“Dumbo” remake expands on the original

Erik Jimenez/Staff Writer

Disney’s recent trend of remaking their classic animated films into live action has produced rather mixed results. For every “Jungle Book,” there is a “Maleficent” and “Alice in Wonderland.” Speaking of “Alice in Wonderland,” visionary director Tim Burton who brought us that mess has returned to Disney to bring us his take on the 1941 classic “Dumbo.”

Thankfully, not only is it one of the better remakes Disney has done, it’s one of the better films Burton has made in recent years.

The film takes place in 1919 and follows World War I amputee veteran and horse trainer Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his two children Millie and Joe (Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins, respectively). The family tries to cope with the recent death of Holt’s wife by returning to a financially troubled circus run by family friend Max (Burton alum Danny Devito).

Max recently put all his dreams of saving his business on a pregnant elephant he bought, hoping it would produce a circus star. But Mama Jumbo’s offspring is born with abnormally large ears and is considered a failure, which forces Max to sell the mother to keep the business afloat.

Holt’s children soon find out that Jumbo Junior, whose name is changed to the titular Dumbo, can use his massive ears to fly like a bird, and they plan for Dumbo to be a big enough draw to the circus to buy back his mother. Instead, Dumbo attracts enigmatic entrepreneur and amusement park owner V.A. Vandervere (Michael Keaton, another Burton collaborator), who buys Medici’s circus to present the fly elephant for his amusement park, Dreamland. But the Farriers and the rest of Max’s circus soon learn that Dreamland can be a real nightmare when it comes to its business practices.

So clearly this is telling a different story than the 1941 classic, and while the new plot is somewhat predictable, Burton and the actors infuse enough charming visual motifs to keep it entertaining. Keaton is a cynical, snarky jerk that represents the worst types of businessmen of the time, and he’s good at taking a few potshots at the worst aspects of Disney as a company.

Burton’s new ‘it’ girl Eva Green plays trapeze artist Colette, who is essentially a trophy wife to Vandevere. Her performance is impressive, delicately balancing silent resistance, switching from antagonist to protagonist, and interacting with CGI flying elephants like it’s nothing.

Speaking of elephants, the titular Dumbo is by far the most impressive aspect of the picture. More than his ears, it is Dumbo’s eyes you fall for and where his emotions ring out. Some of the film’s most effective imagery comes from his eyes, especially when he wanders into Dreamland which is essentially what happens when you combine Coney Island, Disney World, the 1920s and Tim Burton’s artwork in a blender. The CGI and production design here are top notch.

Combined with a Danny Elfman score – because it wouldn’t be a Burton picture without it – that infuses several tunes and leitmotifs from the original film with his signature strings, drums and woodwinds, and you get a sensorial feast.

This new Dumbo may not be as iconic as the original, but it’s an expanded take on the material, which makes it a solid film to check out if you’re curious.

Featured photo by Gabriella Pinos.