By Kayla DeMicco
Staff Writer
If you loved the soundtrack for “The Greatest Showman,” “La La Land,” and “Dear Evan Hansen,” you’ll love the soundtrack for Disney’s upcoming 2019 live-action film adaptation of “Aladdin.” The masterminds behind these well loved soundtracks, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, are at it again in putting together a couple new songs for the anticipated new Disney movie. According to Hollywood Reporter, they’re in the works of penning new songs for a live action version of a 1937 classic, “Snow White,” as well.
The songwriting team have been nominated and won multiple awards over the past few years for their notable works and several other awards over the past decade. They are holders of 2 Golden Globe Awards (for Best Original Song for “City of Stars” in “La La Land” and “This Is Me” in “The Greatest Showman”), and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album and Tony Award for Best Original Score for “Dear Evan Hansen.”
According to Billboard, the duo had the opportunity to work with composer Alan Menken, who happens to be a musical hero of theirs and was given the honor of the Oscar for Best Original Song four times.
“We’re real excited for this and really thrilled to be a part of the Disney family,” Benj Pasek said. Menken made the announcement at the D23 Expo over the summer in Anaheim, California saying that, “For the new songs in the live-action ‘Aladdin,’ my lyricists are the amazing young talents, who this year won the Oscar for ‘La La Land’ and the Tony for ‘Dear Evan Hansen,’ Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.”
Directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by David Lin, the film will have Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine, Will Smith as Genie, Marwan Kenzari as Jafar, Navid Kenzari as The Sultan, Nasim Pedrad as Dalia (Jasmine’s handmaiden), and Numan Acar as Hakim (Jafar’s right-hand man). All of these people are among the lead roles who are from countries of the Middle-East/India or have descendants from those countries, excluding Will Smith. Ritchie and Lin had expectations to have a diverse cast for this movie by having a worldwide, four month long casting call as he had no plans to whitewash this classic.
However, the Washington Post shed light on the fact that Billy Magnussen (who is set to play as Prince Anders, a suitor and potential husband for Princess Jasmine) was white and all the criticization it received. According to BBC, Disney admitted to “making up” some white actors in order for them to “blend” into Asian crowd scenes for its upcoming Aladdin film. Translation? Using makeup on them to make their skin much darker (also known as “brownface”) and putting them in clothes meant for Arabians. An extra in the cast, Kaushal Odedra, said that “Aladdin was the perfect time to show diversity but also be accurate [but] they’re being out of touch with what’s going on around them.”
Unfortunately, this step that the team for this movie isn’t progressive to getting proper representation in the cinema. Since the movie wrapped up filming early this year, it might be too late to reshoot things to the way they should be. Since the movie it set to release in May of next year, there is a long wait to see what the ending result will be and if it will satisfy the moviegoers and Disney fans all over.
