One Jump Ahead

It’s a whole new world in Disney’s remake of the 1992 animated film Aladdin. Most of the story remains the same. A lowly “street rat” meets a genie, falls in love with a princess, and tries to save a kingdom from the evil Jafar. But the new movie is live-action, not animated. And it features dynamic new dance scenes.

JAMAL SIMS is the film’s choreographer. A choreographer designs the physical movements in a dance. For Aladdin, Sims and his team were inspired to combine different dance styles. “It was fun to incorporate traditional styles of Arabic dancing with hip-hop,” he told TIME for Kids.

One performance features dancers at a parade. Sims says it was challenging to put together. “We had eight horses, six camels, and other real live animals in this procession with the dancers,” he says. “Everything moving down the street had to move in perfect sync.”

Sims says he strongly relates to the movie’s theme of being who you are: “Having the courage to show up as yourself and know that you’re good enough is a big thing for me.”