In 1919, a new baby elephant was born with big floppy ears and he was derisively called Dumbo. This made his mother Jumbo very angry thus displaying aggression and was therefore deemed dangerous, and sold off. The elephant caretaker Holt's two children, Milly and Joe, discovered that this baby can actually use his ears to fly, effectively making him the star of the circus. This was "the end" in the original beloved 1941 animated Disney film.
However, in the script written by Ehren Kruger, the story went further to involve an ultra-modern amusement park magnate named V.A. Vandevere, who acquisitioned Medici's circus to gain ownership of Dumbo and make him the star of his show. Vandevere greedily forced Dumbo to fly with his pretty French aerial acrobat Collette without a net despite the dangers, knowing that this act will propel his theme park to bigger financial success.
There were some details that call back nostalgia for the older film. The train's name is still Casey Jr. There was still that act of the burning building which Dumbo was supposed to put out with water from his trunk. The beautiful song "Baby Mine" was sung here by some circus personnel to accompany the same scene of Dumbo reaching for his imprisoned mother's trunk through the bars.
I was wondering how they would do the champagne-induced illusions of pink elephants in the original film. Welll, that scene was here all right, but in true Tim Burton fashion, the elephants were formed from huge soap bubbles instead. The character of Timothy, the mouse who became Dumbo's only friend, was replaced by two kids. I did not notice any crows this time (not that I really missed them), nor their song "When You See an Elephant Fly."
In this 2019 live action remake (I really do not know why Disney had to do this), the story was expanded to become longer with more human characters. As Tim Burton was the director (he of the most bizarre vision as a filmmaker), the treatment of this childhood favorite became somber and complex, a very far cry from the simplicity of the original. Scenes where a circus worker died and those showing people falling from high places or trapped in big fires may be too scary for young kids.
It was interesting for Tim Burton to cast his original Batman and Penguin, Michael Keaton (as Vandervere) and Danny Devito (as Max Medici), as weird characters on opposite sides of the law this time. However, the rest of the casting choices were not that great. Colin Farrell (as Holt Farrier) and Eva Green (as Collette) did not really need to be a romantic couple, but the storytelling seems to predestine it. The two child actors Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins (as Milly and Joe) lacked screen presence and likability.
Ok, I thought the CGI Dumbo was indeed cute. However I did not like having people ride him in flight. (A fully grown woman as his first ride, really? He's just a baby, for Pete's sake! ) I did not really appreciate the anachronistic technology available to create Vandervere's Dreamland and its high-tech attractions. It did not really progress effectively enough for a satisfying emotional climax. The way it was dark and overwrought, I am not certain if kids, especially younger ones, will like it at all. Even if it felt misplaced in the 1919 setting, the animal rights advocacy was loud, clear and admirable..
Between this and the "Alice in Wonderland" films, I feel Tim Burton and classic Disney are not a good combination. 5/10.
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