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| Courtesy of © Disney |
By Daniel Andrade
I don’t know about you all, but as a kid, Disney was everything. It was what you watched on a Saturday morning to get your weekend started off right. It was a babysitter when the parents weren’t around. And of course, it was a magical portal into a world of whimsy and imagination. Throughout the years, Disney has mostly been able to maintain that magical feel to it.
The key word here is “mostly.” But we’ll get back to that later.
From what I could remember about the original (I haven’t seen the full original since I was a child), Dumbo was the story of an enchanted elephant blessed with the gift of flight using his enormous ears. Throw in a heartbreaking scene of a baby losing it’s mother, a psychedelic scene where a drunk baby elephant sees pink elephants performing in a way only seen in your nightmares, and a bunch of racist crows, and that was Dumbo. All 64 minutes of it (and keep in mind, more than half of that run time was dedicated to songs and musical numbers).
So suffice to say, there wasn’t too much source material to work with in rebooting this film and bringing it literally to life. At least not enough to stretch out a short, animated musical into a 2 hour feature film. What would you fill in all that extra time with? The answer for this film: boring, underdeveloped human characters, surprising considering one of the many reasons why I love Tim Burton is the memorable and unique characters that he has introduced the world to.
For this film, we are introduced to a war veteran and former trick rider Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his two children as the main caretakers of the titular Dumbo, under the watchful eye of ringmaster Maximilian Medici (Danny DeVito). Farrell’s performance is mostly flat and forgettable, delivering his lines with a notable lack of energy. But his performance is stellar compared to the acting of the kids, which are wooden and emotionless throughout the majority of the movie. The daughter plays an awesome character, a bright, ambitious girl with dreams of pursuing science. This is a character that could’ve been a standout, especially considering she is one of the main protagonists of the film. Instead, she monotonously delivers her lines, making what could’ve been powerful moments in the film lackluster at best.
Additionally, this movie takes place in a circus, a place where you would expect to find some fascinating figures. And with Tim Burton behind the wheel, these could’ve been some zany and exciting characters! Unfortunately, while we do get a glimpse of some of them (Rongo is particularly one of my favorites), they are all very surface- level interactions. I understand that the movie is not about them, but they certainly would have been more fascinating characters than the ones that we are left to deal with. It makes the moments where they are featured more prominently feel out of place, or simply tacked on to stretch out the run time.
On the complete opposite end of the acting spectrum, you get Michael Keaton, who maniacally and clumsily portrays the character of V.A. Vandevere, a character who, at least in my opinion, is almost a parody of Disney itself (an ambitious and greedy egomaniac who believes in bringing the masses to him through a spectacular theme park). He’s corny, over-the-top, and just plain silly, even cringe-worthy at times. It may not have seemed like such an insane performance if it wasn’t paired with these other stale characters.
In fact, the only notable acting in the whole film comes from Danny DeVito. Max Medici feels genuine, and his love for his circus and his cast of performers feels authentic. He is the only one who seems to be truly in awe when Dumbo first takes flight. It’s a funny, warm, and approachable character.
So what’s going on here? We have a Disney movie being run by one of the most creative directors of our time, and there seems to be no magic. We have human characters that feel lifeless and dull, plodding through a side-story that is unremarkable at best. Where is the awe and spectacle and wonder that we’re used to seeing in a Disney film? Thankfully, there are a few magical moments that save this movie from being a total bomb.
First of all, I think just about everyone can agree that Dumbo is adorable. I was impressed by the CGI rendition of Dumbo. It felt real and believable, and I was blown away at how so much emotion could be expressed in those CGI eyes; when Dumbo was upset, or scared, or nervous, I could feel it too. The interactions between Dumbo and Mama Jumbo were just as emotional as I remember them, and the new version of the iconic “Baby Mine” was still heartbreakingly beautiful. And when Dumbo first took flight, it was an awesome moment; let’s just say I definitely heard some audible “oohs” and “aahs” behind me in the theater. This magic was ruined a bit when they tried to add some of the human characters onto his back, but other than that, all of Dumbo’s flying moments were certainly fun and awe-inspiring.
Secondly, I loved the portrayal of Vandevere’s Dreamland. It was stunning world that you could easily get lost in. It had the vintage feel of the 1920s but also felt futuristic and fun. The acts in the Coliseum, the main stage of Dreamland, were stunning, and were what I was hoping for from a Tim Burton movie set in a circus. Additionally, this version of Pink Elephants on Parade was not as scary as the original, but instead was was more whimsical and fun and honestly beautiful at times. I’m still not sure if everyone saw exactly what Dumbo saw, but it either way, it was one of my favorite scenes of the movie.
CONCLUSION: Dumbo is a mostly dull and uninspired reboot with magical moments sprinkled in-between. Mediocre acting plagues an forgettable story, and even the adorable baby Dumbo cannot save this movie from being a rental at best, even for Disney purists and fans of the original Dumbo.
SCORE 3/5
SkyWire
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www.skysoftentertainment.com
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