Whatever it’s going to be, a live-action reboot of Dumbo done by Tim Burton seems like it’s going to be a bit darker than most fans would like to see. Do keep in mind the general tone and appearance of the average Tim Burton movie. Even if has chipper and upbeat tones to it there is usually something darker and more pervasive underneath that is just waiting to reach out and grip your attention. It could be just past experience with his movies talking, but a lot of fans will be watching this new film rather closely to see if Burton pays the right amount of attention to the actual story of Dumbo or if he simply goes off on his own tangent.
One thing you can be certain of is that he’ll follow his own unique vision and will provide a very convincing back story that will paint Dumbo in a much different light. The perky young elephant will no doubt still be a big star in the film, but with names like Alan Arkin, Danny DeVito, Colin Farrell, Eva Green, and Michael Keaton in the film there’s really not much chance that the big-eared pachyderm is going to get as much play as he deserves.
One thing about it, the story will be quite a bit different since it will not focus entirely on Dumbo. It will almost be an off-handed salute to the original cartoon before the film launches into an explanation of the characters and why they are who they are. Despite his obvious role in the movie as one of the stars the CGI elephant, yes, it will have to be CGI, will likely be relegated to a very limited role in comparison to the role he plays in the original cartoon.
Also, if the animals speak many people will no doubt be shocked, as this does not look like it will be the type of movie where people can converse with the animals. Timothy might not even make an appearance, and the snobbish female elephants might be reduced to nothing more than a series of noises and the obvious shunning of the titular character. I might be getting down on this film too much already but it seems like Disney is intent on doing whatever it takes to remind people that some things just aren’t good enough the way they are and must find a way to muck them up so that the next generation can have the same thrill that those before them did.
My problem with this is that instead of being original and being true innovators as they’ve been lauded as being for so long, Disney is now taking the easy road and simply rehashing their most famous films in an attempt to boost their numbers. That is an opinion certainly, but it seems to be a fact as well. The live action Cinderella didn’t do much upon it’s release, but Beauty and the Beast was an absolute hit. It seems to be coming in waves at this point, and sooner or later one wave will be the crowning achievement of the corporation or it will be the first of many that seek to capsize their reputation.
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