Will Smith’s blue-skinned Genie has been the recipient of some criticism ever since it debuted in the Grammy’s spot for Aladdin, but Disney is confident that it will win fans over.
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Fans were relatively fine with Will Smith‘s genie in the first photos from the film, but as the studio stated his blue skin was not included since they weren’t ready to show it off yet. The trailer released at the Grammys featured Smith’s blue-hued Genie, pulled directly from the beloved animated classic, but the reaction has been mixed, to say the least.
Reactions are all over the map, but Disney issued a statement to USA Today about Smith’s blue Genie, and they fully stand behind it.
“We have one of the most anticipated films of the year and are confident that audiences will fall in love with the Genie and all of the characters when it hits the big screen this May,” the statement read.
The jury is out on whether audiences will come around, though we are still months out from the film, and as anyone who’s seen a Marvel or DC movie knows, CGI is often night and day between trailers and official release. We’re sure Disney’s VFX team will be hard at work at making him look fantastic in the final product.
Aladdin is being directed by Guy Ritchie, who recently described his take on the iconic Disney character.
“There’s a particular type of physicality that I grew up with that I was keen on, that 1970s body builder look — not inflicted by steroids but by lifting vast amounts of weight and eating vast amounts of food — so I just want a genie with abs, a genie that looks like he can move stuff,” Ritchie EW. “I did want a traditional demi-God, someone who looked like a big, strong dad. I didn’t want a genie that looks like all he can do is eat either, that is the way you end up going.
“I wanted a muscular 1970s dad — he was big enough to feel like a force, not so muscular that he looked like he was counting his calories but formidable enough to look like you knew when he was in the room.”
Aladdin hits theaters on May 24th.
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