This morning, Disney dropped the trailer for its live-action remake of the 1941 classic, Dumbo. We here at The Pop Break have strong opinions and not even a CGI elephant meant for children is safe from our wrath.
Directed by Tim Burton and with a star-studded cast that includes Colin Farrell, Eva Green and Michael Keaton (among others), the new film hits theaters on March 29, 2019, but not all of us are excited to buy a ticket.
George Heftler: Bad bad bad. Part of my reaction might stem from the fact that I still can’t believe we’re already so desperate for material that we’re revisiting Dumbo, everyone’s 20th favorite Disney movie — but in addition to that, the song was putting me to sleep, there was negligible exciting imagery, and the only emotion it drew from me was pity for the solid cast being wasted on this instead of something fresh. 0 not only reflects my score out of 10, it also reflects the amount of passion seemingly being put into this. Time to hang it up, Tim.
P.S.: The wonderful Timothy doesn’t show up in this trailer and I hope they don’t think that some little girl can blasphemously replace a cool, talking mouse.
Editor-in-Chief, Bill Bodkin: I was extremely ambivalent heading into this teaser, and it’s all because of Tim Burton. Which version of “Tim Burton’s imagination” would this film be coming from? The one that created such fantastical visions as Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Big Fish? Or the man created such awful pieces of awful like Planet of the Apes, Alice in Wonderland, and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory?
The answer, for now (and that’s a big “for now”), it seems is the same imagination that brought us the Burtonian classics. I feel there’s a wonderful air of whimsicality mixed with darker drama — the same formula which made the 1941 animated classic…a classic. With Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green and Colin Farrell in tow, this has the potential to be a strong family film…and make serious bank for Disney. I’m optimistic, but will still have serious trepidation heading into this film.
Josh B. Taylor: While watching the trailer, I’m not gonna lie, I got a little teary eyed. It reminded me of the Disney animated film, and when Dumbo’s mom was being taken away, I had to stop it for a moment because I wasn’t prepared for seeing that early in the morning. Very excited to see Tim Burton’s adaptation of this beloved Disney animated feature that we’ve loved and cherished for years.
Tommy Tracy: People are already freaking out over the Dumbo trailer. Add me to that list. It looks majestic, dark and sad (a Tim Burton staple), all in a minute and a half teaser. I am not a fan of Tim Burton post-Sleepy Hollow (Sweeney Todd is the exception) because he just lost his mojo. However, this looks like a return to form for Burton, who looks as though he’s going back to his roots of dark imagery with sympathetic family drama. The music, small bit of acting and CGI look amazing thus far and my butt is already mentally in the seat. Don’t let me down, Tim!
Rob Crowther IV: Leave it to Disney to give you all of the feels in a trailer that’s just under a minute and a half. Dumbo is personal childhood favorite of mine, so when the chorus of “Baby of Mine” came in, it hit me right in the feels. I’m on board for a live action adaption of this classic and Dumbo looks amazing. His ears are perfect, and those eyes! Oh, and the icing on the cake: Danny Devito is in it! Sign me up. Take my money. This looks like an absolute home run for Disney. Just make sure you bring a box of tissues to the theater.
Maxwell Barna: Hearing the words “Dumbo” and “Tim Burton” used together in the same sentence might be a little overwhelming for some people. On one end of the spectrum, you have an incredible Disney classic whose plot centers, at its very base, around the importance of friendship and camaraderie in the face of adversity. On the other, you have the guy who gave the world Batman Returns and *gulp* Mars Attacks!.
It might appear a little sketchy, until you realize that guy also gave us the vision behind really incredible classics, like Edward Scissorhands, James and the Giant Peach, mother f—in Frankenweenie, and perhaps most relevant to this week’s release of the Dumbo trailer, Big Fish. Tim Burton has built an entire career out of helping make not-normal people and things feel normal at worst, and even extraordinary at best. He’s a man who highlights the things that make people feel different and insecure and uncomfortable about themselves, and instead uses those things to make them feel special.
It’s called, “Burtonomics.”
I’m just kidding; I just made that up.
Anyway, when it comes to Dumbo, the little elephant with the extraordinarily large ears and an equally large spirit, it’s clear there’s probably no man more fit to reimagine this 20th Century children’s classic for a 21st Century audience than Burton, himself.
… I mean, who really IS Dumbo, if not for an Edward Scissorhands that doesn’t have scissors for hands, and is an elephant with big ears that can also fly and is in the circus? Then again, I’ve definitely done a lot of drugs, so that comparison might be a little obtuse for some of you.
My habitual drug addictions aside, the Dumbo trailer looks phenomenal, and so equally does its cast, which includes the likes of Michael Keaton, Danny “Where’s The Rum Ham?” DeVito, Colin Farrell, Eva Green, and many more.
Dumbo hits theaters on March 29, 2019
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Man, that Maxwell Barna guy seems so clever and handsome.