WATCH BOX OFFICE MOVIES FOR FREE
Why The Villain In Dumbo Was A Bigger Shock Than We Expected
The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for the new live-action Dumbo.
It was clear from the very first trailers that the live-action Dumbo was going to tell a very different story than the original animated classic. Throughout the film's promotion, we were introduced to entirely new characters and settings that showed us the new film would definitely not be a standard remake. The original Dumbo was a movie without a villain, and the new version never entirely tipped its hand in that regard during marketing. It seemed clear that Michael Keaton's character was being set up as the bad guy, but details were left to a minimum. Still, I found myself watching the new film in utter amazement this week when I realized that the villain in Disney's newest movie... is basically an evil Walt Disney.
Michael Keaton plays the role of V.A. Vandevere in the new Dumbo. In the film, as soon as he learns of the existence of the flying elephant, he travels to the Medici Brothers circus in order to obtain the spectacle for his own entertainment venue. However, Vandevere doesn't run a competing circus. Instead, he has build an entertainment mecca, a massive complex where people come from all around to see a variety of different shows and experience unique attractions. It's called Dreamland. He built a theme park.
Micheal Keaton doesn't bear any physical resemblance to Walt Disney in the film; the trademark mustache is missing, but the parallels are clear. The character certainly has other influences as well, like Thomas Edison, who by all accounts actually was an asshole like Vandevere. There's maybe a little J.D. Rockefeller and J.P Morgan there as well, but Walt Disney certainly has a lot in common with this entire class. All are titans in an industry that they've largely created themselves. Of course, Disney is the only one who also built a theme park.
The existence of the park isn't the only connection to Disney. When we first meet Vandevere, he convinces Danny DeVito's Max Medici that the days of the circus are numbered. Now, rather than forcing a show to travel around the country to where the guests were, the way to be successful is to build a permanent entertainment installation and make the guests come to you.
This was basically the entire argument that led to the creation of Disneyland in the first place. Walt wasn't necessarily trying to put the circus out of business, but it's absolutely true that he wasn't a huge fan of the carnivals and circuses that were the popular form of "family" entertainment in the days before his theme park. He found them to be dirty, thought many of the attractions to be cheap and felt they were mostly only fun for kids, leaving their parents to sit around, probably drinking, while the kids went on the rids. He wanted a place where parents and their kids could have fun together.
It seems like Vandevere built his park simply because it's less work to build a fixed location complex then one that travels. The rationale is different, but the result is the same. It's these simple twists that make Michael Keaton's character the "evil" version of the real man.
You simply can't have a villain who owns a theme park and not make people think of Walt Disney. The man and the concept are forever linked together. However, things go so much further than that. Vandevere's Dreamland has attractions that are specifically designed to remind guests of early Disneyland attractions, like the Carousel of Progress and Rocket to the Moon. Dreamland is actively trying to make you think about Disneyland.
This decision, needless to say, is remarkable. Walt Disney is still very much idolized within the company that bears his name. The idea that a villain could be created that would even suggest Walt himself is a thing to behold. Walt Disney's reputation has been an important pillar of the entire company for decades, making the idea that he could inspire a villain seem impossible before now. When Walt Disney was alive he was very careful about the reputation he cultivated. He was very open and honest about this, saying once...
Ive worked my whole life to create the image of what Walt Disney is. Its not me. I smoke, and I drink, and all the things we dont want the public to think about. My whole life has been devoted to building up this organization that is represented by the name Walt Disney'
V.A. Vandevere has clearly done this too. When he first arrives at the Medici Brothers circus, everybody is in awe of him. When he shows up in his own theme park, he gets noticed. He clearly has his own public persona.
After Walt's passing, the company that carried on his name continued to build up the image of who Walt Disney was. Even as recently as 2013, when Tom Hanks, the nicest actor who ever lived, played the man himself in Saving Mr. Banks, it was a major breakthrough just to have a shot of Disney holding a lit cigarette. Many old publicity images of the man where he was holding a cigarette would actually airbrush it out of the picture. That film never showed him actually smoking it, of course. That would have been a bridge too far, but that's how carefully the Walt Disney legacy is guarded.
Walt Disney wasn't perfect, he was just a person. However, as has happened with many real people who have obtained such massively popular reputations, there has been a backlash. A lot of the negative things that have been reported about Walt Disney are utterly untrue (that's an entirely separate column), but that hasn't stopped many from viewing the man as exactly the ruthless capitalist monster that Michael Keaton portrays in Dumbo. That's all the more reason that this fictional character in this movie is shocking to see.
V.A. Vadevere is an over-the-top cartoon villain. He intentionally screws Max Medici and everybody in the circus to get what he wants. He orders Dumbo's mother killed to eliminate her as a distraction. He pushes his performers to perform in unsafe circumstances to make the show better. All of this is out of a desire for money.
While V.A. Vandevere may be all about watching his theme park make money, Disney once said of his business of making movies...
We dont make movies to make money, we make money to make more movies.
V.A. Vandevere clearly has far more capitalistic notions than this when it comes to his theme park. He wants Dumbo because Dumbo will bring him money. That money can be used to grow his business. Greed is a fairly common motivation for villains in Disney movies today, so Michael Keaton's character falls right in line with that, but in Walt's day, painting making money as a bad thing was much less prevalent.
This is because Walt Disney himself was an unapologetic capitalist. If there's a difference between Walt Disney and V.A. Vandevere in this regard, it's only by a matter of degree. This is the same Walt Disney who has successfully and permanently linked his name to centuries-old fairy tales. He took public domain concepts that cost him nothing, and created versions that for many are now the standard, making him and his company rich in the process. Maybe Walt saw financial success as a means to an end, rather than an end to itself, as Vandevere seems to, but both of them were certainly focused on making their businesses financially successful.
V.A. Vandevere isn't Walt Disney, but let's not pretend that nobody on the production of the new Dumbo didn't make that connection, just as I, and many others, already have. That's assuming that it wasn't the goal from the outset. They knew the link would be made, and they went ahead with it. I can't decide if this decision is simply insane or the bravest thing that the Walt Disney Company has ever done. This likely won't change many opinions on old Uncle Walt, for good or ill, but it causes me to look at his company in a whole new way.
Jan 22, 2019 · The 91st Academy Awards will air Feb. 24, 2019. Walt Disney Pictures "Black Panther" received several Oscar nominations on Tuesday Jan. 22, including a first Best Picture nomination for Marvel
Academy Awards Nominations 2019: Complete List Of Nominees
Justice League's Reshoots Reportedly Changed Cyborg's Story In A Major Way Movies August 7, 2018 No Comments For decades Victor Stone, a.k.a. Cyborg , was best known in the DC Comics mythology as a member of the Teen Titans, but when the New 52 launched in 2011, Cyborg's backstory was reimagined so that he was instead one of the founding
Justice League Reshoots Changed Cyborg and Added More Humor
Disney has fired director James Gunn from helming the third film in the hit Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, following the discovery and circulation of several old tweets in which he displayed
Why James Gunn Was Fired From Guardians of the Galaxy 3
Subscribe To Michael Rooker Finally Speaks Out About James Gunn's Firing From Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 Updates close Subscribe To Michael Rooker Finally Speaks Out About James Gunn's Firing
Michael Rooker Finally Speaks Out About James Gunn's Firing
Did you catch any of these important hidden details in Avengers: Infinity War? Details You Totally Missed Screen Rant to battle Thanos but that weapon's name ties into another Marvel
Deadpool Easter Eggs and movie references: X-Men in Deadpool
In October, Netflix is adding one of Monty Python's best films, Life of Brian. The 1979 religious satire tells the story of a young Jewish man who is born the same day as Jesus Christ and is
The 10 best new movies and TV shows coming to Netflix in
The First Man Scenes That Were The Hardest To Shoot, According To Damien Chazelle Associated Press AP October 12, 2018 3:14 pm October 12, 2018 Off 85 Share This Post
First Man - CINEMABLEND
It was lights up on Washington Heights in New York City on Friday, when Lin-Manuel Miranda and other members of the In the Heights Broadway cast gathered to mark the musical's 10th anniversary.
Warner Bros. Wins Bidding for Lin-Manuel Miranda's 'In the
Lucasfilm // NOVEMBER 9, 2017. Rian Johnson, Writer-Director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, to Create All-New Star Wars Trilogy For director Rian Johnson, Star Wars: The Last Jedi was just the beginning of his journey in a galaxy far, far away.
The Coolest Part Of Making A Star Wars Movie, According To Phoebe Waller-Bridge For a certain type of fan, there's nothing quite as cool as Star Wars. Now, the generation that grew up with Star
Woody Harrelson accepted Solo: A Star Wars Story role partly
The video does not have sound (those sneaks), so we cannot accurately confirm that the video is from the set of Star Wars: Episode IX, but given that Boyega has such a huge role on the film and
John Boyega Posts Teasing Photo From The Set Of Star Wars
Steven S. DeKnight, showrunner on the first season of Daredevil and director of the recent Pacific Rim: Uprising, spoke with Comicbook.com about his interest in possibly making a God of War movie — he's a huge fan of the game, apparently — and casting Dave Bautista, best known for playing Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in the role
God Of War Movie: Updates and What Fans Should Know
The amount of money designated to produce 10 Shazam suits makes the previous controversy around the costume all the more maddening. Because while production had millions of dollars on the line to create the title character's look, the internet was attacking the costume before the film's first footage debuted.
The Insane Amount Of Money Shazam's Suit Cost To Make
watch movie online padman
watch movie online sonchiriya
luka chuppi watch movie online
watch online movie x-men days of future past in hindi
watch movie online donkey king full
gold watch movie online
yeh jawaani hai deewani watch movie online
thugs of hindostan watch movie online
how to watch movie online
sanju watch movie online free
watch movie online shaadi mein zaroor aana
watch movie online yes
october hindi watch movie online
how many gb does it use to watch a movie online
watch movie online hindi medium
elf watch movie online
watch movie online latest bollywood
venom watch movie online
why did i get married full movie watch online
god must be crazy full movie watch online
humpty sharma ki dulhania watch movie online
ek tha tiger watch movie online
watch it could happen to you full movie online free
watch movie online querelle
free watch movie online streaming
best site to watch movie online
lucy watch movie online
quantum of solace watch movie online
watch movie online veerey ki wedding
lion watch movie online
watch movie online narendra modi
watch movie online zero dark thirty
watch movie online qarib qarib single
top gun watch movie online free
welcome to newyork full movie watch online
watch movie online youngistaan
i don't know how she does it watch movie online free
kolamavu kokila watch movie online
rockstar watch movie online
watch movie online devdas
dil junglee watch movie online
watch movie online indoxxi
bollywood watch movie online
good will hunting full movie watch online free
watch movie online uri
www.watch movie online punjabi
how can we watch movie online
watch movie online chinese sub
malli raava watch movie online
man of will korean movie watch online
race 3 watch movie online
nela ticket watch movie online
where to watch tamil movie online
dhadak watch movie online
god must be crazy movie watch online
raazi watch movie online
what movie should i watch online
watch movie online venom
zipper watch movie online
dhadak watch movie online dailymotion
raid watch movie online
how to watch movie online tiger zinda hai
free watch movie online hindi
jab tak hai jaan watch movie online
zero 2018 watch movie online
nimir watch movie online
watch movie online streaming free hd
jai lava kusa watch movie online
did you hear about the morgans full movie watch online
new watch movie online
the worst horror movie ever made watch online
the kid who would be king full movie watch online
naa peru surya watch movie online
watch movie online your name
watch movie online vicky donor
watch movie online indo
tiger zinda hai watch movie online
watch movie online pakistani
www.watch movie online.com.pk
watch movie online khiladi 786
dear zindagi watch movie online
midnight sun watch movie online
vada chennai watch movie online
would you rather watch movie online
top website to watch movie online free
deadpool watch movie online
life of the party watch movie online free
sonu ke titu sweety watch movie online
watch movie online mobile
watch movie online quora
best site to watch movie online bollywood
junga watch movie online
i could never be your woman full movie watch online
fukrey returns full watch movie online
i don't know how she does it movie watch online
justice league watch movie online free
watch movie online zero
how to watch movie online in tamil
malayalam watch movie online
watch online movie x-men apocalypse in hindi
padmavati watch movie online free
watch movie online us
how to watch uri movie online
how to watch movie online in hindi
robot 2.0 watch movie online
glass watch movie online
watch movie online pakistan
hindi watch movie online
watch movie online qarib qarib singlle
unfaithful watch movie online free
watch movie online hd hindi
que leon watch movie online
aruvi watch movie online
watch movie online youtube
watch movie online app
watch movie online.org
#Shows #ComedyMovies #highschool #usa #nollywoodactress #movies #summernights #LuciferSeason4 #nyc #featurefilm #didiconn #weddings #weekendmovies #flix #MarathiMovies #watchtogether #johntravolta #sunday #meangirls #billoberst #cya #classic #invite #musical #mothersdaygifts #paramount #horror #newnollywoodmovies #live #entertainment #greaselightning #thrillflix #fridayspecial #teencomedy #gomorra #gettogether #movienightlive #newnollywood #nollywoodactor #onj #fun #filmreview #tgif #canada #thriller #JohnSingleton #musicals #party #watchmoviesonline #Marathi #LuciferNetflix #Cast #film #lindsaylohan #online #nollywoodstar #dance #Entertainment #Filmidesh #grease #Lucifer #hollywood #newmovies #america #slumberparty #pinkladies #MyDeshFilmidesh #cyalive #newnollywoodmovie #gregoryblair #Events #fetch #thatsofetch #WatchMoviesOnline #dannytrejo #deadly #movielovers #pinklady #Plays #shugabanmedia #social #olivianewtonjohn #Movies #tinafey #pinkjacket #watch #Cookery #milanacoco #mothersday #movie
0 comments:
Post a Comment