Over the past few years, Disney has raided their vaults of animated classics and ordered a whole new set of live action remakes. Some of these films have been absolutely wonderful, building upon a classic tale and delivering something fresh and new. Some have just coasted by on nostalgia and pulled oodles of cash from a public dying to remember the past. Some have been just downright bad. Tim Burton, who was one of the originators of this trend with his remake of Alice in Wonderland (which amazingly made over a billion dollars worldwide), returns to resurrect another beloved Disney animated tale with Dumbo. Today the Mouse House has unveiled the first teaser for Burton’s take on the big-eared elephant with the gift of flight.
For the past 15 years, Tim Burton has struggled to recapture that magic that defied his first films. He’s in need of a smash hit and is hoping that reuniting with Disney will provide that hit. Burton has always had an eye for design and judging by the teaser, the big top world of Dumbo is right in his wheelhouse. Headlining Burton’s live action remake of an animated classic are Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, and Alan Arkin. There’s even a little Batman Returns reunion there, a film of Burton’s that featured many circus elements. The screenplay for Dumbo was penned by Ehren Kruger, best known as the writer for a number of Transformers movies and the recent Ghost in the Shell remake.
Dumbo will soar into the theaters and possibly the hearts of audiences when it lands in theaters on March 29, 2019.
The official synopsis for Dumbo:
From Disney and visionary director Tim Burton, the all-new grand live-action adventure “Dumbo” expands on the beloved classic story where differences are celebrated, family is cherished and dreams take flight. Circus owner Max Medici (Danny DeVito) enlists former star Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) and his children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) to care for a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughingstock in an already struggling circus. But when they discover that Dumbo can fly, the circus makes an incredible comeback, attracting persuasive entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton), who recruits the peculiar pachyderm for his newest, larger-than-life entertainment venture, Dreamland. Dumbo soars to new heights alongside a charming and spectacular aerial artist, Colette Marchant (Eva Green), until Holt learns that beneath its shiny veneer, Dreamland is full of dark secrets.