Sebastian Werner | 29.03.2019 18:00
dumbo
The flying elephant is back. The real film version of the Disney classic “Dumbo” is a lovingly designed family film with some exciting moments. In our review we deal with the question whether the film is also suitable for the youngest.
The Walt Disney Studios have set themselves the task of re-filming their old animated films as so-called “live action movies”. After “Die Schöne und das Biest” and “Das Dschungelbuch” the story of “Dumbo” with real actors and a computer-animated elephant has now been re-released. As usual, the Disney production is a technically perfectly staged family film, whose main actor is simply to cuddle with.
Whether Dumbo is trudging around clumsily or flying majestically through the ring, the spectator’s heart will always open at the sight. Moreover, “Dumbo” attaches great importance to family and community cohesion, so that even sad moments are always well absorbed. If the little elephant is unhappy because he is not allowed to see his mother, there is always someone there to comfort him.
We would especially like to praise the new end, which we will not reveal, of course. Just this much: While Dumbo and his mother remain in the circus in the original film from 1941, the new filming finds a much more animal-friendly solution. There is a similar positive change in the circus world at the end. “Dumbo” 2019 has the very clear message that animals are not there to amuse us humans. Bravo!
FSK 6 years for “Dumbo”
The Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle der Filmwirtschaft (FSK) (Voluntary Self-Regulation of the Film Industry) has granted director Tim Burton an age rating of 6 years. But this does not necessarily mean that every child at this age reacts equally well to the events on screen. Parents know their children best by themselves and therefore we would like to give you some examples to help you decide whether you can plan a visit to the cinema together with “Dumbo”.
“Dumbo” (2019): Similarities and Differences to the Original
In principle, the real film tells the same story as the cartoon. Sometime in the 1940s, an elephant with far too big ears was born in an American travelling circus. First the clumsy little one is a real laughing stock, which brings the already financially troubled circus into serious trouble. But then it turns out that Dumbo can fly and everything changes.
However, this is already the end of the parallel of the two films, the new edition takes a different narrative path. Soon the entrepreneur V. A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton) appears here and brings Dumbo to a huge amusement park, where he and the acrobat Colette Marchant (Eva Green) are supposed to rehearse a spectacular flight number and attract the guests. In the following trailer you can get a picture of the film.
The change of the story is not the only deviation from the original, also the tone of the film has changed. The remake has left all fairy-tale elements behind and is more realistic – if you can say so for a film with a flying elephant. There are no talking animals anymore, the musical elements are missing and Dumbo isn’t brought by the stork anymore, but born in a normal way.
The mouse Timothy, who was Dumbo’s best friend in the cartoon, has now been replaced by the circus children Milly and Joe, who take loving care of the elephant. In addition, the movie is more action-packed, which always leads to quite hectic and threatening moments. These scenes are exactly the reason why the FSK gave an age rating of 6 years.
Exciting happenings on the screen
The more hectic staging of the new edition is clearly visible in a scene that also occurs in animated film. When Dumbo is shown for the first time in the circus ring, the circus director tries to hide his big ears. But when they are seen, the audience starts throwing food at the elephant and insulting him loudly. Dumbos mother observes the events from the awning and furiously storms the ring, which finally leads to panic.
This situation is now depicted very clearly in the real film. The picture changes again and again between the angry elephant, the overtaxed animal keepers and the fleeing audience, so that the tension of the scene is transmitted to the audience. The finale of the movie is similarly exciting, only that there are also fire and chases. For such moments children should already have developed a certain stress-resistance in order not to be overwhelmed by the events on screen. This recommendation also applies to the threatening moments of the movie.
The game with the thrill
Threatening situations are of course not new with “Dumbo”. The animated film already played with fear of heights, for example when the little elephant stands on an absurdly high platform and threatens to fall. However, the remake increases the thrill even more and shows such situations more often and also stages them more intensively.
For example, in a clown act, Dumbo has to rescue a monkey from a burning house, which goes awfully wrong. The fire gets completely out of control, little Milly wants to help Dumbo and crashes and then the lattice on which Dumbo rescued herself loosens. Later on, the acrobat Colette is always on the verge of falling into the depths.
We don’t reveal too much when we say that these moments always end well. But there is always some time before the liberating dissolution takes place and we have to endure it. At the end of the movie there is also a somewhat scary scene in a haunted house. Fortunately, this happening quickly gets a humorous twist, which makes for a lot of laughs.