I chose the poster of the new Aladdin film. With so much going on in this poster we can already learn a lot about the movie and characters themselves. The first characters I notice in this poster are Aladdin, the Genie and Jasmine. The characters are purposely close to Aladdin and at a similar size to signify their closeness in relationship. I noticed how they are also slightly behind him to show who has the most importance to the audience.
The main character, Aladdin, is in the centre of the picture which tells us we will most likely be following him or his story. His costume is simple compared to the other characters which might tell us he is the ‘underdog’ that doesn’t have a fancy headdress or jewels on his clothes. This is also what separates him from the other characters. His face has been airbrushed and is wearing makeup to advertise him as the ‘good looking main character’ and enhance his dark Arabian features. His face is also lit up by the prop/lamp he’s holding. This is obviously symbolic to the narrative so the creators have put gold sparks around it with editing, possibly to show he’s in awe of it. He is also looking down on it which makes us do the same. They have also accentuated the shimmer in the gold in the lamp and put it in the very middle of the shot to represent it’s relevance.
The character of the Genie has almost created his own section which is full of blue/purple and black tones. His facial expressions already tell us that is going to be a comical character from his cheeky smile to looking at us which a lot of the characters aren’t. The close up on Will Smith’s face shows he’s a kind, friendly character as the camera position is more personal ,in comparison with the bad guy at the bottom centre who’s long shot promotes his evil, impersonal status. The Genie’s hair and makeup is done in a unique way and differs from the other characters which emphasises that he is not human like the other two. Him, being midway between Jasmine and Aladdin implies he is closer to Aladdin in a friendlier way than Jasmine looking as if she’s been put on a pedestal in her own section. We imagine that the Genie’s character has got Aladdin’s back because of the positioning of him, maybe he acts as a conscience and guides him along his journey.
Jasmine, however, has been put in the back ground with every other character overlapping her. Does this imply she has less importance because she’s a woman? I wouldn’t say she’s over sexualised in this poster (like in the original Disney Aladdin) but they have definitely put her in the ‘damsel in distress’ role here. She has been put in the centre of what looks like a stairway and given her a golden light behind her to highlight she might be the love interest. You can also tell by her facial expressions that she looks helpless and worried (looking into the distance). The use of mid shot means her costume is not revealing and I’d say Laura Mulvey’s ‘male gaze’ hasn’t been applied in a sexist, undermining way but has still made it obvious she is less important and just there to look at.
The other characters such as the tiger and man in white feature in the background and in a much smaller font, again to show status. I think the monkey on his shoulder is effective yet subtly showing their friendship.
In the bottom section of this poster is Jafar who may not look intimidating but they have cleverly sneaked him in the bottom, maybe to represent his sly and snaky character. Through his use of dramatic costume we can tell he is not a ‘goodie’ in this film. He wears a red head piece that looks like it symbolises the devil. His stance is powerful and the darkness under his cloak suggests there is evil. The fire behind him is very representative of the satanic character. He has a theme of snakes around him with their backs to us which could mean they worship him or only listen to him, again showing he’s the villain
In comparison with Aladdin who is stood directly above him he looks small. I believe they may have done this to show moral high ground and although Jafar maybe more powerful he is still belittled by the good in Aladdin.
As there is so much to look at in this poster, I find the subtleties really draw you in and keep you looking at it longer. We can see a lot about the plot from the characters alone. There is foreshadowing in the background of Aladdin reaching for the lamp and gold in the foreground if the buildings to show the movie is set a long time ago.
This movie is set in Agrabah, and the poster, although not having an obvious set behind it shows us a lot of Arabian culture. For example, the costumes, the detail on the buildings, the animals and rural landmarks in the background. On the left hand side there are shades of oranges and reds and dark browns which suggest it’s set in a hot country. On the right is blues and blacks, firstly following the colour theme of the genie and also contrasting the golds and yellows next to it, it gives the picture depth.
The rule of thirds in this poster creates a contrasting scene and shows the plot line will have variation. You can imagine it is split into three by the three characters giving each section its own tone. The genre is comedy/adventure and maybe romance too. The poster gives the idea, due to colour and chaos, that it is much more adventurous. Id say this movie would reach a wide range of an audience. Although it’s not animation it is still a children’s film but I think the poster would appeal to adults just as well.
Ps: If you look at Star Wars : Force awakens poster I actually see a lot of similarity
