Admit it, you had goosebumps when you heard Frank Welker reprising his role as the Cave of Wonders.
Only one may enter here. One whose worth lies far within. A diamond in the rough.
The scene with "One Jump Ahead" showcases some wonderfulLe Parkour. If the music didn't proclaim he was Aladdin, he could easily pass for the Prince of Persia or Altair; climbing between narrow footholds, running along the walls, and leaping from building to building without a hint of uncertainty, all the while keeping most of guards' attention on him instead of his less parkour-apt new friend "Dalia". Later, Aladdin getting the epiphany to use that same skill to save Abu when he's trapped in a crevice.
Jasmine's motivation for leaving the palace wasn't to escape royal life, but to see her kingdom for herself. As opposed to not wanting to be a princess, this Jasmine realizes that being royalty does have legitimate leverage for improving the way her people live.
In the original, Jafar wasted his first wish on a power trip and lack of foresight. This time he seemes content with being Sultan... until Jasmine shows him up. With just a bit of charisma and courage she utterly destroys his authority, turning his men against him and rendering his first wish worthless. He needs to burn his second wish just to save himself, leaving him critically short in the final confrontation.
Genie gets to showcase some Visual Effects of Awesome with everything he does; his smoky tail flows seamlessly into Will Smith's body, and every piece of his magic is flawless. "Friend Like Me" does the original music video proud.
Generally, Will Smith's performance as the Genie. He had to fill in for Robin Williams... And, without trying to imitate him, he succeeded.
Aladdin being clueless about how to wish on the genie's lamp could easily be interpreted as him gauging for a loophole. Sure enough, he tricks the Genie into freeing them from the Cave of Wonders by wishing to escape, but not rubbing the lamp whilst doing it. Even Genie was a little impressed by that!
Genie: Ooh! Lil' monkey with the lamp trick! Never seen that one before.
During the party, Genie convinces Aladdin to overcome his shyness with Jasmine. It may take a little magic-induced dancing for Aladdin to break the ice, but he steadily regains the confidence he had when he first met her.
Abu saves Aladdin’s skin twice: first when Jafar tried to kill him in the Cave of Wonders, and again after seeing Jafar push Aladdin into the ocean, Abu is the one to bring the lamp to Aladdin.
If Dalia is to be believed there are actual fire eaters in the palace.
Similar to the case with Maleficent, we get a One-Winged Angel scene that was definitely Not His Sled; when Jasmine and Aladdin are flying away from Jafar, he turns Iago from a relatively ordinary parrot into a titanic rukh that raises all sorts of hell in Agrabah.
The Sultan attempting to stop Jafar by knocking him over and making him drop his staff.
Jasmine is much more involved in the climactic fight than she was in the original, stealing the lamp after seeing Aladdin flying to their rescue, and taking control of Carpet during a key moment of their escape.
On the same note, rather than Aladdin simply surprising everyone by showing up after Jafar tried to drown him, he goes to Jasmine and they work together to entrap Jafar into a massive lie they can expose.
And then there is her speech which brings Hakim over to her side (until Jafar spends his second wish to gain actual instead of official power). Her having the qualities of a ruler can hardly be in doubt.
Jasmine: You were just a boy, when your father came to work the grounds. But you have risen up to become our most trusted soldier. As a man, I know you to be both loyal and just. But now you have to choose. Duty isn't always honor. Our greatest challenge, isn't speaking up against our enemies, but defying those whose approval we seek the most. Jafar is not worthy of your admiration, nor your sacrifice. Jafar:I wish nothing but glory for the kingdom of Agrabah. Jasmine:No.You seek glory for yourself. And you'd win it off the backs of MYPEOPLE! Hakim, these men... they will follow where you lead, but it's up to you. Will you stand silent while Jafar destroys our beloved kingdom — or will you do what is right? And stand with the people of Agrabah?
Also right before this, the entirety of "Speechless (Part 2)". This is an Imagine Spot that showcases her thought process after Jafar wishes himself to be Sultan, then orders Hakim and his men to take her away. But he has finally pushed Jasmine too far. She has finally had enough of being told to stay silent and to "stay in your place", and she is pissed. The sheer emotion and ANGER that Naomi Scott pours into this moment is staggering. Not to mention that she sang it all live.
Try to lock me in this cage — I won't just lay me down and die I will take these broken wings and watch me burn across the sky! Hear the echoes saying: I won't be silenced! Though you wanna see me tremble when you try it All I know is I won't go speechless...
Hakim deserves some points during the scene described above. When Jasmine begins her appeal to him, he chooses to hear her out, silencing Jafar with a raising of his hand and ordering the two guards escorting her to stand down and let her speak. Once he's won over, he extends his condolences to the princess and sultan for turning on them before giving his men an order they're all too happy to obey.
Hakim: Guards...Arrest the vizier!
And after Jafar uses his second wish to gain the powers of an almighty sorcerer, Hakim draws his own sword and makes to attack him himself, before he and his men are banished to the dungeons.
Just the seamless way Aladdin tricks Jafar into wishing himself into a genie. He goes from pleading Jafar to see there will never be enough power to satisfy him, to pointing out there's someone else stronger than Jafar, who would always be "second" to someone else, to goading Jafar to go for broke on his last wish. He even gets away with giving fair warning on wishing to be stronger than Genie. And unlike in the original, Genie quickly catches on to Aladdin's plan. Just look at how his expression morphs: from horror at Aladdin suggesting Jafar make a dangerous wish, to the sly, knowing smile of a trickster who's caught on as to where this is going. And he tops it off with a wink at Aladdin, letting him know he is in on the plan. When Jafar wishes to be "the most powerful being in the universe", Genie uses the ambiguity of Jafar's words to completely screw him over by turning him into an enslaved genie.
Jafar: Genie! For my final wish, I wish to become the most powerful being in the universe! More powerful than you! Genie: (slyly) A lot of gray area in that wish, but uh... Most powerful being in the universe, coming right up!
Aladdin and Genie proceeding to let Jafar know just how screwed he is.
