Dumbo reviews roundup: Tim Burton's remake for Disney fails to fly with critics

Most critics weren't impressed by the director's take on the 1941 animation

Tim Burton's live action remake of the beloved 1941 Disney animation Dumbo is receiving mixed reviews from critics, with the majority condemning it for lacking the charm of the original.

Film critics have been sharing their thoughts on the new release, which stars Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito and Eva Green. It is scheduled for release on Friday 29 March.

Robbie Collin of The Telegraph said the film "hews too close to the studio's original animated masterpiece" but "its many departures only muddle the original's nursery-rhyme simplicity and neuter its famous sustained emotional wallop" – he gave it two stars.

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter said the actors in the film "do what they can" but have "too little to do". He suggested that the film manages to hold the attention of audiences but "too seldom tugs at the heartstrings". Slant's Keith Watson called it a "safer, blander film than the original".

The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw was particularly scathing. He gave the film one star and called it a "flightless pachyderm of a film that saddles itself with 21st century shame at the idea of circus animals".

Bradshaw also condemned the movie for making a mess of "the most famous scene: the brutally, brilliantly, almost unwatchably sad moment" where Dumbo's mother ends up in a tiny cart with the sign: "Danger, Mad Elephant."

There were some positive reactions, however. Empire's Ben Travis gave the movie four stars and praised it as "an enchanting blend of Disney twinkle and Tim Burton's dark whimsy, that's at its best when venturing off the beaten path".

The Independent's Geoffrey Mcnab also enjoyed the film. In his four star review, he said there was "plenty of humour and pathos" in Burton's re-imagining of the Disney classic and said the "subversive" live action "never feels bland".