Grant Dillard
Staff writer
“Dumbo” is the latest in a long line of Disney’s live-action remakes of their animated classics, as well as the latest film from visionary director Tim Burton. As a standalone film, does “Dumbo” succeed on its own? Or does it pale in comparison to its animated counterpart?
Taking place in 1919, the film focuses on Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) a World War I veteran who returns to his job at the circus where he also lives. Upon returning, he and his children are tasked by the owner of the circus, Max Medici (Danny DeVito) to care for a recently birthed baby elephant with big ears. At first, the elephant’s deformity brings upon ridicule and mockery from the crowd, but that changes once the elephant named Dumbo manages to fly with its ears. Dumbo’s overwhelming popularity eventually gets the attention of V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton), an entrepreneur who plans to exploit the elephant to gain more attention for his theme park known as Dreamland.
Unlike some of the other live-action Disney remakes, especially the 2017 remake of “Beauty and the Beast,” this film isn’t simply a scene-for-scene retelling of its animated predecessor. Instead, the filmmakers decided to take the original story and expand upon it, which was a really good idea; especially seeing how the original film was only an hour long, leaving enough room for additional story bits. In terms of story, the film basically consists of two halves. The first part, which focuses on Farrier family taking care of Dumbo and eventually training him to fly, is basically a loose retelling of the original animated film, except with a human cast being more heavily involved. There are still a few visual references and callbacks to the original film throughout, including an homage to the famous “Pink Elephants” scene. The second half, which takes place at the Dreamland amusement park, consists of a new narrative, which does a good job at keeping the film fresh.
Visually speaking, the film is fantastic. Even in some of the worst films of his career, Tim Burton has always succeeded when it comes to scenery, filmmaking, and other kinds of on-screen visual effects, and this film is no exception. Whether it’s the landscape of the Medici circus and the Dreamland amusement park, or the impressive computer generated animals, the film definitely pops.
Given that the human cast of characters take up the majority of the film, it’s crucial that they be presented as very interesting and entertaining to watch; thankfully, the film succeeds for the most part. Holt makes for a likable enough protagonist, who even after losing his arm in the war and his wife passing away while he was gone, he still tries to keep a positive mindset when doing his job at the circus and interacting with his children. Max Medici, while he can be quite selfish at times when it comes to finances, is still good at heart when it comes to trying to help out Holt and his family. V.A. Vandevere works well enough as an eccentric businessman who hopes to make a quick buck from Dumbo’s success, although the film takes his character in a ridiculous direction at its climax. Lastly, Dumbo himself, while not having as much screen time as his human companions, is very much the heart of the film; as all the film’s emotional and awe-inspiring moments revolve around the young elephant.
The only characters who could have been much better are Holt’s children: Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins.) The children themselves are written decently enough, but the young child actors are unfortunately very wooden and blank faced throughout their moments of screen time. Even in exciting moments, neither of them appear invested in what’s going on. This is especially disappointing, as the children are such a crucial part of the film’s narrative, being the ones who help Dumbo learn to fly after all.
Despite its faults, “Dumbo” stands out as one of the better live-action Disney remakes in recent years. Of course, the original animated film will still hold a special place in people’s hearts; but this live-action interpretation certainly has more depth, and may be more pleasing to casual moviegoers. Definitely give “Dumbo” a watch and decide for yourself.