Synopsis: A travelling circus buy a pregnant Elephant to get more spectators to their show but are shocked to find that when born, the baby has huge ears but also a hidden talent which will get their small circus noticed on a much larger scale
Director: Tim Burton
Writers: Ehren Kruger plus Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl (writers of the Novel)
Stars: Colin Farrell; Danny DeVito; Michael Keaton; Eva Green; Alan Arkin; Nico Parker & Finley Hobbins
TRAILER:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NiYVoqBt-8
THE BMAF REVIEW
We recently watched the 1941 hour running original and to be honest we were not big fans, the Animal Cruelty seemed more on show and also some of the characters you could argue were borderline racist, yet the heartbreaking story of a mother losing her son because he is different to us seemed to be made for retelling and being big fans of Tim Burton this was always going to be on our watch list.
Tim’s live action version focuses more on humans than animals but yet keeping the core of the original.
Holt returns to a travelling circus after serving in the war, he finds he has lost the way to communicate with his children, who have also lost their mother to illness whilst he has been away.
He finds Max Medici, the ringmaster has had to make many savings as taking are considerably down, to the stage where he has invested heavily in a bargain pregnant elephant, hoping its offspring can bring in the crowds.
Upon birth they find the elephant has over sized ears has made the poor child a laughing stock, with audiences throwing popcorn and cups at him, which causes the mother to rage and charge the audience to protect her son.
The decision is therefore made out of ‘public safety’ to send the mother away and reduce the poor child, now named ‘Dumbo’ to work with the clowns.
Holt’s two children befriend Dumbo and promise to reunite Dumbo with her mother and in their playtime learn that because of his oversized ears, Dumbo can now fly.
Dumbo eventually flies in front of an audience and is an overnight sensation, it is here where this new live action film differs, as where as the original ends with Dumbo being reunited with his mother after finding success, this versions tells how a huge corporate theme park run by V. A. Vandevere wants Dumbo and the profits that follow all to themselves.
V.A. offers Max a too good to be true deal, promising to protect his circus and its performers for years to come
Will this deal work out and will Dumbo be reunited with his mother, well you will need to see Dumbo to find out
THE BMAF RATING
5 – Popcorns
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