A major miscue and a magnificent accomplishment from Disney are among this week’s list of new DVD and Blu-ray offerings.
“Dumbo”; 1.5 stars: The original 1941 animated Disney classic film showed how the little elephant with floppy ears came to realize he was not a misfit through the support of his family and a close friend.
Instead of embracing that story, director Tim Burton opted to transform “Dumbo” into a live-action over-the-top examination of greed through what comes across as a demented version of Disneyland. So many story threads exist that nothing emerges as the central core.
At the top of the list of the monumental mistakes Burton and screenwriter Ehren Kruger (“Ghost in the Shell”) make is changing the film from one where the animals speak to focusing on the human characters. They should have taken a look at the wonderful job Jon Favreau did with making a live-action version of “The Jungle Book.”
“Cinderella”; 4 stars: If you are looking for a superb film from Disney, the animated tale is being re-released to mark the 70th anniversary. The production is so important in story and dazzling in design it was recently added to the National Film Registry.
At the heart is Cinderella, a young woman whose heart remains pure despite being treated like a servant by her cruel stepmother and stepsisters. That all changes when Cinderella gets to attend a royal ball with the help from her Fairy Godmother.
This is a masterpiece of film animation that should be in every collection.
Also on DVD
“Poison Rose”: Hard-drinking Los Angeles detective (John Travolta) must face a dangerous crime boss (Morgan Freeman) while looking for a missing woman.
“Manhunt”: Martin Clunes stars in this three-part drama based on the memoirs of former London Metropolitan police detective DCI Colin Sutton.
“Furie”: A trafficking ring ends up the target of the mother of one of the girls they kidnap.
“The Hummingbird Project”: Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgard star in this tale of two men who love to take big gambles.
