Tim
Burton returns with yet another live action Disney piece, providing
us with an expanded version of the classic tale of Dumbo
that is both standard Disney fare and yet still suitably Burtonesque.
The film adds a multitude of colourful characters to the story, such
as the one-armed army veteran Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his
two children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe who befriend the young elephant and
discover his talent for flying. Working at the failing Medici
Brothers' circus, the ringleader Max Medici (Danny DeVito) quickly
seeks to recover the circus' reputation by using Dumbo as his star
act. This draws attention from the rich and famous entrepreneur V. A.
Vandevere (Michael Keaton), who enters into a partnership with Medici
in order to capitalise on the elephant's talent. This new story plays
alongside the familiar aspects of the tale, with the children
promising that they will reunite Dumbo with his mother, who was sold
after becoming overly protective and aggressive during a circus act.
This film is, undeniably, the best film that Burton has released in
recent years and carries many aspects of his distinctive directorial
style.
The
production design for the film is immaculate. The sets are colourful
and impressive, and combined with the glowing and golden colour
palette make everything on-screen appear glossy and whimsical. In
many ways, this sense of whimsy hearkens back to when Burton directed
Big Fish, which
had the same glowing aesthetic and great visual storytelling that
this film also possesses. Whilst the sets are exceedingly beautiful,
it sometimes straddles the line between picturesque and overly
manufactured. However Burton manages to combine these highly produced
aspects of the film with his own darker, trademark style. The moment
night sets in and the circus lights go out, a mysterious fog seems to
settle over the landscape and the lighting appears more Gothic and
monochromatic. Once again Burton has managed to make a film under
Disney without losing his personal style, and this shines through in
the film's aesthetic, casting and themes. Perhaps surprisingly Dumbo
is
a film that deals with a fair amount of darkness, not least the theme capitalist greed, but still remains
light enough to be a fun family film.
The
story of Dumbo is one that is well-suited to Burton's style. The
young elephant himself is an outsider like many of the characters in
Tim Burton's films, and the addition of new human characters such as
Farrell's Holt, an army veteran who lost an arm, adds to the sense of
Burton bringing his specialties to this classic tale. The new
characters are fantastic additions to the story, and the cast
performances are spectacular. DeVito acts much like you would expect,
playing Medici in a way that shows him to be simple and
opportunistic, but ultimately an honest man. The real showstopper,
however, is Keaton as Vandevere. He oozes sleaze with a veneer of
fake charm, and steals every scene that he's in. The rest of the cast
are largely good, with Farrell and Eva Green putting on earnest
performances, despite the latter having a comparatively small
supporting role.
The
character of Milly, Holt's daughter who befriends Dumbo, is the one
that stands out in the not-so-good sense. From the outset she is
portrayed as moody and expressionless, and this doesn't really change
throughout the film. Whilst there are some dark moments that warrant
this kind of melancholy it quickly becomes apparent that the dialogue
for this particular character is stilted and the actress seems
incapable of emoting. Considering that she is a character who is very
important to the story and our emotional connection with it, this
doesn't go down too well. In fact, this whole film is not as moving
as expected. Whilst the human characters are interesting and
excellently portrayed, it becomes easier for us to identifying and
sympathise with them than with Dumbo. Whilst he is extremely cute it
sometimes feels as though he is used as a means to create some of the
more visually spectacular circus scenes.
The
character, however, isn't just a CGI prop, as we are made to
sympathise with him through some clever point of view camera work. In
the early circus scenes, we see some of the act through Dumbo's eyes,
complete with slightly distorted vision. This conveys perfectly the
anxiety involved in performing in front of a jeering crowd, and in
many ways some of these scenes are uncomfortable to watch. But this
just goes to show how masterfully the film captures the character's
experience and feelings in these moments, and it means that even with
how much Burton has expanded on the original tale, the story and
character of Dumbo is not lost amongst these new additions. The film
is at it's most visually impressive when Dumbo is at the centre of
the ring, with spectacular CGI and beautifully intricate and
ostentatious costumes, with the performances set to Danny Elfman's
perfect score.
Dumbo
is
a fun family film, a decent Disney live-action remake and a great
achievement for Tim Burton. It is visually stunning, has an excellent
cast and will satisfy both Disney and Burton fans alike.
