We have an exclusive look at concept art from Dumbo featured in Dumbo: The Official Movie Special delivers early designs of pivotal scenes and the imaginative sets. Over the last several years, Walt Disney Studios has been going back to their vault of animated movies and remaking them for the big screen again in live-action. This practice has brought about much success for the studio, and there is hope that 2019 will feature more of the same.
Based on the original 1941 animated classic, Disney hired Tim Burton to direct the new and expanded version of Dumbo. While the original film focuses primarily on the large-eared elephant, the live-action version introduces the Farrier family and other humans as key players to Dumbo’s story. Dumbo has only been in theaters for a few weeks now, and even though it has received some lackluster reviews, many have found the visuals to be particularly memorable.
Related: 30 Things Everyone Missed In The Live-Action Dumbo
Screen Rant has an exclusive look at concept art from Disney and Titan’s book Dumbo: The Official Movie Special, which is now available to buy. The first piece of art shows the early stages of Dumbo’s clown routine as a firefighter, an iconic scene from the original animated feature. Production designer Rick Heinrichs spoke to the importance of the scene saying it is “an important element we’ve preserved from the original film.” This concept art can be seen below, followed by a look at the designs for the giant sets of Dreamland.
Heinrichs says that Dreamland has an “optimistic futurism” design to it, but also shared details on the specific look that Burton was looking for. According to Heinrichs, “Tim [Burton] wanted us to harken to the defiantly forward-looking World’s Fair park aesthetic of the ’30s.” Along with these two breathtaking pieces of art, Disney also provided previews of two insert pages that tell the story of Dumbo and details on the world famous trapeze artist Colette Marchant, played by Eva Green. See both of these below.
While concept art may not always be an accurate representation of what is shown in a movie, these pieces from Dumbo: The Official Movie Special are true to what audiences saw in the theater. The gigantic sets of Dreamland are fully realized as both Burton and Heinrich imagined. Their successful collaboration is no surprise either, as Dumbo marks the sixth time the pair have worked together. They first joined forces for Sleepy Hallow in 1999, and followed this up with Planet of the Apes in 2001, then Frankenweenie and Dark Shadows in 2012 and Big Eyes in 2014.
Fans of Dumbo can get their hands on this art and much more by purchasing Dumbo: The Official Movie Special, which is now on sale. The hardcover book offers an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the movie, and includes exclusive interviews with the cast and crew of the film, including Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Colin Farrell, Eva Green, and more. Dumbo: The Official Movie Special costs $19.99 and can be found at several major retailers.
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