Tim Burton’s remake of Dumbo not ‘too sweet’, says Colin Farrell

“Tim is suspicious of things getting too sweet. When Tim comes in to give his notes, he is a 60-year-old. (But) watching the monitor, he is just a child. It was lovely to see that level of engagement,” Farrell told Empire magazine.

Dumbo is an official remake of Disney’s 1941 classic of the same name. It is based on the novel by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl.

The story centres on a young elephant, named Dumbo, whose oversized ears enable him to fly and helps save a struggling circus, but when the circus plans a new venture, he and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer.

Farrell is playing the human lead, Holt Farrier, a war veteran hired to look after Dumbo.

Also featuring Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green and Alan Arkin, the film is scheduled to be released in March.