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It should be stated from the outset that I am not a fan of the recent Disney live action remake trend. They seem to have little in the way of creative ambition, often recreating scenes from the original shot-for-shot, and often containing so much CGI that they could equally be classed as animated films rendered in a more realistic style — both trends that I feel are best exemplified by the recent Lion King trailer. This is not to say that there have not been diamonds in the rough: I loved the recent Christopher Robin film, as it attempted to create a fresh story using the pre-established material. In this regard, Tim Burton’s Dumbo also attempts to give a new perspective on the material. While the original showed almost no human characters at all, this remake is set from the perspective of the human characters. For this reason, I feel Dumbo deserves to be judged on its own merits.
The new perspective in this film has lead to the introduction of a plethora of new characters. Most, such as circus strongman, accountant and marketing department Rongo (Deobia Oparei) and snake charmer Pramesh (Roshan Seth) are one note side characters, the likes of which are common fare for a Disney fairy-tale. They are all entertaining, though one could wish that the more diverse members of the cast had a little more time to shine. The narrative primarily revolves around Holt (Colin Farrell) and his two children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins). Holt is a one-armed WWI veteran, and this is the first part of the film I find rather odd. The film states from the outset that it takes place in 1919, yet proceeds to play fast and loose with this early 20th century setting. I am typically not given to notice such details — when I do it is usually a red flag that the film has failed to wrap me up in its narrative.
The one thing that is typically consistent across all Disney fairy tales is usually ‘the feels.’ Dumbo rarely elicits a powerful reaction. Outside of one touching moment between Dumbo and his mother and the whimsy of two or three set pieces, I rarely felt for the characters. Since the film does not pull at the heartstrings, what we are left with is a film that is split between a Pete’s Dragon-esque, ‘kids find magical creature’ film and a film about safety standards in the entertainment industry. Either way, it fails on both levels, with paper-thin villains whose motivations range from money to spitefulness, and characters like DeVito’s entertainingly acted Max Medici, who has a character arc that make sense until after the climax, where he makes a baffling extra turn.
Aside from the performances, there is one more silver lining, and it is the visuals. Tim Burton’s visual flare really comes through in the circus set pieces. Burton seems to have a real affection for the ‘carny’ aesthetic, as it played a big part in his 2003 film Big Fish, but here he has been given the scope to use CGI to create some marvellous spectacles.
Taken all together Dumbo had a lot of talent behind it, which is why it is so disappointing that it fails to come together. Torn between creative directions, it looks the part, but cannot quite stick the landing.
