Disney Wows CinemaCon With Sneak Peeks Of 'Dumbo,' 'The Lion King,' And 'Aladdin'

Following the blockbuster success of The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast, Disney has greenlit a slew of live-action remakes of its animated classics.

The Walt Disney Company has now revealed the first footage of its upcoming roster of live-action reboots during its CinemaCon press conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday, April 24.

Fans were treated to sneak peeks at several films including Aladdin, Dumbo, and The Lion King, all of which are slated to hit theaters sometime next year.

Aladdin

Cathleen Taff, Disney's head of distribution, took the stage to deliver the first footage of the forthcoming Guy Ritchie-directed film Aladdin, which is scheduled for theatrical release in May 2019.

The behind-the-scenes clip shows how the town of Agrabah from 1992 original is recreated as a physical set. The footage also reveals a kinetic camera following Aladdin as he jumps and leaps around rooftops and tangles alleyways of Agrabah to evade Sultan's men in a scene.

The preview also introduces the film's cast including Mena Massoud, who takes on the role of Aladdin, Naomi Scott, who plays the role of Princess Jasmine, and Will Smith, who portrays the character of The Genie in the film.

During the presentation, Taff also noted that in the live-action reboot, Smith will bring his own distinct style and won't try to imitate Robin Williams who famously voiced The Genie in the original animated feature.

"No one can replicate the iconic performance of Robin Williams," Taff said about Smith's portrayal before describing his character as "a little Fresh Prince, a little Hitch, and a whole lot of attitude."

Dumbo

During the Dumbo presentation, Taff pointed out that the upcoming Tim Burton-directed live-action reboot would be a different, more expanded version of 1941 animated classic that audiences fell in love with.

She also revealed that the film will pick up where the original left off, with the titular big-eared elephant taking flight in the circus.

Audiences then got to see a sneak peek at Danny DeVito as the ringmaster in the cast, which includes Eva Green, Michael Keaton, Alan Arkin, and Colin Farrell. The film arrives in theaters on March 29, 2019.

The Lion King

Disney concluded the presentation with footage from The Lion King, which is directed by The Jungle Book director Jon Favreau.

The preview featured an early-in-development opening similar to the footage from Circle of Life showcased last year at D23 Expo, made famous by the 1994 animated classic. The clip concludes with the iconic moment in which Rafiki (John Kani) introduces an adorable young Simba (Donald Glover) on Pride Rock as "Circle of Life" plays in the background.

Favreau is directing an ensemble cast that includes Glover, Beyoncé, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, Seth Rogen, John Oliver, John Kani, as well as James Earl Jones.

Lion King is slated to hit theaters on July 19, 2019.