😀😀😀😀😀⚪️

Dumbo, an animated film about an adorable, flying baby elephant, has been re-animated and updated for today’s Disney fans.  The classic story is about two captive circus elephants, Jumbo and her baby Dumbo. Dumbo is born with enormous ears.  Mother elephant and Baby are ruthlessly torn from each other when Jumbo tries to protect Dumbo from the laughing crowds.  Dumbo, however, upon sniffing a feather, sneezes and flies to the audiences wonderment.  Max Medici (Danny DeVito) is relieved for the new act since his circus has been struggling since World War I.  Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell), who has just returned from the war, is assigned to handling the elephants.  Holt, along with his two children, Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) do their best to connect with Dumbo, who desperately misses his mother.

Armed with tissues, I was not looking forward to seeing this movie.  For one, I was not in the mood for a tear jerker.  Secondly, I am not a huge fan of fixing what isn’t broken.  Since Tim Burton was directing, I was petrified that he would Willy Wonka the the movie.  (And that, in my opinion, is not a good thing).  I personally think Tim Burton is extraordinarily creative and a visionary.  However, several of his adaptations, Willy Wonka for one, were better left undone.

Dumbo, thankfully, held true to Tim Burton’s brilliance!  The plot adjustments are relevant and blend perfectly with the original story.  The costumes and production design are stunning.  The cast did not disappoint either.  It was especially fun to see Danny DeVito on screen in a roll perfectly suited to his charisma.  

What about the CGI?  It worked in a quirky Tim Burton fashion.  As the movie was ending, my daughter kept asking “How did they get a real elephant to fly, mommy?!”

All in all, my daughter says “Dumbo is AMAZING!”  I thoroughly enjoyed it, too. And, to my surprise, I only needed the tissues to clean up the melted chocolate in my daughter’s pocket.

Did you see Dumbo?  Tell us what you thought of the movie in the comments below!

Are you curious how I review and rate the movies I see?  This blog post will fill you in!