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Home > Categories > Movies > Family > Dumbo (2019) review
From Disney and visionary director Tim Burton, the all-new grand live-action adventure Dumbo expands on the beloved classic story where differences are celebrated, family is cherished and dreams take flight.
Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) enlists former star Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) to care for a newborn elephant whose over sized ears make him a laughingstock in an already struggling circus. But when they discover that Dumbo can fly, the circus makes an incredible comeback, attracting persuasive entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton), who recruits the peculiar pachyderm for his newest, larger-than-life entertainment venture, Dreamland. Dumbo soars to new heights alongside a charming and spectacular aerial artist, Colette Marchant (Eva Green), until Holt learns that beneath its shiny veneer, Dreamland is full of dark secrets.
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Review by: mizim (Miriam)
Dated: 14th of July, 2019
I had watched the animated version of Dumbo a couple of times when I was younger but it was never one that I really got into or enjoyed enough to watch it more than a handful of times, especially as I have never enjoyed the 'Elephants on Parade' scene. This re-imagining of Dumbo sees him become famous but then continues the story beyond then, this, along with the story of Milly, Joe and their fathers as well as the struggling Medici circus, which gives the film a bit more bulk and to me, makes it much more interesting. That being said, if it wasn't a Tim Burton film, I may not have been as keen to watch it.
The producers opted not to make Dumbo to realistic, in this way they could give him a wide range of facial expressions, something much needed in order for you to connect to Dumbo and hope that he is reunited with his mother, Jumbo. While the DVD doesn't have any extra features, I was pleased to find out that they hired professional circus performers for all the background parts, one of the main circus duos are actual performers and the cast is very diverse. The kids did a brilliant job in their roles, I would be surprised if this is the last we see of them, though Milly (Nico Parker) did steal the show as a young girl who yearns to experiment and create new technologies for the future.
This isn't a musical but they did manage to squeeze in 'Baby Mine', though I did feel a little unsure about its placement, as it could have (and most likely was) aimed at Jumbo being locked up, or one of the circus crew who really wasn't a nice person at all. The rest of the music did exactly as it should, stirring up emotions when needed and pumping up the excitement during the final few scenes. I enjoy this adaptation so much more than the animated version, which to my mind has a far nicer homage to 'Elephants on Parade' which the kids agreed with once I had shown them the original clip.
This was a hit with both the kids and myself, even my mother enjoyed it. I have a feeling it will be rewatched many times over.
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