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Disney revamps the classics

If there is one company that never fails to deliver entertaining and magical products, it is Disney. In particular, the many critically-acclaimed films produced by Disney stand the test of time; even classics such as “Snow White,” “Cinderella,” and “Sleeping Beauty” are still enjoyed and cherished today. With such a successful reputation of their films, it should be no surprise that Disney is working to revamp many of their past titles, but with a more modern twist. Disney has been slowly releasing new “live-action” versions of their original animated successes with some twists to the stories. Some of these include “Beauty and the Beast,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “The Jungle Book”; all of which were huge successes in box office sales. Disney has been fortunate to gain many popular celebrities to star in such films; stars such as Emma Watson, Angelina Jolie, and Christopher Walken. With so much success recreating classic stories and characters on the big screen, Disney is now moving full-force to release many more films one after another.

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It has recently been announced that Disney is working on a live-action remake of the very popular “Aladdin.” This film is still in early stages but fans were very excited to find out who had been cast as the three main roles: Aladdin, Jasmine, and The Genie. The role of fresh faced and charismatic Aladdin will be played by a fairly new actor by the name of Mena Massoud. Massoud is an Egyptian-Canadian actor who has had some success in television with such series as “Open Heart,” and “The 99.” This is certainly a very exciting time for the young actor.

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The role of Princess Jasmine will be played by Naomi Scott who is known for her role as Kimberly Hart a.k.a. The Pink Ranger in the 2017 “Power Rangers” movie. These two are pretty much new faces for many Disney fans to see for the first time, but as the live-action Disney films have shown in the past, it is important to have at least one well-known celebrity in the cast to attract viewers to more than just the film itself. It is for that reason that Disney has decided to cast the well-loved Will Smith as the hilarious and whacky Genie. Some are unsure if Smith will be able to live up to the late, great Robin Williams who originated the role in the original animated film back in 1992, but only time will tell.

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Disney has many more new live-action films planned and in the works. These include, but are not limited to: Mary Poppins, Mulan, The Little Mermaid, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Lion King, Cruella De Vil, Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, Chernaborg, and Pinocchio.

By Anthony Ventura, Staff Writer

8/22/2017

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