Disney’s recent live-action remakes have, thus far, been fairly well-received. Even the upcoming “live action” remake of the beloved Lion King has nostalgic fans excited to return to the Pride Lands.
But the upcoming Aladdin has been widely mocked, mainly due to Will Smith’s Genie, who was initially criticized for looking too human. But the blue incarnation of the character has provoked a strong, visceral reaction, plunging into the depths of the “uncanny valley.”
Unfortunately for Smith, he’s stepping into a role made iconic by comic genius Robin Williams, whose hyperactive charisma is impossible to separate from the character. But that unfavorable comparison isn’t what’s sparking the disgust - it’s the character design.
Take a look at this clip of Thanos, from Avengers: Infinity War. The creased, purple alien was played by Josh Brolin through motion-capture, and while we understand Thanos is not “real,” it’s easy to accept him as a living, breathing character within his comic book universe.
Thanos can stand beside Robert Downey Jr. without breaking the immersion. Indeed, his character was the heart and soul of Infinity War; the film would simply not have worked if the audience found the design unsettling.
Gollum was one of the earliest motion-captured characters, and while his design has (inevitably) aged somewhat, he still belongs within his universe. He feels “real,” despite his impossibly ravaged appearance. So, what’s the problem with Smith’s Genie?
He’s too human, that’s what. While you can see elements of Josh Brolin and Andy Serkis inside their respective CGI characters, their faces have been cleverly altered, just enough to separate them from the actors on screen. Thanos and Gollum are not human - they’re people.
There’s an art to crafting humanoid characters; think of the Na’vi from Avatar. Those bright blue aliens were the main protagonists of that film, more sympathetic than the fully human characters. While we fully accept the otherworldly tribe as people, they don’t quite look like us.
The Genie, on the other hand, simply looks like Will Smith in “blueface.” Smith, one of the most famous actors in the world, has seemingly had his features copied and pasted onto a blue body, and the result is very unsettling indeed.
This might help to explain why James Cameron chose a completely unknown actor to lead his high budget, groundbreaking blockbuster; the man is a master at navigating the uncanny valley without falling in. Cameron even corrected the oversized eyes on Alita: Battle Angel, according to Robert Rodriguez, enlarging the iris to make the character feel “real.”
The early Alita: Battle Angel trailers received negative feedback, so the final design was changed accordingly. And there is still time to alter Aladdin’s Genie; trailers often don’t reflect the final, polished CGI of the finished film, and the talented artists working on this production can surely make the necessary alterations to turn Will Smith's Genie into a magical humanoid creature, rather than an unsettling blue man.
He’s never going to be Robin Williams, but hopefully, Smith’s Genie looks a little less human by the time we see him on the big screen.
