Disney’s Dumbo remake – and our favourite circus adaptations on stage and screen

-
The full trailer for the live action remake of the classic Disney cartoon Dumbo has been released, and it’s going straight to the top of our film watchlist.

In 1941 – and despite being only 64 minutes long – Dumbo was pretty revolutionary for its advances in animation techniques. It’s an enduring family favourite and many consider it an essential part of the Disney films canon. It also won an Oscar for best music!

That’s quite a lot to live up to, and the new movie has an intriguingly different feel thanks to the direction of Tim Burton (The Nightmare Before Chirstmas, Edward Scissorhands), so you can bet it’ll be an interesting watch. We’re sure the heartfelt story will be in safe hands with Burton, and his impressive cast which includes Danny DeVito, Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton and Eva Green. This new version will be released in 2019.



Dumbo tells the tale of a flying elephant who is bullied for his giant ears, separated from his mother and made to perform with a clown act. But the help of sidekick mouse Timothy he realises his full potential.

Much like Bambi, even though it’s considered a family film, watching Disney’s original Dumbo is an emotional experience. It goes without saying that we really don’t like how cruelly the animals are treated in the story. Thankfully this is the exception not the rule in circus nowadays. We don’t use any animals in our Gandeys Circus productions – it’s thrilling enough with just our talented human acts!

Of course Dumbo wasn’t the first story set inside a Big Top to be adapted for the big screen or stage. Here’s some others we’ve also enjoyed watching…

The Greatest Showman



The Greatest Showman was THE runaway film success of 2018, and even inspired our Gandeys Circus ‘Greatest Showmen’ tour this year. It follows P. T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman) and the birth of the circus in America. That’s not the first time Barnum’s story has been brought to the attention of the public though...

Barnum



The Barnum musical was a success on Broadway and the West End in the 1980s. The original London cast starred famous ‘Phantom of the Opera’ Michael Crawford, who had to learn to sing while walking a highwire for his role. It was worth all the training though, as in 1981 he won the Olivier award for best actor in a musical.

Pippin



Pippin is a different Broadway musical inspired by the circus. This time, the circus setting is used to facilitate the telling of the story of a young prince called Pippin, who is on a quest for meaning in his life. We love the vibrancy of the 2013 Broadway revival, which you can see in the trailer above…

Big Fish



Another Tim Burton film, Big Fish was a Broadway musical too! The circus makes an appearance in one of many tall tales (we also meet witches and mermaids!)

Astley’s Astounding Adventures  

Before P. T. Barnum arrived on the scene, Philip Astley (from Newcastle-under-Lyme) is credited with creating the original circus.

Earlier this year, as part of Circus250 (celebrating the anniversary of the birth of the circus), the New Vic Theatre presented this show about Astley’s life and his rivalry with fellow showman Charles Hughes.

We definitely hope the show is revived at some point. Here’s the review from when we went to watch.

Our latest Gandeys Circus productions...

The next Gandeys Circus production is our Greatest Snowman Circus at Belfast’s Winter Wonderland, running from 23 November 2018 to 6 January 2019.

Our Great Circus of Europe ‘The Greatest Show’ tour will be performed in Hong Kong from 14 December 2018 to 17 February 2019. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for your feedback!

Popular posts from this blog

A brief history of clowns to celebrate Andreea's birthday!

-
Image
Hip hip hooray! It’s our crazy clown Andreea’s birthday! The lovable Andreea has been appearing in shows with Gandeys Circus for nearly a decade. Now Andreea is actually French – so perhaps we should say ‘bon anniversaire’! We’re proud to have Andreea as part of our current team in the big top at Butlin’s Skegness . While our other clowns – currently performing at Butlin’s Bognor Regis and Minehead – Bippo and Chico Rico are more traditional, Andreea opts to show off her sense of style with an offbeat modern look. We think her pink tutu / Converse / blazer combo is pretty iconic… especially paired with her blasting boombox! (she’s never been shy of making an entrance). Andreea likes interrupting the action with her silly routines. And you know something else… she is the UK’s only female clown! So you could say she’s a bit of an innovator when it comes to clowning around. With that in mind, let’s look at how much clowns have changed ov
Read more

When The Lady Boys of Bangkok Met.... Geordie Shore!

-
Image
Fans of the hit TV show Geordie Shore will be pleased to see the return of their favourite stars of the North tonight, for yet another series! It's the 5th time on the small screen for the 'toon army'  this time showcasing fun and frolics on their stag and hen adventures. Travelling across Europe to the best of the continents Stag and Hen destinations.... From Amsterdam to Tignes, the series follows the stars along the way! It's guaranteed to have you laughing, cringing and possibly having a little bit of a cry throughout. Enough of the new series though, remember that time when the stars of Geordie Shore met our Lady Boys of Bangkok . ....? Cheeky  James Tindale  didn't seem to know what to do with himself when the beautiful Lady Boys of Bangkok rolled in to town!  Well, until the Lady Boys took to the stage and of course, then  James wasn't one to let other's take the limelight..... Switswoo we say! If you missed the Lady Boys of Bangkok
Read more

Origins of the Chinese Circus

-
Image
200 BC – 200 AD – Han Dynasty, Sichuan Province – Juggler with balls and knives – Carving, stone of the “Hundred Games.” [source: Chinese Acrobatics Through The Ages, p15] The origins of the Chinese circus are not entirely crystal clear. There are debates and differing opinions when it comes to the exact history behind the circus, which is not a surprise when you take into account how long it has been around! First records of the Chinese circus - including carvings and mural paintings - date back more than 2,000 years to the Warring States period (475–221 BC), with evidence of performances developing further during the Qin and Han Dynasties (221 BC - 230 AD). Although it is believed that the art may have actually started around 3,000 years ago! One theory is that the acts originated in imperial courts, with performers entertaining the houses in a manner similar to western court jesters. However, it is more likely that the circus was a folk art that was later adopted by
Read more