Directed by Tim Burton

Starring: Collin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito

Rated PG for  peril/action, some thematic elements, and brief mild language 

I will admit that I have yet to see the 1941 version of Dumbo. Therefore there will be no comparisons to the the original version. I although do think its unfair to compare a remake to a original version. A remake is done to introduce a film to a new generation and have a different take on the original. Dumbo is a live action remake directed by Tim Burton. I have never been the biggest fan of Burton but I can appreciate his earlier work. Unfortunately Dumbo is following the recent trend of mixed bags from Burton. Dumbo stars Collin Farrell as a father who tasked of watching the title character, who is an elephant who can fly. Farrell along with his children, played by Nico Parker and Finely Hobbins, work in a circus which showcases the elephant, along with other acts. Dumbo also stars Danny DeVito and Michael Keaton as the owner of the Medici Brothers circus and an entrepreneur who invests in the circus, respectively. These two actors reunite with Burton once again after working with him previously.

Off the bat, Dumbo is a lovable and cute elephant. Every time he is on the screen, you feel nothing but love and emotion of the animal. Dumbo is sadly separated from his mother in the film and you feel sorrow for both elephants. It is generally hard for a director to make the audience feel sadness for a non human character that is CGI, but director Tim Burton excels at making the audience do so. When Dumbo first flies, there is a sense of movie magic on the screen. Seeing Dumbo fly with a trapeze artist, played by Eva Green, takes you back to your childhood as if you are seeing something magical and are in awe of it. The beautiful score by Danny Elfman helps elevates these great scenes.

As mentioned before, Dumbo stars Collin Farrell as a father who tends to the elephant. Farrell’s character, Holt, is a World War I veteran who has recently returned from war. Upon returning to the circus, in which he has worked at before, Farrell’s character learns that his wife has passed due to illness. This is something that is not explored enough and is tossed to the side, along with another moment. Farrell’s character shows little emotion and mourns very little. He is seen later looking at and old picture of her and nothing more. Her death is not explored anymore, except a brief mentioned of the wife here and there throughout the film. I blame the writing and the direction of Burton for this poor decision.

Another tossed moment occurs towards the middle of the film. In this film, Farrell is escorting Dumbo in his first appearance in the circus. When Farrell is walking with the elephant, another man asks, “Is that Captain Holt Farrier?” Farrell immediately places a fake mustache to disguise himself. It is later discussed that Farrell is dressed as a clown because he does not want to be recognized. But why is that? Did he abandon his post or was he dishonorably discharged? It is never revealed why Farrell doesn’t want to be recognized. And later on, this is tossed to the side as he doesn’t wear a disguise and walks around in the crowd like its nothing. Why is this mentioned if there is nothing to it or its not explained the reasoning for the disguise? It is moments like these that bring down the film and just add nothing to the plot.

Dumbo is a delight whenever he is on screen but some of the human characters are not. My biggest complaint is Vandevere, played by Michael Keaton. Michael Keaton is a great actor and we have seen what he can do when he is working with great material. But his character is over the top and acts like a cartoon villain, and not a very bright one. Towards the end of the film, Vandevere is angry that another character is betrayed him. He is at a control tower and presses random buttons that ultimately causes a fire. But Vandevere keeps pressing random buttons, which a stupid thing to do. Does he not realize that he has caused a great fire and pressing any button will not stop this. I blame Burton’s direction for this over acting has this is something we have seen in previous Burton films. The reason why I bring up a scene a like this is because the stupidity of a character can make a film messy. Show, don’t tell is also something that should have been implemented as well. When you need a character to pet the title character, do it instead of saying it. This may be minor but is something that did bother me while watching the film.

Dumbo, the character, is a joy and cute elephant when he is present on the screen. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about Dumbo, the film. You can take the kids to see this one as there are some great moments but you won’t be missing much if you do skip it.

2/4