AI Reimagines Disney's Aladdin As A Sci-Fi Movie & It's A Whole New World
Taking cues from Arabic stories and folktales, Disney's "Aladdin" debuted in theaters in 1992. A critical and commercial success, it was widely praised upon release for its Arab-influenced visuals, timeless narrative, and soundtrack. Decades later, its popularity persists, with 2019 seeing the release of a billion-dollar-grossing live-action remake. Its enduring popularity is a testament to how versatile and iconic its story is, which some say dates all the way back to the early 1700s. Between then and now, a dozen different genres have sprung up, compelling digital artist Milan Jaram to use artificial intelligence to imagine how "Aladdin" might be remade as a science fiction movie.
@darkside.ai AI Generated Aladdin: The Sci-Fi Movie. #ai #Aladdin #Scifi #Movie #cinema
Jaram's visual mood piece introduces viewers to a cyberpunk-drenched Agrabah, complete with Arabic-language neon signs and moodily lit palaces. Its streets are modern, bustling, and rundown, reminiscent of the seedy roads seen in the sci-fi classic "Blade Runner." While the animated film's Arabic aesthetic is maintained, the video largely updates its visual language, crossing it with sci-fi tropes. For example, the parrot Iago (Gilbert Gottfried) is represented as an android, while the tiger Rajah has cybernetic enhancements, making him look way cooler (and seemingly stronger).
Is Aladdin actually set in the future?
While it's hard to imagine Disney — or any studio — taking a big risk to give "Aladdin" the sci-fi treatment, Milan Jaram's artificial intelligence-assisted interpretation is a great way to visualize what that story could look like, with classic characters like Aladdin (Scott Weinger) and Jasmine (Linda Larkin) given updated costumes to reflect the futuristic time period.
For many, the take might seem sacrilegious, but it's sort of aligned with a theory that "Aladdin" is actually a dark postapocalypse story in the future, where only Arab nations have survived, suggesting that it isn't the historical fiction that we think it is despite its supposedly taking place in the 15th century.
In support of this theory, "Aladdin" showcases significant technological advancements, such as a flying carpet and a talking parrot (likely thanks to cybernetic enhancements). Additionally, the Genie (Robin Williams) describes Aladdin's clothes as being "so last century" even though he's been stuck in his lamp for 10,000 years, making this AI video all the more intriguing.