[AladdinsGenie]

Disney shows are a summer essential, but this year the classics have been "modernized."

A new stage show, Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival, remixes hits from Aladdin, The Little Mermaid and Disney/Pixar's Toy Story to rock, jazz, pop, country and more. More than 25 Disney characters will be featured.

Mickey Mouse and his friends will first take the audience to a world of hip- hop and acrobatics, hosted by Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie.

Beard and his team started off by listening to lots of different styles of music, before taking a closer look at individual characters to see what styles they can pot entially stand up to.

"We asked ourselves what would happen if, say, Ursula from The Little Mermaid was played by Lady Gaga or Madonna," Beard said, while attributing the pairing of Genie and hip-hop to the fact "he is probably the hippest of the bunch."

Most songs featured are original classics on new tracks - apart from title song Let's Rock the Mouse and Spiff It Up, which Beard wrote for Genie to rap as he changes Aladdin's appearance.

More information here: http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=12&art_id=113581&sid=33196455&con_type=3&d_str=20110729&fc=7