Kid’s take on movies: ‘Dumbo’
This film is absolutely amazing — a bit dark but beautiful, and the visual effects are very good.
I was so excited to see this film because Dumbo is such a classic, and I really wanted to see it not in animation form. It is a story about outsiders and the beauty in the strange. This is the perfect tale for the imagination of the great director Tim Burton.
The story is about a circus elephant who is a baby. His name is Jumbo but later he is renamed Dumbo. He was born with big ears, and people around him think he is weird and worthless. In this environment with lots of extraordinary people, this peculiar elephant shouldn’t be so strange, but people make fun of him and are actually cruel.
His protective mother who works in the circus gets really mad and is sent far away for misbehaving. Dumbo is sad because he is separated from his mom.
The kids in the circus, Milly and Joe, don’t have a mother, either. They are the sons of Holt (Collin Farrell) who returns from war to work at the circus. The kids feel empathy for the baby elephant and try to comfort him. They come up with a way to get Dumbo involved in the circus after they discover he can fly. They think if they make enough money, they can buy her mom back and the elephants can be reunited.
The flying baby elephant becomes the circus’ main attraction, and the owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) receives a tempting offer. The family circus becomes part of a huge amusement park, but they are losing all that kept them united.
The story develops a little bit slowly at the beginning. I definitely love the scenes with Dumbo flying, and the scenarios and costumes are gorgeous, but overall it is not as emotional as I expected. The cast is amazing, but the kids don’t deliver as much sentiment as the story requires, and they play a key role.
Eva Green is charming and believable. Her character, Collette Marchant, the girl who “flies,” is the most intriguing one. Danny Elfman’s music creates an ideal atmosphere.
This film has a very positive and powerful message: Even if we are different, it doesn’t mean we should be treated differently, because that’s what makes us beautiful and makes us stand out from the ordinary. We have to accept people the way they are. I give this film 4.5 out of five stars and recommend it for ages 6 to 12 and adults as well.