Disney released its animated version of “Aladdin” in 1992. Twenty-seven years later, in 2019, the company released a live-action remake of the classic story about a street kid whose luck changes with the granting of three wishes.
Like the original version, the 2019 remake is set in the fictional city of Agrabah. But this time, filmmakers didn’t have to animate a real-life location; they could use it as live-action backdrop. And the site they chose for much of the filming was the Wadi Rum Desert, one of Jordan’s most popular tourist destinations.
When doing press for the film, star Will Smith sang the praises of the filming locale. “What happens with actors when [they] travel to locations, [is that] everything changes inside of you,” he said. “When we landed in Jordan, all of a sudden you begin to embody the feelings of the characters.”
Wadi Rum, a UNESCO-recognized site, is known for hiking, camping, stargazing and dramatic landscapes comprised of sandstone mountains, rocky caverns and dunes. Sadly, finding a lucky genie swirling around in a bottle is highly unlikely.
