Dumbo

I had to write a review to add a sense of reality to many of the crazy 1 star reviews. Please, 1 star? Awful? Nonsense. Great cast, great production value, remake of a classic (as well as a new take on an old story). Didn't see any political correctness or bad acting or poor CGI. Nonsense. Full of great actors. Emotional story, well made. It's a good movie. I only gave it 7 stars because it's not a great movie but I didn't feel cheated at all and was glad I (we) saw it. If you liked the original at all, you'll want to see the remake. It is a little darker than Disney of old and Tim Burton's visions are unique but all in all I thought it was fun, unusual and worth our time. Don't pay attention to the 1 star reviews, they are nonsense.

I think it's time for Tim Burton to stop. This remake has none of the charm of the original film. The first half hour maybe has occasional moments that appear as an homage to the original. There's a few scene's just remade in live action form and even a couple of what I guess could be considered very brief cameos by Mr. Stork and Timothy Q. Mouse, but those characters really play zero part in the film.

Beyond that first half hour it goes off the rails quickly and continues a downward spiral that has almost no relation to the original story, including caricatured antagonists and chase scenes. A cast that includes Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, and Danny Devito, turn in some of the worst performances of their careers. At least Johnny Depp doesn't make an appearance.

Like his remake of the Chocolate Factory, and just about every other Burton film it has to get creepy at some point. Unfortunately, it does so in what seems such a forced way and what's become such a cliche way in Burton films; and it doesn't even really fit the story line. Danny Elfman's over dramatic score, another predictable staple of Burton's films, doesn't help.

Some of Burton's early films, like "The Nightmare Before Christmas" were brilliant and groundbreaking. Unfortunately, like many of his characters, he's become a caricature of himself with no new ideas, just remaking old ideas in his own style which has become a caricature of itself.

I actually found myself yawning and drifting off during what should've been the climax of the film. But there was little there but a cliched story with a bit of Burton's weirdness thrown in.

If you're a fan of the original, skip this mess of a film and watch the original again. Or maybe watch the first half hour, but skip the rest. There's little you'll recognize from the classic Disney tale.

...because this film is rather dull, and the direction is certainly dull, and 10 years ago I would not have called Tim Burton a boring director. He's certainly working with two of his "regulars" - DeVito, who has not lost a step in all these years and next to CGI Dumbo is the best thing about the film. And then there is Burton's other "regular" - Michael Keaton, as the rich villain. How weird for Disney to make a film with a guy who could be Walt Disney as the villain! "Dreamland" is certainly an allegory for "Disneyland".

The worst thing about the film? The child actors. They are that bad and deliver their lines in a kind of drugged monotone. Not since Larry Mathews played Ritchie Petrie on the Dick Van Dyke Show has a child actor dragged everybody else down with them every time they appear like these kids did.

I actually liked the CGI Dumbo - the little guy was very expressive in a way that 1941's animated Dumbo could not be. Ultimately there is probably a 50/50 chance you are going to like this.

You'd think a movie called Dumbo would be more about Dumbo. There are so many side plots and needless characters that it complicates a relatively straightforward story. There are a few moments of wonder, but they are far too few in between predictable tropes. Tim Burton was an odd choice to direct this film as well. The whole film is covered with his trademark murky aesthetic and it just doesn't fit. Danny DeVito is the only saving grace as far as actors. He is fantastic while Keaton hams it up and plays the over the top bad guy. Danny Elfman's score is decent. The film is just kind of boring though. It's so paint-by-numbers and lacking in imagination. Disney hopefully learns from this with any future live-action remakes of animated classics.

A must see. 80 years after the eponymous cartoon, Tim Burton appropriated pertinently this story, preserving the magic and the poetry but modernizing it, by adding new characters and encrusting spectacular computer-generated animals. In particular, Dumbo is such a cutie and his look is a total success: his eyes are extremely expressive and he is so adorable. This is otherwise not a surprise for a Burton: the atmosphere is darker compared to the cartoon. In three words: I loved it!