
For Disney's latest live-action take on its films, Tim Burton returns to the studio to explore their famous flying elephant. But even as it expands its story with a new host of characters compared to the 1941 original, there isn't too much to avail from it.
It shows to take place after World War 1 where a traveling circus is led by Max Medici (Danny DeVito), and Holt Farrier (Colin Farrell) is a returning father trying to reconnect with his kids. Now this circus is struggling to get by, and that's when a baby elephant of an unusual anatomy is brought as the new attraction, showcasing the ability to fly! Now it's been a long minute since I watched the animated version, and I haven't really felt the need to thanks to its more controversial moments I've since learned of. In some ways, this retelling could be an improvement in that manner, even though human characters are taking the lead here. But that's where it may also be its downside: these human performances just feel a bit stale. That's regarding both the adult and child actors even if they're giving it their all, because I then wonder if one would rather just see the blue-eyed pachyderm more often.
In conclusion, it's one of Tim Burton's least macabre-themed films, but keeps that visual appeal so you could come in for that, for the cute elephant, and the reunion between DeVito and Michael Keaton. When stacking up with some of Burton's other classics however, this may only amount to so much. C+
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