Written by the Hobbit, Unicorn and Elf…
To Know Before You Go
Movie: Dumbo (2019)
Rating: PG
Age Suggestion: A mature 8+ *See Warnings*
Running Time: 1 hour 52 minutes
Release Date: March 29th, 2010
Stars: 4 out of 5 stars
Themes: Nomadic Life, Ability, Community, Family, Courage, Loss, Loss of Family
Trigger Warnings: *As in the original Dumbo- being separated from your mother, and a human maternal death plays a large role in the movie. This is NOT a movie to take your foster kiddos to! *It is directed by Tim Burton and has his signature creepy intense images that might scare younger kids. *There are a few intense scenes that might frighten a younger kiddo (EG: when they go to nightmare island)* Implied character death of an antagonist
Quick Summary: As the Medici Brothers Circus is touring, one of their performers returns from the war and is given the job of caring for the elephants instead of staring in the show. His kids befriend the new baby elephant with giant ears. Will they be able to band together or will they follow the crowd?
Dumbo Discussion Questions:
(Mild Spoilers Ahead)
1) If you were going to perform in the circus? What would your act be? Why?
2) The kids have trouble talking to their dad at the start of the movie, and when he doesn’t believe them about Dumbo flying- they decide to practice in secret until he believes them. What are some other ways they could have handled that?
3) Dreamland looked amazing. But it wasn’t actually so dreamy underneath. What’s something in your life that seemed like something good, but wasn’t?
4) There will always be loud voices in the world telling us what we can’t do and pointing out our flaws. Who helped the kids and Dumbo get past that? Who are the positive voices in your life?
5) Milly had to be creative in order to make her dream work. She wanted to be a scientist and not a performer. How do you like being creative? And what do you dream about being when you get older?
Review: *Spoilers*
Thoughts from the Hobbit, Unicorn and Elf…
-If you have enjoyed Disney’s live re-imaginings of it’s cartoon classics, especially Jungle Book, you’ll probably enjoy this adaption! And if you haven’t enjoyed them so far- this might be the one you really like!
-The Opening sequence is a wonderful tribute to the early 20th century circus and original movie.
-The acting is well done. the film really stresses family and community. The actors did a great job of really playing outcasts that really band together. Loss of a parent – in this case, the mother – plays a huge role in the principle character’s lives which can be really tough for kid actors. Especially when they don’t have an animated elephant to act with but they all really excelled. Which isn’t surprising considering the top billed cast.
-Burton uses colors well, the bright circus colors could have easily overwhelmed the film but Burton and the Disney team manage to keep them spectacular and engaging. We were especially impressed with the grayer shadings associated with Dreamland.
-The movie was surprisingly intense for PG. There are scenes with scary imagery, fire and even the pink elephant’s reprisal were enough to scare younger kids.
-The film really shows the positive aspects of the circus as well as the possibly sinister parts. It is definitely concerned with animal welfare and makes a strong case for the modern animal free circus. Which added to the plot line here rather than detracting from it.
In the end… well, it’s Disney. None of us were particular excited to see this but I think we were all glad we did. Disney does engaging, colorful, thought provoking entertainment well. And we love them for it.
Comparison with the Original:
The 1941 Dumbo would be considered a little too intense for it’s G rating and in the same vein- we would consider the 2019 movie a little too intense for it’s PG rating.
Nearly every aspect of the original movie was given a nod in the new one. The Disney team did an amazing job with it. From the opening with the Casey Jr. train to the friendship with mice- all the beloved aspects of the first movie are here in the remake. Even the pink elephants make a comeback.
The original Dumbo is only about an hour long and didn’t feature humans- so the new Dumbo had to have some added plot. The extra content stuck with the themes of the original movie- the importance of community, family and hope. But with an added (politically correct for the time) new ending, similar to Jungle Book. And like we said above- it’s Disney, and this is one of their classics. They do what they do well!
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