DUMBO

PG
Starring: Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins
Running Time: 1 Hour and 52 Minutes

“If you have a heart, Dumbo will steal it”, that was my very first impression after screening this movie. This is the live action remake of the original 1941 Disney classic movie.
Having been a fan and owning the original Disney animated Dumbo on VHS, I wasn’t quite sure how Director Tim Burton was going to take this live action rendition?
He actually followed the original story very closely however, he sensationalized the dramatic scenes causing them to be even more dramatic!
For those of you who are familiar with “ Dumbo”, you will know that the story pulls real hard at your heartstrings. This version also did just that! I told my self I was going to be just fine unless...
they played the song “Baby Mine”, from the original movie which of course they did and I was toast! That song always gets me!
This story takes place in 1919 during World War I, when Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) returns home from the war to be with his children, Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) shortly after his wife has passed away and missing an arm. He returns back to the life he had left behind, the Circus or to be more exact, The Medici Brothers Traveling Circus under the direction of Mr. Max Medici (Danny DeVito). This time around though, it will be much more challenging!
The female elephant, Mrs. Jumbo had just given birth to a beautiful little blue-eyed baby elephant they named Dumbo because he was born with extraordinarily large ears.
The circus people did not know quite what to do with this unique little fella. The two children, Milly and Joe had become very fond of little Dumbo and discovered he had a very unusual talent... he could fly because of his huge ears!!! In the beginning he was very awkward but as time went by he became more adept at it and with coaxing he was finally able to master it. When an owner of another much bigger circus, V. A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) found out about little Dumbo’s unique talent he decided to contact Max Medici and bribe him to take part ownership in the Medici Brothers Circus. Max agreed and things start to take a tailspin! The very first thing he does is separates Dumbo from his mother and chains her up in a train car, Dumbo and his mother are not allowed to see each other which causes them both to have broken hearts! He forces Dumbo to literally, new heights pushing him way beyond his comfort zone.
This movie truly will steal your heart. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the theater. It is a sweet and precious story that will move both you and your children. Also, the movie ends on a very positive note as well.
Parents be advised: This movie is rated PG and it is very dramatic. There are scenes that are difficult to watch that might be too intense for children. Plus there are some scary scenes when things go haywire and the circus starts to fall apart and burn. There are two sections of the circus, one is “Dreamland” which is a pretty fancy theme park and the other one is ”Nightmare Island” which has very heavy Tim Burton overtones. I would not suggest this movie for kids who are sensitive to animals being treated poorly!
I am giving “Dumbo” three bags and a half bags of popcorn.