DISNEY’S DUMBO: WHERE DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT

AD: We were sent a Dumbo plush, red nose and popcorn, and a £20 cinema voucher to review the little Dumbo Plush. All opinions are our own.

March 29th is circled on our calendar because, well, DUMBO. The first ride I ever sat on in Walt Disney World, and a treasured animation is coming to life once more on the big screen through the imagination of Tim Burton and a whole cast of amazing characters [Golden Globe winner Colin Farrell, Golden Globe winner Michael Keaton, Emmy and Golden Globe winner Danny DeVito, BAFTA Award winner and Golden Globe nominee Eva Green, to name a few] and animators. To say we’re excited is, well, ridiculous. We are holding it down and counting the days until we can visit Showcase cinema [and seeing Captain Marvel in the meantime].

We were sent a little 15cm Dumbo firefighter plush to help calm our excitement in therun–upp to the big day – and he’s adorable. Holding the “magic” feather in his trunk, the boys fly him around the house singing “When I see an elephant fly” at the top of their lungs, which is unfortunate for our poor new next door neighbour – but he’s probably welcoming the change from Shotgun that we’ve been singing, or the Greatest Showman theme. Haha. The plush is so well made and very lifelike unlike traditional Dumbo toys – and his little hat is shiny and sewn on [hooray] which means it won’t get lost. There are various Dumbo toys this size with different outfits, but we’re biased and love ours best.

Whilst Tim Burton directs the film, the screenplay is written by Ehren Kruger who will produce the film alongside exective producer Bigel Gostelow, aided by Katterli Frauenfelder, Derek Frey (from one of our favourites, Frankenweenie), and Justin Springer (TRON: Legacy). The film also plays host to some phenomenal creative talent including 4-time Academy Award-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood (Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland), Guardians of the Galaxy cinematographer Ben Davis, Academy Award-winning production designer Rick Heinrichs (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), editor Chris Lebenzon (Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent), and BAFTA Award-winning makeup artist Paul Gooch (Alice in Wonderland.) It’s going to be AMAZING. I can’t even begin to imagine how many tissues I will need for my and Yotie’s tears.

Without giving away too much, the story behind the live-action Dumbo production is that Circus owner Max Medici employs former star Holt Farrier and his children Milly and Joe to care for a newborn elephant whose huge, oversized ears make him a laughingstock in an already struggling circus.

When they discover that Dumbo can fly, the circus makes an incredible comeback, attracting entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere , who recruits the Dumbo for Dreamland, his newest entertainment venture.  Dumbo soars to new heights alongside a charming and spectacular aerial artist, Colette Marchant , until Holt learns that beneath its shiny veneer, Dreamland is full of dark secrets. Eeeeek! Roll on March 29th – we’re going to cuddle out little Dumbo until then!