Starring Eva Green, Danny DeVito, Michael Keaton, Nico Parker

Directed by Tim Burton

Disney, out now

When elephant Mrs Jumbo gives birth to a calf with oversized ears, it’s up to siblings Millie and Joe to protect him.

Nobody could accuse Tim Burton’s remake of the Disney classic (their fourth animated feature) of being a rush job – it was 78 years ago when Helen Aberdon and Howard Pearl’s novel first lit up the screen – and it soars back into the cinemas with a delightful new version that’s fit for the 21st Century. Gone are the problematic crows and in comes a strong girl with a desire to become a scientist, a great performance from Thandie Newton’s daughter, Nico Parker.

As you’d expect from a Tim Burton movie there’s a lot of boxes to be ticked from the appearance of regulars (or semi-regulars) like Eva Green, Danny DeVito and Michael Keaton, as well as behind-the-scenes favourites like costume designer Colleen Atwood and composer Danny Elfman (this is their 17th feature together). On the face of it, a Tim Burton movie set in a circus and carnival might not feel like much of a stretch, and there’s no escaping that this is familiar ground, but when you have an affinity to certain material, what the heck!

Dumbo himself is just adorable, and it’s all in those huge, blue eyes. None of the animals speak in this version – not even Timothy Q Mouse, who does make a brief appearance – meaning that everything relies on the expressions and the interactions with the humans. It’s heartbreaking when the infant is separated from his ‘dangerous’ mother, and your heart soars as he swoops round the big top. The original movie was only 64 minutes long and is covered off after 40 minutes or so in this version, making room for an entirely new act featuring Keaton’s businessman V A Vandevere and his Dreamland amusement park.

Kids will fall in love with the flying pachyderm, older ones will appreciate the nods to the original (including a remounting of Pink Elephants on Parade) and as a slice of family fantasy escapism it does exactly what it sets out to do. Importantly, it doesn’t try to better or replace the original, just gives us a variation and an opportunity to fly above the crowds.

The home entertainment version has the usual deleted scenes (fine for fans of Danny DeVito in particular), and assorted short pieces on the production of the movie. Easter Eggs on Parade picks up the obvious and not so obvious connections to the original film, and the behind the scenes segment on the CGI Dumbo includes the poor mo-cap operator!

Verdict: It’s not Burton’s most original work, and the story is fairly well signposted, but cynicism be damned – this is just a joyful film with positive things to say, from the writer of the Transformers films! Oh, and did I mention how adorable Dumbo is? And that song, Baby Mine… No, I’m not crying, YOU’RE crying! 8/10