Dumbo

Tim Burton ends the decade the same way he began it: with a live-action Disney remake. This time, he reinvents that flying elephant Dumbo with screenwriter Ehren Kruger. Let's see how high this elephant flies this time.

Dumbo the elephant is born to Mrs. Jumbo in 1919. Mrs. Jumbo was recently acquired by Max Medici (Danny DeVito) for his circus. But he sees no value in a baby elephant with huge ears. He sees less value in Mrs. Jumbo when she runs amok during a performance. Mama and baby are separated.

Siblings Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) find out Dumbo can fly when he sucks a feather in his trunk. Dumbo becomes a sensation. That's when millionaire V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) comes calling. The Circus joins Vandevere's amusement park, Dreamland, where Dumbo is the star. But when Milly and Joe find Mrs. Jumbo there, Vandevere decides to get rid of her. So they and their father, horse-trainer Holt (Colin Farrell), and acrobat Collette (Eva Green), decide to free both elephants.

Let's examine the story. The barest bones of the original film are done in the first act. Of course, the most dated aspects are gone. But its most emotional key-points are still there. The new human characters, except for Max Medici, weren't as compelling as Dumbo. They weren't terrible either, save for a cruel circus hand who deservedly bit it in Mrs. Jumbo's rampage. The final realization concerning the "magic feather" is rushed. Mr. Vandevere's evil plot is as short-sighted as it's mean.

And the star of the show: the technicals. Dumbo and Mrs. Jumbo are realistically-textured CGI pachyderms. Dumbo's clown makeup early on is one of the film's saddest sights. It's another story when they start moving. They are obviously CGI most of the time they move around. It's distracting. The digital and practical sets from production designer Rick Heinrichs were better realized. Those infamous Pink Elephants on Parade, here, an act at Dreamland, was perfectly odd. Colleen Atwood's costume designs were splendorous as usual. Danny Elfman's score includes memorable renditions of the original film's soundtrack. I could go on, but I won't.

Dumbo's biggest problem is that it values style over substance. There's a few plot elements, like Milly's key, that other films did better. While there is some emotional substance, it won't stick with you as much as the scenery. I'll applaud the film for being slow-and-steady and not slow-and-frustrating. It's 112 minutes are good for an afternoon matinee.

I know this month's been slow. But I promise more, much more, next month....