This dark take on the animated classic is a lot lighter than you’d expect from Director Tim Burton. Expect more visual glitz than a heart tugger about Dumbo and his mother. The characterization of the baby elephant with big ears depends on his crystal blue eyes for any emotion. Otherwise, his CGI movement, including the flying, is pretty stiff.
The star-studded cast includes several of Burton’s favorites. He’s worked with Danny Devito, Michael Keaton, Eva Green and Alan Arkin in previous films including Fish, Batman movies and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. This is the 3rd time Devito is playing a circus role for this director. Colleen Atwood does a good job with the costumes, especially the tailored suits for Keaton and the trapeze artist costumes for Eva Green. But those for the circus performers had to be pretty rag tag.
Burton, once again, over saturates his palette in this combination live action/CGI animated film. The colors of the Medici Bros.Circus run by Max Medici (Danny Devito) and Dreamland (Michael Keaton as the rich V.A.Vandevere) are vibrant but over the top in their big tops. Vandevere’s Dreamland is a marvel of technology for 1919, post World War I. It’s a Disneyland on steroids with a World Fair and carnival vibe. We took it as Disneyland poking fun at itself. It’s cold, with lots of hard surfaces and glaring lights, and doesn’t look like much fun. Interesting that none of it was shot on location, even the exteriors were shot on a set.
The film focuses more on the human characters than the animals. One of the most endearing, Timothy, Dumbo’s talking mouse in the animated film, is all but eliminated. In fact none of the animals talk. Dumbo, from Disney’s 1941 film, is from a story by husband and wife team Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl. But this film is not an adaptation. It’s a different story.
The themes of drunk, pink animals from the original classic have been sanitized. Instead, you see huge pink bubbles being blown out of proportion under Dreamland’s big top. And there is a big Busby Berkley production number with scores of dancers kicking on a huge, revolving stage shot from every angle that is so choppy and poorly edited, we wanted to scream.
Colin Farrell plays Holt who returns from serving in the war. He was once a circus star trick rider but has come back to his children a broken man. His horses have been sold by Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) because the circus has fallen on hard times. His wife has died. Mom is missing. What a surprise for a Disney movie. Holt’s children are being cared for by compassionate circus performers.
Max hires Holt to become the elephant wrangler. Dumbo is a newborn elephant Max doesn’t know what to do with because he has oversize ears. How does Max not see that in a circus full of freak attractions, the little elephant could be his biggest moneymaker! Instead, he puts the pachyderm under wraps. Danny Elfman does the music for the film. Other than renditions of the song “Baby Mine,” there isn’t much that’s memorable.
Holt’s children, Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) discover Dumbo can fly which is a game changer. Word gets around which creates interest from slick, moneybags, V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) who graciously takes in Medici’s circus performers for his glitzy Dreamland, so he can make Dumbo the star of the show and rake in lots of attention and cash. He promises to take care of Medici’s troupe, but you just know he’s going to get rid of them all as soon as he can. Interesting timing in light of Disney’s recent takeover of 21st Century Fox.
Vandemere wants his girlfriend/star French aerial artist Colette Marchant (Eva Green) to fly with Dumbo. Green plays edgy, and hard-looking, but beautiful. She’s good with Holt’s kids and also with Dumbo. The aerial scenes of them flying together are exhilarating, but somewhat frustrating, especially when things turn really dark with all kinds of back-stage evil machinations by Vandevere. Cinematographer, Ben Davis (Captain Marvel, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri), uses thrilling angles to show off Colette’s aerial work and her harrowing flying on Dumbo.
Unfortunately, Keaton’s performance is almost as bad as his plastered silver hairdo. Not entirely his fault. Ehren Kruger’s script seems stilted and trite at times. There are several one liners that made us groan. When the one-armed Holt gets ready to ride again, he says “I could do this with one hand tied behind my back.” It fell flat. And then the ringmaster, played by iconic Ring Announcer Michael Buffer, introduces Dumbo like he’s revving up the crowd for a fight shouting “Let’s get ready for Dumbo!” It was a cringeworthy moment. Especially since he’s doing the same thing on a Toyota commercial at the moment.
Milly is interested in science, and her demeanor throughout is so matter of fact. She’s a good problem solver, but her reactions are bland. Even when it comes time for her to squeeze out a tear later in the film, it doesn’t ring true. And we don’t get much personality from Joe, her brother in the film. Perhaps his part is just underwritten. Then there’s the line waxing poetic explaining why Vandevere keeps Colette. “She’s one of many gems he wears that reflect the lights back on him.” Really?
Dreamland, itself is total eye candy. But treatment of the animals in this film is dark, disappointing and scary. And even Dumbo is not as emotionally engaging except for his eyes. And his Mother is sadly, completely expressionless and her eyes are completely lifeless.The only truly emotional scenes are at the very end when Dumbo and his Mother unite. We kept expecting Dumbo to grab his Mama’s tail as shown in the weathervane atop Dreamland, but that never happened. There is some snuggling, but not warm enough. It doesn’t make a strong connection emotionally.
Burton has delivered a long, cold, and his own take on an emotional story that could have been so much more magical. We were expecting more ooohs, aaaahhs, and certainly more awwwwwws seeing Dumbo come to life again after all this time. The cast is great. Burton’s take is colorful and creative, using technological wizardry. But while it dazzles, it lacks soul.
Walt Disney Pictures 112 Minutes PG
