Aladdin: First look at live-action remake starring Will Smith receives negative reactions – 'This is horrible'

People are so far not entirely convinced by the first images of the forthcoming reboot

A first look at Disney's forthcoming Aladdin live-action remake has been unveiled – and promptly met with negative reactions on social media.

Images published by Entertainment Weekly on Wednesday show Will Smith as the Genie, Naomi Scott as Jasmine, and Mena Massoud as Aladdin, giving viewers a taste of what's to come when the reboot debuts on 24 May 2019.

Many weren't won over by the snapshots, in which Smith isn't blue – a major departure from the 1992 animated classic.

Smith explained on Instagram that the photos depict the Genie in a human form, and that he will in fact appear blue in other parts of the movie thanks to CGI.

But social media users had other critics to voice against the upcoming remake, which is directed by Guy Ritchie.

"Looks a bit too panto for me, surprised half the cast of Hollyoaks aren't in it!" one person wrote in reference to the Channel 4 soap opera.

Another Twitter user was happy with Aladdin's and Jasmine's appearances but didn't love Smith's Genie, writing: "Aladdin and Jasmine look awesome but I mean... I mean..."

Someone replied simply to the announcement: "Thanks. I hate it."

Several people used gifs to convey their feelings, using images such as Simon Cowell shaking his head or Amy Poehler saying: "Oh God, Honey, no" in Mean Girls.

Another person compared the first look to "an ad for Party City", the party supplies chain headquartered in New Jersey.

While the blue, floating version of the Genie hasn't been finalised, Ritchie told EW he wanted Smith's character to look like "a muscular 1970s dad".

“He was big enough to feel like a force – not so muscular that he looked like he was counting his calories, but formidable enough to look like you knew when he was in the room," Ritchie said.

A Disney executive described Smith's Genie to the magazine as "part Fresh Prince, part Hitch", referring to two of Smith's most famous roles – a fictionalised version of himself in the beloved Nineties sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and "date doctor" Hitch in the 2005 movie of the same name.

Smith explained he had to develop his own take on the Genie in order to follow in the footsteps of Robin Williams, who voiced the character in the animated version.

“I started to feel confident that I could deliver something that was an homage to Robin Williams but was musically different,” he said.

“Just the flavour of the character would be different enough and unique enough that it would be in a different lane, versus trying to compete.”