At CinemaCon, Disney finally addressed the elephant in the room.
And no, we’re not referring to the super-secret title to Avengers 4, or the whereabouts of one Clint Barton, but Tim Burton’s live-action Dumbo movie, which is shaping up to be every bit as adorable as we’d come to expect.
How do we know? While delivering a preview of its live-action fairytales, the Mouse House offered a sneak peek at that little grey elephant with the oversized ears, and he looks incredible. Those in attendance were also treated to some footage of Eva Green, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito and Colin Farrell moseying their way through Tim Burton’s stylized circus.
Currently incubating in post-production ahead of its arrival next year, Dumbo was screened alongside fellow live-action remakes like Aladdin and The Lion King, though Burton’s reimagining arguably stole the show on cuteness alone.
That CG magic can be traced back to Tim Burton’s list of long-time collaborators, given the likes of Oscar-winning production designer Rick Heinrichs and four-time Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood pitched in for Dumbo. The illustrious filmmaker also reteamed with Chris Lebenzon, a film editor and two-time Oscar nominee, while DP Ben Davis (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) is responsible for the movie’s cinematography.
The question, really, is whether Dumbo can become more than the sum of its parts. To their credit, the folks over at Disney are on a roll when it comes to live-action fairytales, particularly after delivering The Jungle Book and Beauty and the Beast back-to-back. So it’d be foolish to underestimate the Mouse House’s latest effort.
Tim Burton’s circus will swing its doors open to Dumbo on March 29th, 2019 – three short weeks after the release of Captain Marvel.