4 stars out of 5
I have only the vaguest childhood memories of Dumbo. Thanks to the “Disney Vault” philosophy and what age you were during re-releases in those pre-home video days, you might be too young, too old, or just right for various animated classics. I’m not sure whether my family went to the 1972 theatrical re-release (age 3 for me) or the 1976 one (age 7), but all I remember is a cartoon elephant, nighttime, and train cars. That Dumbo himself couldn’t talk didn’t exactly lodge him in my memory either.
So I likely would’ve skipped this live-action remake were it not for the involvement of Tim Burton. The only Burton-directed film I haven’t seen in theaters was Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and that was only because I was 1 month into a 3.5-month hospital stay. (I eventually did see the movie, and yes, I dug it.) Of course, Burton’s trademark is the dark and twisted, and this take on the gravity-defying pachyderm is decidedly neither of those things. It’s sweet; it’s light. But somehow he still manages to make it work.
I checked the summary of the 1941 Dumbo on Wikipedia, and this new version does hit all the significant plot points. However, the story is recast in the human world. It’s 1919, and Danny DeVito (the first of a few pleasant sights for It’s Always Sunny fans) is prepping his old-fashioned traveling circus to leave its winter home in Florida. (The journey of the circus train later allows for some lovely cinematography.) Who better than DeVito to play a low-rent businessman surrounded by freaks that he cares about?
Into the mix comes the circus’s former star horseman, Colin Farrell, back from the War, missing his arm, his two kids, and his late wife. A younger Clooney might’ve been ideal in the role, but I enjoyed Farrell with a cowboy accent. Due to budget cuts, the horses are gone, so he’s assigned to, uh, elephant duty. Soon we meet the new baby with the very big ears, Dumbo.
Later we meet Michael Keaton, very funny as a charismatic circus impresario. He wants in on the Dumbo phenom. It was then I wondered if the screenwriters were biting the oversized Mickey hand that feeds them. Because Keaton’s big idea (he’s an idea man, after all)? Instead of the circus coming to the people, the people could travel to the circus, with added attractions — which looks suspiciously like Disneyworld or Disneyland. But the concept is ultimately framed in a negative light, as Keaton’s greed overwhelms the simple circus folk until something’s gotta give.
This is clearly a movie for kids and it truly succeeds on that level. It’s a story of missing a parent but finding family where you can, of believing in yourself, of underdogs banding together to achieve a goal. There’s a strong pro-girl and pro-STEM message — even pro-prosthetics. And of course there’s the classic Dumbo message that being different isn’t only OK, it can be magical. For me personally, this might’ve been a 3.5 star movie, but I’m giving it a “family 4.”
Jack Silbert, curator