Director Tim Burton tackles a live-action remake ofthe beloved tale of a baby circus elephant with enormous ears that give him wings. The original Disney animated 1941 film gives movie fans a reason to cry and laugh, but does the 2019 "Dumbo" do the same?
Let's get into some mild spoilers with one large spoiler alert near the end. So turn back now if you'd rather watch the movie first.
Still with me? OK. Here are some comparisons between the flying pachyderm's storiesthen and now.
The elephants still don't talk
Just in case it wasn't clear before this article, real elephants don't talk. In the original, Mrs. Jumbo spoke once to tell Mr. Stork that her baby is named Jumbo Jr. as he continued to sing "Happy Birthday" to the bundle of joy. But other than this moment, she or Dumbo didn't talk for the whole film. They're still dialogue-less in 2019.
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How Dumbo gets his name
The mean female elephants from the original gave poor Dumbo his nickname when they got a glimpse at his oversizeears. This time when he makes his circus show debut, he's dressed as a baby with a bonnet covering his ears and a sign above him saying "Dear Baby Jumbo." Chaos ensues, and the words above his crib warp to read "Dumbo," as the crowd points out.
Milly, the daughter of the main character, says he should keep the name because "Jumbo" might remind him of his mom who is separated from the baby elephant to give the mocking moniker a more positive spin.
'Baby Mine' still leaves us emotional
Maybe it rides on nostalgia from the first movie or maybe it's equally as emotional. But when Mrs. Jumbo is locked up in tight confinement again, it still leaves a mark on your heart. She doesn't gentlyrock Dumbo with her trunk like the original, but she does stroke his head a few times while circus actors sing "Baby Mine" around a campfire.
Animals aren't the focus in this version
Dumbo has a human family now. Former horse trainer Holt Ferrier (Colin Farrell) and his two children are the main focus of this modern story to help drive the plot. And in a way focusing on the humans is great because Danny DeVito deserves the spotlight as ringleader Max Medici. But it leaves little room to get to know the circus animals.
Unfortunately Timothy Mouse isn't his own character. There's a nod to Dumbo's tiny friend when Milly cares for three rodents and one is wearing red bandleader gear.
Speaking of nods to the original ...
There are tasteful Easter Eggs to the original "Dumbo." Mr. Stork doesn't deliver Dumbo. Instead, a stork flies onto Mrs. Jumbo's cart while she's helping nature do its thing.
Casey Jr. still appears as the train carryingthe circus from one destination to the next with his theme song playing over the sequence.
In one of the best visual scenes in the movie, thepink elephants make an appearance as fancy bubbles that introduceDumbo's high-flying act before his debut in Dreamland, V. A. Vandevere's (Michael Keaton) amusem*nt park. So no drunken visions for Dumbo. That wouldn't have gone well in today's Hollywood.
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Crows, roustabouts nowhere to be seen
This one is for the better. In the original, with lines like "hairy ape" and showing only black men setting up circus tents during a stormin the original,it's up to the viewer to decide if it's racist or intended to shed a light on racism.
And the singing crows thatsang "When I See An Elephant Fly" and were crucial in helping Dumbo fly don't show up at all. Their famous line about horseflies and dragonflies is instead used by a ringleader in the Dreamland circus, and the kids encourage Dumbo to fly.
No matter how these themes are viewed, Burton was smart to divert attention from these controversial moments.
Send in the firefighter clowns
The way Dumbo's talent becomes publicly known is the same. They dress the little guy in humiliating clown face paint during the same bit with unhelpful, silly firefighter clowns. But this time, Dumbo isn't the one being saved at the top of the burning building, he's the one putting the fire out. Of course things go wrong and he's forced to fly, showing the world his skills.
Even though this scene is near the end in the original, it's close to the beginning in the new film, givingBurton time to show what happens to Dumbo's career after the public discovers his talent.
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The circus comes to Dreamland
New character Vandevere is an amusem*nt park tycoon who sees dollar signs when he looks at Dumbo. He offers Medici a residency at his park if Dumbo performs to a bigger audience, so off the circus goes to a new adventure. Dreamland is a drastically new location, but it introduces themes of corruption and entertainment animal abuse in a park that looks like a Disneyland dystopia. Ironic? Definitely.
Does Dumbo reunite withhis mother?
Yes, Dumbo sees his mom once again. At the end of the animated movie, Dumbo stays in the circus and gets his mom bailed out of elephant jail and into a private train cart. But in the end of the newer movie, Dumbo and Mrs. Jumbo are released back into the wild and free from the circus tent flaps.
Want to pitch a story idea? Reach reporter Samantha Incorvaia at sincorvaia@gannett.com or 602-444-4968. Follow her on Twitter at @_SamI520.
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