With a whole new world of visually stunning effects, Disney’s Aladdin offers a thrilling live-action adaptation of the classic story. When charming street rat Aladdin meets the courageous and self-determined Princess Jasmine, they encounter the Genie, who may be the key to their future! Featured today on Theresa’s Reviews, check out 10 fun facts about the movie!

10 Fun Facts about Disney’s Aladdin

Principal photography on “Aladdin” took place on practical stages at Longcross Studios and Arborfield Studios, both in the U.K., as well as in the Hashemite Kingdom of southern Jordan.

Production designer Gemma Jackson, who won an Emmy Award® for her production design work on “Game of Thrones,” was tasked with bringing Agrabah to life. She envisioned the city as a gateway to the Eastern world with a vibrant array of colors, cultures and sounds. Her inspirations came primarily from Moroccan, Persian and Turkish architecture and featured elements of Arab, Indian and South Asian cultures, since Agrabah is an Arab country on the Silk Road where cultural influences from other cultures in the regions could be found.

Set decoration for Agrabah included fabrics, textiles and carvings similar to those found in Marrakesh, lots of colorful woods, metals, fruits and vegetables and a 1,000-year-old olive tree.

The 30-foot yellow flower camel on which Prince Ali arrives at the palace was made from 37,000 flower heads and took 15 model makers three weeks to build.

Jasmine’s bedroom in the palace reflects the intelligence and strength of her character. Set decoration included books, maps, opulent tapestries and pieces of art collected by the princess.

The bed in Jasmine’s bedroom was doubled in size to accommodate both the princess and her tiger Rajah. The accompanying bedspread was hand-embroidered in Pakistan to honor Jasmine’s late mother’s kingdom of Shehrabad, which is based in South Asia.

The Cave of Wonders was created via a combination of practical sets and VFX work. The cavernous interiors were built on soundstages at Longcross Studios and included an enormous lion’s head at the cave’s entrance and artificial rock formations covered with jewels and miscellaneous treasures. Set decorator Tina Jones sourced jewels from across the region as they are quite colorful, sparkling and bright. Some were recast in rubber and placed on the floor of the cave so the cast and crew could walk comfortably.

Almost every type of VFX work was utilized on “Aladdin,” including character animation, performance capture, set extensions, digital environments and FX simulations.

Visual effects supervisor Chas Jarrett built a 6-axis hydraulic platform for use in the flying carpet sequence in “A Whole New World.” The rig on which Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott sat was controlled by a hand-operated input device which moved hundreds of metallic pins up and down and from side to side against a blue screen with pre-filmed backgrounds.

Aladdin’s sidekick Abu, while entirely digital, was based on a Capuchin monkey.

Check out the trailer below!

The film stars Will Smith (Ali, Men in Black) as the larger-than-life Genie; Mena Massoud (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan) as the charming scoundrel Aladdin; Naomi Scott (Power Rangers) as Jasmine, who is the beautiful, self-determined princess; Marwan Kenzari (Murder on the Orient Express) as Jafar, the powerful sorcerer; Navid Negahban (Legion) as the Sultan concerned with his daughter’s future; Nasim Pedrad (Saturday Night Live) as Dalia, Princess Jasmine’s free-spirited best friend and confidante; Billy Magnussen (Into the Woods) as the handsome and arrogant suitor Prince Anders; and Numan Acar (The Great Wall) as Hakim, who is Jafar’s right-hand man and captain of the palace guards.

Aladdin opens in U.S. theaters nationwide May 24, 2019.

For more Disney tips and ideas, follow Theresa’s Reviews on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.