Has anyone rewatched Disney’s classic DUMBO from 1941 recently? Disney re released it on Blu-ray a couple of years back and I kept toying with the idea of purchasing it. However, the pain and agony of Dumbo’s mother being locked up, while her son’s antagonizers never fully get their comeuppance was seared into my memory and simply just too painful to relive. But my curiosity got the best of me when I heard Tim Burton would be remaking a live-action version of the film. This is not a new concept as we have already been given BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, JUNGLE BOOK, ALADDIN, and THE LION KING to name a few, with a whole slew of others on slate in the future. While none of these interest me (even though they all make a boat load of money), I was interested in seeing how DUMBO handles this extreme field of emotion combined with Burton’s knack for visual flair.
Unfortunately, Tim Burton has been lacking some originality, passion, and heart that he achieved so well in his early years with PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE, BEETLEJUICE, EDWARD SISSORHANDS, and BATMAN. But I always hold out a little hope when I see his name. I love his 2012 adaptation of FRANKENWEENIE from his original 1984 short film. Sadly, while mildly serviceable as a PG kids movie, DUMBO is another forgettable entry and unnecessary Disney remake – a true missed opportunity to possibly reinvent something great.
If you are unfamiliar with Disney’s DUMBO, the story deals with a baby elephant born with oversized ears, who gets teased and ridiculed, then separated from his mother because she tries to defend him. Born into the circus life, he is treated as a clown, before a little mouse and a feather inspire him to fly. That is a very basic cliff note explanation that the new live-action DUMBO keeps somewhat true to as a basis.
The differences: While Dumbo is completely computer generated with big beautiful eyes, the mouse is gone and replaced with a couple of children, a sister and younger brother, who love Dumbo but have less emotion than a peanut. Dumbo’s flying ability is not kept a secret or is even a big reveal for the audience. Rather than attempting to capture the full inspirational Superman moment, DUMBO gives a sneeze early on revealing his ability in almost casual fashion. His ability to fly becomes the driving force to the bigger story of a far more successful shifty circus owner (Michael Keaton) who desires to purchase Dumbo from the lowly yet much friendlier ringleader (Dany DeVito).
Colin Farrell plays the children’s father, a once famous horse-riding main attraction for the circus but has since lost his arm in the war. In true Disney fashion, his wife and their mother died before the story begins. But he doesn’t do much other than fret over his two children and self-wallow. The kids are the entry to the action and that is where the film truly fails to have any comprehension of their importance. I do not think it is ever fair to put the responsibility on the child actors. And I want to be clear that I blame casting and directing when a child is a poor fit for the role. I believe that the young leading lady was told to emote as little as possible, which made a film that already struggled with life, even more void of emotion.
The dialogue doesn’t do her any favors either. We know she’s an intelligent girl who wants nothing more than to be a scientist. We know this, because it’s said no less than a dozen times throughout the story. Oddly, I can’t think of any time she uses her “scientific” sensibility accurately. Sure she mentions she has a “hypothesis” and that there is “proof,” but using those words does not a scientist make.
While the harshness from the original feels a bit softened (no drunk hallucination scene), which I think is probably a good thing, DUMBO misses the mark on inspiration and cheers. It’s not that it is completely void of these feel good moments, it’s more that the film is simply lacking. Aside from some wonderful visuals, colorful set designs, and an exuberant performance from Keaton and DeVito, Burton fails to deliver anything memorable or unique.
To be fair, I did not watch this with my children, so I’m not fully sure what they will think of DUMBO. My guess is they will still be sad when poor Dumbo’s mother is taken away and cheer when Dumbo flies. But I’m not sure if there is anything in between the nearly two hour film that can sustain a child’s interest in the same capacity that other, better family films will. Either way, DUMBO isn’t making the rotation.
