Disney conjures nostalgic magic to sell ‘Aladdin’ remake

Almost the entire promotional campaign is rooted in showcasing how the new movie borrows elements from the original 1992 animated feature. Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin hits theaters May 24, just a couple months after the relatively underwhelming returns of Tim Burton’s Dumbo ($347 million worldwide) and a couple months before Jon Favreau’s anticipated update […]

Almost the entire promotional campaign is rooted in showcasing how the new movie borrows elements from the original 1992 animated feature.

Disney’s live-action remake of Aladdin hits theaters May 24, just a couple months after the relatively underwhelming returns of Tim Burton’s Dumbo ($347 million worldwide) and a couple months before Jon Favreau’s anticipated update of The Lion King. For this one, Guy Ritchie directs a cast that includes Mena Massoud as the title character, Naomi Scott as Jasmine and Will Smith as Genie, a role voiced in the original by the late Robin Williams.

This new version, opening during the busy Memorial Day holiday weekend, uses that cast to tell a story that pulls generously from the original while adding some new elements to give the audience something original. The marketing – posters, trailers, billboards, paid social media buys – has relied heavily on nods to the 1992 animated classic to present the movie as something both familiar and as nostalgic as possible.

Source: Hollywood Reporters