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DUMBO ***
Dir: Tim Burton (PG, 130 mins)
Another plundering of the Disney back catalogue to ‘re-imagine’ a classic. This has Tim Burton at the helm to help us believe an elephant can fly. The original 1941 2D animation is a fabulous story of mother love, animal exploitation and a little boy’s struggles. Expanding that film’s slight 64-minute running time, Burton and scriptwriter Ehren Kruger have created a human set of characters around the original core story. Dumbo is born into circus life under the kindly auspices of Danny DeVito’s ringmaster Max Medici and entrusted to the care of Colin Farrell’s Holt, a circus rider who has lost an arm during the war; Dumbo’s presence in his life gives him a purpose. He and his children Milly (Nico Parker) and Joe (Finley Hobbins) raise Dumbo until news of the pachyderm’s ear capabilities spread. The small circus is gobbled up by slimy entrepreneur VA Vandevere (Michael Keaton turning on the oily charm), who, along with trapeze artist Eva Green, plans to exploit the plucky elephant’s capabilities. Expect trademark Burton visuals of Gothic whimsy, a quirky score by Danny Elfman and another tale of an outsider bullied by those who don’t understand his freakishness. Burton is a strong choice to retell the story, but let’s hope the magic of the original isn’t lost amidst the CGI spectacle. Opens Mar 29