Aladdin Trailer Breakdown: 10 Things You Need To See
1. Selling Nostalgia
Most notably of all, Disney has done what they do best with this latest trailer; they've repackaged the whole film through nostalgia-driven intertextuality.
People didn't seem too fond of how Will Smith looked as the Genie in the last teaser? Give them a whole extended look at Smith's Genie performing everyone's favorite Genie song from the film, Friend Like Me, to tickle their nostalgia bone. People aren't sure about the film in general? Stuff this new trailer to the brim with looks at all of their favorite parts of the original movie, while undisputedly confirming that fan-favorite side characters like Rajah and Iago will play crucial parts in the new film.
And, of course, the most genius choice of the entire trailer is closing the whole thing out with the new version of A Whole New World. The song literally welcomes audiences to a whole new world of the Aladdin story they know and love, as the final seconds of the trailer show off a whole host of money shots.
Entire thesis papers could be written on the metatextual implications of such a choice but suffice it to say, this trailer just guaranteed thousands of more butts in seats on opening weekend.