Dumbo Review.

Elephants fear mice. Mice fear lazy reboots.

Beautiful relationships can come from the most unlikely of places. One person can be an astronaut who is the key to saving the universe. The other could be a cleaner in your local shop. These two people could end up being lifelong friends. Unlikely? Yes. Impossible? No. Cinema is a weird place. Often, the pairings that we thought would never work stuns us all. Heath Ledger was meant to be the worst villain in cinema’s history. Daniel Craig was going to be an awful Bond because he was blonde.  Jumanji 2 was going to tarnish the legacy of Robin Williams family classic. Sometimes, we are too quick on writing movies off. The relationship that we’re going to investigate comes from two things that no one would ever dare put together.  One is a movie which is 77 years old, beautifully animated, an hour long and super offensive when you think about it. The other is a director who nearly everyone has written off for being past his peak.  A Dumbo live-action rebooted by Tim Burton sounds like a game of movie Mad Libs gone wrong. Can Hollywood’s weirdest director pull the impossible to restore our faith in him? Or is this going to be the first of this years Disney reboots to make wonder what the point was.

Dumbo tells the story of a baby elephant who can fly thanks to his larger than life ears. With big ears comes big audiences. Naturally this leads to Dumbo becoming the most sought-after talent in the entertainment business, which happens to be the circus industry. Dumbo can either stay loyal to Danny DeVito’s circus who raised him. Or he can be persuaded by a crazy mis-casted Michael Keaton to join his definitely not evil circus. On top of this moral dilemma Dumbo is the key ingredient to saving Colin Farrell’s family from self-destruction. Oh, his mother has been taken away from him too. If you’ve seen the original Dumbo, you may remember that it’s only an hour long. Disney would never dare release a film this short now. Naturally, extra nifty plot threads have been added to make this a modern film. Don’t worry if you’re a fan of the original Dumbo still gets bullied for the entirety of the film. It’s not an overreaction to say that this poor little guy gets run through the ringer. At least in this version little kids (Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins) have his back. He doesn’t get drunk this time either. Which is a welcome addition.  You’re still in for 2 hours of everyone being mean to a baby. At least it didn’t stray too far from the source material.

The first act of the film gives a feel of what circus life is like. This part of Dumbo worked well for me. Medici’s family circus is fleshed out in a way that helps you understand why circuses were so popular back in the day. Danny DeVito is a joy to watch as Max Medici, a down on his luck circus owner who’ll do anything for money. DeVito is clearly having a ball as he works with Burton for the first time since his penguin days. There’s a running gag about him making his strongman do everything from accounting to monkey catching to help ease the pressure off him. Colin Farrell is playing an Equestrian war hero. Farrell’s character Holt has returned without an arm and a widow. Farrell is as reliable as ever as the father who needs to get his life back on track. I’m seriously starting to believe that Farrell may be one of the best actors around now. Even in a mediocre film he still gives it his all. Any heart the film has comes in the relationship he has with his children. The human characters are the most entertaining part of Dumbo, for better or for worse. Eva Green gives the most complex performance of the film as acrobat Colette Marchant. Colette has a battle between listening to heart and doing the right thing or going down an immoral path for the sake of her career. Green and Farrell’s chemistry carry the film at stages. The children are your run of the mill Disney children. The daughter has a compelling arc about her desire to be a scientist. The problem is she doesn’t feel like a child, she has the personality of someone in their 40's. The younger brother is whiny whenever he appears on screen to a degree that you’ll want to rip your ears off. After seeing stellar child performances in Us last week. It’s difficult to back to the mediocre ones we normally see. Farrell, DeVito, and Green’s acting chops elevate the film from being a dud. One man though gives a performance that needs to be seen to be believed.

The conflict of Dumbo arrives in the form of Michael Keaton. Playing a ludicrously named character called V.A Vandevere. Keaton gives the worst performance of his career. For some reason beyond me. Keaton is playing a cane tapping business man who is intent on his theme park becoming the world’s biggest attraction in the world. Was this meant to be a parody of Walt Disney? Every line that comes out of his mouth sounds like it’s in a new accent. I thought he was English in his first scene. Then he started talking in a French accent which could have been German either. Before finally settling on an American accent unlike any American that’s ever existed. Michael Keaton is a tremendous actor. In the last 5 years alone he’s been in Birdman, Spotlight and Spider-Man: Homecoming. It pains me to admit that this performance is garbage. The second and third act are derailed as a result. How can a film’s conflict be taken seriously when all Keaton needed to do was twirl a moustache to feel more generically evil?  I wanted to summon Beatlegeuse to spook whatever Keaton was going for away. Also, how can Disney have an anti-capitalism message? They’re releasing 3 reboots this year for crying out loud. Don’t tell me how theme parks are bad when you’re showing this film in your own one.

Dumbo’s title character, naturally enough, is Dumbo. The animated film is carried by the elephant’s cuteness. Dumbo in the original was beautifully with an abundance of personality while not saying anything at all. This recreation of Dumbo is a little bit terrifying. The CGI incarnation of the elephant is haunting. It’s also obvious that the actors are interacting with something that isn’t there. It’s hard to imagine this version being on pyjamas without giving children nightmares. Despite his appearance, Dumbo is still an easy character to adore. Watching Dumbo get to grips with his surroundings is an easy highlight. We’ve seen an elephant fly in the original. The flight sequences here are breath-taking. I was genuinely nervous whenever it came to his first big performance. These sequences sparked life to a surprisingly basic story. Now considering the source material it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see a basic film, but you look at the man behind the camera it’s a big shock.

Tim Burton is the weirdest director in Hollywood. Burton burst out of the gate with a string of films which showed the world he wasn’t interested in making normal movies. Beetlejuice, his two Batman movies, Edward Scissorhands and Mars Attacks! were incredible. Burton was the master of making family films terrifying. Beetlejuice has my favourite effects in cinema history and that’s all down to Burton’s style. Burton has been going through a mid-career crisis. His takes on Planet of the Apes and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were met with a collective shrug.  Alice in Wonderland was a CGI filled mess. Dark Shadows was painfully average.  Frankenweenie bombed and no one remembers Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was forgotten within days of its release. Audiences have been way too critical of Burton. Sure, he hasn’t made anything that comes close to his start in Hollywood. None of his films, bar Planet of the Apes, have been awful. Dumbo was Burton’s chance to come back swinging and show the world that he shouldn’t be written off yet. Sadly, he doesn’t add any of his usual flair to the project.

Burton’s direction is Dumbo is barely noticeable. Even in his average films you can still tell it’s a Burton movie. Dumbo doesn’t have any of the darkness that made his early work so memorable. It’s not that the direction it’s bad, It’s perfectly fine. The problem is that anyone could have directed it and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. There’s no darkness or weirdness to be found. Burton seems to have been told by Disney to make the most of an awful script. The script comes from Ehren Kruger, the man behind Transformers 2-4 and most recently Ghost in the Shell. When there’s no explosions involved Kruger doesn’t know what to write about. Burton isn’t known for putting heartfelt stories into the film. The two come together to make a film which just kind of exists. Burton needs a win soon because if he keeps this forgettable period up, he won’t have many more chances.

 Dumbo is another mediocre Disney reboot. It’s more Mary Poppins Returns or Beauty and the Beast than The Jungle Book or Cinderella. Burton could have really made Dumbo his own. Instead this a reboot which lacks the heart of the original. There are impressive performances and moments to be found. Unfortunately, you won’t remember this film an hour after you seen it. It has me worried for the upcoming films coming up for Disney. Aladdin is already looking like it might be a huge let down. Their big film coming up is The Lion King, it’s been universally accepted that it’ll be one of the films of the year. What if it’s like Dumbo. Not good, not bad, but just kind of there. Is there a point in remaking all these films if they’re just going to be fine? Dumbo and Burton are a pairing which we’ll look back at in a few years and wonder why it wasn’t a knock out run. Dumbo may be able to reach the sky. This is a film which never manages to hover more than slightly above the ground.

Liam’s Summary of Dumbo

Best Moment: The clown sequence from the original is still a highlight.

Worst Moment: Disney trying to claim that capitalism is evil. How’s that Fox deal coming along?

Best Character: Max Medici is Frank Reynolds alter ego before meeting the gang.

Worst Character: Michael Keaton’s villain is …. Something.

Watch These Instead.

Dumbo: The original, don’t re-watch this one again.

The Simpsons Season 5 Episode 17: Elephant storytelling done right.

Corpse Bride: Tim Burton for all the family.

Overall Rating: 2/5