6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
A young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, helps save a struggling circus, but when the circus plans a new venture, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer.
Starring: Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Alan ArkinFamily | 100% |
Fantasy | 89% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
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?
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.
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 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.
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.
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