Review of Dumbo (2019) by Jumpcut_Online — 08 Apr 2019

In the transfer to live-action, there are pros and cons. Burton’s world-building is transportive, with the aid of Ben Davis’ stunning, silhouette-adept cinematography which sends the heart soaring when Dumbo takes flight.

There’s an enchanting bubble sequence that, albeit momentarily defies the grounded feel prior, feels like an ode to the wonder of Fantasia (the music from Danny Elfman, a frequent collaborator, is toe-tappingly excellent but lacks in walkaway power).

But the same magic isn’t there. Dumbo is, in fact, an aerodynamic impossibility, there’s a scene where we’re supposed to believe Green’s character can’t see an airborne elephant around her, and Dreamland is a telling indicator that Disney have never heard the phrase, “check yourself before you wreck yourself”.