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While you anxiously await the CGI lions from the live-action Lion King film—which is finally opening in theaters next week—why not enjoy the adorable CGI elephants in the live-action Dumbo, which is now available to rent or buy on demand?
When the original, animated Dumbo came out in 1941, it was only the fourth-ever Disney animated feature film. (The first three were Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, Pinocchio in 1940, and Fantasia in 1940.) It introduced the world to a large-eared baby elephant named Jumbo Jr.—nicknamed Dumbo by the cruel circus animals—who could fly. Dumbo has a hard life: His mother is locked, he fails his first big circus, he is turned into a clown, and he accidentally gets drunk (as a baby!). The film has been remembered not-so-fondly in more recent years for its depiction of racist stereotypes—most prominently the minstrel show-esque crows, whose leader is named Jim Crow—and its extended “pink elephants” drug scene.
Thankfully, the racism didn’t make it into Tim Burton’s 2019 remake, though the director—who his known for his dark and wacky films like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Alice in Wonderland—unsurprisingly kept the “Pink Elephants on Parade” as trippy as it ever was. He also added in a new, human-centric plot: Colin Farrell stars as a WWII veteran who is hired to care for the baby elephant, who is admittedly extremely cute. Michael Keaton plays the cut-throat amusement park owner who wants to exploit Dumbo, and Danny DeVito plays the circus ringmaster.
The film opened to mixed reviews but still raked in $352 million at the worldwide box office, which, anyone would agree, is a lot of money. Compared to some of Disney’s other live-action remakes, however, it underperformed, trailing behind Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, and more. But perhaps it will fare better in VOD sales. Dumbo is available on Prime Video to rent for $5.99 or to purchase for $14.99, and is also available on iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, or wherever you prefer to purchase digital content.
