that they may have completely missed!
So we’re going to dive into all the little details that may have escaped you on your first viewing!
Time to jump into the magical world of Aladdin .
1. Aladdin’s classic “shirtless” vest is completely done away with.
In the original animated classic, Aladdin was almost always shown with no shirt and nothing but a purple vest.
The live-action version looks to emphasize less of the sex appeal of its cast and focuses more on the storytelling.
2. There’s a nod to *Jurassic Park*.
In the “Prince Ali” sequence, you might have noticed a very familiar image. As Aladdin and Abu make their way to the palace, glasses of water can be seen vibrating.
This is a clear allusion to the classic T-Rex scene from Jurassic Park .
3. The boat at the beginning of the film is in the same shape as the Genie’s lamp.
It’s difficult to make out at the beginning but by the end of the film, you can clearly see that the boat shares an incredible likeness with the lamp.
This is likely to symbolize the Genie’s freedom: He is now the captain of his own ship.
4. The mural of hidden Mickey Mouse heads.
During the scene when Aladdin first has an audience with Jasmine, pay careful attention to the walls. The patterns, as well as the wrought iron, clearly form unmistakable Mickey Mouse heads.
Something Disney has become well-known for doing in past films.
5. The use of slow-motion sequences is a signature calling card of director Guy Ritchie.
The slow-motion isn’t just used for effect (although it does play a part), it’s become a calling card for the film’s director, Guy Ritchie.
Most notably, you’ll remember his work from Sherlock Holmes as well as Snatch .
6. Will Smith based his portrayal of the Genie off of his character on *The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air*.
You can even hear some classic Will Smith one-liners make their way into the Genie’s vernacular.
If the Genie did the Fresh Prince theme song I would have died.
The Magic Carpet even does the “Carlton Dance.”
This is one of those “blink and you’ll miss it” moments that helped to provide a nice dose of comedic relief.
Clearly, this was a clever wink at Will’s past works as well as a nod to Alfonso Ribeiro .
7. Alan Tudyk was the voice of Iago.
This is the third time he’s played a Disney bird! Most memorably and recently, Tudyk was the voice of Hei Hei, the absent-minded rooster.
Clearly, Tudyk has a thing for voicing animated birds.
8. Mena Massoud was born in 1992, the same year Disney released the animated version of *Aladdin*.
As the saying goes, some actors were just born to play certain roles. Clearly, that much can be said about Mena.
It’s almost like it was written in the stars…
9. And Naomi Scott the year later, the same year the film was released on VHS.
So clearly, this was just meant to be. Naomi did an absolutely phenomenal job as Jasmine and was one of the reasons that the film did as well as it did.
10. The floating lights of Agrabah.
Disney fans might have noticed a very familiar allusion taking place in the opening sequence of Aladdin . The citizens of Agrabah releasing the paper lanterns is a nod to another famous Disney favorite, Tangled .
11. The lyrics in the song “Arabian Nights” were changed ever so slightly.
A careful ear at the beginning of the movie will reveal a noticeable change in the lyrics.
The song used to sing “It’s barbaric , but hey it’s home” and now goes “It’s chaotic, but hey it’s home.”
12. The Cave of Wonders is voiced by the same actor in both films.
The actor’s name is Frank Welker . His unmistakable voice was the first thing that many fans of the original noticed about the live-action remake.
Just as he did the first time around, Frank does an impeccable job.
13. Also, the Cave of Wonders has switched from being a tiger to a lion.
I didn’t even notice this my first time around, but as you can see, the Cave of Wonders is very clearly a lion.
You can even see its flowing mane becoming the sand.
14. There’s a nod to *Frozen* in the movie.
In fact, there are quite a bit of Nordic and Scandinavian moments in the film.
Prince Anders, who is played by Billy Magnussen, didn’t appear in the cartoon version, but he is a character in the live-action movie.
And while there’s no direct link between Anders and Elsa from _Frozen_, the nod to the movie comes from his physical appearance and background.
In fact, Anders may be getting his own live-action show!
To be determined on that though!
15. The Cinderella castle cameo.
Every Disney princess has a classic castle, but perhaps none are more classic than Cinderella’s castle, which stands proudly in the center of the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida.
That iconic castle appears in the movie, but it escaped most fans.
The castle appears when Genie and Aladdin are talking about his wishes, and Carpet actually constructs the castle out of the sand!
The moment is super quick and you might miss it if you blink, so when you rewatch it, try to catch it!
16. Iago: The Bird, The Myth, The Legend.
Iago transforming into a huge bird that terrorizes the city was something no one was expecting, but it actually comes from the same legends that Aladdin does!
The giant bird called “the roc” is a figure in Middle Eastern mythology, and he appears in many tales.
17. The original Genie drawings appear.
Back in the original movie, Genie shows Aladdin how he can bend reality and grant Aladdin almost anything he wishes (he has some hard nos).
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Then comes the whole dance number and song that has lived with us forever.
In the live-action movie, as Genie begins to explain his powers, rules, and what he can’t allow, he conjures up a scroll that has a ton of drawings.
Those drawings actually mimick the original scene and Genie from the animated version of the movie!
18. The costume designers made it their mission to accurately represent Middle Eastern culture with their costumes.
“At the core of it, we wanted the film to be a celebration of Arabic culture,” said Michael Wilkinson, one of the costume designers.
“It’s a chance to literally give them more depth, so you can use the costumes to really tell the audience more about the characters and their backgrounds, backstory and inner world.”
A lot of thought went into Jasmine, in particular.
“We wanted to express this real sense of strength and intelligence and self-determination. We gave her very strong colors and a bold personal style to reflect her confidence and her forthright nature.”
19. Genie’s map is full of magical Easter Eggs.
See the little banners that read “Adventureland,” “Tomorrowland,” and “Fantasyland”?
Those are actually little towns in Orlando Florida’s Magic Kingdom. You can even see some of the rides and attractions that exist in all the different parts of the kingdom!
Can you think of any other little details or Easter Eggs about the live-action *Aladdin*?
Or did you completely miss them and our list enlightened you? Or are you not into analyzing movies at all?
Let us know down below in the comments!
