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The exciting announcement that a second is on its way raised more than a few eyebrows, and it’s not hard to see why. Much like the original , Guy Ritchie’s whole new world (of CGI) wrapped up pretty definitively. (Spoilers for Aladdin to follow.)
There are many questions. Will Ritchie return and how close to the tone of the original will the stick? Will it even be a musical? The biggest question, however, is with in his freshest prince form as a humble human, what would the blue behemoth (a big reason for the success of the first film) offer the ?
It seems unlikely that would ignore Smith altogether, but will the mouse undo his happily ever after by turning him big and blue again? We’re going to assume that he’ll at least be back, likely with some powers, and possibly as the fully restored know and love.
But where will take our main characters? We’ve looked back at the two direct to video sequels and the (awesome and underrated) of the same name to weigh up how much of an influence they could potentially have on .
Whatever direction it takes, I hope we can all agree that it should be a musical. It’d be super weird to make a non-musical to a musical, right? We need new Alan Menken show tunes darn it! A whole even-newer world, perhaps? Let’s go on a and discuss what the – could look like.
3. The Return of Jafar
A no brainer, right? It’s a pretty dull premise, but bringing back the first ’s big bad is the easiest and laziest way to form an easy narrative, without the need to set up a new evil . This definitely isn’t our favorite pick for the direction of the Aladdin , but it certainly wouldn’t be out of the question to see a that draws heavily on the first direct to video for inspiration. It probably wouldn’t have Iago’s big redemption arc though.
2. The King of Thieves
Now this one is far more exciting. As the writers of are said to be using the folklore that inspired the original , One Thousand and One Nights for inspiration, the incorporation of elements from this gem isn’t out of the realms of possibility. Exploring a new facet of Agrabah (a surprisingly dark and cool one at that), King of Thieves takes the spotlight off of Iago and the and puts it back where it belongs: on the titular . With the right casting, Aladdin’s father Cassim could bring a needed gravitas to the series, and this could be one adaptation that might really work.
1. Aladdin (The
Our conclusion
Putting the focus on Aladdin himself seems like the best way to go for , and a adaptation (note: not a ), however loose, of The King of Thieves, with elements of the like the inclusion of Mozenrath, would be our preference. With strong narratives like these, you could keep in his human form (though still as a core ), maintaining the ending of the while crafting an awesome musical adventure that raises the stakes and broadens the world. You could even go in an even more serious direction with some human conflict between Aladdin, his evil brother, and his misguided father. Make it happen, Disney…
