Dumbo (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
'Dumbo' is Tim Burton's live-action take on Disney's wonderful - if tear-inducing - 1941 animated classic about everyone's favorite flying elephant. Set in 1919 at the end of WWI, we meet veteran Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell, likeable here), a once-renowned equestrian before the war, who has come home to his 2 children, Milly (Nico Parker, Thandie Newton's daughter) & Joe (Finley Hobbins), who live with the traveling Medici Bro. Circus, which is run by hot-tempered ringmaster, Max Medici (Danny DeVito). Because Holt is now an arm amputee {from the war} & his beloved wife died from influenza, Max tells Holt he can't return to his horse act.
Instead, Holt is asked to care for the circus' latest acquisition: Mrs. Jumbo, a huge pregnant elephant who's about to give birth to a baby that should prove profitable for the failing troupe. But when the baby is born with enormous, floppy ears, everyone freaks. What no one knows {yet} is that Milly & Joe have discovered that this baby pachyderm {with the help of trunk-tickling feathers} ... can fly. When Medici uses the baby in his show & the crowd discovers his big ears, the ensuing bullying of the baby causes Mrs. Jumbo, to go nuts. She gets locked-up, only able to touch her baby through the bars with her trunk {cue the iconic "Baby Mine" & the tears!}, before Medici sells Mama to recoup his loss of revenue. But "Dumbo" the flying elephant - as he's now referred - becomes a huge attraction.
His fame comes to the attention of nefarious impresario, V. A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton), a con-man who owns Coney Islands' amusement park, Dreamland {WHAT a feat of production design!}. He offers Medici a partnership & Medici's circus acts a job {yeah, right} to secure the rights to Dumbo. His moll is a famed French aerialist named Colette Marchant (Eva Green) whom he commands she ride Dumbo whilst he flies. Unbeknownst to Medici, & especially Dumbo, Mrs. Jumbo is part of Vandevere's dangerous 'Nightmare' attraction at Dreamland. To reunite mother & son, everyone comes together to execute an intricate & risky plan to break-out of Dreamland & out of Vandevere's {& his minions'} clutches.
For me, this version of 'Dumbo' is a mixed bag where the bad slightly outweighs the good. Tim Burton's colorful re-imagining of Disney's 1941 classic is visually astounding & contains a truly adorable CGI elephant hero ... but the plot, dialogue & characterizations are underwhelming. When I say that this film is visually impressive, I mean it. The cinematography is stellar. Colleen Atwood's costumes are period perfection. The special effects are utilized everywhere & are super {the elephant, Colin Farrell's missing arm, etc.}. And Rick Heinrich's production designs {circus, Dreamland, homes, ships, props} are phenomenal. And perhaps most laudable: Dumbo, himself, is wholly loveable. In every scene, I was struck by Dumbo's sweet face & big blue eyes. Dumbo's various emotions {+ Danny Elfman's musical offerings} got me to cry, let's say, more than once.
But aside from Colin Farrell, Eva Green & the appeal of seeing Michael Keaton & Danny DeVito reunite from 1992's Batman Returns, the performances did little for me. Sorry, but the child actors do not know how to act or emote; especially, Thandie Newton's daughter. And the dialogue that ALL these actors had to say did them no favors. Keaton bellowing "Get those kids!" or "That's my elephant!" is one of the more high-art scripted flourishes we get; get the picture? And Burton's kooky, macabre eccentricities were lacking, here. So while 'Dumbo' works well as a generic Disney family flick, it pales in comparison to other recent live-action animated re-makes. Kids will love all things Dumbo, but be bored by the dry human storyline; which will be too simplistic for adults, anyway. I appreciate the themes of ethical animal rights, compassion & the idea that our differences make us special. But intangible pleasures aside, Dumbo's clumsy script & disregard of characterization disappointed me.
Instead, Holt is asked to care for the circus' latest acquisition: Mrs. Jumbo, a huge pregnant elephant who's about to give birth to a baby that should prove profitable for the failing troupe. But when the baby is born with enormous, floppy ears, everyone freaks. What no one knows {yet} is that Milly & Joe have discovered that this baby pachyderm {with the help of trunk-tickling feathers} ... can fly. When Medici uses the baby in his show & the crowd discovers his big ears, the ensuing bullying of the baby causes Mrs. Jumbo, to go nuts. She gets locked-up, only able to touch her baby through the bars with her trunk {cue the iconic "Baby Mine" & the tears!}, before Medici sells Mama to recoup his loss of revenue. But "Dumbo" the flying elephant - as he's now referred - becomes a huge attraction.
His fame comes to the attention of nefarious impresario, V. A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton), a con-man who owns Coney Islands' amusement park, Dreamland {WHAT a feat of production design!}. He offers Medici a partnership & Medici's circus acts a job {yeah, right} to secure the rights to Dumbo. His moll is a famed French aerialist named Colette Marchant (Eva Green) whom he commands she ride Dumbo whilst he flies. Unbeknownst to Medici, & especially Dumbo, Mrs. Jumbo is part of Vandevere's dangerous 'Nightmare' attraction at Dreamland. To reunite mother & son, everyone comes together to execute an intricate & risky plan to break-out of Dreamland & out of Vandevere's {& his minions'} clutches.
For me, this version of 'Dumbo' is a mixed bag where the bad slightly outweighs the good. Tim Burton's colorful re-imagining of Disney's 1941 classic is visually astounding & contains a truly adorable CGI elephant hero ... but the plot, dialogue & characterizations are underwhelming. When I say that this film is visually impressive, I mean it. The cinematography is stellar. Colleen Atwood's costumes are period perfection. The special effects are utilized everywhere & are super {the elephant, Colin Farrell's missing arm, etc.}. And Rick Heinrich's production designs {circus, Dreamland, homes, ships, props} are phenomenal. And perhaps most laudable: Dumbo, himself, is wholly loveable. In every scene, I was struck by Dumbo's sweet face & big blue eyes. Dumbo's various emotions {+ Danny Elfman's musical offerings} got me to cry, let's say, more than once.
But aside from Colin Farrell, Eva Green & the appeal of seeing Michael Keaton & Danny DeVito reunite from 1992's Batman Returns, the performances did little for me. Sorry, but the child actors do not know how to act or emote; especially, Thandie Newton's daughter. And the dialogue that ALL these actors had to say did them no favors. Keaton bellowing "Get those kids!" or "That's my elephant!" is one of the more high-art scripted flourishes we get; get the picture? And Burton's kooky, macabre eccentricities were lacking, here. So while 'Dumbo' works well as a generic Disney family flick, it pales in comparison to other recent live-action animated re-makes. Kids will love all things Dumbo, but be bored by the dry human storyline; which will be too simplistic for adults, anyway. I appreciate the themes of ethical animal rights, compassion & the idea that our differences make us special. But intangible pleasures aside, Dumbo's clumsy script & disregard of characterization disappointed me.