On Wednesday, Disney fans got their best sneak peak of the live-action Aladdin film due to hit theaters in 2019. A series of images released on December 19 show most of the main characters dressed in costume in stills from the movie. Aladdin himself (played by Mena Massoud), Jasmine (played by Naomi Scott), Genie (played by Will Smith), and Jafar (played by Marwan Kenzari) were all revealed by Disney.
The images left fans with plenty of questions, and two important ones started to trend: First, why is Smith’s adaptation of the Genie not blue (which the actor confirmed will happen throughout the course of the movie), and why on earth is Massoud wearing a shirt under his vest?
In the original animated film, Aladdin famously wears a skimpy purple vest with nothing underneath, and it seems that many were hoping this would carry through the live-action remake of the movie. Although Massoud’s clothing looks strikingly similar, the costume department decided to add a long-sleeved, cream-colored, pinstripe shirt under the vest this time.
While most people were still complimentary of the look, many took to social media to wonder out loud about the sudden — and clearly rather unexpected — addition to the outfit.
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“The CW definitely wouldn’t have put that shirt on Aladdin,” wrote one Twitter user, with another adding that they are “not as mad about Genie as [they are] about Aladdin wearing a shirt.” One woman even wrote, “Aladdin is wearing a shirt, this movie is void.”
Some suggested fixes for the problem, with one pointing out that Disney would be able to digitally erase the shirt in editing.
To be fair, Aladdin is not the only one more covered up than fans expected him to be. In the original animated film, Princess Jasmine wore a top that could easily be considered more of a bralette than an actual shirt. Covering just her chest, the off-the-shoulder garment could hardly be considered modest. But in images for the new film, it appears that her entire midriff is covered by her outfit this time, albeit with nude mesh material between her waist and her hips.
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Other fans were concerned by the fact that Jafar, who is the villain in this film, is too “hot” to play the evil character. A number of Twitter users pointed out that his unexpected attractiveness was causing them distress, while one woman asked how she’s “suppose [sic] to root for Aladdin when Jafar [is] looking like this?”
