Even just going by the trailers, it looks like audiences will find themselves in floods of tears when they see an elephant fly in Tim Burton’s live-action Dumbo. The first of three Disney reimaginings arriving year, the latest film from the kooky auteur is arriving in just over two months, an adaptation and expansion of the story of the big-eared circus elephant who discovers his inner magic in a cruel world. The 1941 animation is known for its melancholy and unsettling moments – and with Burton on board this time, the central hero’s ultimately heartwarming story is sure to be tempered with some darkness.
“Tim is suspicious of things getting too sweet,” Colin Farrell tells Empire in the upcoming new issue. The star, who plays human lead Holt Farrier, a war veteran hired to look after the young elephant, adds that the director is a big kid in his element working on the childhood classic. “When Tim comes in to give his noted, he is a 60-year-old. [But] watching the monitor, he is just a child. It was lovely to see that level of engagement.”
Read more about Tim Burton’s Dumbo in the Captain Marvel* issue of *Empire, hitting newsstands on Thursday 24 January – and available to order online here{
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