I had seen all the trailers and listened to all the songs in preparation for the live-action "Aladdin." I bought my tickets in advance and went the day it was released with my expectations high. I am happy to let you know that I was not at all disappointed. The songs and scenes were grand and almost as beautiful as the movie itself. My personal favorite song was "Friend Like Me" due to its loyalty to the movie and Will Smith's enthusiastic portrayal of the genie. Watching Mena Massoud dance as Aladdin was also a visual treat, to say the least.

Theatrics aside, I would like to discuss the changes and additions to the movie. New to the film was a discussion of Jasmine's mother and her bracelet, which I think was necessary. This plot element gave us an inside look into Jasmine's life that we did not have before, including who her mother was and what happened to her. This allows the viewer to learn the reason for Jasmine's strength and the reason for her father's extreme protection. Additionally, Abu's thievery of the bracelet builds Aladdin's character up for the audience by showing that he is only a thief out of necessity and is pure of heart.

Furthermore, my favorite addition was that of Jasmine's song and story. With her song and her dialogue with Hakim, we see a side of Jasmine that was missing in the original: her courage. In accordance with the recent feminist movement, Jasmine proves to her father that women, too, have the capability of taking command and can run countries. This scene of girl power is necessary to show young girls that they, too, can be powerful without needing men to save them. My younger cousin even commented on how much she enjoyed seeing Jasmine stand up to Jafar and it made her feel like she could stand up to people, too.

Overall, I feel that the movie is definitely worth watching and I would highly recommend it. Regardless of how old you are, you can definitely learn something from this movie.