Dumbo (2019)

Storyline Dumbo (2019), In 1919, Holt Farrier, an equestrian performer and World War I amputee, returns to Sarasota, Florida, to the Medici Brothers’ Circus, managed by Max Medici. The circus faces financial difficulties, and Medici discloses that he had to sell his horses following the death of Holt’s wife, Annie, due to the Spanish flu. After Holt shares that he lost his arm in the Battle of the Argonne, Medici employs him as the caretaker for Mother Ella Jumbo, the circus’ pregnant Asian elephant. When she gives birth to a calf with oversized ears, Medici instructs Holt to conceal them, fearing negative public reaction.

During the calf’s first performance in Joplin, Missouri, the audience notices his ears, leading to laughter and mockery as they call him “Dumbo” and throw peanuts at him. Enraged by the treatment of her son, Mrs. Jumbo storms into the ring, causing chaos, collapsing the big top, and inadvertently killing a handler named Rufus who provoked her. To mitigate the fallout from the incident, Medici decides to sell Mrs. Jumbo. Meanwhile, Holt’s children, Joe and Milly Farrier, comfort Dumbo and discover that he can fly by flapping his ears, with feathers enhancing his ability to soar.

Dumbo is compelled to take on the role of a firefighter clown, attempting to extinguish a fire with water from his trunk, but the act goes wrong, leaving him stranded on a high platform engulfed in flames. Milly provides Dumbo with a feather, instilling him with the confidence to soar to safety, which astonishes the audience and sparks interest in his abilities. V. A. Vandevere, the affluent proprietor of the Dreamland amusement park, approaches Medici with a proposal: if Medici partners with him, the Medici Brothers’ Circus will have a permanent performance slot at Dreamland, alleviating their financial struggles.

Dumbo’s first performance at Dreamland alongside Vandevere’s leading act, French trapeze artist Colette Marchant, quickly spirals out of control when he nearly tumbles from a high platform and panics upon realizing the absence of a safety net. Responding to his mother’s call and discovering she has been confined to an exhibit named Nightmare Island after being sold, he escapes the circus ring to reunite with her, disappointing the audience. Frustrated by Dumbo’s defiance and concerned that his mother might distract him, Vandevere dismisses the Medici troupe and orders the closure of Mrs. Jumbo’s exhibit to protect his reputation.

Upon discovering Vandevere’s plan to euthanize Dumbo’s mother and the danger it poses to the elephants, Holt and the Medici troupe devise a strategy to liberate them. The circus performers leverage their unique skills to help Mrs. Jumbo escape her confinement, while Holt and Colette assist Dumbo in flying away from the circus. Vandevere tries to intervene but inadvertently ignites a fire due to his mishandling of Dreamland’s electrical system, leading to widespread destruction of the park. After Dumbo heroically rescues Holt and his family from the flames, they, along with Colette and the rest of the troupe, transport Dumbo and his mother to the harbor, where they board a ship bound for India.

In the aftermath, the Medici Family Circus is revitalized, thriving with Colette as a new member, Milly hosting a science lecture exhibition, and performers donning animal costumes, reflecting the circus’s commitment to not using wild animals for entertainment. It is suggested that Vandevere faced legal consequences for deliberately setting fire to his park for insurance benefits. Meanwhile, Dumbo and his mother joyfully reunite with a wild elephant herd, celebrating Dumbo’s ability to fly.