Tim Burton's 2010 adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland” earned over $1 billion at the global box office. It also cemented his 21st-century reputation as the go-to-director for classic children's fantasy. That's his thing now: "Alice," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" and now "Dumbo."
At least the trailer for “Dumbo” looks great and feels like a Tim Burton movie, which can't be said about the other aforementioned films he's directed the past few years. Suffice to say, if you add his other failed endeavors like "Dark Shadows," Burton has been stuck in a rut for more than a decade. His last great movie? Probably "Sweeney Todd" back in 2007. Nevertheless, I have hopes for "Dumbo," the trailer looks outstanding and it re-teams him with his "Beetlejuice" and "Batman" leading actor Michael Keaton.
Tim Burton was on a roll in the late '80s and early '90s, he was the visionary behind "Ed Wood," and "Edward Scissorhands." As mentioned, the closest he's gotten to that kind of cinematic gothic brilliance was more than 10 years ago with his Stephen Sondheim adaptation of the musical "Sweeney Todd." He also made a half-decent film about painter Margaret Keane called "Big Eyes" back in 2014, which re-teamed him with his "Ed Wood" co-screenwriters Larry Karszewski and Scott Alexander. Other than that, Tim Burton has been playing corporate shill for Disney.
"Dumbo" official synopsis:
"Loosely based on Disney’s 1941 animated classic of the same name. Colin Farrell stars as soldier Holt Farrier, who returns home from war and is recruited by a circus owner (Danny DeVito) to care for a newborn elephant with oversized ears. Once the elephant reveals he can fly, the circus owner concocts a plan to make the circus rich. Eva Green, Michael Keaton, and Alan Arkin co-star.
“Dumbo” will be released nationwide March 29.