Yesterday, I mentioned that “Booksmart” director Olivia Wilde urged audiences to go see her film, noting that the film is “getting creamed by the big dogs out there.” Wilde’s plea didn’t have much effect, at least in terms of the film’s Sunday earnings.
Read moreWill Disney's Upcoming Live-Action ‘Aladdin' Disappoint At the Box-Office?
Is it just me or is the ridicule being thrown at Disney’s upcoming live-action “Aladdin” worrying Disney? In terms of box-office prospects, at the very least. If anything, it seems, to me at least, that people have already looked past “Aladdin” and are now looking to “The Lion King” as the next Disney ticket they will buy.
Read moreDisney’s New ‘Aladdin’ Trailer Is An Improvement But Still Has Genie Will Smith
Ok fine, I was suckered into humming “A Whole New World” while watching the new trailer for Disney’s upcoming live-action “Aladdin.” Disney probably expected a backlash to happen — after all, I hear they now have the technology to read our minds— when they decided to resurrect the late Robin Williams’ Genie by casting *gulp* Will Smith. The anger from fans was scathing. Nobody and I mean nobody would be happy with whomever took the task of replacing WIlliams as Genie, possibly the best voice acting in the history of animation.
Read more‘Colorism' Backlash: Critics Saying Will Smith Too Light-Skinned to Play Serena Williams’ Father in Movie
A new film by the title of “King Richard” is now facing allegations of “colorism,” with critics saying that Will Smith, set to play Venus and Serena Williams’ father in the film, doesn’t have a dark-enough skin tone to play Richard Williams.
Read moreWill Smith Should Have Never Taken the Impossible Task of Playing Genie
It was a risk that Disney knew would generate pushback from its fans. After all, Robin Williams’ voice work as Genie, which felt very much like fully-fleshed physical work as well, despite the animated constrictions, should be considered the greatest voicework in the history of animation. It’s not even close. Williams was already a brilliant, live-wire comedic performer when he decided to tackle the Genie in 1992’s “Aladdin”, but there’s no film that better captured Williams’ spirit and energy than his voice-over work in that movie. It felt like improvisation, and, based on some first-hand accounts, it seems like some of it was, which is unheard of in animation.
Read moreFirst Look at Disney’s ‘Aladdin’ and Will Smith As The Genie
Robin Williams' take on the Genie in 1992's "Aladdin" is a legendary voice performance. So full of the rich humor and sardonic wit we came to expect from the late great Williams. We all knew it was going to be a frustrating process to find someone to play that role in the live-action Disney remake. However, Will Smith? Really? That’s the best you could come up with to replace what is the best voice acting performance in Disney animated history? I’m all open for Smith to wow me, but I would have probably gone with Eddie Murphy instead. This is a safe, cozy project for Director Guy Ritchie, the filmmaker behind the Tarantino-inspired films of the late ‘90s/early aughts, “Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch."
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