A young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, helps save a struggling circus, but when the circus plans a new venture, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer.
For the better part of this decade, Disney has been determined to turn their classic animated films into live action features. They haven’t really struck gold with critics excluding 2015’s “Cinderella” but have struck money at the box office as most of their adaptations have been behemoths in theaters. Disney is no stranger to tapping big-name directors for these live-action adaptations like Kenneth Branagh for “Cinderella,” Guy Ritchie for the upcoming “Aladdin” feature and Tim Burton for “Dumbo.” Burton hasn’t been hot in years as his relationship with both critics and audiences has waned. Going into “Dumbo,” I didn’t have high expectations because of Burton’s latest track record and the film itself reaffirms my weariness.
Colin Farrell plays Holt Farrier, father to Milly and Joe (Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins respectively), a war veteran who comes back to the circus headed by Max Medici (Danny DeVito). When the discovery of a baby elephant who can fly turns the circus into a country phenomenon, big investor V. A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) wants in but doesn’t have the most humane way of doing so. Overall, most of the cast play caricatures of themselves and didn’t appeal to me as they are not nuanced in any sense of the word. The one performance I loved was Danny DeVito as this overly greedy circus owner who is funny and very likable. The kids in the movie are good but nothing special. The story is pretty diverse from the original which is good in terms of being different to the audience but in the same breath, is not bold whatsoever. It’s very by-the-numbers and cheesy at parts that will have older audiences a bit bored during the runtime. The vibrant colors, overall message, and lightheartedness of the film will resonate with younger audiences. There is indeed some genuine emotion between Dumbo and her mom but you can leave the tissues at home.
For Tim Burton, he once again does not impress me one bit. All of the technical elements are not special and in normal Burton fashion that includes a lot of special effects. The VFX of Dumbo does not live up to the huge budget of the film with most of it looking like a cartoon and many scenes overly obvious that they were shot on a green screen. The third act ends in a big action-packed set piece that wasn’t too bad but not enough to elevate the movie. The one saving grace is the amazing score by Danny Elfman who is no stranger to providing amazing music to movies that some will say don’t discover his artistry. Once again, Tim Burton strikes out from the director’s chair.
All in all, “Dumbo” doesn’t help Disney’s case in adapting these animated classics. Mediocre story and overall execution from Tim Burton and co. will have younger audiences satisfied but not necessarily the adults. If you can wait for this one at home, I would recommend it for the family.
In theaters Friday, March 29th