Dumbo Parent Review of the Live Action Film (2019)

Dumbo, The Flying Elephant is known worldwide due to the fact that he first appeared on the Disney landscape in 1941 as Disney’s fourth animated feature-film. And my family loves the original film. In fact, we even had a Dumbo Circus party. However, while the original film is charming, sensitive, and heartwarming, can a live-action remake do Dumbo justice? Not only will Dumbo Parent Review of the Live-Action movie attempt to answer this question, but it will also give you the low-down from a Christian parent’s perspective.

DUMBO PARENT REVIEW: MOVIE SYNOPSIS

Setting: The year is 1919. The place is Sarasota, Florida, the winter home for the circus. (It is no accident that Sarasota Florida was selected, as this was home of John Ringling and a circus museum is located on his property.) It is post World War I. Max Medici (Danny DeVito) is the owner/ringmaster of the circus. When Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) returns to the circus from war, his children are eagerly awaiting him. 

The circus has fallen on hard times. This is evident in the condition of the train, but also in the fact that half the acts are missing. Jumbo the elephant gives birth to Dumbo. Eventually Dumbo flys. When V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) appears offering a chance for Max to have a financial partner, and a permanent home for his circus acts, he eagerly accepts. What can go wrong with a powerful, rich mogul controlling Dumbo’s incredible act?

The Good: 

While the film attempts to take a classic and redo it, Dumbo Live-Action manages to maintain some feel-good moments.  Most of the original films tender moments are still present. Baby Mine is sung. 

There is nothing inherently wrong with this film. Without the context of the original Dumbo, it would be a fine family film. If you haven’t seen the original Dumbo, see this one first. 

The Bad:

There are some moments in the film that may be scary for young children. A main character returns from war and is missing his arm. 

I often forget when watching a movie in the theater that there is almost always a 3D version. I will think, “Why did that just pop out at the screen?” And then I remember it is because of the 3D version. There were several moments like that. They really don’t fit into the film, but you need some 3D elements. These moments caused me to jump in my seat. At one point a monkey jumps at a window. Another time a snake pops out.

Language: A character says, “pile of sh…” but doesn’t complete the word. The phrase, “to h-ll with it,” is spoken.

Other things worth mentioning: It is stated that people have died from influenza and this includes circus performers.

There is a circus accident, and a tent collapses on a man. A coroner’s truck is shown with men carrying a covered body out. 

Additional Items that may be scary for children:

Jumbo (Dumbo’s mom) is angry several times. She is shown charging, and later she is shown in a mad elephant trailer. There are other “angry animals.” My youngest son (Jack-Jack) is 14 and autistic. When asked if he thought there were any scary parts, he said the animals with the angry skull. There is an island in Dreamland named Nightmare Island. It is dark and aptly named with scary animals, smoke, and creepy sounds. 

While Tim Burton certainly tried to give homage to the original film, it still came up lacking. An animated film maintains a certain level of charm even when technology improves. Live action films, when mixed with technology, very quickly look outdated. However, the CGI in this film was not spectacular to begin with. Much of the film is dark which made me wonder if that was because they wanted to gloss over the peripheral images of the film, or was that just because it is a Tim Burton film.

Additionally, the character development was poor. We never really got to know the main characters to decide if we like them or not. And then there were so many secondary characters that we just don’t even know their names. Obviously, Dumbo was supposed to be the main character. However, since none of the animals talk, there is very little development there.

NODS TO THE ORIGINAL FILM

Burton certainly tried to include elements from the original film. Casey Jr. is the circus train. A stork is seen before Dumbo is born. There are circus mice dressed like Timothy Q. Mouse. A scene with bubbles makes “pink elephants,” however, without the original context, it seems so disjointed. A ringmaster mentions horseflies and dragonflies. And the iconic scene with Dumbo and the clowns with the burning building is recreated.

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS: Dumbo Parent Review:

My husband and I saw this movie alone. We were concerned about certain aspects with our youngest son who is autistic (age 14). While I believe that he will be fine with most parts, I do imagine there will be scenes that children may have a problem with. If you are going to see this film, my age recommendation is 6 and up. 

My final thought at the closing credits was, “Disney you’re breaking my heart” (said in my Padme voice from Star Wars). I am more and more convinced that this current era of films will be known as Disney’s second dark period. (The first dark period was the 1970s and early 1980s). We are in a season of remakes of classics. It seems like an original film is not in the making from the studio that brought us so many fabulous family films. 

While Disney and/or Tim Burton enthusiasts will certainly want to see this film, it will never capture hearts like the original animated movie. Dumbo (the character) soars repeatedly throughout the film, but the movie itself fails to fly no matter how many feathers you toss at it.

After seeing this movie a second, I would still recommend that you see it. The second time we saw it, Jack-Jack still liked it. I liked it better than the first time. My husband still felt it was lacking. 

Jack-Jack’s Recommendation:

I liked this Dumbo movie, but I like the animated movie more. There are some scary parts for kids. My favorite part of this movie was Dumbo flying. He sucks the feather in his nose and sneezes and flies.