The Best Thing About "Dumbo" is Dumbo. The Rest is...Meh

     Disney's current mission to bring their animated classics back to the big screen in live-action format has been one of the more interesting choices the company has made over the years. Despite the quality of these new iterations, the question that has always floated around my mind concerning this endeavor is: WHY? Disney's animated films are classics in their own right, and the overall need for remakes of the same stories just seem unnecessary to me. That's not to say I haven't enjoyed most of them. Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book is probably the best of the bunch, and that's simply because it took a previously bland original film and made something new of it. It is within this vein that I think Disney can, and should, capitalize on this remake endeavor. Too many of these remakes have been almost carbon copies of their originals (Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, etc), so having a fresh take would be the best bet. This weekend marks the opening of their latest live-action remake, Dumbo, and I was honestly intrigued by this choice simply because of the filmmaker they chose to helm the project, that being Tim Burton. His specific, quirky style seemed like it would be a smart fit for a circus-centric story such as Dumbo. Or so you would think.

   Everybody knows the story: a young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, helps save a struggling circus. For a good portion of the film's beginning we get a fairly faithful re-telling of the original. It's when we move into the latter half that the film takes on something new. When the circus plans a new venture, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer. The movie wants to be both a re-telling AND a new vision, and in the end it just feels muddled. The character of Dumbo is easily the best part of the movie. That baby elephant is down-right adorable, and if you see this movie and think otherwise, then you my friend don't have a heart. He steals the show every time he's on screen. This is a good thing, this is what you want. But other than that, I feel the movie is just..."milk toast;" it's bland, soggy, appeases your appetite but with no real flavor. It pains me to write that because Tim Burton is one of the most flavorful filmmakers out there, and one that I enjoying watching. An eccentric circus setting is right in his wheelhouse, and yet this movie felt very paint-by-numbers and arguably one of the most un-Tim Burton films I've ever seen. 

  For a family film, it's fairly dark and sad. I don't mean "dark" as in tone, but literally dark, as in void of light. There is an air of magic and wonder to the original story of Dumbo despite the sad elements, and I didn't get enough of that contrast here between the dark and light aspects of the film to feel any real emotion other than mediocre complacency. The child actors, specifically the daughter, feel very stiff, as if they are just reciting the lines. I feel bad for knocking child actors, but to be fair there are some fantastic child actors out there. Colin Ferrell gives an okay performance as the father of the children, and Eva Green is pretty good. Performance-wise, I think Michael Keaton is fun as the mustache-twirling villain of the film even though he's so over-the-top and feels like he's in a completely different movie all together. Danny DeVito easily stands out as the best overall, with a character that has the most defined arc of the entire film and a performance worthy of praise. Plus, it did not go unnoticed that I was watching a Batman Returns reunion with Batman (Keaton) and the Penguin (DeVito) sharing the screen once again while being directed by Tim Burton. As for Burton, I want to see him move back into telling original stories because he hasn't had a hit in a long time, and most of his latest works have been adaptations of other pieces. The man is a visionary, and I'm bummed this movie wasn't, at least, weirder. It might have been better if it was.

   Maybe it's that I'm getting more cynical as I get older--which I doubt because, hey, I'm the Optimist and I love everything, right?--but I just didn't feel any attachment to any of the characters or events in the film. It all felt very stale to me. I enjoyed every minute Dumbo was on screen, so at least that's something. The CGI was fantastic, and they really captured this adorable cuteness that is difficult not to love. I credit the animators and Burton's direction for that. There was a splattering of kids in our screening, and the squeals of excitement each time Dumbo took flight showcased the true power of the film. Despite its flaccid emotional arc, mediocre acting, and lackluster appeal, Dumbo manages to still eek out enough charm to really capture the wonder of little minds. Kids are going to love this movie. I realize that these new Disney movies aren't my Disney movies, and that I'll be able to pinpoint flaws and things that I may not like that kids today will fail to see, but Disney is a generational storytelling machine, and they know how to craft a family film. Dumbo is a completely serviceable, charming family movie that isn't the best live-action re-telling, but will surely be loved by some.