Tim Burton to direct Dumbo Remake, ###### you Disney

[Lilani]

Disney have announced that Tim Burton will direct a live action/CGI remake of Dumbo. Just no on so many levels. Not only is it an entirely unnecessary remake but Tim effing Burton. So we are going end with Johnny Depp in stick on ears playing Dumbo, GG Disney GG.

True story: I went to Google this just to pick up a few more details, and I ended up typing "Dumbo remake Johnny Depp" before I realized I hadn't typed Tim Burton.

I have a feeling this is coming from Disney's realization that going a "dark" and "quirky" direction with Maleficent earned them quite a bit of money, so they thought, "Why not Dumbo?"

Personally, I'm sort of ambivalent about remakes these days. My philosophy is that the original still exists, and nothing the remake does is going to change it. Even the way Maleficent's story rather "retconned" what happened in the original Sleeping Beauty, I never put the two in the same universe in the first place. They're two different worlds as far as I'm concerned, kind of like parallel dimensions or something.

I can already imagine the direction Burton will lean with it. Back when Dumbo was made there was still some magic and whimsy instilled in the idea of a traveling circus, but now they're generally associated with creepy carnies and animal abuse. The original film actually delved into this quite a bit, like when the clowns were drinking after the show and being rather cynical, and when they were whipping the elephants in the rain and thunder to pull up the tent. I imagine Burton will run with these themes of griminess and cynicism. And with the given it will be live action, I imagine a good portion of the story will be about a human character, perhaps making the whole thing a retelling from somebody else's point of view.

But again, to me this sort of thing doesn't register as an attempt to ovewrite or "redo" the original, so I don't see it as any sort of betrayal to the original source material. Depending on how intrigued I am by the trailers and reviews I might see it in theaters, I've never made a point of seeing everything Burton makes in theaters, but sometimes something looks like enough of a spectacle to be worth the money. And Tim Burton does not shy away from making a spectacle.

 

[lacktheknack]

Oh come one, people.

Entertainment is supposed to be entertaining.

And there's NO WAY this won't be entertaining one way or another.

 

[sageoftruth]

Kids will soil themselves in abject terror during the Pink Elephants scene.

 

[Laser Priest]

Oh come one, people.

Entertainment is supposed to be entertaining.

And there's NO WAY this won't be entertaining one way or another.

I gotta side with this here. I like Tim Burton as a director for the most part, but when he makes bad movies, he makes fascinatingly bad movies. Even if this is a train wreck, there will probably be something of value from it. I mean, Tim Burton is very much a visual director and I'd be intrigued just to see his take on the Pink Elephants scene.

Although I still want to say, when did Disney become afraid of making something new? I feel like there has been far too many remakes or re-imaginings coming out of them lately.

 

[Albino Boo]

Disney have announced that Tim Burton will direct a live action/CGI remake of Dumbo. Just no on so many levels. Not only is it an entirely unnecessary remake but Tim effing Burton. So we are going end with Johnny Depp in stick on ears playing Dumbo, GG Disney GG.

True story: I went to Google this just to pick up a few more details, and I ended up typing "Dumbo remake Johnny Depp" before I realized I hadn't typed Tim Burton.

I have a feeling this is coming from Disney's realization that going a "dark" and "quirky" direction with Maleficent earned them quite a bit of money, so they thought, "Why not Dumbo?"

Personally, I'm sort of ambivalent about remakes these days. My philosophy is that the original still exists, and nothing the remake does is going to change it. Even the way Maleficent's story rather "retconned" what happened in the original Sleeping Beauty, I never put the two in the same universe in the first place. They're two different worlds as far as I'm concerned, kind of like parallel dimensions or something.

I can already imagine the direction Burton will lean with it. Back when Dumbo was made there was still some magic and whimsy instilled in the idea of a traveling circus, but now they're generally associated with creepy carnies and animal abuse. The original film actually delved into this quite a bit, like when the clowns were drinking after the show and being rather cynical, and when they were whipping the elephants in the rain and thunder to pull up the tent. I imagine Burton will run with these themes of griminess and cynicism. And with the given it will be live action, I imagine a good portion of the story will be about a human character, perhaps making the whole thing a retelling from somebody else's point of view.

But again, to me this sort of thing doesn't register as an attempt to ovewrite or "redo" the original, so I don't see it as any sort of betrayal to the original source material. Depending on how intrigued I am by the trailers and reviews I might see it in theaters, I've never made a point of seeing everything Burton makes in theaters, but sometimes something looks like enough of a spectacle to be worth the money. And Tim Burton does not shy away from making a spectacle.

Yeah Depp and Burton have become synonymous. My problem with the pair of them is that their work has devolved into a series of tics and mannerisms. Its almost like they have nothing new to say and just keep repeating the same thing. Both of them need to forced out of their comfort zone and do something different. If you look at the work of David Lynch, yeah, most of it is barking mad but there are films like the Elephant Man and Straight Story in there as well. Lynch can play it straight but chose not to, Burton is one note director and has gone off key.

 

[Frankster]

My initial reflex was something along the lines of:

But past the gut reflex... Dumbo was one of those films I found kinda freaky as a kid. A Tim Burton take on the pink elephants scene might be worth the ticket alone.

Will reserve judgement until I hear more news.

I'm surprised to read this. Not that Burton cheated on HBC, but that he didn't cheat on her with Johnny Depp, who is surely his one true love.

It's comments like this that make me almost wish this forum had a like or thumbs up function. Almost. Thanks for giving me a chuckle.