The majority of the scenic design in "Aladdin" is, much like in the original 1992 animation, make-believe. According to Atlas of Wonders, most of the film was shot on two studio lots in England; the fictional Arab city of Agrabah had "all the streets, the square, and the palace" built on an enormous set in Longcross Studios, Surrey, and other scenes were filmed in Arborfield Studios, near Reading. A huge amount of CGI went into recreating the original film's iconic landscapes — if the behind-the-scenes footage is anything to go by.
But not all of the sightseeing in "Aladdin" is virtual. For the many scenes taking place in the open desert, a unit was assembled in the Wadi Rum valley in southern Jordan, a stunning location previously seen in movies like "Lawrence of Arabia," "The Martian," and "Rogue One." Per The Location Guide, the crew for this unit was about 50% local, as the Wadi Rum's popularity in Hollywood has ensured that the government and the local Bedouins know all the ins and outs of working with American movie studios by now — to say nothing of the host of experienced Jordanian professionals who regularly provide support for local shoots. Mena Massoud, who plays the titular character, even gushed about the experience on Instagram, writing: "Can't begin to explain the vast beauty of this land & its people ... Jordan, you've reminded me of my roots – shokran!"
