2019 is the year of three high profile releases of Disney cartoon classics. The Lion King – first released in 1994 – will come back in photorealistic computer-generated form, and Alladin (1992) will return to our screens as a live action movie with a cast that includes Will Smith. The third remake – Dumbo – has just been released, again as a live-action movie, and sets the bar higher than I expected.
Dumbo 2019 starts with an establishing shot of a map of Florida, similarly to the 1941 film that opens with an overview of the circus. In the cartoon version we get to hear talking elephants right from the start, who turn out to be Dumbo’s relatives. However in the live action version we don’t meet any elephants till later on, and they do not speak at all!
In both movies Dumbo immediately forms a strong bond with his mother, but whereas in the cartoon version she has to protect him from both humans and other elephants, in the live action version it is mainly from humans. Both versions present the chains that are used to keep the elephants trapped in a powerful way.
The main difference between the two movies is that the cartoon version focuses on the animals and what they feel, by letting us hear them speak, whereas the live action version focuses on the humans and what they say to each other instead. The only animal we get to empathise with in the new version is Dumbo whose emotions – though he can’t speak – are powerfully present.
Some of the live action circus performance scenes are rather similar to those in the cartoon version. The iconic scene where Dumbo gets stuck in the fire pit is also pretty close to the original. The recreation of Max Medici, the circus owner, is also pretty spot on. But in the live action version we are also introduced to some new characters such as Milly and Joe, who help Dumbo fly, and who in my opinion have changed the movie for the better.
So Dumbo 2019 is more than a remake, it’s an upgrade. It has drawn inspiration from the original to create a film that is not only longer, but also more spectacular, and more suitable for audiences of any age. I highly recommend Dumbo 2019. But if you haven’t seen the first version I recommend that too. And if you have, why not watch it again before seeing thenew one – to bring back those childhood memories?
Dumbo picture from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository