Film of the Week: Dumbo

Tim Burton has had a wretched decade since Alice in Wonderland, so it’s nice to see a return to form – even if he’s done it by shedding the cool cynicism that was once his trademark. He’s instead turned in an unapologetically warm-hearted children’s film that still allows him to indulge his love for weird design, clowns and Danny DeVito in a top hat. It helps, then, that this is set at a circus: the trapeze acts, big top acts and various pieces of old-school pizzazz are when Dumbo really comes alive. Everything else is thin in a way that tots won’t mind but probably won’t enchant parents quite so much – but at least this is the first Burton film in ages that feels like he made it. Times & trailer

Picture: Walt Disney Studios