A cotton candy-colored sunset, bubbles floating and flexing into pachyderm proportions, even a trapeze act on a chandelier that could be from Gatsby’s mansion-while worth praising for direction, production, and performance, these effects can only carry everything so far. Visually, the film’s production is great, but the vacuum of emotion and interest renders the experience more benign than bold. Tim Burton’s Dumbo jumps from animation to live action, yet loses its emotion on takeoff.
But when the circus plans a new venture, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer. A young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, helps save a struggling circus.