Will Smith’s Genie in ‘Aladdin’ Revived the Sinbad Genie Movie Debate

A new batch of photos from Disney’s Aladdin debuted today, and it looks like some are giving fans […]

December 19, 2018, 9:25pm

A new batch of photos from Disney’s Aladdin debuted today, and it looks like some are giving fans a whole other kind of nostalgia.

The photos, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, showcased some of what fans can expect in the live-action adaptation, including Will Smith’s portrayal of the Genie. Quite a lot of people were taken aback by the initial photos (namely, by the fact that Genie isn’t blue), while others were quick to point out just how much the Genie looks like Sinbad in Shazaam.

Videos by ComicBook.com

Looks like the Sinbad genie from the Shazam movie that existed but never really existed. //t.co/tAhO22frkb
— King Kortney, PhD ✊🏿 (@fakerapper) December 19, 2018

The only problem? Sinbad didn’t actually play a genie in Shazaam. The theoretical movie has been lauded as one of the biggest examples of the Mandela Effect, where groups of people collectively remember something that isn’t true. While the existence of the movie has been hashed out several times on the Internet, these Aladdin photos have ignited the debate in a whole new way — and have confused a lot of ’80s and ’90s kids in the process.

You’re Not Alone

After seeing how Will Smith looks as Genie in the Aladdin movie, I really wish that Shazam movie with @sinbadbad was real.
— Ron (@RonsClone) December 19, 2018

X-Files Theme

So when I was a kid, I distinctly remember there was this VHS tape at the local video store for the movie Shazaam!, starring the actor Sinbad, and he was on the box, and now I can’t find it on the Internet https://t.co/TUSH7JT85o
— Michael Roston (@michaelroston) December 19, 2018

Confusion

I love how we are comparing Will Smith to Sinbad because we all remember Sinbad as a genie… the only thing is there is Sinbad never played a genie. Ever.
— Yung $kincare (@PablonceJ) December 19, 2018

It’s Uncanny

Looks like the Sinbad genie from the Shazam movie that existed but never really existed. https://t.co/tAhO22frkb
— King Kortney, PhD ✊? (@fakerapper) December 19, 2018

Nostalgia

When Aladdin, Macaulay Culkin and Sinbad are trending…. pic.twitter.com/qrmvI38QF6
— Jennifer (@Paper_Heart_Jen) December 19, 2018

Perfect

I knew @sinbadbad played in a genie movie! It’s true! #sinbad #aladdin #movie pic.twitter.com/7crnJtcu79
— Stanley Yelnats (@StanYelnatsMAGA) December 19, 2018

Wait, What?

Yo what…. I swear there’s a movie Shazam and sinbad played a genie but now bc of Aladdin I’m hearing it was never a thing?! I’m so confused rn
— Jonathan Solomon (@jonathn_solomon) December 19, 2018