Dumbo: An Update Of The Past
It’s been a few years since Disney has offered us adaptations of its most iconic classics. And obviously, it will not stop there. Have they exhausted all their ideas? Does the old one work better than the new? What is certain is that 2019 was the year of film revivals or, rather, reinventions. Aladdin , The Lion King and Dumbo are three classics that have been refreshed this year.
Here we want to focus on Dumbo , the little elephant with giant ears and exceptional talent. In 1941, this film struck everyone with dread for its harshness and for its estrangement from the more infantile and innocent version of Disney.
When the world heard that Tim Burton was going to helm the adaptation of The Little Elephant, longing and joy flooded the hearts of many of us. Who better than a quirky filmmaker to tell the life of a marginalized elephant? Sadly, times have changed and it looks like the early Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhand , Beetlejuice and Ed Wood, has gone.
This world being much more critical than that of yesteryear, we expected a protest version, a message of love for animals, a message of respect for our differences, a new ode to freaks. … It is true that, in part, there is a bit of this in the new version of Dumbo, but some elements were missing. How has the passage of time affected one of Disney’s darkest and deepest stories?
Dumbo, an update of values
Since the premiere of the animated version in 1941, it has rained a lot: values and society have changed so much that one could only expect a more raw and demanding version. The questions concerning animal abuse and the slavery from which certain species suffer because of our selfishness are increasingly controversial. Day after day, there are more and more cases of violence against animals and society. And society, in a way, is much more aware of this, although there is still a long way to go.
The first Dumbo , in reality, was just an attempt to correct the economic losses that Disney studios suffered after the release of the film (and failure) Fantasia (1940). Having little budget, they decided to launch a shorter feature film (the film lasts about an hour) and, at the same time, one of the most tearful.
By the time the new version was released, we were all expecting to see a version steeped in new influences, new currents. We expected an update of the values transmitted by the first version. They did in part, but it was not enough to reach the public.
Perhaps the expectations were too high: many of us have forgotten that, behind the name of Tim Burton, hid the Disney studios. These studios claimed to please a wider audience by appealing to nostalgia.
The differences
It is true that new technologies, especially CGI, offer us a more realistic and moving image than that of the first version of Dumbo. The filming is, moreover, realistic and did not involve the participation of animals.
However, it should also be noted that the essence of the film sometimes lacks depth: behind the aesthetic aspect, some points lack consistency. The feelings aren’t deep enough, and the film doesn’t pinpoint animal abuse, for example.
However, the new version of Dumbo offers us a more egalitarian scenario by drawing a parallel between fatherhood and motherhood, demonstrating that it is not only mothers who suffer and fight for the happiness of their children, but also the fathers. This parallel transcends species: we see an elephant mother who suffers and defends her child and, at the same time, a human father able to face different threats to ensure the well-being of his children.
In addition, the role of women is of vital importance in the new version, as well that of the little girls, the adult women as the female elephants. Tim Burton gives a place to the determined woman who moves away from the canons of 1941. Because, yes, in the first Dumbo , it would seem that motherhood is the only function of the woman. Women appear to be submissive, obedient and “gossip”. Fatherhood is barely visible there (and even less alone). Tim Burton has somehow managed to actualize these values.
A different intention
This new version was not a good opportunity to claim certain things? An opportunity to show the dark side of circuses that exploit animals and of society? It probably was. Nevertheless, after analyzing the film, we realize that the filmmaker’s intention was obviously not to get closer to the freak but to “saw off the branch on which he was sitting”.
Why do we say this? Because the new Dumbo is watered down: it lacks harshness, and the criticism ends up being deflected to an unexpected place. Many characters are flat and some feminist or animalist winks seem forced. We are far from the natural that we expected. The 1941 animated feature film was characterized for its harshness, its violence, and its rejection of differences, characteristics that seem to have flown away in the 2019 version.
Dumbo, a truth we all know
Tim Burton seems to have taken the opportunity to slip a criticism between the lines, to draw a parallel between the Disney studios and the great circus to which Dumbo is sent. Far from telling us about marginalization, Tim Burton preferred to paint a critique of the film industry and of capitalism.
We can see in Dreamland Park, the place where Dumbo is supposed to become a star, a representation of Disney Studios with its theme parks. It is the representation of a false happiness, a false illusion that can be bought with money.
The enemy is not the owner of the little circus; it is the stingy and wealthy partner who enslaves both human and animal workers. This man in a suit and tie who, thanks to his money, can get what he wants without worrying too much about the lives of his dependents.
Tim Burton’s Revenge
Tim Burton thus decides to saw the branch on which he was sitting; he criticizes these studios with which he has a love-hate relationship. The misunderstood takes revenge on those who have supported him economically. But who also cut off his wings by depriving him of his artistic freedom. And, like Dumbo, the only thing left to do is fight for his freedom.
Hardness does not manifest itself in the form of animal abuse. It manifests itself in the form of a theme park, a place dedicated to entertainment for those who can afford it, and where a business mogul gets rich sitting on his leather armchair. We can therefore say that values have changed, that the point of view is different and that, in the middle of 2019, being a star is no longer synonymous with success but with exploitation.
Tim Burton seems to have listened to the warnings of the association PETA (For Ethics in the Treatment of Animals). He did not use real animals in his film. And it gave Dumbo a second opportunity away from the fame, the spotlight and the circus.
In short …
The happy ending of the 1941 film featured a famous Dumbo that everyone admired. In 2019, happiness has nothing to do with fame but with those around you and your natural environment. This shows, once again, that circuses with animals are a thing of the past. The future pleads in favor of respect for animals and ethics towards those with whom we share the planet.
The 1941 version certainly upsets us more for its harshness and realism, even if it is an animation. We see an animal that suffers and is unfairly separated from its mother. Some aspects have not been sufficiently explored. However, the new Dumbo must be read between the lines and interpreted according to our present.
Tim Burton relies on his favorite actors like Danny de Vito or Eva Green to build a story which, beyond denouncing animal exploitation in circuses, constitutes a critique of our own lifestyle.
Our thoughts Jurassic Park marked the 90s; those who were children at the time probably still remember it. What message did he send us?
