Dumbo Is About Family And Finding Your Place In The World

March 27th, 2019 by justJENN

Ladies and gentlemen, let’s get ready for Dumbo! The original Disney animated film Dumbo debuted in 1941 but the themes of the classic film are just as relevant today. Taking on the task of bringing the venerable story to life for a new audience was none other than ringmaster, director Tim Burton.

The team who took on the task of the new Dumbo sat down for a press day that gave in depth insight into the making of the film. Burton lead the parade of talented guests including Michael Keaton (“V.A. Vandevere”), Colin Farrell (“Holt Farrier”), Danny DeVito (“Max Medici”), Eva Green (“Colette Marchant”), Nico Parker (“Milly Farrier”), Finley Hobbins (Joe Farrier), Screenwriter Ehren Kruge, Producer Justin Springer, Producer Derek Frey, Producer Katterli Frauenfelde, Production Designer Rick Heinrichs, Costume Designer Colleen Atwood, and Composer Danny Elfman.

The original movie was only 60 minutes long, so this updated story was expanded not just time-wise but in the emotional aspects of story, “I just like the fact that it’s obviously a very simple fable, very simple story. And it’s heart, about family.” Burton went on to explain the relatable human moments of the film, “And what I liked about it was the human parallel story. This character Holy who comes back from a war. He doesn’t have an arm. He doesn’t have a wife. He doesn’t have a job. Doesn’t have a you know. He’s trying to find his place in the world. And all of the characters actually are in that way. Nico’s character. They wanted to be something. She wants to be something else. Every character in it. Eva is not… everybody is trying to find their place in the world. Like Dumbo. And using disadvantage to advantage. So lots of nice themes. But in a very simple framework.”

Fans familiar with Burton’s films know that his vision comes through thanks in part to his many years of collaboration with Heinrichs, Atwood, and Elfman. “I think we’ve done 11 projects together, Tim and I,” remembered Atwood. “But I think the idea of creating a world on a performance level and on a kind of level period level together is always an interesting challenge. It sort of bridges between fantasy and reality and the sort of challenge of combining five circuses, how they would all look, how the people in them would look, was a huge challenge.”

Surprisingly, Elfman had never seen the film, “I didn’t know a lot about Dumbo. I didn’t see it as a kid. And I remember that baby elephant loses his mom. Oh yeah. That’s going to be bittersweet, sad. And I had a musical idea. And before I started, I went and I wrote it, played it, finished it, put it away. And I’ve never done that before with Tim beforehand. A year later I came back. I said what was that thing that I did? That’s Dumbo’s theme right now. So it was kind of a unique moment that I hadn’t experienced.”

Who doesn’t remember Mrs. Jumbo snuggling her baby elephant in the crook of her trunk. The haunting lullaby “Baby of Mine” pulls at the heartstrings of all Disney fans who love the original 1941 animated film. For Elfman, that tragic score fueled him, “When I wrote Dumbo’s theme, I wrote it as a bittersweet sad theme. Because that’s always what makes me excited. And the sadder it is writing it, the happier I get as a composer.”

“We are all family, no matter how small.” This quote from Disney’s new live-action Dumbo speaks volumes, not just about the characters in the film, but the work of Tim Burton. Known for his eclectic sense of style for his films, Dumbo fits right into his filmography thanks to the talented cast and crew that are like family to him, going back 40 years. “Dumbo, it’s a heightened reality. So for me, there is two different things. There was one because it’s a weird story about weird family. It was very special to me to work with people that I’ve worked with. Michael, Eva, Danny, and Colin—I feel like I’ve worked with him for many years—because he’s got the same kind of spirit. And meeting Nico and Finley. Everybody, and Alan Arkin,” said Burton.

As ringleader Max Medici, DeVito may have subconsciously based his performance on his director, “Well, everything I do in the movie is basically fed to me through the insane mind of Mr. Burton. I feel like, I felt really great to be Max Medici and be part of this insane family. The great thing is that it is a family and it is Max trying to keep everything together and keep all the elements up in the air. Tim just works 24/7 when he’s making a movie, keeping everything going, keeping the plates spinning, keeping all the balls in the air, keeping everything moving. All the moving parts congealing. Everything going together. So I feel like he’s an inspiration when we’re on the set and it pushes you to new heights.”

“Having like a family, a weird dysfunctional family, like a film is and like the movie circus is, which is very beautiful and important. And the spirit of all of them really meant the world to me in terms of what the movie is and the spirit that they all put into it. And because it’s like a weird elephant,” joked Burton, “I had one thing in the back of my mind. All the people had to look kind of weird. Naturally. In a good way.”

Farrel notes that this family-friendly movie has a message for fans of all ages, “The same thing adults take away from the importance of not just accepting the inherent difference that people have from each other in relation to each other but celebrating it. I think just as Tim was saying, there are simple messages that are very complex it seems to live in as we go through our lives. And those messages are messages of kindness and inclusion and all those kind of things. So that will be cool. Or else if they’re just entertained for a couple of hours and take that as well.”

Dumbo opens in theatres everywhere on March 29th!

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