We had the opportunity to go to the advance screening of Disney’s Dumbo in Vancouver. This is a movie that we were intrigued to see what direction it was going to take. Tim Burton was at the reins for directing Dumbo. We wanted to know if his eccentric and dark movie ways made it into this film. We had our questions and many of you shared yours with us before we went so that we could answer them.
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU SEE DUMBO
Dumbo as we know it previously was a very short film, clocking in around the hour mark. Well, that would not do today, as no one will want to pay todays movie ticket prices for an hour-long film. In a sense this is not simply a remake, it is an extension to the story itself. In the original Dumbo learns to fly practically at the end of the movie, wherein this film we see this happen early on and it is a key element continued throughout.
The main thing that many of you wanted to know is whether or not this is a family-friendly movie? It is rated PG which means some of the content may not be suitable for younger audiences. We went prepared with blankets for our girls, more so our youngest who likes to tuck her head under a blanket during scenes in any movie that get even the slightest bit tense. She feels emotions in a big way. The second half of the film is definitely where you see Tim Burton’s touches. It is very intense and this was where our youngest got a bit wiggly. The whole “Dreamland” portion of the movie can be a bit worrisome for young viewers.
As a parent, if you have a young child who is very sensitive I would suggest waiting to see this one. In fact, I would suggest it for probably ages 7 and up. When in doubt, wait for Dumbo to come out on Blu-Ray then you can screen it yourself and know if you need to fast forward anything, or you can do what Phoebe Buffay’s mom did and stop the movie right where he learns to fly. Please tell me someone gets that Friends reference?
BABY MINE, DON’T YOU CRY
There is something about the song “Baby Mine” from the original Dumbo that instantly brings the waterworks for me. The whole scene just destroys me as a mom every time. It happens again during this version. While the song is presented in a bit of a different way with new characters from the circus having been introduced, the song still has the same effect. This movie definitely brings out the emotions and you may find yourself shedding a tear for different reasons. You may want to have a tissue ready.
One of my favourite things Disney does and does well with these live action movies they are producing is how they hide all sorts of Easter eggs throughout the film. There were multiple nods to the original film that I was so happy to see. My emotions were already on high when Casey Jr was still there and the song started to play. In a way, the stork still brings baby Dumbo to his mama. There are many more, so keep an eye out for them. You may want to watch the original before you see this one! If you’ve ever been to Disney World, you will also notice something that reminds you of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress.
Several of you asked about the scene where Dumbo gets intoxicated and if this happens in this version. The answer is no. There’s a bit of a side given to this with the one character mentioning no alcohol around the baby, meaning Dumbo. The pink elephants do still make an appearance but in a whole other way and one that I think was very creative and beautifully done.
DON’T JUST FLY, SOAR
Altogether, I was really impressed by Dumbo. In a way, it was exactly what I was expecting to see, but I was also surprised in a few ways. For example, did you know that they made a lot of the sets? Instead of just depending on CGI, whole sets were created on a soundstage. The large circus tent seating area found in Dreamland was made. Casey Jr train was made and then chipped away at to make it look more worn.
I appreciated that a different direction was taken with Dumbo in that the animals do not talk. Timothy Mouse has a completely different role. In fact, he’s not even a main character. He simply makes an appearance as one of the three mice who is brought to Dumbo to keep him company. The live-action version of Dumbo has been revised and reimagined to feature more human characters. This is how they are bringing more to the story.
While it is darker than the original, I will definitely watch this movie again. You just may find yourself surprised by how much you enjoy this movie, but again I do feel this movie is better geared to older kids though mine both did well. Trust your mommy-gut if you feel your kids may not be able to handle it. Do wait. Dumbo is a story about being different, acceptance, and family.
Thanks for your review! We’ve really appreciated Disney’s live-action remakes for Cinderella and Beauty & The Beast, so we’re excited about Dumbo. I love how they’ve been expanding on the themes of well-loved movies, while making them real and relevant for modern audiences. We’ll have to see if we can get out to see this movie… right now my youngest (14 months) makes it hard to get to movies. He doesn’t sit through them! 🙂