Disney's plethora of live-action remakes will undoubtedly leave fans of the old animated movies skeptical. Sure, some are happy these stories are being retold for modern audiences, but many are wondering if the company's simply running back through the archives and bringing these movies to life as nostalgic cash grabs.
Inevitably, that leads to the issue of quality control and whether or not the magic of old can be recaptured, as seen with the questionable first set of images and initial trailer for Guy Ritchie's Aladdin, which seemed concerned more with style than substance. However, after Tim Burton's Dumbo, those fears should be alleviated, because it's clear Disney knows exactly what it's doing with these properties.
It's evident that this is a new era of remakes, with the company evolving past the days of 101 Dalmatians. Recently, we had remakes for Pete's Dragon, Alice in Wonderland and Cinderella, and, as of Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book in 2016, it's clear the studio has a better idea of how to do things right moving forward.
We saw this with 2017's Beauty and the Beast, which, while it had flaws, did do justice to the original. Dumbo, though, feels like the formula has been perfected, as Burton pays proper homage to the 1941 flick while charting a contemporary story that feels fresh and tailored for an entirely new generation.
We admit, the early trailers did seem a bit bleak, but you really can't judge a movie just by its marketing. There was skepticism beforehand for The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast remakes, but they turned out pretty fine. While Aladdin hasn't inspired as much confidence yet, it should get the benefit of the doubt just based on how Dumbo proves that marketing is a mere snippet of a much bigger picture.
Burton's film is a heartwarming story that, while it dwells on the dreary side, it treads much happier ground as it spends the majority of time detailing Dumbo's friendship with the Farrier family and how they're trying to reunite him with his mom.
Sure, it has bullying of "the other," a bit of animal cruelty in the circus life and Dumbo being depressed over how he was separated from his mother, but these are all cuts taken straight from the original. Rest assured, Disney never lets the emotional space of the movie drown in grim overtones.
While the studio reinvents the wheel, it sticks to the heart and soul of Dumbo's journey to get back to the person he loves most. He inspires those around him and vice versa, becomes a hero in the process and teaches us that family is more than just blood.
At the end of the day, with the advancements in CGI, Disney has the technology to make these movies resonate big time, all while nailing the style factor. This combines to give us another prime example of the studio being capable of cultivating a fun, family adventure rich with emotion and conflict that feels relatable and organic to the source material. And, honestly, the way the studio builds on a narrative that didn't have that much story in the first place shows they really do know what makes these properties tick.
Seriously, we all need to relax because movies like Dumbo are the pillars of Walt Disney's vision. When it comes to revitalizing the universe built over the course of decades, it's safe to say we can trust the people he left in charge not to mess up these golden eggs.
Directed by Tim Burton, Dumbo stars Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Colin Farrell, Nico Parker, Finley Hobbins, Michael Keaton and Alan Arkin. The film is in theaters now.