Movie News Net Review – Disney’s ‘Dumbo’
Disney’s latest live action/CGI reimagining flew into theaters this weekend as director Tim Burton’s Dumbo hit the big screen. But does the baby elephant soar to the sky or remain grounded in this updated take on the animated classic?
Disney’s Dumbo occupies a unique place in the Disney canon. Dumbo himself is arguably one of the studio’s most well known and beloved characters, the baby elephant with the big ears is a constant presence in Disney’s parks and stores around the world. But the original animated movie doesn’t share the same level of popularity. Ask any Disney fan to name their top ten Disney movies and it’s unlikely that Dumbo will make the list, and the movie isn’t part of Disney’s Platinum Collection, a line reserved for their best selling animated classics. Disney and director Tim Burton use this to their advantage. Instead of padding out the original story, which clocked in at just 64 minutes, Burton opts instead to condense the classic tale to the first half hour, and then show what happened after the world saw an elephant fly.
In making the change to live action Burton also switches the main supporting characters from talking animals to the human cast. Dumbo’s journey to reunite with his mother is reflected in the Farrier family’s attempts to come back together after being separated by the war, and the Farrier children replace both Timothy Mouse as Dumbo’s friend and the crows as the ones who help the little elephant find the confidence to fly.
It’s a necessary change for the switch to live action, and for the expanded story that follows, but Burton makes sure to pay homage to what has come before. From Danny DeVito joyfully singing a verse of “Casey Jr.” to a stork being used to symbolize the birth of baby Dumbo, Burton even manages to include some of the lyrics from “When I See an Elephant Fly”. Sadly, the most direct recreation, the iconic “Baby Mine” scene, doesn’t quite hit as hard as it could due to the original story now being more compressed, but the subsequent scene is truly heartrending.
After soaring over the Big Top, this new adaptation sees Dumbo move from the Medici Circus to Dreamland. It’s here that Dumbo feels most like a Tim Burton movie, at least visually. Dreamland is Disneyland, right down to the fonts used and the Dumbo plush toys that you can literally buy in stores around the world right now (no one ever accused Mickey of missing a merchandising opportunity). But it’s Disney’s dark reflection, presided over by Michael Keaton’s V. R. Vandevere. Keaton isn’t the only Burton collaborator to return in Dumbo, but even with returning actors, a story focused on a mistreated outcast, and a Danny Elfman score, it never quite feels like a Burton movie in the way that Alice in Wonderland did.
The new characters that Burton introduces are good, but their character arcs feel a little shallow. This is because the human characters are not the leads. Colin Farrell’s Holt Farrier and his children (played by Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins) come the closest to traditional leads, but their story arc exists to mirror and serve Dumbo’s in a story about broken families finding each other. The cast do well with what they have, with DeVito and Keaton especially on fine form, bringing a needed energy whenever they are on screen. But it’s Dumbo who is the star.
Despite DeVito’s Max Medici proclaiming “there’s a face only a mother could love”, Dumbo may just be the most adorable CG Disney animal yet. The animation and design teams deserve a lot of credit for creating a look that fits perfectly in the “real world” of the movie, and alongside the more realistic adult elephants and the human cast, whilst allowing us to know every emotion the young elephant is feeling. There is wonder in his wide eyes, an innocence that is not lost even in the film’s darkest moments. The movie is at it’s best when Dumbo is on screen. When he flies you can’t help but feel your spirit lift with him. In those moments, the film is truly magical.
Dumbo is a good, enjoyable family film. There are some darker moments that parents may want to see for themselves before taking young children, but I’d argue it’s no darker than what you can find in some of Disney’s own animated movies. After several more direct adaptations, it’s good to see Disney taking a risk with new story elements whilst still remaining true to Dumbo’s original character arc of finding the strength inside himself to fly. Though the human characters could use more fleshing out in order for the film to reach it’s full potential, you’ll forget that and be swept up with wonder every time you see an elephant fly.
Chris is a lifelong fan of Disney, Star Wars and super heroes who can’t quite believe this golden age of movies and TV we’re living in. Having written blogs dedicated to Disney’s Aladdin musical and Star Wars Celebration, Chris is excited to be part of the MNN team.
