There are few things left in the world that are pure and good and untainted. Aladdin, which came out 26 years ago to the day, might just be one of these things.
The original animated movie was the rarest of things: brilliant for children of all ages - I think it was the first movie I ever saw in the cinema - as well as having plenty of laughs and references for adults to enjoy it on a totally different level.
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It's funny, beautifully drawn, the songs are great, the story has the right mix of genuine peril and Hollywood schmaltz. As far as Disney films go, it's just about the best.
Bearing this in mind, it does somewhat bring about the question of why we need a new version.
Does anyone making the film ever think that they can make a better movie than the original? And who is it for? By definition, the target audience of a kid's film, i.e. kids, will not have seen the original, so surely we could just show them the 1992 movie and pretend that it's new.
And that's before we factor in that the best thing about the original, Robin Williams, isn't going to be there.
Will Smith has been cast in the role of the Genie, taking on one of the most difficult jobs in film history, backing up on one of the most iconic roles of one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood history.
Still, Guy Ritchie is directing, so Will Smith was probably his second choice after Vinnie Jones turned down the role because the genie doesn't get to wear a Stone Island jacket.
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The new trailer that has appeared for the live action Aladdin has dropped and features the iconic opening scene of the original movie, but in live action with some slightly foreboding music and strains of the much-beloved theme from 1992.
With Guy Ritchie involved, we're told that we can expect 'an ambitious and nontraditional' version of Aladdin, with rumour holding that there will be a non-linear structure.
Just when you thought that Disney had done enough to destroy your childhood via the medium of remakes - the have been version of the Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast that weren't as good as the originals too - they dropped a new Lion King trailer as well. They say it's also a live action version, but unless lions have got a lot cleverer since I last checked in on planet Earth, I'm going to guess that it's also some form of animation.
Which again begs the question: do they think that they can make a Lion King better than the original? And are all the screenwriters in Hollywood dead or can they just not make up something new and original?
Topics: Disney, Entertainment, TV and Film