Dumbo Movie Review

“Don’t just fly, SOAR.” -Dumbo

The other day I wrote a piece about the stars of Dumbo sharing their thoughts about the movie and why it was the perfect time to bring it back to the big screen. Now it’s time to talk about the actual movie and who should go see it. So let’s get to it…

Brief Synopsis – Much like the original Dumbo, made in 1941, there is the same story of an outcast elephant who is on a quest to find greatness. In this rendition the animals don’t talk, but we are able to understand all of their emotions with the help of the 2 young children who are part of the circus family. Danny DeVito, who plays the circus ring leader, falls on some hard times, but with the help of Collin Farrel, a retired military vet, and his children, they train Dumbo to fly and bring light to the circus again. Unfortunately, it also brings the attention to a famous businessman, played by Micheal Keaton, who has much bigger plans for Dumbo. He convinces DeVito to sell his circus to him and come to “DreamLand” where they will all be stars. It is there that the entire circus family discovers that they need to release Dumbo, find his mother and get them to safety.

What ages Do I Suggest to See it? I think this movie is great for all ages. Our kids are 4 & 6 and did great the entire time (obviously if you have a squirmy 2 year old that doesn’t sit for a 30minute cartoon, then this may not be for them). There is one “darker” part of the movie at “DreamLand” where you see lots of bigger, scary types of animals. If you have a super sensitive little one you may want to prepare them or consider seeing it first to determine if they would be alright.

Length – 112 minutes

Rating – PG

Released to the theater – March 29th, 2019

Other – This is a Tim Burton film, which in my opinion makes things fun and quirky. I would say it is not as dark as some of his other films like Nightmare before Christmas or Edward Scissorhands. I think this film is a great story of triumph and without giving the ending away, I love the solution they came up with for the animals in the circus.

Activity Pages – Here are some fun activities to do with your kiddos to get them excited for the movie (just click the link to print)!

Dumbo_pdf_coloringpage

Dumbo_pdf_maze

Dumbo_pdf_connectthedots

Dumbo_pdf_elephantfacts