The Flying Elephant is back in a new version of the classic story. Dumbo directed by Tim Burton is a loose recreation of the cult animation from 1941. Ehren Kruger is responsible for the script, who worked, among others, on the production of films from the Transformers franchise. The film was released in Poland on DVD on August 14.
A classic story reinvented
Dumbo tells the story of the Medici Brothers Circus where a baby elephant is born. This event is very unusual because the baby is very different from other elephants with its big ears that disturb him at every step. The manager of the troupe Max Medici (Danny DeVito) orders the care of the newborn animal to Holt Farrier (Collin Farrel) – a war veteran who previously trained horses. Holt’s children, Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins), show the greatest interest in the new circus member, and it is they who discover that the baby elephant’s big ears allow him to lift himself into the air. As news of an amazing new circus purchase spreads, people interested in using Dumbo to make a fortune appear on the horizon.
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The elephant’s adventures are almost in the background
The main change that can be seen in the film is the transfer of narrative functions from the baby elephant and other circus animals to the people who care for them. We learn the story of the flying Dumbo through the eyes of Milly and Joe and their father Holt, as well as a whole host of other circus workers. Due to this procedure, the life of the circus and people’s affairs inevitably come to the fore, pushing the title character into the background.
Along with the change of the narrative mode, the creators decided to significantly expand the history of the circus and the people involved in it, and to present the problem of using animals in performances. At the very beginning, we get to know the whole range of heroes along with their stories, and as the plot progresses, new characters with complicated ambitions and a past that slowly catches up with them are thrown into the mix. It is easy to get lost in all of this, which reduces the enjoyment of viewing. The film also becomes embedded in the story, as in the very first scenes we see Holt returning by train from the First World War.
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Cool on DVD, but not crazy
The DVD edition includes four language versions: in addition to Polish and English, the film is also available in Czech and Slovak. Dumbo can be watched both in the original sound version and with Polish dubbing. Subtitles are also available for demanding users. A choice of scenes is also available as standard. It is quite inconvenient, however, that the producer forces the recipient to watch two trailers of other productions immediately after choosing the menu language, which cannot be omitted in any way and after a few openings of the disc it becomes boring. Another downside is the lack of additional materials, such as an interview with the creators in which they would guide the viewer through the process of making a film.
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Summarizing…
As a person raised on Disney animations, including Dumbo , I’m always curious to see what the live-action version of a given image will turn out to be. Sometimes it’s better, sometimes it’s worse, and the new Tim Burton film is somewhere in the middle for me. Even though it was a bit lengthy and confusing, Dumbo couldn’t be denied some great cinematography and momentum. And I definitely missed the songs from the original animation!
