Courtesy: Walt Disney Studios
Walt Disney Studios is bringing its reboot of its animated classic Dumbo to DVD and Blu-ray later this month. The movie is scheduled for release June 25, just under three months after the movie made its theatrical debut. The movie was met with lackluster reactions from viewers and critics alike during its theatrical run, according to figures from Rotten Tomatoes and Box Office Mojo. The lackluster reaction is justified, considering the reboot’s story. This will be addressed a little bit later. The bonus content that is featured with the movie’s home release does make up at least a little bit for the problems posed through the movie’s story. It will be discussed shortly. The movie’s average price point in its home release is another notable element to consider in examining its whole. Each item noted here is key in its own way to the whole of the upcoming home release of Dumbo. All things considered, the movie’s home release is a presentation that the most devoted Dumbo fans will appreciate.
Walt Disney Studios’ forthcoming home release of its reboot of Dumbo is a presentation that will appeal mostly to the most devoted fans of the classic movie. That is due in part to the bonus content that is featured with the movie. Among the most notable of the featured extras that make up the movie’s bonus content are featurettes that examine the movie’s costumes, set design and story. Audiences learn through the bonus content, the train used in the update was in fact a real, scale model of the train featured in the animated 1941 movie. There is even footage showing the train in front of a green screen to prove the train is real, and not just another CG item. Viewers also learn through the noted features, the amount of work that went into making the movie look as close to the period as possible in which it was set. That includes the costumes and the look of the train and sets. That adds a certain level of appreciation to the movie, if only a little. Another interesting addition to the movie’s bonus content list is a group of interviews with the movie’s cast and director Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Batman, Batman Returns). Burton reveals in his interview segments that he had not in fact worked with Michael Keaton (Batman, Batman Returns, Spiderman: Homecoming) and Danniy DeVito (Matilda, Batman, Batman Returns) since the trio last worked on Batman Returns (1992). That is a long span of time apart. DeVito and Keaton do share their own entertaining anecdotes about the comparison of that movie to Dumbo, joking about how the roles have changed and how Keaton loves elephants in reality, and its role in his acting. Fellow Dumbo co-star Eva Green (Casino Royale, Penny Dreadful, Kingdom of Heaven) reveals an equally intriguing note of her own fears and how they were connected to her inexperience in acrobatics in her own interview. That is just one more item that makes the bonus content so interesting here. All of the items noted here will certainly engage and entertain audiences when Dumbo makes its home debut later this month. They are just some of the interesting commentaries featured in the movie’s bonus content. The note of Burton’s attention to detail with the sets and costumes adds its own interst, as the discussions lead to thoughts of another of Burton’s works – Big Fish. The movie is not mentioned directly, but the latent effect is the noted thoughts and comparisons of Big Fish. Stylistically, one cannot help but make a comparison between the movies. To that end, audiences – even those who might not like this latest take on Dumbo – will appreciate the look of Dumbo. Keeping that and everything else noted here in mind, the bonus content featured in the upcoming home release of Dumbo proves to be the movie’s saving grace, and more proof of the importance of a movie’s bonus content. Staying on this train of thought, Disney’s updated take of Dumbo leaves a lot to be liked in terms of its story, the movie’s most prominent negative aspect.
The story at the center of Disney’s new Dumbo reboot is a near complete re-imagining of the 1941 movie. In place of the original story in which Dumbo has to learn to believe in himself rather than luck, is a story that finds Dumbo basically being used by two businessmen for their own selfish purposes. Given, DeVito’s Max Medici does ultimately prove to have a good heart, but he has to go through his own personal lesson to get there. To that end, Max and V.A. Vandevere are both really just money-grubbers. Max is just the lesser of two evils. Add in the unnecessary romance subplot between Holt (Farrell) and Colette (Green) and things get even worse. Things get worse not just because of the unnecessary romance subplot, but the very fact that said plot was so predictable. It did not take a genius to know from early on that Colette’s character turn would happen. As if this is not enough, the very fact that Dumbo knew just which knobs to turn and levers to pull (and could even do the noted tasks) to shut down Dreamland is just not believable. The overly preachy animal rights message at the story’s end, and the overly preachy female empowerment messages also tied into the story do little to help the story. That is not to say that female empowerment is a bad thing. In fact it is a very good thing. However, the way in which that message was delivered here was a bit more preachy than powerful, if that makes any sense. When all of this is taken into consideration, the reality sets in that the story at the center of Disney’s new Dumbo reboot does a lot to detract from its presentation. Keeping that in mind, it makes the movie’s average price point quite important to consider.
The average price point for the upcoming home release of Dumbo is $26.88. That price is obtained using prices at Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble Booksellers and Books-A-Million. At the time of this review’s posting, the movie was not listed at Disney’s official store. The movie’s listing at movies.disney.com links to Best Buy, Target and Walmart. While the average price point is almost $30, the movie’s pricing is right on par with every other movie that Disney has released in recent memory. Its most inexpensive listing is through Amazon and Walmart at $24.96 while Barnes & Noble Bookseller’s price of $31.32 is the most expensive. The continuity (of sorts) of the movie’s price in comparison to Disney’s other movies is something that viewers will applaud, especially considering the problems posed by the movie’s primary content versus the positives of its bonus content. Keeping that in mind, while the primary content featured in Disney’s reboot of Dumbo is problematic, the movie’s most devoted fans will find it worth at least one watch. Its bonus content does at least a little bit to make up for the story’s problems. The pricing, for those noted devotees, is right in the same price range as Disney’s other home releases. To that end, the movie in whole proves to be a release that will certainly appeal to a certain targeted audience
The forthcoming home release of Disney’s Dumbo reboot is an intriguing new offering from Disney. Its bonus content is certain to keep audiences in general engaged and entertained. Its story, on the other hand, will appeal to a much more specific viewer base. Keeping all of this in mind, the average price range for the movie’s home release – which is in keeping with the range of Disney’s other home releases – proves to be its own positive for the movie. Keeping all of this in mind, Dumbo’s upcoming home release will certainly appeal to a very distinct group of the movie’s audiences. It is scheduled for release June 25. More information on Dumbo is available online now at:
Website: http://movies.disney.com/dumbo-2019
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DisneyDumbo
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Dumbo
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