Dumbo (2019)

Dumbo (2019)

5/10

Starring

Colin Farrell

Michael Keaton

Danny DeVito

Directed by Tim Burton

What Dumbo lacked in this live action remake of Disney’s 1941 animated film of the same name is holding power. The film seems crowded with too many characters and then add the uneven flow of the movie itself – it just lacked the magnificent of the Dumbo animation.

The only side of this movie that is worth seeing is the visual play of Tim Burton, you will love the visuals of this movie, but wish the tale was more engaging and the characters had more depth. Even the animals in question, their tale lacked the depth needed for it to draw you in. The child actors seemed burdened with the role of adding drama to the movie.

Disney’s live action remake of their classics has finally hit a miss and I hope all the others expected for this year will not fall into the same hole.

The plot of the movie has been modified to be more real to the feel, which too me was just over playing that hand as the movie is about a flying elephant. This fantasy movie diverted enough from the animations plot but stayed true to Disney’s happy ending.

In a failing traveling circus lead by Max (Danny DeVito) a World War 1 amputee returns home to his family where his wife has died and his children (a boy and a girl) were cared for by the circus. Our soldier Holt (Colin Farrell) was a performer with his wife in the circus and now that he is back, he didn’t know which role he would play in the circus. Max had just bought a pregnant Asian Elephant and needed someone to care for it, he planned a new show around the expected baby elephant.

The birth of Dumbo with his big ears was a spectacle Max was not ready to entertain, he knew what would happen if the animal was seen and tried to cover up his ears. After a disastrous and tragic opening, Max sold Dumbo’s mother to try and recover some loss. Holt’s children took Dumbo under their wing and while caring for him, they noticed that the big ears made Dumbo fly when he was playing with a feather. That lead to a whole new adventure for the circus and Dumbo himself.

A reunion of Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito and Tim Burton is another thing Dumbo had going for it, this time the roles were switched for our actors in respect to Batman Returns (1992). Although both were supporting cast to Colin Farrell and his onscreen children, DeVito was the good guy and Keaton was the villain.

Dumbo had the Disney ending the kids will love, but the movie lacked the Disney magic of fun and good story telling.