Disney’s semi-recent foray into adapting their classic animated tales into live-action doppelgangers hasn’t been the smoothest transition but that hasn’t exactly slowed down production either. If you go all the way back to 1994, there’s been 11 of these movies so far with another two (Aladdin and The Lion King) due out later in 2019 and plenty more lined up for the future. Capturing the charm of the animated originals but still updating the formula for a new audience has proven to be challenging, but rewarding when done correctly. The studio’s latest offering, Dumbo, may look the part of a billion-dollar global phenomenon but it’s derailed by completely cartoonish characters and a lack of emotional resonance.
While it’s fair to question some of Tim Burton’s directorial decisions, the real problems begin with the script. The plot is serviceable but the characters simply aren’t. There’s no way around it, Ehren Kruger’s adaption of this story lacks the one thing it needed the most…heart. Dumbo gets introduced almost right away and is separated from his mother all in the first 10-15 minutes. The audience is also introduced to Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his two kids Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) who work for the circus and are tasked with caring for the young, irregular elephant. Mrs. Farrier died before the events of the film and Holt returns from war only to have parenthood thrust upon him. The parallel stories of absent motherhood should be what connects the characters to each other…and the audience to them…but the screenplay never allows them to earn it. Instead, we’re supposed to just accept that they instantly bond, with no developmental arc and move right along into teaching young Dumbo the circus life. Once that ball gets rolling on that, the story moves further and further away from the core of what should make us care. Dumbo is exceedingly cute and it’s easy to cheer for the baby elephant trying to get his mom back but that’s about as far as it goes. Watching the poor little thing endure (basically endless) harassment and borderline torture didn’t make for an enjoyable viewing experience.
In typical Burton fashion, this movie is superficially colorful but deals with darker themes of abandonment, death, and exploitation. Unfortunately, none of those was explored deeply enough…opting for the spectacle of the circus instead. As a result, Burton’s penchant for visual storytelling got a huge boon but the acting performances were completely over-the-top which stripped it of authenticity. The cast was fantastic but it seems like the veteran filmmaker wanted larger-than-life cartoon characters in the flesh. Academy Award Nominee and the always charismatic Michael Keaton suffered the most because of that choice. He plays V.A. Vandevere, a clear Walt Disney wannabe visionary and obvious villain, who “recruits” Dumbo and friends to help build his Disneyland-esque theme park. In hindsight, the character is a cross between a Trumpian conman and Gray Oldman’s Zorg from The Fifth Element. His ridiculous buffoonery is highlighted when he comically destroys one of his own control panels like he’s playing “Whack-A-Mole”. With a villain like that, it’s hard to take any of it seriously but the rest of the cast wasn’t picking up the slack either.
Fellow Burton alum Danny DeVito is almost equally as cartoonish playing Max Medici, the ring leader of the local circus where the story begins. Thankfully his portrayal is grounded with loyalty and empathy to help balance out the role. To punctuate just how exaggerated these characters are, Eva Green (who is French) puts on the thickest and most pronounced accent you could imagine. Playing the trapeze artist who works for Vandevere, Colette Marchant, she probably has the most complete character arc but it was less effective with the overindulgence. Many of the supporting roles could have been forgiven had the primary ones been handled well but that didn’t happen either. Colin Farrell, who I like, just maybe wasn’t the right choice for the character. Tonally, he played the part of the struggling father well but didn’t have much chemistry with his kids but they weren’t particularly strong performers to work off of. Additionally, trying to hide his natural Irish accent with a glitchy Southern one was an odd choice and something Burton should have caught early in the production process. Sadly, despite an exceptional cast, the acting performances were some of the biggest weaknesses.
Visually, this movie did a lot of things well. Rick Heinrich’s production design was full of imagination and scope, especially with regards to Vandevere’s Dreamland. Oscar-winning Costume Designer Colleen Atwood did a great job, along with John Bush as Cosmo Sarson working set decoration, putting together the most aesthetically pleasing version of this story as possible. Thanks to their efforts, Cinematographer Ben Davis was able to step in and capture this world in both a colorful and entertaining way. Combine all that with a Danny Elfman score and that’s more than half the battle when it comes to presentation.
As with anything, some people are going to like this and some aren’t. It’s a completely passable and benign family film but doesn’t dig much deeper. Dumbo is cute but, at nearly 2-hours, it all gets a bit tiresome. The $45-million domestic opening weekend was far below Disney’s projections but it did much better internationally. In all likelihood, the second weekend will see even fewer box office returns as Shazam is set to release and pinch some of that market share.
Recommendation: If you’re a die-hard Disney fan, don’t let my opinion stop you from seeing it. Hell, I’m not in that demographic and I still saw it on opening night just out of curiosity. There are positives to take away from the movie and its a good, safe family film but I can’t help but think it could have been so much more.