When Disney released the first TV spot for its live-action remake of Aladdin, people were wishing the genie might go back into the bottle, to say the least. The spot was aired during the Grammy Awards last Sunday.
Will Smith as the genie looks like what one of those kids from the 90’s Fruit Gushers commercials would look like if they never found a cure for their fruit curse.
— Jhonen Vasquez (@JhonenV) February 11, 2019
Comparisons regarding Will Smith’s electric blue portrayal of the Genie, infamously voiced by Robin Williams in the 1992 classic animated film, have ranged from Tobias in Arrested Development to the thumb people in Spy Kids.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) February 11, 2019
Smith posted on Instagram after a first glimpse at the original look was met with public criticism for not being blue. “I’m gonna be BLUE! This is how the Genie is in Human/Disguise Form. My character will be CGI most of the movie.”
Unfortunately, this wasn’t what most people seem to have had in mind.