Tim Burton to direct live-action 'Dumbo': Brilliant pairing or Disney's ruin?
Did you ever see an elephant fly? As it turns out, Tim Burton will be responsible for making sure you do.
Disney recently announced its classic story of 鈥淒umbo,鈥� the baby elephant with large ears, will be remade into a live-action film that will combine both live actors and computer generated effects. The film will be directed by Tim Burton, the filmmaker behind 鈥�Batman鈥� and 鈥淏ig Eyes,鈥� produced by Justin Springer of 鈥淭ron: Legacy,鈥� and written by Ehren Kruger of 鈥淭ransformers.鈥�
Notorious for spinning films in a dark, peculiar light, Burton is sure to take 鈥淒umbo鈥� in a unique direction. Will he turn Disney鈥檚 beloved classic into a magical wonderland or a disturbing nightmare?
This is not Burton鈥檚 first Disney project. He was behind the magic of 2010鈥檚 remake of 鈥淎lice in Wonderland,鈥� which grossed more than $1 billion worldwide, becoming one of Disney鈥檚 most successful live-action films. In this light, choosing Burton was not that difficult of a choice for Disney.
Walt Disney Pictures president of production Sean Bailey has said little about the film, which is still in development, . He did say of the story that 鈥渋t鈥檚 a big world,鈥� possibly alluding to a bigger story that Burton will tackle in the upcoming movie.
Fans of both Burton and Disney are already expressing their opinion of the announcement on Facebook and Twitter, and the majority seem skeptical. Helen Peterson : 鈥淟ord almighty. The pink elephants on parade gave me nightmares as a child. I can only imagine what Tim Burton鈥檚 version will do to me.鈥�
Others try to guess who will star in the film. With Tim Burton often using the same cast in many of his movies, social media users are curious what role Johnny Depp will play in the film.
Skeptics are also quick to point out the many , as well as unethical treatment of animals. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has already released a statement requesting that Burton alter the ending of the film. Lisa Lange, a PETA senior vice president, wrote an open letter to Burton:
"We're hopeful that in your adaptation of Dumbo, the young elephant and his mother can have a truly happy ending by living out their lives at a sanctuary instead of continuing to be imprisoned and abused in the entertainment industry," .
Regardless of your feelings towards the film and Burton鈥檚 capacity to reboot the classic, it is scheduled to happen. The release date has not been announced, but in time we will see what Burton has brewing.
