Review Rating:

Dumbo’ ticks all the boxes in creating a magical spectacle that most of the family can wholly appreciate.

Well, it appears the Disney live-action remakes are well and truly underway at this point, and ‘Dumbo’ is the first of three offerings from The House of Mouse this year alone. 

We’d recommend showing the kids so they can compare the old versus the new – and it could be a great family discussion as to who thinks which version is better!

You’ll no doubt remember the 1941 version of ‘Dumbo’ from your childhood that you either enjoyed, or were left traumatised from. This live-action remake is much of the same as the original, and also features an impressive cast on screen together, including Danny DeVito and Michael Keaton who work brilliantly as always, and there’s also Eva Green, and our very own Colin Farrell no less. 

Interestingly, one of the main topics that ‘Dumbo’ heavily relies upon is one in which a greedy corporation will seemingly do anything in their power to make money, no matter what risk it has on their employees beliefs or health. It’s a strong theme to cover in a children’s movie such as this, but coming from the mind of Tim Burton (‘Alice in Wonderland’, ‘Beetlejuice’), we’re not all that surprised – although how Disney gave the all-clear is another story altogether. The movie tackles the theme head-on however, and the movie is all the better because of how relatable it is to its audience. 

Eva Green as Colette Marchant in Dumbo.

Enjoyable at the very least, ‘Dumbo’ ticks all the boxes in creating a magical spectacle that most of the family can wholly appreciate. As it’s a Burton creation, we’d recommend bringing along family members that are aged seven or eight and over to this, for them to fully understand the show on display. Of course, just like the original 1941 version, make sure the little ones aren’t too upset by the treatment of Dumbo by the evil corporations, nor are they thrown by the creepiness of the Dreamland attraction.  

Having said that, if the original version has been on the “to-watch” list for quite some time now, we’d recommend showing the kids so they can compare the old versus the new – and it could be a great family discussion as to who thinks which version is better!