Recently Disney has set out to produce live-action remakes of old classic movies. These include the 2017 reboot of Beauty and the Beast, along with scheduled 2019 releases of The Lion King, Aladdin, Christpher Robin, and the 1941 classic Dumbo. The Dumbo remake will hit theaters on March 29, 2019, and will be directed by Tim Burton.
Though there will be adaptations to the story, the core of it will still hold true to the original. The remake will include Dumbo’s separation from his mother, and learning that he can use his abnormally large ears to fly. Dumbo will also be discovered by the struggling circus and forced to perform.
Several named actors make up the cast, with some reprising roles from the original and others taking on roles created for the reboot. While Dumbo will be brought to screen via CGI technology, Michael Keaton will star as V.A. Vadevere, the main villain who discovers Dumbo’s abilities and looks to take advantage of them. Danny DeVito is slated to play Max Medici, the ringmaster who’s small, struggling circus is bought by the Vadevere. Colin Farrell will take on the role of Holt Farrier, a former circus star who comes home from the war to work for the struggling circus and is put in charge of the young elephant. Eva Green will play Colette Merchant, a trapeze performer in the circus. Alan Arkin plays Wall Street tycoon J. Griffin Remington, yet another new character added for the reboot. The film will also feature child actors who interact substantially with Dumbo. The most notable omission is Dumbo’s mentor in the 1941 original, Timothy Q. Mouse, the character that encouraged the pachyderm to learn to fly.
Disney has set about the mission of recreating childhood memories with their own new twist, without straying too far from the stories that endeared audiences in the first place. We’ll see if viewers deem them successful in doing so in 2019, with the live-action versions of Dumbo, Aladdin, and The Lion King all scheduled for release within months of each other. And for fans not wanting to wait quite that long, Christopher Robin will hit theaters this August.