Dumbo of Tim Burton: we saw it!

This weekend, we saw Dumbo, the last movie of Tim Burton. The plot is quite similar to the original one: in a circus, a baby elephant with giant ears is named Dumbo after his malformation. He’s separated from his mother judged violent because she was trying to protect him from bullying. However the circus people realize that those ears allow him to fly, thanks to a feather. Therefore they create a new spectacular show which will bring fame and glory to the circus.

All in all, the cartoon of 1941, which is an incredible feel-good movie, is very different from Burton’s dark and tortured universe. Nevertheless the director doesn’t hesitate and add his famous “burtonian” touch to the myth, while also keeping the poetry of this original version. Let’s see how!

To begin, in the 2019’s version, there’s no more stork, the pink elephants became soap bubbles and, if there are some acrobatic mice, Dumbo’s dear friends are Milly and Joe Farrier, two children from the circus whom mother died while their father was at war in Europe. As for miss Jumbo, her first owner bought her back and she disappears far away from Dumbo. Then, quickly, the baby elephant’s incredible skill attracts a voracious entertainment nabob who hire the entire circus Medici to Dreamland, his huge amusement park. From that moment on, the main characters go through a lot of adventures in a twirling turbulence which will bring everyone back in childhood! The magic is right there and it really works!

First and foremost, the photography is absolutely beautiful: although the moments in the small circus are immersed in a warm and sweet light, I mostly prefered Dreamland’s cold and clear-cut luminosity, which is the most explicit reminder of Burton’s style. Moreover, circus scenes are simply astonishing, especially the ones from Dumbo’s first show at Dreamland.

Then, we are pleasantly surprised by the very obvious denunciation made by Burton of the entertainment sphere. Indeed, this movie is produced by Walt Disney Pictures but that doesn’t stop the director to represent Dreamland as a temple of consuption, excess and futility which furiously reminds us of Disneyland’s huge amusement parks. Moreover, the caricature also extend to the site’s owner, V. A. Vandemere played by Michael Keaton, described as a rapace trying to “make the impossible become possible” in the only purpose to make more and more profits, even though it demands huge humans sacrifices.

Eventually, how to write about Dumbo without talking of its casting? The whole distribution is absolutely incredible, every actor embodies with accuracy and precision his character. Among them, we notice with no surprise Danny DeVito, Michael Keaton and Eva Green. The two men get back to each other on one of Tim Burton’s sets 27 years after Batman returns, and this time they exchange roles: Keaton is the “villain” while DeVito is the “nice guy”; each one of them perfectly respond to all our expectations, sometimes greedy and merciness, sometimes funny and touching. As for Eva Green, she excels as Collette Marchand, a rising star yet keeping her feet firmly on the ground and who doesn’t hesitate being like a second mother for the two children and the orphan elephant calf.

You would’ve understand it, Dumbo is a movie that I loved and that I strongly recommend to you! It’s an excellent movie to see in family or also with friends and for sure, you do not want to miss it!

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Jeanne Perrien and Benjamin Decker

Comments

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I found this article very interesting. Moreover, we saw this movie this weekend so we are more concerned by this article.

BRUNET Grégoire et VIPREY Lou