Casting Coup Tuesdays: Aladdin

In 1989, The Little Mermaid ushered in what we now know as The Disney Renaissance. This period, which continued through 1998 (Mulan), begat a series of now-classic films that changed cinematic history. The Lion King (1994) inspired a Broadway smash hit; Beauty and the Beast (1991) was the first cartoon to be nominated for Best Picture; and the 1992 film Aladdin became the first animated film to cross the 200 million dollar mark at the box office!

And it's no wonder! It's fast-paced, funny, and boasts three unforgettable songs: the show-stopping, toe-tapping "Friend Like Me", the utter blast of "Prince Ali", and the Oscar-winning love duet "A Whole New World". Robin Williams' work as the Genie is rightfully considered one of the greatest  performances in film history, voice-only or otherwise, and earned the actor a special Golden Globe, as  well as the MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance. It's unmatchable. Only a fool would attempt to replicate it.

So let's not replicate it. Let's instead imagine a different Aladdin. A live-action Aladdin.

After the jump, I mean.

Casting Coup Month: Ben-Hur

NOMINATIONS

Best Picture (WON)

Best Director - William Wyler (WON)

Best Actor - Charlton Heston (WON)

Best Supporting Actor - Hugh Griffith (WON)

Best Adapted Screenplay - Karl Tunberg

Best Film Editing - Ralph E. Winters/John D. Dunning (WON)

Best Cinematography, Color - Robert Surtees (WON)

Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color - William A. Horning/Edward C. Carfagno/Hugh Hunt (WON)

Best Costume Design, Color - Elizabeth Haffenden (WON)

Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture - Miklos Rozsa (WON)

Best Sound - Franklin Milton (WON)

Best Effects, Special Effects - A. Arnold Gillespie/Robert MacDonald/Milo B. Lory (WON)

Ben-Hur. My oh my. It set a new standard for Hollywood Epics, breaking box office records and taking home the most Academy Awards won by any film. To this day, only two films have equaled this feat -- Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King -- yet none have surpassed it. It cemented Charlton Heston's legend and got Hugh Griffith, of all people, an Oscar. And thanks to contributing screenwriter Gore Vidal, it was able to present a "Tale of the Christ" that would appease the Bible-thumpers while winkingly suggesting some homoerotic play between the leads. That's a masterpiece, baby.