Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Dumbo Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 13, 2019

The Disney of the 2010s certainly seems comfortable living in the past while taking advantage of the luxuries in the present. These days, the company’s innovations are largely in the digital rather than the storytelling arenas, crafting movies of ever expanding scope and scale and dazzle across its acquired, longstanding brands -- notably Star Wars and Marvel -- while working overtime to transition many of its most iconic animated films from yesteryear into stout, living, breathing live action/CGI hybrid spectacles. To this reviewer’s eyes, anyway, there’s not much real, honest narrative innovation coming from the House of Mouse, but there’s obviously not a correlation between creativity and currency, what with a certain (at least perceived) dearth of the former and a wealth of the latter driving the company forward to box office dominance. But even so, the movies coming from Disney have been by-and-large good to very good, though perhaps only few of them seem destined to live on alongside the studio’s early animated classics, even if they're sure to always please the masses. With Dumbo, Disney has once again returned to the sweet water from the back catalogue well, tasking visionary filmmaker Tim Burton (Batman, Alice in Wonderland) with bringing the story of the big-eared baby elephant circus performer to life. Dumbo's screen origins are, of course, in 1941's film of the same name. Burton has livened the material with his trademark tones and textures and Disney's all-too-familiar want for spectacle, but does the extraordinary overwhelm the story's heart?

It is the year 1919. The world is still in the recovery following the War to End All Wars. Returning home from the war is Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell), widower and father of two of who lost his left arm on the European battlefields and his wife back home to influenza. In fact, the entire circus at which he performed prior to the war was devastated by the disease. Business is down, his show horses were sold, and the future looks bleak. When one of the circus’ remaining elephants gives birth to a baby with massive floppy ears, the creature shows a propensity to fly. Holt's children, Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins), are the first to make the discovery. Through the elephant that will come to be known as "Dumbo," the circus' Ringmaster, Max Medici (Danny DeVito), smells rebounding profits for the show, and Dumbo is indeed a big hit. But when the baby elephant's mother is taken away from him and the act is sold to businessman V. A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton), the troupe's future, and Dumbo's freedom, are placed in jeopardy.

Dumbo is at its best when offering its interesting perspective on the circus road life, the struggles and realities behind the spectacle, and exploring the human hearts that beat life into the movie. The story as it is told and seen through the one-armed widower and his children is where the film soars, but it loses its footing as the rather trite and predictable beats take over, as Burton shifts focus from his human characters to the expectedly CGI-heavy scenes of Dumbo in flight and in peril and bringing an ever-expanding and increasingly complex series of locations and designs into the movie. The later scenes and sequences simply move the picture from one set piece to the next, building on linearly designed dramatic notes with little feel for honest depth and breadth. Burton finds just enough character in Dumbo and the elephant’s plight -- its search for its captive mother -- to keep audiences invested in that arena, but the film’s high flying spectaculars just seem to stand in the way of the more substantial character beats.

Dumbo does look good. Burton tones down the weirdness in favor of a more audience-friendly construction, still emphasizing scale and spectacle but doing so in a manner that compliments the story and the time period rather than play to his proclivity for the bizarre. But the look also tends to compete with the story, if not at times entirely overwhelm it. There's not enough dramatic strength to carry the story as high as the visual effects, particularly, again, as the story progresses to and through increasingly large and involved locations where transparent plot points unfold. Burton seems content to find and develop the core story muscles but spends most of his time heavy-lifting the optics that are supposed to support, not dominate, the story. It's something that seems all-too-true of so many recent Disney productions (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, to a lesser extent A Wrinkle in Time) that just become too digitally dependent and dominant. Where the original animation played for its heart, Burton plays this version for its externalities first and foremost whether he means to or not, never abandoning the center but favoring the exterior instead.

Dumbo Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dumbo was digitally photographed but doesn't struggle with flat, uninteresting textures. On the contrary, the movie is alive with wondrous period attire and interesting location details, both of which the Blu-ray delivers with high-top delight. Textural qualities are intimate and revealing, particularly period attire with the entire spectrum of fabric density and stitching precision on display. Woods, hay, circus tents and props, and all variety of themed textures look lovely on the 1080p format. Faces are likewise razor-sharp and revealing, while digital elephant textures reveal just about all of the complexity with which the digital artists created them. Colors are stout, even in lower light, where colorful circus decorations and costumes thrive. Hues are bright, bold, very well saturated, and contrast is pleasing, if not slightly tuned to the warmer side of the spectrum. Black levels hold impressively deep and skin tones appear accurate within the movie's tonal boundaries. Noise does permeate much of the movie, particularly in low light whether exteriors or under tents, but even brighter daytime shots show some noise as well. Fortunately, no other source or encode maladies are immediately apparent. This is a very satisfying 1080p release from Disney.

Dumbo Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Disney's DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack is, as is now customary, a bit shallow at calibrated reference volume. A small increase in decibels brings the track up to a respectable listening level, but once there it remains far from perfect. The most disappointing sonic moment arrives in chapter six. The audience stampedes out of the circus tent when Jumbo's throws a destructive temper tantrum. The elephant stomps on the ground and smashes the tent's supports. There's absolutely no feel for low end extension. While the track handles the general chaos well enough -- integrating the surrounds and presenting music widely to capture the mayhem in the moment -- the absence of a complimenting low end impact is hugely disappointing and robs the scene of the sonic power it requires. It may be the most egregiously underperforming scene in a neutered Disney track yet. Bass is a little more pronounced in a few places in the third act -- check the 1:28:55 and 1:36:24 marks -- but extension and potency are still greatly limited and these examples also lag (albeit slightly) behind the UHD's Atmos track. Beyond the lack of bass, the track is in fairly good condition with the volume adjusted upward. Surrounds carry more activity when Dumbo flies for the first time -- floating in the air for a few moments -- in chapter nine, which includes some directional effects when he starts to get the hang of it and flaps from front to back and side to side. His first public flight in chapter nine offers agreeable swoops and swings, but there's no feel for any sort of power or weight to the movement. Musical clarity and environmental definition are good and dialogue performs well with good vocalization and prioritization from a front-center standardized location. But the track could use some big-time help; an otherwise fine listen is severely stymied by the absentee bass.

Dumbo Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Dumbo contains a handful of featurettes, deleted scenes, and a music video. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Circus Spectaculars (1080p, 8:20): In discussion of the characters and in praise of the cast and performances. It also looks at some horse riding training, visual effects wizardry, circus act training and performances, and the film's story and themes.
• The Elephant in the Room (1080p, 5:50): A look at designing the title character with roots in the animated film but finding a more realistic shape for his live action performance. It also explores digital details and Edd Osmond's on-set, pre-CGI work as Dumbo.
• Built to Amaze (1080p, 7:40): A closer look at wardrobe, set design, and other production details.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 7:47 total runtime): Included are Roustabout Rufus, Pachyderm Plans, The Other Medici Brother, Monkey Business, A Star Is Born, Where's Dumbo?, Elephant Heist, Backstage, and A Seat at the Show.
• Easter Eggs on Parade (1080p, 3:52): A quick-fire look at some of the touches, secrets, and references that hearken back to the animated film.
• Clowning Around (1080p, 1:57): A gag reel by another name.
• Music Video (1080p, 2:59): "Baby Mine" Performed By Arcade Fire.

Dumbo Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dumbo is not a dumbed-down version of the original animated classic, but it is a movie that emphasizes its scope and scale more so than its heart and soul. Burton has made a movie that doesn't dismiss its narrative center but that does see it play second fiddle to spectacle. Disney's Blu-ray delivers strong video, in some areas weak audio, and a decent smattering of extras. Worth a look.