Dumbo is the newest addition to Disney’s live action world, yet many people have disliked it. The Tomatometer scored it with a flopping 49% thought the Audience Score gave it a slightly higher 59%. Having been dragged to this film by my mom and sister on a rocking cruise ship, I thought it was okay. (Warning: spoilers ahead.)

In the movie, Baby Jumbo Jr. (later known as Dumbo) was born to Jumbo the elephant. While the whole circus hoped to earn tons of money the new Jr. attraction, he turned out to be a flop with big ears. As a result, workers started to beat his mother because they were disappointed in her. They attempted to hide Dumbo’s ears with a mask, but it fell off. Dumbo was ashamed, so Jumbo came into action, tearing the entire circus down, giving her the perception of a ferocious animal.

As a result, the circus shipped Jumbo off to the zoo, and Dumbo is left behind and alone at the circus. After losing nearly everything, the circus resorted to finding something Dumbo could do. They identified his ability to fly. With his big ears, he flew through the sky. Meanwhile, the ringmaster of the circus received an offer from Dreamland, a Disneyland-type park. He immediately took the offer and they started a new chapter of their careers.  

Whilst performing for the first time in Dreamland, Dumbo heard a noise, and recognized his mother’s voice. She was trapped inside the “Dangerous Animal” exhibit, and Dumbo wanted her out. He flew to the exhibit and the anxious crew followed. They attempted to free Jumbo from behind her bars. Dreamland’s president did not want to lose Dumbo, so he fiddled with the control panel. This resulted in a fire that burned Dreamland down. Dumbo and Jumbo were freed, and they boarded a ship home.

This movie was alright, but nothing special. Many people express that they do not enjoy live-action Disney movies, as they ruin the original. As a live-action version of Dumbo, it was an enjoyable movie for children, though it did not show the true magic that a Disney movie can possess.