#Colin Stork

[krautjunker]

Burgund: Pâté de faisan à la Bourgogne und das Fasanenfest vom Februar 1454 in Lille

von Hilke Maunder Im hügeligen Herzen von Burgund mit seinen Wäldern und Wiesen, kleinen Teichen und Flüssen sind Fasane heimisch. Und genau hier hat ein holländischer Aussteiger namens Colin Stork das 9000 Hektar große Jagdschloss Château de Villette gekauft und bietet Treib- und Suchjagden auf Fasan, Rebhuhn und Ente gemeinsam mit einem englischen gamekeeper an. Abb.: Château de Villette;…

[yen-sids-tournament]

Dumbo: Animated (1941) v Live Action (2019)

You do not have to see both to vote, but it might have been helpful.

Feel free to share opinions or explanations with comments/tags/rbs

[inspectormonroe]

14.61 The Stork

[thejohnfleming]

Colin Copperfield (1st of 3) - Behind the quirky scenes of Jesus Christ Superstar

Colin Copperfield (1st of 3) – Behind the quirky scenes of Jesus Christ Superstar

“Oozing energy… sheer delightful naughtiness” It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Zing! is a wildly entertaining autobiography by Colin Copperfield.  Colin started in showbiz aged 14 and has spent his life as an actor, dancer, singer and songwriter – including 25 years in the vocal group Wall Street Crash. He spent 3 years on cruise ships, 6 years on shows in London’s West End, including…

[vampirestookmydoubts]

Well I know he’s canceled and problematic but before I used to love watching the Cosby show. And that scene when little four year old Olivia is explaining where babies come from is hilarious and I would love to see it in a Bridgerton setting. Like when Eloise asks how children are made daughter!reader is there too and like is basically Olivia and informs them the same way she did and everyone’s just like...🤭😮. Please make it more Benedict centric. If you’re uncomfortable doing this request because of the whole Cosby thing I completely understand.

The stork seed

A/N: Thank you for the request! Tbh I never watched The Cosby Show, but I know of the controvery. I still wanted to do your request as I loved the idea of a 4-year-old explaining the world to Eloise lol. I watched the scene and read the transcription and I hope I was able to write it the way you wanted me to! I think I left it kind of open if y/n is the daughter of Violet or one of the siblings. Hope you like it!

Characters: bridgerton!reader, bridgerton!daughter, Benedict Bridgerton, Colin Bridgerton, Eloise Bridgerton, Violet Bridgerton, Daphne Bridgerton

Warnings: none

The living room of the Bridgerton estate was filled with the usual lively chatter and activity.

Benedict sat in his favorite armchair, sketching away, while you, the youngest one in the house at four years old, sat on the floor playing with one of the dolls Colin bought you on his latest travels.

Meanwhile, Eloise, the ever-curious Bridgerton, lounged on the sofa half-mindedly reading a book, her mind buzzing with questions.

Suddenly, Eloise looked up, her brow furrowed in thought.

"Benedict, can I ask you something?"

Benedict glanced up from his sketchbook, intrigued by Eloise's sudden serious tone. "Of course, sister. What's on your mind?"

"How does a woman come with child?" Eloise asked, her tone serious but tinged with nervous curiosity. The lively bustle of the remaining family in the room came to a sudden halt, their attention suddenly on her. “Eloise!”, Daphne exclaimed shocked, but her own curiosity was written in her face. Benedict's eyebrows shot up in surprise, caught off guard by the unexpected question. Before he could formulate a response, you, always eager to contribute you own unique perspective on life, chimed in from the floor.

"Everybody knows the stork brings them!" You declared proudly, eyes shining with conviction.

Benedict obviously struggled to contain his amusement, exchanging amused glances with Colin.

"Is that so, love?" he asked, barely managing to keep a straight face. "Yes, Mama told me!" you nodded vigorously, your expression earnest. “So, the stork puts the baby in the belly of the mother?”

Outraged by Colins question you shook your head. “No! The stork takes the baby from heaven and puts it in the bassinet.”

Eloise frowned at your response, still trying to make sense of it all. "But why do women get a big belly when it's the stork that brings the baby?"

You paused, considering the question for a moment before shrugging nonchalantly. "Mommy told me that mommies have a special seed in the belly!"

Eloise's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected explanation. "A special... seed?"

"Yeah!" You nodded enthusiastically. "Like the ones mommy plants in her garden! But only daddies have the baby seed."

Benedict and Colin struggled visually to contain their laughter at the innocence of your explanation and the discussion that unfolded in front of them.

"But then why could I feel something move in mommy's belly when she was pregnant with you, Y/N?" Eloise asked further, turning to you with a curious expression. "If it's the stork that brings the baby."

You paused for a moment before shrugging nonchalantly. "Oh, that's just gas from eating the seeds!"

Benedict couldn't hold back his laughter any longer, erupting into a fit of giggles, that infected the rest of the present family. Even Eloise couldn't help but chuckle at your matter-of-fact explanation.

"You mean to tell me," Benedict said between laughs, "that all those times Mama said she was feeling you kick, it was just... gas?"

You nodded earnestly with a serious expression. "Yep! Just gas from the seed."

Eloise shook her head in disbelief, still trying to wrap her mind around the absurdity of the situation, while you returned to play with your dolls. "Well, I suppose that's one way to explain it.", she murmured, sitting down between Colin and Benedict, crossing her arms. “You two know more about this, don’t you?”

“Have you ever been to a farm?”, Colin started, earning a slap against the back of his head by his brother, as Violet Bridgerton entered the room.

"What has everyone so amused?" Violet asked, a soft smile playing on her lips as she watched you play with your toys.

Colin grinned mischievously, looking back at his mother. "Oh, we were just explaining to Eloise how babies are made, Mama. According to Y/N, it involves a stork, a special seed from the garden, and a bit of gas." Violet’s smile slipped into a face of shock and indignation, a faint pink creeping onto her cheeks. “Colin Bridgerton, stop encouraging your sister in such delicate subjects!” Benedict stifled a laugh, which earned him a strict gaze from his mother. “Don’t get me started on you, Benedict!” Raising his hand in defence, the second eldest returned to his sketchbook not being able to hide the smile on his lips.

In this moment he couldn't help but feel grateful for his quirky and lovable family. Life with the Bridgertons was certainly never dull, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

[sea-owl]

Gothic Featherington AU

Cressida's child talking to Polin kids:

Cressida Child: ...and then mother kissed father, and the angel told the stork, and the stork flew down from heaven, and put the diamond in the cabbage patch, and the diamond turned into a baby!

Jane: Oh our parents are having a baby too!

Agatha and Thomas: They had sex.

Pfft they would. Though it be very hard to hide with Colin and Penelope being very openly loving on each other.

[the-graves-family]

On the family: Animals

Aaron: scorpions, spiders and snakes

Ace: deer, butterflies and rabbits

Adrian: dogs, rats and crows

Victor: elk, elephants and wolves

Colin: ducks, storks and bees

Michael: tigers, cranes and foxes

Jasper: platypuses and koalas

[bimbogardevoirnoal]

Good Little Cum Guzzler - Dawson to Colin.

"Not bad for a little lamb," the equine-canine hybrid said with a smile, storking her cock as she covered the cherub sheep with cum.

*colin bleets as the horse cock spews another fat load on his face* "o-oh, it's so much, so sticky and musky"

[thefirthening]

PSA: WE NEED TO HAVE A SERIOUS CONVERSATION ABOUT COLIN FIRTH’S LEGS...

Seriously what the hell. They go all the way up to his neck.

SIR! SIR ARE YOU IN NEED OF MEDICAL ASSISTANCE?! DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH ROOM FOR YOUR ORGANS WITH YOUR LEGS COMING DIRECTLY OFF YOUR STERNUM!?

Literally like what the fuck? He’s a human Salvador Dali painting.

LOOK AT HIM NEXT TO A NORMAL HUMAN! HE HAS A TEN FOOT STRIDE BECAUSE HE IS 80% LEG!

This has been a PSA about Colin Firth and his insanely long legs.

[scarletteflamerald]

hello!! I'm here to remind you to take care of yourself! drink some water and something you like! Also, for the ask game: Petal; favorite novel and author?

Aw thank you!! I'm actually decent about keeping myself hydrated these days but I did get up and drink some water because of this :)

And ohhhh what was I thinking I can never choose favorites!!! But here's a few books that I remember really liking:

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

The Illuminae trilogy by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

The Trickster duology and Beka Cooper trilogy by Tamora Pierce

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester

The Pellinor series by Alison Croggon

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (also Princess Ben)

The Birthright trilogy by Gabrielle Zevin

Wildwood by Colin Meloy

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain

(although I haven't read some of them in a very long time so. no promises on quality if you decide to check them out)

And some of my favorite authors include:

me ;) (check out my writing blog @amateur-authorial-aspirations )

Tamora Pierce

Vivian Vance Velde (that NAME amiright)

Gail Carson Levine

Marie Lu

Rick Riordan

Tanith Lee

E. D. Baker

L. M. Montgomery

Harper Lee

and many many more but that's all for now!!

[winsonsaw2003]

I’m Looking For Descendants Of Edmund Augustus Blundell (1804-1868)

Edmund Augustus Blundell,Commissioners of Tenasserim from(1833-1843)/Resident Councillor of Malacca from(1847-1849)/Resident Councillor of Penang from(1849-1855).Born in 1804.Son of William Blundell & Mary Ann ?.He joined the service of the H.E.I.C. in the Straits Settlements in 1820 as a writer. In 1823 edition he is an assistant to the collector; in 1825 he is a deputy collector. From 1826 to 1834 he is an assistant to the Commissioner for Mergui and Tavoy. In 1835 he becomes a Commissioner for Mergui and Tavoy. From 1836 to 1840 he is a Commissioner in the Tenasserim provinces. He married to Meliora Mynors Farmar.Beside that,he had a Burmese mistress who had given him 11 childrens.He gave them his name and sent them to be educated in Calcutta and England.He died in 1868 at Harrogate.

His issue -

ai)Fanny Blundell(1837-1924) married to Kenneth Bruce Stuart Robertson.

Their issue:-

bi)James Bruce Robertson(1860 - 1941)married Emily Bertha Neubronner.

His issue:- ci)Archibald Bruce Robertson (1892 - 1927) married Ethel May Stork.

His issue:-

di)Elinor Robertson married ? Proctor.

cii)Emily Mabel Stuart Robertson (1886 - )married Frank Goodall.

ciii) Constance Ethel Robertson (1887 - ) married Gilles Hennus. bii) Charles Harry Everton Robertson (1857 - 1930) married Henrietta Anna Phillipine van Delder.

His issue:- ci) ? Robertson(1889).

cii)Charles John Stuart Robertson (1891 - 1923) married Wilhelmina Beck.

ciii)Henry Everton Robertson (1893 - ? )married Vera Dorothy Westlake.

civ)Archibald Wallace Robertson (1895 - 1954)married Irene Elizabeth McLeod. cv)Frank Dudley Vincent Robertson (1903 - 1943)married Marjorie Tann. biii)Elizabeth Robertson (1862 - 1954)married Alfred Howard Vincent Newton.

Their issue:- ci)Maud Jessie Newton (1883 - )married William Joseph Mayson.

cii)William Howard Newton (1885 - 1919)married 1stly Catherine McWhirter Cowan and 2ndly,Oswald Phillip Griffith-Jones.

ciii)Lillian Allan Newton (1894 - ).

biv)Fanny Stuart Robertson (1868 - )married Anthony Hannay Raeburn.

Their issue:- ci)Agnes Marjorie Raeburn (1889 - )married Vivian Thomas Dyer Smith. cii)Anthony Charles Stuart Raeburn (1890 - ). ciii)Francis Colin Raeburn (1892 - ).

civ)Douglas Alfred Raeburn (1894 - )married Victoria Mary Sutton.

His issue:-

di)John Raeburn married Padday. cv) Lionel Stanley Raeburn (1896 - )married 1stly Edith Kathleen Gibson and 2ndly Kathleen Mary Innes-Haddon.

His issue:-

di)Valerie Raeburn married ? Kempis.

Their issue:- ei)Deidre Ann Kempis married Mark Shepherd. eii)Christopher Kempis. cvi)William Hannay William Raeburn (1907 - ). cvii)Ailsa Fanny Grace Raeburn (1915 - 2001)married Francis Edward Templer. bv)Edmund John Robertson (1855 - )married Elizabeth Shackleton.

His issue:-

ci)Kenneth Bruce Stuart Robertson (1884 - ).

aii)Augusta Blundell married to Michel Jules Moniot. aiii)Mary Blundell married to Capt. George Tod Wright.

Their issue:-

bi)David Moncrieff Wright(1849-1895). bii)Jessie Augusta Wright (1851) Singapore. biii)Arthur Blundell Wright (1853-?)married to ?

.His issue:-

ci)David Moncrieff Wright.

cii)Richard Moncrieff Wright. biv)Mary Alma Wright (1855-1924).

bv)Maxwell James Wright (1858-1927)married Edith Graham Campbell.

His issue:- ci)Effie Graham Wright(1890-?)married to William Cowan Glegg. cii)Rev. George Tod Wright(1892-?).

ciii)Mary (Minnie) Moncrieff Wright(1894-?). civ)Maxwell Campbell Wright(1896-?).

cv)James Campbell G. Wright(1901-?). cvi)Ninian Blundell Wright(1905-1993). bvi)Louis William Wright(1864-?)married to Bridget Bowler.

His issue:- ci)Gordon Francis Moncrieff Wright(1899-?). bvii)Jessie Moncrieff Wright (19 February 1865-1948). bviii)Alice Georgina Wright (19 February 1865, St Andrews -1951).

bix)Augustus Frederick Wright (24 June 1866),St.Andrews. bx)Hector Charles Wright (24 June 1866) St Andrews. bxi)Alfred Victor Wright (1868),St Andrews. bxii)Amy Constance Wright (1869-1950), Scotland. aiv)Ann Blundell married to Adolph Emil Schmidt.

av)Lucy Blundell married to William Willans Willans.

Their issue:- bi)Thomas Church Willans(?-1890) married to ?. His issue :- ci)Bessie Gwendoline Willans married to Roderic Arthur Clapham.

bii)William Blundell Willans married Amy Jeune. His issue:- ci)Gordon Jeune Willans(1883-1963)married to Ruth Inskip.

His issue:- di)Robert Inskip Willans(1917-2001)married to Elizabeth Tuffield. His issue:- ei)Carolyn Mary Jeune Willans married to Stephen G.Townsend. dii)William Digby Willans married to Enid Kathleen Mercer.

cii)Sir Frederick Jeune Willans(1883-1949) married to Wynefred Manby.

ciii)Maxwell Jeune Willans(1886-1906). civ)Norman Jeune Willans(1892-1948). cv)Lucy Jeune Willans. cvi)Elsie Jeune Willans. cvii)Eva Jeune Willans(1883-1937) married Townsend Shaw.

cviii)Alan Jeune Willans(1896-1918).

biii)Harry Walter Willans married to Catherine Vaughan de Jersey Clere.

His issue:- ci)Willam Murray Willans married to Blanche Rose Walker.

His issue:-

di)Malcolm Murray Willans married Eileen Spurdle.

His issue:-

ei)Ashley Willans married Lizanne Hogg.

eii)Ian Willans married Jenny Blinkhorn.

eiii)Suzanne Willans married Peter Linklater.

dii)Harry Leonard Willans married to Dorothy Mary Johnstone.

His issue:- ei)Neil Robert Willans married to Sandra Dymond.

His issue:-

fi)Mark James Willans.

fii)Julie Sara Willans.

eii)Sally Diane Willans married Roger Menzies.

Their issue:-

fi)Erin Leigh Menzies.

fii)Kelly Andrea Menzies.

fiii)Scott Andrew Menzies.

eiii)Delys Marie Willans.

cii)Lucy Willans married Ernest Picot.

Their issue:- di) David Picot.

dii)Peter Picot. diii)Nancy Picot married Bob Hope-Gibbons. div)Elizabeth Picot.

ciii)Dorothy Willans married Percy Hodson.

Their issue:-

di)Catherine Hodson. dii)Sydney Hodson. diii)Mary Hodson.

div) Fraser Hodson.

dv) Pam married Jim Sharpe.

Please contact me at - winsonsaw20032000@yahoo.com

[johannadc]

Irene Adler and Gabrielle Valladon, Much in Common

I've figured out why, in the original Arthur Conan Doyle “A Scandal in Bohemia”, Irene Adler gets away and outwits Sherlock Holmes, but in the Sherlock remake, “A Scandal in Belgravia” (the first episode of season two, written by Steven Moffat), Sherlock outwits her. It's because “A Scandal in Belgravia” mixes an awful lot of The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes into the Doyle case. (That film, released in 1970, was written and directed by Billy Wilder and is one of Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss' favorites.)

Spoilers for both follow, obviously. 

I don't think the episode can be considered a remake, exactly, of the movie, but some of the key and most memorable scenes are remarkably similar. Consider these, once the case with Irene Adler fully begins in the TV episode. (Movie first / TV second.)

* A beautiful, mysterious woman appears nude to the detective (Gabrielle Valladon (Genevieve Page) / Irene Adler (Lara Pulver)).

* A cynical, slender Mycroft (Christopher Lee / Mark Gatiss) is working on an active operation for the British government. We spend much more time with Mycroft than ever in the ACD stories. 

* This operation is interrupted by Sherlock (Robert Stephens / Benedict Cumberbatch) solving a case while manipulated by this woman, who is secretly a spy for someone else.

* He is able to do this by overhearing a message for Mycroft that contains a code name (a messenger / a phone call).

* That operation involves a substituted vessel whose passengers aren't what they seem (the first submersible (submarine) disguised as the Loch Ness monster crewed by midgets / an airplane flight full of dead people). 

* Mycroft tells Sherlock to drop it; he doesn't. During this conversation, Mycroft tries to embarrass Sherlock about sex (a story about babies being brought not by the stork, but by the midwife / "how would you know"). 

* The woman is seen sleeping in Sherlock's bed, which discomfits Watson (Colin Blakely / Martin Freeman). 

* Then she flirts with Holmes, making him uncomfortable and Watson appear to be jealous (kisses him on the cheek / says she'd have him on the desk). 

* Sherlock is taken off to an odd location where Mycroft berates him for his interference. 

* Later, when the operation is discovered, Mycroft gets told off by a woman (Queen Victoria / Irene Adler). 

* Only after everything seems lost does Holmes turn the tables on the woman. Sherlock nearly commits treason because he's flustered by her manipulations, but he's still able to break the code she's using (using her parasol for sending Morse / the phone passcode).

* She is complimented by Mycroft as "much better than most operatives working for British intelligence" / "I wish our lot were half as good as you."

* Holmes is told, months later, that the woman has been executed in another country.

The significant difference here is that, in the movie, she’s apparently really dead, because Holmes takes himself off to mourn in his room with his cocaine. 

Outside of the main case, in the movie, Watson yells at a pipe, thinking it’s Holmes. He has set up a system to smoke multiple cigarettes and pipes at once to study the different ashes. Watson is angry at Holmes for spreading a rumor that the two are more than friends. 

In the show, in this episode, John teases Sherlock about two hundred and forty different types of tobacco ash when comparing their blogs. John punches Sherlock (admittedly, at his request) to get into Irene's house. Later, he is told by Irene that he and Sherlock are a couple, which he tries to deny. 

In the show, this episode is where we first see Sherlock in a deerstalker, to avoid the press (doesn't work). In the movie, Holmes berates Watson for his having to wear his distinctive hat and caped coat because of the stories in the Strand.

I have to say, the Watson in the movie is a bit of a ninny, often there for comic relief. I much prefer the modern.

Oddly, in the movie we find out that Holmes doesn't trust women because he was going to marry the daughter of his violin tutor but she died 24 hours before the wedding of influenza.

[colinlegsfordays]

Colin Firth:

-has a small waist perfect for holding

-has long legs like a damn stork

-looks great in a suit

-has fluffy hair with little curls

-likes to read

-has a wonderful sense of humour

-always looks bashful whenever he's complimented

-is baby

[the-real-zhora-salome]

If you could select Tom’s next project, which director (or producer / writer / co star) would you pair with Tom. I’m a tad envious that Robert Pattinson has such a great mix (though he’s great), but would love for Tom to jump back into the ‘conversation’ as he elegantly says. He deserves a great collaboration. Any thoughts?

This ask is a few days old and as such got overtaken by reality yesterday. But it's the sort of ask that I'm not getting nearly often enough *hint hint* 😉 so I will gladly answer it now. 

A quick word about White Stork. I have neither seen Jericho nor Taboo, so both Christopher Dunlop and Kristoffer Nyholm were not on my radar at all. Both shows are nothing to scoff at, though, so I'm excited so see what they do with it! Hell, I am excited one way or the other, it's Tom's next project! LOL

This will absolutely not be a complete list, because I'm sure that I will forget lots of people.

I'll go with directors first: 

Top of my list are people like Denis Villeneuve, Christopher Nolan, Steven Soderbergh, Sam Mendes, Danny Boyle, Noah Baumbach, Rian Johnson, Ridley Scott, Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu, JJ Abrams. I'd love to see him work with people like Kenneth Branagh, Joanna Hogg, Susanne Bier, Steven Spielberg and Ben Wheatley again. 

Producers: most of these directors are their own producers, or work mostly with the same producers, so them. Damon Lindelof. JJ Abrams. 

Writers: same as with producers, many of these directors are also writers, so I'd love to see Tom work with them, of course. I've also always liked Tony Gilroy's scripts. I adored Eric Heisserer's script for Arrival, so he would be on my list too. JJ Abrams. Martin McDonagh. 

There are a few writers/producers/showrunners that I would love to see Tom work with. Chris Chibnall (I loved Broadchurch), Jed Mercurio (I loved Bodyguard and Line Of Duty), Paul Abbott (I loved Shameless, State Of Play, Exile), Shane Meadows (The Virtues wrecked me). 

As for co-stars: basically any actor that I like! LOL 

Top of the list, off the top of my head: Amy Adams, Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Colin Farrell, Ewan McGregor, James McAvoy, Scarlett Johansson, Lizzie Olsen, George McKay, Russell Crowe, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, Laura Dern, Elisabeth Debicki, Zawe Ashton, John Simm, Jake Gyllenhaal, John David Washington, Lashana Lynch, Naomie Harris, the list goes on and on and on... Might be easier to ask me who I DON'T want to see Tom work with. Heh. 

When it comes down to is, though, I will just do what I've always done: I will let Tom surprise me. I am not one of those fans that have very clear expectations or preferences for what they want to see, and simply won't see a movie/tv series if those expectations aren't met. I will go with whatever Tom chooses, whichever genre, director, writer etc. Even if it means for me to have to think outside my box. I may not always end up liking everything in equal measures, but I think it's wrong to close yourself off to certain possibilities from the outset. You may prevent yourself from being pleasantly surprised. 

[brodabroad]

It’s 5.20 Saturday evening. We had a few restful hours at the lodge, swimming, looking for activity at the waterhole, chilling. I saw lots of baboons, some gnus (aka wildebeest), a warthog and lots of birds. Apparently I missed a giraffe lumbering through.

Colin took some of us for a short drive to a painted dog sanctuary. It was extremely interesting and I finally got to buy some souvenirs. The local people are making them out of beads, local grasses and the wire which is found in the park, which poachers use to snare animals. They find 60-70 snares a day. The painted dogs aren’t a target of the snares but they are victims and their numbers are dwindling. So, the wire is recycled into items which are sold at the sanctuary, the bulk of which goes to help the locals help themselves.

So, I have left the others sitting on the balcony of the lodge and am sitting in the hide, closer to the waterhole. It’s 36deg so I have a Zambezi beer, my camera and my binoculars and I’m watching two inert crocodiles, one on the bank and one in the water. The one on the bank is hoping to nab the eggs of the Malibu storks nearby. At 5pm last night Colin saw a leopard on the other side of the waterhole and soon after that, the elephants came in, and came very close to the hide. I hope the action happens soon, as sundowners is being served shortly after 6pm and I don’t want to have to make a tough choice!

After dark, about 100 elephants came to within touching distance of the hide. Lots of viewers had to lean back as they were very close. Tempting to reach out and touch them but they’d take you away with them if you did.

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Movie Review: Dumbo (Spoilers)

Spoiler Warning: I am posting this review the day after the movie is first released in the U.K, so if you haven’t yet seen the movie, go and see it and then read on.

General Reaction:

/I have fallen in love with Tim Burton’s take on Dumbo, the character not the movie. He is so adorable in places just so full of innocence that it is impossible not to fall in love with him by the end of the movie. The movie is a slow-burn I think depending on your level of enjoyment of the 1941 animated movie as well as your willingness to believe in the Disney magic. I always at least a toe in the pool of Disney magic with any Disney movie I see and that 1% of pure belief actually thought Dumbo was real.

Now when it comes to the movie as a whole, I had a good time. Just like I would if I went to the circus or an amusement park in real life, I enjoyed the spectacle and the wonder what the movie offered me. However, the fact the original animated movie is just 64 minutes whereas this 2019 version is 112 minutes did flare up red lights for me as I didn’t know how exactly they were going to add pretty much an hour of extra content to a movie that pretty much drags as it is from what I remember.

I haven’t seen the original animated movie for about 15 years if not more, but by memory the movie was “A stork brings baby Dumbo to his mother who is part of a travelling circus but he has big ears so everyone sees him as a freak and dress him up as a clown-act. He befriends a mouse who gets him drunk and he sees pink elephants, they both discover he can fly with a feather after meeting a quartet of racially-stereotypical crows who help him reunite with his mother...end of movie”. This was definitely a more fleshed-out and, in my opinion, more adult adaptation while still maintaining Disney’s family-friendly nature.

Focusing on more human characters than just the one ringmaster when you haven’t got that first-hand perspective of talking animals is definitely the right decision, and fortunately they did not pull focus from the start that is Dumbo himself. However, all the main human characters were rather compelling and charming in their own way and all of them simply aided to making Dumbo that much more adorable and cute.

When you hear Tim Burton is directing a movie, you are looking for the wonder, the macabre and the unique Burtonisms that brought us Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman and Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter....in the first Alice movie. However, for the first half of this movie I was not seeing what I was expecting from him, until Dumbo’s first circus performance where we and he see the acts before he goes on...including Burton’s reimagining of the pink elephants. With the original Dumbo had Dumbo drink and see them, I was slightly Burton was going to make a live-action baby elephant drink, fortunately thought it was merely part of the circus performance with pink elephant bubbles that somehow came to life, believe in the Disney magic!

The scene that had me on the edge of my seat was the clown scene when Dumbo was trapped on that ledge with the fire and I was holding my breath so worried for him. When a movie can make me care that much about a CGI elephant it’s something special.

Also, it is slightly concerning that the villain of the movie is essentially Corporate America, in the shape of Michael Keaton. If there were villains in the original I feel it was simply humanity in general whereas here they showed the good, the bad and the corrupted sides of humanity and that, to me, is a lot more realistic and better storytelling.

But when you consider that Keaton’s amusement park “Dremland” is very similar to the theme parks of today and this inspires Danny DeVito’s ringmaster of the circus character to make his circus more family and animal friendly whih also seems to be a very early version of DisneyWorld is either Disney commenting on themselves or on theme parks in general.

Cast:

Aside from the animals, you had many supporting human characters both in the Medici Bros. Circus and Keaton’s business associates. Front and centre is Colin Farrell who is surprisingly a WWI soldier who lost an arm during the war, this was a surprise because it was never revealed in the trailers and the only shots we see of him are most likely with the prosthetic he has. I thought the loss of his wife wasn’t as heavily felt in the movie but his for for his kids was.

The kids were okay, I am not seeing anything great here but I never really see anything great from kids in Disney movies usually, with the exception of Mowgli in The Jungle Book.

Eva Green was fabulous in this movie, I have not yet seen her star power fully shine yet because I am still seeing Helena Bonham-Carter-lite probably because Burton seems to be turning her into that. I thought the French “Queen of the Skies” they created for her was very well used in the context of the movie, the only thing I believe will hurt the character, and Eva Green, is the fact that we have very recently seen a flying trapeze lady with Zendaya’s character in The Greatest Showman and while Colin Farrell’s Holt and Zac Efron’s Phillip Carlyle are different characters, both fill that kind of middle-management/underling in their respective circuses and while Holt and Colette never explicitly have a romance in this movie it does just draw comparisons.

Danny DeVito as a circus ringmaster calls back to his turn as The Penguin in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns because Cobblepot there led a circus troupe although slightly more demonic than this group. Also, from when we first meet Medici, I had so many callbacks to his other Disney role as Philoctites in Hercules with his talk about “Rule number 1″.

As I said Michael Keaton is the villain and reasonable as a villain, although I do feel it draws more on campy than threatening at times. There are a couple of moments when he enters a room and almost sing-speaks to the point where I thought he was going to burst into song, being a Disney movie. But fortunately the only song in this movie is Baby, Mine and not sung by him.

The actual troupe are great diverse characters, however much like Shazam! it does seem to be where the diversity is.as the main cast are all Caucasian. The snake charmer, the strongman and the mermaid are the three that stand out and surprisingly the mermaid is Rae from My Mad Fat Diary. Interesting to see how far people come. She was very wooden, particularly during the song, but she was passable. I particularly loved the elephant breakout plan at the end of the movie as it felt like they all used the strengths that made them circus performers in the first place.

Going Forward:

Because Disney does only really seem to be wanting to be showing updated versions of these animated classics, I don’t see this movie going anywhere after the conclusion of the film. But honestly, that scene where Dumbo and his mother are freed from the amusement park and find safe haven in India along with a herd of their kind was beautiful and seeing Dumbo flying around the grove was the moment where I welled up because it was just so perfect an ending.

However, if they wanted to somehow attempt to link up these live-action movies, they could have had an adult Mowgli appear looking over the grove or seeing Dumbo fly by. I know it may never happen but it would have been exciting, even as a mid-post-credits scene.

Recommendation:

I had a lovely time watching this movie, I never felt bored or like I wasted my time. I would gladly see it again and do remember most of the key moments. If you are someone who wants to believe in the Disney magic then you will see it here, if you are someone who wants an updated version of the animated movie then you will have that. If you just want a great family-friendly movie then you will definitely have that. Just go and have a great time.

Overall I rate the movie a 7/10, it’s a good live-action adaptation ahead of Cinderella and Oz but below Beauty and the Beast and The Jungle Book. Somewhere on par with Maleficent and 101 Dalmatians. I enjoyed myself and I am glad I saw it.

So that’s my review of Dumbo, what did you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Disney Movie Reviews as well as other Movie Reviews and posts.